CHARLESTOWN, Dec. 22, 2018 — Saturday morning, as gusty winter winds swept across the North East River and dark broken clouds filled the sky they laid Rebecca Phillips to rest at St. Johns United Methodist Church where family and friends gathered to bid farewell. Born in 1922 when Warren G. Harding was president, the popular 96-year-old civic leader passed away Dec. 18, 2018.
Becky touched many lives as she embraced a wide array of causes and interests. However, she is best known as a preservationist and heritage keeper. Through involvement with local government commissions, lineage societies, and heritage organizations she consistently made it her mission to preserve and protect the past in her beloved Charlestown and Cecil County.
Colonial Charlestown
Charlestown has capitalized on its history, safeguarding local heritage while being good stewards of things the current generation inherited. A stroll along pathways of the beautiful river town reveals this, taking visitors past landmarks that have survived the passage of centuries. This is the way Charlestown differentiates itself today, and it is the way Charlestown maintains a strong, viable community.
This did not happen by chance. It took dedicated, visionary preservationists to keep old age, the wrecking ball and neglect from taking its toll. Civic leaders were the catalyst for this, and Becky worked tirelessly to identify, protect, preserve, and promote Colonial Charlestown, the town’s Historic District Commission. A charter member of the organization, Mrs. Phillips assumed the leadership in 1997, after the first chairman, Nelson H (Heise) McCall, passed away. After providing guidance for nearly twenty years, the 94-year-old stepped down from the presiding position in Sept. 2016.
Toward the end of the funeral service, The Rev. Mary Brown asked mourners if anyone wanted to offer a few reflections. Former Town Commission President Steven Vandervort noted that sometimes property owners and the town found themselves at odds over a decision. However, Mrs. Phillips was very solution-oriented, he commented. While she was always the strongest of advocates for historic properties and provided the steadiness to protect things, she sought solutions. Almost always we were able to protect the community’s history while working out positive agreements, he concluded.
As others stepped forward to say a final goodbye, we listened to the reflections, concluding that Charlestown has lost its greatest advocate and booster. Our thoughts turned to a time in the 1980s when we walked through the beautiful old historic district, as the Daughters of the American Revolution officer prepared a slide talk on the history of Charlestown’s architecture. We were tagging along to take the photos and we fondly recalled remembrances of long ago matters she shared, but suddenly that fine summer day in the town on the North East River seemed so distant. While pausing on old colonial pathways, Rebecca offered casual remarks about the history of the homes and the people who made Charlestown. Of course, she was born in the first quarter of the 20th century, years before the Great Depression struck, so she knew much of the history first hand, in addition to the stories that came down through the generations.
Historical Society of Cecil County Leadership
When Mrs. Phillips served as the President of the Historical Society of Cecil County in the late 1980s she established facilities that allowed the Society to grow substantially. This was a time when the organization was transitioning from occupying a small library room for researchers on the 2nd floor of the public library. As the library moved to its modern headquarters at the edge of town, she successfully negotiated arrangements with the County Commissioners to have the Society occupy about one-half of the former library building. This significant expansion gave the organization far greater space to fulfill its mission as Cecil County’s history and genealogy library while also providing added room for exhibits
Our thoughts also turned to a delightful afternoon in 2016 when we spent a few hours in Charlestown with Becky and Bob, her husband, as we talked about the past in the river town, touching on the old schoolhouse, the fire company, working the river, the railroad and much more.
While the community has lost a connection to days gone by, she leaves behind a legacy. It will be remembered for generations to come as they enjoy the past that is all around them in Charlestown, a distinctive community that has embraced and preserved its heritage. Thank you
For an album of photos from Charlestown visit on Cecil County History page on Facebook
For more on the history of Charletown visit this page.
The 107 House. This structure, now the Charlestown Museum, is located at 343 Market Street. Deed research notes that a dwelling was built on Lot 107 of the Town’s original 1742 plat. The building was restored by Colonial Charlestown, Inc.