The Historical Society of Cecil County is holding a remembrance program on Dec 8th 2013, as it will be fifty years since Pan American World Airways Flight 214 crashed outside of Elkton, killing everyone onboard the jet. As we honor the memory of those on the flight and the first responders who answered the urgent…
Maintaining Water Access to the Head of Navigation at North East
Beginning after the Civil War, the Army Corps of Engineers worked to maintain water access to communities located at the head of navigation of many rivers on the Chesapeake. That ongoing struggle, extending well into the 1900s, required constant effort as the Corps mapped waterways, carried out dredging, removed shoals, and built dikes, making the…
After Nearly A Half-Century on the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, Retiree Mulls Over Changes
H. W. Sherman, one of the assets acquired by the Federal Government with the purchase of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, was retiring from the Army Corps of Engineers in 1953. The 70-year-old administrative assistant spent 48 years on the waterway, having started with the corporate owner of the route across the Peninsula in 1905….
Trains Are Gone on the Octoraro Branch, But Relics of the Railroad Age Remain
Trains on the old Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad didn’t go far and they didn’t go fast on the line that twisted and turned its way through some of the most scenic parts of Cecil County. Beginning on the state line at Sylmar, the rails passed through valleys, alongside creeks, and through granite hills until the junction of mainline, the Columbia and Port Deposit Road, was reached. On…
Sprecher Shared Elkton’s 1960s Story in an Engaging Talk
Yesterday afternoon, Milford Sprecher kicked off the Historical Society of Cecil County’s popular 2013-14 speakers series with an engaging, photo-illustrated talk, “Elkton in the 1960s.” On the pleasant Saturday, he vividly captured the spirit of those years locally, providing views and perspective of someone who came of age in the county seat during a pivotal era….
Remembering Dr. James Johnson, a respected Cecil County Physician
When Dr. James Johnson started practicing medicine in Elkton in the middle of the Great Depression the county’s healthcare system was segregated, just like every other aspect of life in Cecil County. Union Hospital had a separate ward for African-Americans and the young physician didn’t have admitting privileges. If one of his patients required hospitalization,…
Mapping the Elk River and Other Waterways
Cecil County Citizens Kayak & Canoe Club recently established an open Facebook group for those interested in the area’s five rivers. Once the social media page launched, views of the Upper Elk River (the Kayaker’s perspective) caught my attention, prompting me to dig through old research files in search of detailed 19th-century charts of the…
Big Elk Creek Once Thrived With Activity in Elkton
The Big Elk Creek in Elkton, winding its way along what was once the town’s southern border, is commonly associated with perennial flooding these days. But once upon a time this waterway nurtured and strengthened the development of the county seat as the place bustled as a center for water transportation. During the 19th century,…
They Say There Are Ghosts in the Old Cecil County Jail
Although it’s been unused as a jail for over a quarter of a century, an inmate or two might still linger inside the unoccupied 19th-century Jail on North Street in Elkton. If they do, they are ghostly inhabitants since prisoners moved out of the aging lockup under the cover of midnight darkness in 1984. Or…
The Old Perryville Railroad Station Still Bustles With Activity As Conductors Shout All Aboard and Fast Acela’s Rush Past
The old P.W. & B. Perryville Railroad Station looks rather fine on a late summer day as an Amtrak Acela rushes past. Built in 1904, the station continues serving commuters as about 14 Marc trains chug into the station each today and the conductors shout all aboard. Each morning the parking lots fill, and the…