There are floods and there are cold snaps in Cecil County. But in Port Deposit there were “ice gorges” and there were floods. So frequent before the building of the Conowingo Dam, the ice jams periodically brought destruction to the old river town and other communities on the lower Susquehanna River. They occurred when a…
When Ice Jammed the Susquehanna River and Threatened Port Deposit Photographers Were Quick to Respond.
Port Deposit, Havre de Grace, and other communities on the lower Susquehanna River have a long record of damaging ice floes and floods. When the towns were paralyzed by the ice jams, photographers rushed to the area to capture the scene. And when picture postcards arrived at the top of the 20th century, these regular disasters became…
When Ice Gorges Terrorized Port Deposit and the Susquehanna.
A century ago, whenever the Susquehanna River Basin suffered through a particularly tough winter—for weeks, the wind would howl, the snow would blow, and the temperatures would hover below freezing—the powerful waterway would ice over from New York down to Havre de Grace. But as those long blustery nights showed tentative signs of easing, people…
On Labor Day: Remembering Those Who Died While Building the Conowingo Dam
On this Labor Day, a holiday that honors American Workers and remembers the struggle to acquire better employment conditions, it’s a good time to share some research I have been doing on men who paid a high price erecting the Conowingo Dam. An untold number were killed, injured or disabled while toiling away at the…
Remembering the Service of Sheriff Sam du Pont
Following the local election in the autumn of 1970, headlines across the nation put a favorable spotlight on Cecil County. A member of the Du Pont family, Samuel Francis du Pont, had become sheriff, and curious journalists from some of the nation’s largest dailies sensed a unique story here. Sam du Pont certainly wasn’t after the $125-a-week…
Hack’s Point: A Natural Spot for Summer Visitors
While Cecil County has always been an attractive spot for vacationers, the arrival of the automobile age after World War I accelerated that trend as new waterfront communities started popping up. Desiring to escape the oppressive heat and humidity of July and August, visitors from Philadelphia, Wilmington, Lancaster, and other nearby urban areas motored here,…
The Boulden Ford Building Hummed With Activity of Auto Trade For Most of the 20th Century
The appearance of the first “locomobile on Main Street in 1900 heralded the beginning of a new era, which would dramatically change Elkton, an old colonial town. On a Friday in April at the top of a new century, “the sight of the strange machine proved too much for ‘Poor Excuse’ Dr. B. M. Wells’ horse, and…
Stately Building Anchors Part of Downtown Elkton
Before the Civil War distracted everyone, it was widely noted that Elkton needed a large public hall, a place to hold public and social events. So in 1863 the Odd Fellows Lodge developed a plan to provide the town with such a convenience. The entire community had an interest in such a structure, which could…
“Operation of 1865 – 1912” by Stella Graves, R.N.
Thoroughly Modern Early 20th Century Nurses Meet the Old Civil War Surgeon
It wasn’t exactly the most daring escape, but on a Friday evening in November 1912, four young jailbirds charged with illegally hitching a ride on a freight train decided they weren’t waiting around for the trail. Opting instead for “leg bail,” they carried bedsteads from cells and tied the frame together with blankets. This wobbly, makeshift…