The Susquehanna Power Company built a police substation at Conowingo for the Maryland State Police in 1929, leasing the land to the agency for a dollar a year. When it opened in April of that year, a staff of two sergeants, a corporal, and four officers were assigned to the post. It was a…
Video From This Afternoon’s Bootlegger’s Ball
To drink or not to drink was the question at this month’s program at the Historical Society of Cecil County as the organization examined the days of temperance, prohibition, speakeasies, bootleggers and Bathtub gin. Afterwards everyone was invited to a secret rendezvous at the Bootlegger’s Ball, over at the North Street Hotel. There the guests…
Duck & Cover at the Perryville LIbrary – April 8th — Cecil County prepared for Armageddon
From the Cecil County Public Library Date: 4/8/2014 Start Time: 7:00 PM Description: Local historian Mike Dixon recounts national and local Civil Defense activities, from World War II to the nuclear age, when government officials planned for the worst. Registration required. Library: Perryville Branch Location: Meeting Room to register click here.
Columbia University Professor Talks About Biography of John Randel, Jr., Chief Engineer of the C & D Canal Comany April 12
The author of a biography about the chief engineer of the C & D Canal, John Randel, Jr. will speak at the Historical Society of Cecil County April 12 at 2:00 p.m. “An eccentric and flamboyant surveyor,” Randel was “renowned for his inventiveness” and his irascibility. After “drafting and executing the street grid plan for…
Chesapeake City Library Talk Examines Historical Evolution of Crime, Punishment, and Police Work in Cecil County – March 24
Social historian Mike Dixon will present an engaging presentation on the evolution of crime, punishment and police work in the region. This engaging talk will examine old county jails, headline-grabbing criminal escapades of long ago, discontinued methods of punishment, and unheralded peace officers. Registration is required. Date: 3/24/2014 at 6:30 p.m Library: Chesapeake City Branch…
Recalling an Elkton Landmark, the Howard Hotel
There was lots of inspiring talk about old Elkton during the middle third of the 20th century at the Historical Society of Cecil County this afternoon. Remembering those lively, youthful days was Evelyn V. (Vaggi) Scott, the 80-year-old daughter of George D and Mary G. Vaggi, who purchased the Howard Hotel, a long-established downtown business…
Genealogical Research Guide for Cecil County
The Genealogical Research Guide for Cecil County, Maryland (revised edition) by Darlene McDowell McCall is an informative out-of-print title packed with guidance and information for anyone starting on genealogy in the county. Last updated in 1997, it served as a good starting point for anyone seeking to discover records and sources. The last edition of…
Bootleggers’ Ball and Talk on Temperance and Prohibition in Cecil County April 5th
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Water Witch EMS Prepares to Mark 50 Years of Service
This year the Water Witch Fire Company of Port Deposit marks an important milestone in the department’s history, a half-century of EMS service to the community. It was in the autumn of 1964 that the Company purchased its first ambulance, a 1957 Oldsmobile from the Union Fire Company of Oxford. With that important enhancement, much speedier emergency…
To Drink or Not Drink: Program Examines Colorful Days of Prohibition, Speakeasies, Bootleggers and Bathtub Gin
The Historical Society of Cecil County wraps up the winter 2013-14 speakers’ series with a particularly lively event as the group taps into a fascinating period when Americans gave up the legal right to drink intoxicating beverages. Taking on this watershed event in the roaring ‘20s, “Pass the Rum: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition,”…