Window on Cecil County's Past

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,…

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…

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….

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…

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….

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…

JUNE 22, 2021 – On this rainy afternoon in late June, the doors to Chesapeake City Elementary swung open for friends, alumni, and former faculty to stroll through the hallways one final time. Children returning this fall will report to the modern, new facility south of town. The walls of this eighty-two-year-old schoolhouse went up…

For younger people today, it is something an earlier generation talks about. But those who lived through Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972, will never forget the damaging force that disrupted lives along the lower Susquehanna River. Over a five-day period (June 20 to 24, 1972) the National Weather Service issued bulletins about the storm…

As the nation prepares to celebrate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, heard about their freedom, we are looking at emancipation locally.  In 1860, Cecil County had nearly 24,000 residents.  Sixteen percent were African Americans, and about 1,000 (4%) were enslaved.  While spread across the county, this system of bondage…

Crystal Beach made headlines every week in 1939 as the Manor Messenger, a newsletter, kept residents and guests informed about goings-on at the Cecil County vacation spot. At least for most of that summer, readers looked forward to the latest news, the four-page newsletter connecting them with all the happenings. The inaugural edition, June 30,…