Last week, our blog post was about the digital resources that the historical society has available here in our research library. All of our digital records are only accessible in person on our computers. When you find a record or some other item you wish to save, all you need to do is save it to the [...]
Have you ever wondered what other resources, besides books, are available to researchers at the historical society? Whether you are researching family history, or locations in Cecil County, or events in Cecil County, the historical society is here with many resources available. All of our digital records are only accessible in person on our computers. [...]
“Decoration Day” in 1896 As we get ready to celebrate Memorial Day here in Cecil County, in 1896 the country was getting ready to celebrate “Decoration Day”. According to History.com, after the Civil War, “By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating [...]
During this last week of National Poetry Month, this week’s post is about a well-known minister and his poetry, The Reverend William Duke This biography and poem are from The Poets and Poetry of Cecil County, Maryland Collected and Edited by George Johnston (Author of The History of Cecil County) Rev. William Duke The Rev. William [...]
The Cecil Whig, Cecil County’s only newspaper, has been published since 1841. Since then, it’s been a source of local news, sports, and entertainment. What most people don’t know is that in its early days, the Whig also published poetry in each issue up until the late 1800s. Some of the poems published were from [...]
FANNIE MAE SALTER 1882 - 1966 Fannie Mae was born in 1882 in Mathews County, Virginia. She married Clarence Walter “Harry” Salter. They had 3 children. The Salters moved to Turkey Point in 1922 so Clarence could assume his duties as the new keeper. Three years later in February 1925, Clarence died from complications following [...]
Georgiana Brumfield 1849 - 1934 The third female lightkeeper was Georgiana S. Brumfield (nee Crouch), John and Rebecca Crouch’s daughter. She was born to parents John and Rebecca Crouch in 1849 in Cecil County. Georgiana moved to Turkey Point Lighthouse at the age of 16 with her parents when her father first took over as [...]
Rebecca Crouch 1825 - 1895 Rebecca Louisa Sherwood Crouch was born November 17, 1825 in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1840, she married John M. Crouch of Cecil County, MD. John Crouch is listed as the constable for the 5th District in Cecil County, Maryland in 1853. From 1865 to 1873 Crouch was appointed Principal Lighthouse Keeper [...]
Elizabeth Price Lusby was born in Cecil County on December 14, 1786. In 1819, she married Robert C. Lusby. Robert served in the War of 1812 until 1814 and served as the sheriff of Cecil County from 1815 to 1817 and 1824 to 1827. In 1843 Robert Lusby was appointed the Principal Keeper at Turkey [...]
The WAVES of Bainbridge U.S. Naval Training Center 1951-1972 By Erika Quesenbery Sturgill From the Feb. 24, 2017 edition of the Cecil Whig BAINBRIDGE — There are perhaps few veterans more proud of their service than a Navy WAVE. At least that is the humble opinion of this writer, having taken dozens of former WAVEs [...]
Our next Women's History month blog topic isn't just one woman, it's a group of women who helped the US win WWII. Women Ordinance Workers – The “Boom Boom Girls” Women were encouraged to “do their part” during World War II. Many found their place in war production. Women Ordnance Workers, more commonly known as [...]
March is Women's History Month, so on our blog, we will be sharing stories about famous Cecil County & Maryland women! Mabel Hunt Johnson, Artist 1897 - 1940 (From The Bulletin of the Historical Society of Cecil County 1978) Mabel Hunt Johnson was the daughter of Inez Hunt, who was an artist. She studied painting [...]
GREENFIELDS (also known as Greenfield; Greenfield Castle) Located south of Cecilton on U.S. 213, Cecilton Constructed c. 1770 Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972 Significance (from Maryland Historic Trust and At the Head of the Bay) Greenfields was home to Governor Thomas Ward Veasey, Maryland Governor from 1836 to 1839 and [...]
Colora Meeting House Located on “Corncake Row”, Colora, MD Constructed in 1841 Listed on the National Register of Historic Places August 22, 1977 Significance – (from Maryland Historic Trust) The Colora Meeting House was built in 1841 because of a doctrinal division in West Nottingham Friends Meeting. The site of the meeting house was well [...]
Charlestown, Maryland Constructed 1742 – 1789 Listed on the registry – April 14, 1975 Significance: (From mht.maryland.gov) The Charlestown Historic District is a significant part of Maryland's past. Although the streets are now paved, the town is basically the same today as it was when it was the major shipping center of the head of [...]
Bohemia Farm/Milligan Hall Earleville, MD Constructed in the mid-18th century Listed in 1973 Significance: Bohemia House is reputed to be the most fully developed Georgian-style house on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The elaborate decorative plasterwork of the Rococo style and the full "Chinese Chippendale" staircase are important to the evolution of Georgian-style homes in Maryland. [...]
On Friday, October 4, the Historical Society of Cecil County will host “Tales from the Boneyard”, an event you should not miss! All are invited to stroll over to the Elkton Cemetery and meet some famous people from Cecil County history. Groups of 25 people at a time will walk to the cemetery with a [...]
The months of September and October are busy this year! To start the month off historically, a Memorial Remembrance ceremony will be held for American Patriot Colonel Henry Hollingsworth, sponsored by the Colonel Henry Hollingsworth Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. This takes place at his gravesite in the Elkton Cemetery on Howard [...]
The Upper Shoreman was a magazine that existed from 1963 until 1985. The historical society has had a collection of these magazines for several years, but this summer the collection was digitized by our friend Jack Shagena. Patrons may now come to the society and pull up the collection on one of our computers. The [...]
In the 1920s and 1930s, the town of Elkton was known as the marriage capital of the east coast. In June of 1923 a local scandal occurred in which a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, students at North East High School, applied for a marriage license. The story spread quickly (that’s what “seven-league boots” [...]
