After sadly hearing that Mary A. Maloney-Wilson, 96, passed away on Dec. 16, 2020, we recalled some of the popular Cecil County leader’s accomplishments. As a business leader, elected official, and trailblazer, there were several firsts. The times were changing here as the 1960s slowly gave way to the 1970s. Although a Board of Commissioners…
Remembering Claude “Zeke” Cornett
ELKTON, Nov. 23, 2020– On this sad day, Singerly Fire Company mourned the loss of one of their own, Ambulance Chief Claude “Zeke” Cornett. With fire service and military honors, the 92-year-old World War II-era veteran was laid to rest at Gilpin Manor Memorial Park. Born in 1928, Zeke joined Singerly as a probationary…
Observing Thanksgiving During the Civil War
At the height of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln designated Aug 6, 1863, as a national day for “Thanksgiving, Praise, and Prayer” for the Union Army’s recent successes. This early proclamation set a precedent for America’s national holiday, and the observance soon settled on the final Thursday in November with communities across the north…
Stealing an Election Was the Charge
When Cecil Countians headed to polling places on Nov 8, 1864, to cast ballots in the presidential election, tensions were high. The country had suffered through three long years of brutal Civil War fighting and many people had grown tired of the continuing bloodshed. On Election Day, people confronted a sobering decision as this lack…
The Cecil County Lynching Memorial Blog
As the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project works to advance the cause of reconciliation in the state by documenting the history of racial terror lynching, the group has supported the development of blogs for the county coalitions. Here is the link to The Cecil County Lynching Memorial page. The Committee is working to memorialize the victims…
An Octagonal School at Carter’s Mill.
Carter’s Mill School, also known as the eight-sided school was built in 1820 by Robert Carter at Carter’s Bank. The stone place of learning was replaced in 1886 by a two-room frame building located on the west side of Singerly Road at Andora. William Spratt built the Andora School for $275 It is uncertain when…
Cecil County Death Certificates Now Available Online
RESEARCH TIP — CECIL COUNTY DEATH CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE ONLINE — Here is some exciting news for historians and genealogists from the Maryland State Archives. The State has started digitizing Maryland death certificates. The first batch for the counties is now online. This batch runs from 1898 to 1910, but more will be added in the…
Principal Helen Harris Opens the Levi Coppin School
The Board of Education purchased land for this building from Jesse & Rachel Hevelow for $10 in 1950, and the brick schoolhouse for African-Americans opened in 1952. Dr. Thomas G. Pullen, State Superintendent of Schools, and Mrs. Helen Harris, principal, spoke at the dedication that May. Once the modern facility opened, the former community schoolhouse…
Effort to Save Levi Coppin School Continues as State Reopens Review Process
CECILTON – September 2, 2020 – The demolition plan for the Bishop Levi Coppin School in Cecilton is being reassessed as a “post-review discovery” under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Some months earlier, a determination had been made that the demolition…
Ice was a Summer Luxury
On hot, sweltering summer days in the years before electric refrigerators, the iceman was a welcome sight in Cecil County towns. Plowing through dusty streets on a wagon, people could hear the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves, as the deliveryman approached. Making his way slowly along the street, the deliveryman stopped at virtually every household,…