A number of 19th-century Cecil County schools are still standing these days, and one of those is the Jackson Hall School. Located on Jackson Hall Road, a short distance from Cowantown, this school was built in 1870. The second floor was used as a Sunday School and community meeting room. The first floor contained a…
Lighthouses of the C & D Canal
Before the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal became a sea-level canal for ocean-going vessels, there were at least six lighthouses along the 14-mile route between the waters of the Delaware River and the Chesapeake Bay. Navigation aids, these beacons of light, warned tugs, barges, schooners, sloops, and steamboats, that they were approaching a bridge, lock, or…
The Turkey Point Light Station
Tomorrow (Aug 7) is National Lighthouse Day so we are resharing a post on a Cecil County lighthouse. On this date in 1789, Congress approved an act for the establishment and support of lighthouses, becaons, buoys, and public piers. According to the American Lighthouse Foundation is a day “to celebrate lighthouses and the commitment and…
Chesapeake City Dry
CHESAPEAKE CITY DRY — On Aug. 17, 1914, someone passing through the canal in Chesapeake City penned a brief message on the back of this postcard. The traveler wrote: “passed through at noon. All sober. Dry town. . . .” Postmarked in Chesapeake City, the message was mailed to William Mauer, Norristown, PA. In the…
Rodeo Earl Smith, a Legendary Cecil County Cowboy
One of Cecil County’s most colorful personalities, Rodeo Earl Smith, “a gun-slingin’, troublemakin’ goat-keepin’ bachelor,” lived at the King Ranch on Route 40 outside Perryville for decades. Labeling himself Cecil County’s most famous resident, he also described himself as the “cussin’est, kissin’est cowboy who ever lived,” Robin Brown reported in the Morning News on May…
The Elkton Town Hall
Elkton — A late 1950s or early 1960s view of the “town hall and the shopping center of this bustling county seat of Cecil County.” The YMCA, the police department, and the town hall occupy the building that is now the headquarters of the Elkton Alliance. In the background is the J. J. Newberry Company….
Elkton Was Proud of its Two Fire Engines, Hand-Pumpers Bought in Baltimore & Philadelphia
One April afternoon in 1859, townspeople in Elkton were startled when it appeared that a general alarm fire was raging inside the venerable old seat of justice in Cecil County. The rumbling carriage wheels of the hand-drawn pumper being hurriedly pulled toward the courthouse and the clattering of rushing feet drew curious citizens to the…
Mease Adds to Understanding of United States Colored Troops in Cecil County
It’s always exciting to obtain fresh perspectives and insights on the county’s past when scholars take a serious look at our history. These thorough investigations, requiring months of intensive digging into original documents and a critical evaluation of the primary sources, are valuable — they focus on specific research questions and use the highest principles…
When the Civil War Started – A Vital Civil War Crossroads
Intense excitement prevailed throughout Cecil County 138 years ago this week as Union soldiers tried to reinforce Washington City. Just a week after Southern forces fired on Fort Sumter, and launched the Civil War, the Union’s capital was cut off when rebel sympathizers attacked troops moving through Baltimore. The railroad north of the city –…
Civil War Days on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
For 365 days in 1864 a small diary penned by John Price, the Superintendent of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, provides a unique and enthralling view of Chesapeake City as that troubled year gradually passed by. With the Civil War dragging on, as Union and Confederate armies confronted each other in a deadly, epic struggle,…