The old Sassafras River Drawbridge, the vital link between Georgetown and Fredericktown, had been around for 51 years in 1968, when a Whig photojournalist did a piece called the “The Keeper of the Bridge.” The tenders that June were D Raymond Hill of Kennedyville on the dayshift and Harry Redding of Galena on nights. They were responsible for raising and lowering the structure during that…
Passage of Centuries Transforms the Land at Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area
The current issue of Cecil County Life, a Chester County Press publication, has an informative article about a historical investigation focused on understanding centuries long transformations on the land at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area. Emily Kilby decided to make a scholarly, in-depth study of this place in northeastern Cecil County, a couple…
Cecil County Public Safety Oral History Project Continues With Additional Interviews
In November 2012, with the encouragement of Willis May, the Historical Society launched the Elkton Police Oral History Project with a group of retired Elkton Police Officers. The purpose of the initiative was to carefully document the story of the force in the 1960s and 1970s. As we moved through the preliminaries, Willie, our project…
Washington Post: 45 Years After RFK’s Death, Recalling the Kennedy Funeral Train in Cecil County
Forty-five years ago, on Sat., June 8, 1968, Robert F Kennedy’s Funeral train made a long journey from New York City to Washington, DC. As it passed through Cecil County, thousands of people lined the tracks, and when the train rolled through North East, 15-year-old Michael Scott was there with his mother. His father elected…
Story of Former Cecil County Slave Who Escaped on Underground Railroad Told in New Program in Salem County, NJ
The Salem County Cultural & Heritage Commission recently launched” 7 Steps to Freedom,” an interpretive program using cell phones, mobile technology and the internet to explore African-American History and the Underground Railroad in Salem County, NJ. The commission also has a blog to share information and there is a post that readers of Window on…
Evening Arrives at Singerly Fire Co., Sta., 13 in Elkton
Amish Carriage-Maker Restored Two Hand Pumpers Nearly 30 Years Ago For Fire Company
In the mid-1980s, members of the Singerly Fire Company started gearing up for the company’s 100th anniversary in 1992. One of the tasks for the centennial celebration was the restoration of two old 19th century hand pumpers that had been the hero of many a fight with the smoke and flames in Elkton. The first piece, a…
Cecil County Sheriff’s Office Staff Lines Up For Inspection in July 1967
Sheriff Thomas H. Mogle, Jr., has lined up the members of his department for an inspection in July 1967 and the Cecil Democrat’s photographer was on hand to take picture. About this time, the new sheriff was outlining the challenges he faced with providing around the clock law enforcement with such a small force. A…
Sheriff Mogle Outlines the Minimum Needs for Cecil County Law Enforcement in 1967
The Cecil Democrat published a series in 1967, interviewing local officials about moving Cecil County forward in the last third of the 20th century. In the nearly 50-year-old chat with Sheriff Thomas H. Mogle, Jr. he sketched out the minimum needs for effective law enforcement in the county. The Sheriff’s Department required a minimum of 55 personnel to handle all…
Welcome to Chesapeake City
Now that the weather forecasters are finally calling us to shake off these cooler days as a warmer period arrives , Chesapeake City will be humming with visitors as the summer season approaches.