From Cecil Whig By Jane Bellmyer | Forty years ago today, many Cecil County residents were mired in mud and debris thanks to Hurricane Agnes. It was a storm that set records for rainfall, storm surge and flooding, with the Susquehanna River cresting at almost 37 feet. The Rev. George Hipkins said bricks marking the…
Man Marries at Site of Pan American Plane Crash in Elkton
By Ryan Marshall During a dark, stormy night in December 1963, a plane crashed in Elkton, changing the history of the town forever. The plane was circling the area because of a storm in Philadelphia when it was struck by lightning, said Mike Dixon, of the Historical Society of Cecil County. Now, 49 years later, Arnold…
The Marrying Clerk Replaces the Marrying Minister in Elkton
For a significant part of the 20th century, legislators in Annapolis struggled to get laws on the books to help curb Elkton’s efficient “marriage mill.” Striking legal blows in many directions, right in the middle of the Great Depression, the lawmakers managed to keep well paid attorneys and lobbyist working overtime for special interests. Senator…
Elkton & The War of 1812: The Sign Has the Story
Early this Monday morning workers in downtown Elkton were out at the corner of Main and North Streets putting up a new sign. By lunch time, anyone passing that way was able to pause and read informative wayside interpretive panels telling the story of the War of 1812 in Elkton and Maryland. Part of the Star Spangled Banner National…
Cecil Whig Editorial: Elkton Is Fighting For its Future
As Elkton continues it decades long effort to revitalize what the Cecil Whig characterizes as a once bustling “’bygone’ Main Street,” that “seems deserted most days,” an editorial in the paper notes that what is most needed is “town leadership willing to make unpopular choices — men and women willing to take a risk towards…
A Serene Mooring in Historic Anchorage Basin in Chesapeake City
June 16, 2012 — On a beautiful late spring Saturday, the Callisto of Rochester, VT. Is serenely moored in the C & D Canal anchorage basin at Chesapeake City.
Journey Stories: A Musical Journey: The Life of Ola Belle Reed
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…
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…