Window on Cecil County's Past

If a Cecil County resident needed to call for emergency help back in the 1950s they had better have a telephone book handy or have taped the number to the phone.  The process of reaching the correct call-taker during a fire or medical incident to request assistance was complicated. People had eleven different potential strings of…

The Hagley Digital Archives provides online access to selected materials from the Hagley Museum and Library’s collection of images, documents, and publications.  Although the organization concentrates on business, technology and Society, several of the record groups help researchers studying Cecil County’s past The Zebley-Hoffecker collection is one example.  The pictorial department added this records group of…

Press Release — Mount Harmon Mark your calendars for September 14 & 15 ~ Mount Harmon is hosting a Revolutionary War Re-enactment & Colonial Festival featuring nearly 500 re-enactors, and an array of colonial craft vendors, and living history activities for the whole family to enjoy. Each day will feature the colonial marketplace ~ full…

Winter Speaker’s Series 2:00 p.m. – First Saturday of Each Month Oct. 5, 2013 — “Elkton in the 1960s” by Milford Sprecher Nov. 2, 2013 — Annual Meeting, Rev. Brown & Libby Prison Minstrels at the Cherry Hill United Methodist Church. Note:  Because this is the annual meeting date, the Society will not be hosting…

As the Historical Society of Cecil County prepares to examine the 1960s in a new exhibit and series of programs, we are taking a look at some of the important local events, particularly those that weren’t as well-documented. ——————————————————————– When President John F. Kennedy visited here on November 14, 1963, to dedicate the Northeastern Expressway…

Now that the 1960s are history and not just nostalgia the Historical Society of Cecil County is opening an exhibit this fall that celebrates and studies the many happenings of that era locally. While the curators dig through some 40,000 local photographs, work with artifacts and mount the exhibit we have selected a few images to share with you…

Since summer is coming to an end, it is time for the Historical Society of Cecil County to announce the schedule for its popular winter speakers’ series for the 2013-14 season.  We always start a little early — right in the middle of autumn — and stretch the programs through the cold winter months.  During…

In the middle third of the 20th century, many Cecil County towns had moviehouses.  One of those enjoyable places was the Cecil Theatre in Cecilton, where nightly shows (except Sunday) were offered in air-conditioned comfort on a beautiful, wide-screen.  “The Naked Dawn” starring Arthur Kennedy and Bella St. John, was playing in Technicolor, along with “A Twinkle…

When the researcher needed to work with an out-of-print book for some purpose a decade ago, there were a limited number of options.  The investigator could purchase the title through an out-of-print book dealer or arrange to visit a special collections library or historical society where the volume was safely stored away.  But these days…