Many in Cecil sighed with relief when 1963, an eventful year full of ups and downs, came to an end. As people reflected on that November nearly fifty years ago, they recalled the opening of the modern expressway, President John F. Kennedy’s visit, and the unbelievable news flashes eight days later. An assassin’s bullet had…
Video on President Kennedy Dedicating I-95 on Nov. 14, 1963
As the Historical Society of Cecil County prepares an exhibit remembering the 1960s in Cecil County, here is an interesting video about President John F. Kennedy dedicating the Northeastern express or I-95. It was November 14, 1963. A few years ago, the Delaware Department of Transportation located a tape of radio station WDEL’s broadcast of that memorable…
The Drive-in Theatre Comes to Elkton
At a time when few had televisions, Elkton was looking forward to decades of grand entertainment after a drive-in theatre opened at White Hall Road and Route 40 on Friday evening, May 12, 1950. Bringing this new outdoor show to Cecil County, Nathan Rosen had carefully located the new enterprise by finding a suitable tract, one large enough…
The George Washington Carver Graduating Class of 1961
Curator Asks for Help in Getting Back to the 1960s in Cecil County
The Society’s curatorial staff is working on an exhibit that will be rolled out in the fall about the 1960s in Cecil County. It was a decade that brought many transformations to this corner of Maryland and our talented group of volunteers are working on capturing those years in intriguing displays. Right now they are…
The Heat Was on in Elkton Today
After making it through another day in this July heat wave, the old Main Street in Elkton was looking good this evening. The thermometer soared to the mid-90s in the late afternoon, but one towering, puffy cumulus cloud hanging near the Elkton United Methodist Church as businesses closed in the county seat made things look cooler. …
An All too Real Nightmare — A Halloween to Remember in 1962
The end of October is normally a scary time in Cecil County as Halloween rolls around. But an actual nightmare on the eve of the trick-or-treat season in 1962 caused people to shy away from ghosts and goblins. Facing a dreadful reality, the world standing on the edge of a nuclear war, people decided they had…
Cecil County Civil Defense Prepared for Doomsday
Fifty-one years ago, people across the nation stayed glued to television sets and radios, listening to a stream of alarming broadcasts about heightening tensions as the Soviet Union and the United States faced off over the placement of missiles in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy alerted the American people to the danger on Oct. 22, 1962,…
Cecil’s History & Genealogy Library Helps Media Outlets Covering the County
With the investigation into the crash of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco continuing, Fox 45 News reporter Melinda Roeder stopped by the Historical Society yesterday for help with a Maryland connection to the story. It was Dec., 8, 1963, nearly fifty-years ago, when the worst crash in Maryland history occurred. On that stormy December night…
Storm Clouds Over Elkton
July 7, 2013 — We have exceeded our quota of strong evening thunderstorms, dangerous lightning, and heavy downpours lately as it seems we have been in Mother Nature’s Bull-Eye. One of our volunteers, Kyle Dixon, snapped this photo as dark storm clouds gathered over Rev. Duke’s Log House at the Historical Society just before dusk. When Rev. Duke built his home over…