Singerly Fire Company volunteers have been busy over the past several week rearranging displays of artifacts in the museum. On this Friday afternoon, these relics of many 19th century fights with the flames and smoke rested on the 1818 Hydraulion and the Rodgers Hand Pumper (came to Elkton in 1859). The top photo, shows two leather helmets that date from the…
Perry Point Contains Architectural Gems From 18th Century
The fading rays of the late afternoon sun illuminated the beauty of two 18th architectural gems from Cecil’s past on this fine Saturday in mid-April. The Perry Point Mansion and Mill were built about 1750 by the Thomas family. They sold the 1,800 acre property to the Stump family in 1800. When it was occupied by…
Tradition and Technology Converge in Civil War Exhibit
By Eric Mease “Choose Ye This Day, Cecil County and the Civil War” opened to a standing room only crowd on Saturday as the Historical Society of Cecil County unveiled its much anticipated Civil War exhibit. Visitors saw artifacts from the society’s collection of Civil War memorabilia ranging from life sized portraits to weapons, from uniforms to…
Cecil Guardian: Civil War Comes to Life at Society
Cecil Guardian reporter and photographer Bill Hughes wrote a front page piece about the opening of the Historical Society’s Civil War exhibit in this week’s paper. The photojournalist interviewed the exhibit curator, Lisa Dolor, and one of our living history performers, the Rev. Hubert Jicha. Be sure to pick up a copy and read the full story. Thanks…
U of DE History Majors Crowdsource a Civil War Chaplain’s Diary
An old Civil War chaplain’s diary that has been gathering dust for 150-years and was periodically brought out for some research has been getting an enormous amount of attention lately. This past Monday evening U of DE honors society history students, faculty and staff were pouring over fading pages from another age, scrutinizing those aging entries line by line. Here are some…
Sold Out War of 1812 Walking Tour Returns to Charlestown in May
As the region celebrates the 200th anniversary of the British attack on the Upper Chesapeake during the War of 1812 some old-timers that have been around for centuries are going to roam around Charlestown, once again. While they meander streets and gather in small clusters in the beautiful river town, these centuries’ old residents will…
War of 1812 Celebration at Elk Landing Includes Living History Programs & Candle Light Tours
Historic Elk Landing Press Release —– On April 29th, 1813, a British naval unit attached and burned the wharfs at Frenchtown and two nearby packet boats. They then went to the plantation of Frisby Henderson seeking directions to Elkton, the county seat. Their purpose, to burn it to the ground as American forces had done…
The First Alarm: Singerly Oil Painting Shows Elkton Firefighters Answering the Call in 1892
For its centennial celebration in 1992, the Singerly Fire Company commissioned an oil painting that showed the company racing out of the North Street station on a cold winter evening in 1892 to answer its first alarm. A team of galloping horses pulled the Amoskeag Steamer past the old courthouse as an early evening February…
Old Elkton Log House Looks Fine on an Early April Morning
An old structure that has seen the passage of over 200 springs was looking fine on this chilly morning in early April. The Rev. William Duke built the log house in Elkton about 1799. Here he conducted a school for boys and held the first Anglican services in town. In the early 1970s plans for…
SHA Archaeologist’s Blog About War of 1812 Shares Reports on Fort Hollingsworth at Elk Landing
Maryland State Highway Administration’s Archaeologists have joined in on the commemoration of the bicentennial of the war of 1812 by publishing a blog that shares information on the latest excavations and findings about that conflict. In addition to sharing details of sites along Maryland highways, they have guest articles by archaeologists who are working on…