On December 20, 1947, the largest fire in downtown Elkton’s history erupted in the predawn darkness of the bitterly cold night. At about 5:30 that morning, the fire whistle sounded, piercing the silence of one of the longest nights of the year. Someone ringing up the telephone operator had reported smoke seeping out of…
Cecil County Becomes a Vacation Spot
It is summertime in Cecil County, and before these warm days are over, you may jump in your car to join a steady procession of people cruising toward the beach, mountains, or some other vacation spot. Perhaps your outing will take you to quiet forests, ocean-cooled breezes, or clear mountain waters. Whatever the case, this…
Return of Passenger Train to Elkton
The Chesapeake pulls into the Elkton Station on April 30, for its inaugural run as a crowd waits. In this piece, we’ll continue with a little more on the return of rush hour commuter rail service to Cecil County from 1978 to 1980. See our earlier post for more information on this Amtrak passenger train….
An Ancient Punishment – The Whipping Post Last Used in Cecil in 1940
Criminal codes on the Delmarva Peninsula permitted judges to sentence perpetrators of crimes such as theft, breaking and entering, wife-beating, and more to lashes on the bare back well into the 20th. Under the original colonial statutes, wrongdoers received this ancient punishment for a broader range of crimes, including forgery, counterfeiting, Sabbath breaking, blasphemy, witchcraft,…
All Aboard at the Elkton Railroad Station
The last time a regularly scheduled passenger train stopped at the Elkton Railroad Station was April 25, 1981. The Chesapeake, train 420, scheduled to arrive at the depot at 6:29 p.m. on its run north from Washington, D.C., completed its final run that spring evening a quarter-of-a-century ago. Passenger service had returned in 1978, when…
Recalling Robert Kennedy’s Funeral Train Passing Through Cecil County
Forty years ago on Saturday, June 8, 1968, a hot sweltering day, thousands of people lined the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks in Cecil County, waiting for the funeral train carrying Robert F. Kennedy’s (RKF) body to pass through on its trip to Washington, D.C. The coaches carrying the Senator’s coffin on this special run departed…
Drumming legend Bernard “Pretty” Purdie Brings It Home
No one needed to call for a drum roll at Edge Entertainment on Bridge Street in Elkton Saturday evening for the R & B luminary, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. A host of talented percussionist from Cecil County Schools, as well as others, took care of that as they laid down some solid grooves of their own…
Saying So Long to the Mayor of Main Street
Elkton, May 22, 2008 — Wednesday evening, as gusty spring winds swept Elkton, I attended Tony Trotta’s viewing at Hicks Funeral Home. Born four years before young men from Cecil County marched off to fight in World War I, the popular 95-year-old passed away Monday. Later that night as I drove past his place on…
Reflecting on Yesterday in Cecil County
Welcome to a Window on Cecil’s Past. On this blog, I will post articles on the history of our county, both old and modern, and the personal stories of its people, first and secondhand. Installments may include pieces on places, folkways, events, the built environment, people, and about any aspect of our past that catches my attention….