In a time when horses, carriages, and bicycles provided transportation, the sight of an auto could cause a commotion, but little did anyone know how unsettling that first view could be for “Poor Excuse.” It was Friday, April 13, 1900, a day for bad luck, when the Adams Express delivery horse trotted up to the…
Sharing Cecil County’s Past
If you enjoy Cecil County’s history check out our Facebook page, a virtual home where we share photos, stories, and conversations about the area’s heritage. As you browse the timeline you will find rich media, pictures, new and old, short articles, news about local heritage events, and links to curated content produced by others. In…
Memorial Obituaries Moore, Tech. Sgt. Hugh F.
Memorial Obituaries Moore, Tech. Sgt. Hugh F.. Tech. Sgt. Hugh F. Moore The remains of Technical Sergeant Hugh Francis Moore, who was missing in action for more than 70 years after his plane was shot down in World War II, will be coming home for burial with full military honors. Born in Elkton, MD, in…
Cecil County Airman Hugh Moore To Be Returned to Family and Buried With Full Military Honors
Press Release: Department of Defense: Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, October 31, 2014 The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of U.S. servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors. Army Air Forces…
On Borrowed Time: Solving a Cecil County Genealogical Mystery
ELKTON—On a cold, grey February day a few years ago, Lance McPherson, a special agent for the federal government, called to ask for help solving a family history mystery associated with an old, inoperable pocket watch in his custody. On this trip, he sought to uncover information about the curious timepiece, its hands frozen in…
Steamer Carmania Served Elkton in 1916
In the early years of the 20th century, steam boating days on the Chesapeake Bay started slipping slowly away. But in the summer of 1916, Elkton obtained renewed service, as the Philadelphia and Baltimore Steamboat Company (Ericsson Line) launched a new line with connections to Baltimore. Leading up to the return of a regular schedule…
Insurance Survey Maps From Philadelphia Free LIbrary Show Details on Many of Cecil County’s 19th Century Mills
While digging up some historical records on a property in Cecil County, I discovered a large body of helpful online maps published by the Philadelphia Free Library. This urban institution has substantial online collections, including a large holding of maps. The resources that helped with my investigation was the Hexamer General Survey collection. Between 1866 and 1895,…
Spotlight on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
We always look for the weekly posts on this Old Book, The Delaware Historical Society blog by Ed Richi, the curator of prints. This week he is focusing on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
President Taft Speaks to Crowd From Porch of Howard Hotel in Elkton
In the middle of a heated four-way presidential contest, a special train screeched to a stop at the Elkton station one Saturday in May 1912. On-board for a quick whistle-stop tour of Maryland was President William H. Taft. When he arrived at 11:45 a.m., he was met at the station by a committee with automobiles…
Adding Cecil Kirk, a County Lawman, to the Sheriff’s Wall
When Benny Kirk visited the Sheriff’s Office in Elkton a few years ago, he paused to look over a series of photographs hanging on the wall. These weren’t mug shots from recent arrests or some of the most wanted criminals that caught his attention. They were aging images of men who served the county as…