A Mason Dixon Stone on the road from Elkton to Glasgow, after standing nearly a hundred and nineteen years, “yielded to the action of the elements and fell over” on the ground in William Fowler’s wheat field on the farm of the late Andrew McIntire, the Cecil Democrat reported in 1885. The ground is slightly…
Remembering Chief McIntire
CHIEF THOMAS N. MCINTIRE, JR. (1925 – 2019) – Saturday morning) we were saddened to hear of the passing of Chief Thomas N. McIntire, Jr. Born in Elkton on January 16, 1925, the 94-year-old died peacefully at home on Dec. 14. 2019. Coming of age at a time that demanded an enormous sacrifice from the…
The Pilot Town School
PILOT TOWN SCHOOL — Youngsters in the vicinity of the eight-district village of Pilot Town attended this school, which was located on the southwest corner of Pilot Town and Bell Manor Road. On May 31, 1859, a school for this vicinity came into the county system, when George W. Gillespie sold a three-quarter acre lot…
Cecil County Canning Companies
NOTES ON CECIL COUNTY CANNING COMPANIES — A number of towns once had canneries, processing corn, peaches, tomatoes, and other products. Some of the largest were located in the northwestern part of Cecil County. By the late 19th century, there were canneries in the Colora and Liberty Grove area. For example, the Cecil Whig reported…
Red Point Beach
“An unpretentious resort where people could enjoy the country, the great shade trees, and the safe, sandy beaches” is how one magazine once described Red Point Beach. The vacation spot about 4 miles below North East was established in 1926 after Alphonse Pericat and C. F. Park of Wilmington purchased the 112-acre property in Elk…
Women in the Fire Service
Women began joining the fire service in Elkton in the 1970s, entering the all-male Singerly Fire Company ranks as first responders. These trailblazers started with emergency medical services but soon expanded into firefighting. Over forty years later, they are found driving the apparatus, entering blazing buildings, providing pre-hospital acute care, and commanding incidents. It certainly…
Martha Finley Joined the Singerly Fire Company in 1892
Recently, while researching the Singerly Fire Company’s 125th anniversary, we searched the archives for information on members when we discovered another marker to add to the company’s annals. In 1892, as the Singerly Fire Company started serving the community, a man was issued a share of stock to show that he was a member. The…
The Fireman’s Lot at the Elkton Cemetery
In the Elkton Cemetery on Howard Street, a small stretch of grass alongside Howard Street has served as the fireman’s lot since 1892. Here is the story behind this little plot of land in the old burial ground. The Singerly Fire Company incorporated on Jan. 22, 1892, and in early November of that year the…
Bobby Kennedy’s Funeral Train in Cecil County
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, at 7 p.m., Rein Jelle Terpstra will talk about Senator Bobby Kennedy’s Funeral Train, which passed through Cecil County on June 8, 1968. Over four years, Professor Terpstra worked on his project “Robert F. Kennedy Funeral Train: The People’s View.” As part of his fieldwork, he visited Cecil County several…
Working to End Segregated Hospitals
PORT DEPOSIT — On Nov 10, 1960, Port Deposit resident, Patrica Taylor Stamps, 23, was rushed to Harford Memorial Hospital. There she was admitted to the segregated ward for African-Americans. Expecting to deliver her baby boy, Carlos, the doctor told her there were medical complications and the procedure needed to happen immediately. On delivery, Carlos…