January 3, 2014 — An overnight snow storm dumped 6.5-inches of snow on Elkton and early this Friday morning the town was beginning to dig out.
Last Class Graduates from George Washington Carver High School
An earlier post about an undergraduate thesis examining the desegregation of Cecil County Public Schools caused us to take a look at the last graduating class of George Washington Carver High School. ————— The nine seniors that stepped forward and received their diplomas on June 8, 1964 at the George Washington Carver High School were…
Undergraduate Thesis Examines the Cecil County School Integration, 1954-1965
It is always exciting to obtain fresh perspectives and insights on Cecil County’s past, something that is often provided when scholars take a serious, fresh look at our history. These thorough investigations, requiring months of intensive digging into original documents and a critical evaluation of the sources, are valuable as they focus on specific research…
Remembering a Civil War Veteran from Cecilton, George Douglass of the USCT
Just before Christmas, I paused for a few minutes in the quiet Union Bethel Cemetery in Cecilton. A chilling December breeze gently swept over this old burial ground, and as I gazed at monuments for soldiers, ministers, teachers, mothers, fathers, working people, and children, one particularly caught my attention. It was a regulation tombstone issued…
The Lost Histories of Long Abandoned Properties Examined in January 4th Lecture
As a new year gets underway, the Historical Society of Cecil County’s winter speakers series continues on January 4, 2014, when Emily Kilby talks about “Reconstructing 100 Ruins.” Several years ago the retired magazine editor’s curiosity was aroused by clusters of crumbling stone ruins and walls in the Fair Hill Nature Resources Management Area. What…
On the Longest Night of the Year, Lights on the Conowingo Dam Glow in Gathering Darkness.
As the day slipped quickly away and twilight settled on Cecil County on this busy last weekend before Christmas, the lights of the Conowingo Dam flickered to life. In contrast to the frenzied day of last-minute shopping in downtowns and malls, the scene on the Susquehanna was quiet and settled this Saturday evening at this…
Water Witch Fire Station 7 Sparkled With Holiday Lights on the Weekend Before Christmas
Port Deposit, Dec. 21, 2013 — Soon after twilight on this weekend before Christmas, the firefighters at Cecil County’s oldest company, Water Witch, had Station 7 sparkling with holiday lights.
Attractive Trade Cards Advertised Cecil County Products in the Late 19th Century
After the Civil War retail trade boomed in the United States and every community of almost any size had a lively business district where a range of retailers competed for business. To help promote commerce, merchants passed out colorful trade cards to potential customers. These attractively illustrated, brightly colored pieces of advertising were similar to…
PowerPoint: Pan Am Flight 214 Memorial Presentation
To honor the memory of those on Flight 214, JoAnn & Alan Gardner, volunteers at the Historical Society of Cecil County, developed this memorial presentation. It was to be shown on the 50th anniversary of the crash at the Remembrance Program at Singerly Fire Station, but a sudden snow storm prevented many people from attending the…
Centuries Old Houses Wait on Winter at the top of the Elk River
Although we are still waiting for autumn to officially end in Elkton it seems as if Old Man Winter has sailed in for an early visit, getting in some practice with a few good blasts of ice and snow. For the third time in a week, frozen precipitation fell this afternoon. Most people were out…