Cecil County Public Library, Aug. 4, 2012, 7:00 p.m. Join us for a celebration of the famous Appalachian folksinger and songwriter, Ola Belle Reed! Ola Belle’s son, David Reed, and other local musicians will play her music and tell her journey story from the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina during the Great Depression north to…
The Ukrainian Migration to Chesapeake City, July 17
Cecil County Public Library, July 17, 2012 10:30 a.m. Bishop Basil Losten will trace the history of the Ukrainian community in the Chesapeake City area. These hard working pioneers established homesteads, imported their traditions, and built St. Basil’s Ukrainian Catholic Church. During the 1920s, in addition to working their parcels, many men worked for the…
World’s Most Recorded Drummer, Bermard Purdie’s Musical Journey From Cecil County Childhood to International Fame
Bernard Purdie’s Musical Journey, July 12, 2012 7:00 p.m. Native Cecil Countian, Bernard Purdie, will share his musical journey story. Mr. Purdie was the first African American to enroll at Elkton Public High School. He then went on to an internationally renowned music career and is the world’s most recorded drummer, having worked with such music greats…
Dream Big: Untold Stories of Cecil County — July 16, 2012
A Program at the Cecil County Public Library, July 16, 2012 This program explores immigrant and local journeys from poverty to success. A diverse panel of individuals will attest to the journey of the human spirit as they describe personal experiences in seeking their dream in Cecil County. Their journey stories will weave a rich…
From Russia to Cecil County: An Extraordinary Family Journey — July 16, 2012
Press Release – Cecil County Public Library Neither Peter Stavrakis, nor his wife Helen, parents of Olga, Katheryn, Peter and the late Steven Stavrakis, ever wanted to leave their homeland. They never dreamed of going abroad or coming to America. But the ravages of War, Nazi occupation of their homeland, and the bloody Stalinist persecution…
June Meeting of Elkton’s Historic and Architectural Review Board Cancelled
The Historic and Architectural Review Committee meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 27, 2012 has been cancelled due to a lack of a quorum. The meeting will be rescheduled for early July, the Town of Elkton announced. We’ll update readers once a new date is announced. A non-profit affordable housing group was on the agenda to discuss plans…
As Search for War of 1812 Forts on Elk River Goes On, A Young Man Recalls Visiting the Place 100 Years Ago
Since we’re hearing a lot about the War of 1812 this week during the Sailabration in Baltimore, I’ve been thinking about some of the really old, local narratives I’ve examined. The conflict that found the enemy sailing up the Elk River has fascinated generations born long after the enemy sailed away. Terrestrial and underwater archaeologists have…
Affordable Housing Group to Present Plans for 140 Year Old Jail in Downtown Elkton
A non-profit affordable housing group, the Home Partnership, Inc., is interested in purchasing the old 1870s Cecil County Jail from the county for $400,000. The developer wants to transform the building into 50 affordable apartments for seniors in downtown Elkton, the Cecl Whig recently reported.A reprsentative of the group will appear before the town’s Historic District Review Board on June 27th at…
Cecil County’s Last Civil War Soldier Passed Away 75 Years After Conflict Ended
The last direct link to an important period in Cecil County’s past was lost when 93-year-old Henry Jackson died at his home outside Perryville on a cold November day in 1939. As a teenager he ran away from home to serve in the Civil War, enlisting in the Union Army for three years with Snow’s Battery. After surviving the…
The Smithsonian’s Journey Stories Coming to Cecil County July 13
Cecil County Arts Council, The Historical Society of Cecil County and the Cecil County Library are partnering to host a national Smithsonian Exhibit, Journey Stories, from July 13 -August 24, 2012. The Maryland Humanities Council has chosen the Arts Council as one of f…ive sites to host Journey Stories, which will travel throughout Maryland until January…