Catching a show at the North East Theatre on Main Street was a popular thing to do for generations of people in central Cecil County during the middle third of the 20th century. The first movie in town was owned by Albert J. Roney, Sr. and initially shows were projected at the GAR Hall, according…
Pivot Bridge, a Lost Cecil County Village
Around 1824, before the first shovel of earth was moved to dig the C & D Canal, there was a flourishing village a few hundred yards from the Delaware State Line called Bethel or later Pivot Bridge. It clustered around an old church with an ancient graveyard. Before Chesapeake City, its neighbor two miles to…
Pinkerton Detectives Investigated Chesapeake City Murder in 1886
The murderously battered body of William Green, an old man living on a barge on Back Creek at the edge of Chesapeake City was discovered on March 18, 1886. Incoherent and urgently needing medical attention, people carried the insensible fellow to George Whiteoak’s home in town, where he lingered for a few days. As news…
Opposition to Daylight Savings Time in Cecil County
As spring rolled around in 1946, a petition circulated in Rising Sun favoring the establishment of Daylight Savings Time. Once a majority of the businesses signed the circular, the municipality went on what some called “fast time” on Monday, April 29, 1946. As most people inside the corporate limits retired on that Sunday evening, they…
The Firemen’s Plot at the Elkton Cemetery
In the Elkton Cemetery on Howard Street, a small stretch of grass alongside Howard Street has served as the firemen’s plot since 1892. Here is the story behind this little plot of land in the old burial ground. The Singerly Fire Company was incorporated on Jan. 22, 1892, and in early November of that year,…
The Port Deposit Pool
In the years after World War II, community pools were the in thing, a great civic improvement providing a place to take a dip to cool off on scorching summer days. Across the region, private clubs, community groups, and municipalities opened those refreshing spots so young and old could find a little relief from the…
Camp Meeting, a Summertime Event
One of the highlights of August for many people living in Cecil County in the decades around the turn of the twentieth century was the annual Woodlawn Camp Meeting. For two weeks in the heat and humidity of summer, many families vacationed there, escaping the chores of farm life, socializing, and listening to worship services….
Rising Sun, a Summer Resort
As the summer months heated up in the late 19th century, residents of nearby cities often took extended vacations. Seeking out the cooler, fresh air of the countryside or the fresh breezes from the ocean or bay, they escaped the city’s heat during the sweltering months. Many towns on the Chesapeake Bay capitalized on this…
Remembering Singerly Firefighter Roger McCardell
ELKTON – July 23, 2021 – On this sad Friday in late July, hundreds of first responders, public officials, friends, and family gathered at the Elkton United Methodist Church to say a final goodbye to Firefighter Roger Morton McCardell, Jr. Born on October 10, 1957, the 63-year-old public servant passed away on July 17, 2021….
Singerly Fire Company Painting — Call to Alarm — Centennial Painting
For its centennial celebration in 1992, the Singerly Fire Company commissioned an oil painting that showed the company racing out of the North Street station on a cold winter evening in 1892 to answer its first alarm. A team of galloping horses pulled the Amoskeag Steamer past the old courthouse at the corner of Main…