Society Closed for Holidays

Society Holidays Hours


The Society will close for the holidays starting on Dec. 21. We reopen on Jan 3, 2011

Cecil's Field of Drams Coming Aprril 30th

Cecil County has a long and rich love affair with baseball going back more than a century, with its share of “local boys” making good in the Big Leagues. On Friday, April 30, from 5 to 8 p.m., sports fans of all ages are invited to experience the best years of county baseball all over again as part of “Cecil’s Field of Dreams,” a new exhibit at the Historical Society of Cecil County that celebrates our baseball heritage.

For the exhibit opening, members of the Elkton Eclipse Vintage Base Ball Club will be on hand in their late 1800s-era uniforms to portray players from the sport’s earliest days. The Historical Society will be exhibiting some interesting sports-related items from its extensive collection, featuring team photographs and memorabilia that includes vintage uniforms, autographed items and more.

All county baseball players past and present are invited to come out and reunite and reconnect with former teammates.

“What a great way to relive your baseball glory days with friends and family,” said Paula Newton, president of the Historical Society of Cecil County. “Sports is sometimes overlooked as an important part of our local heritage, which is why we want to make this exhibit a fun learning experience for the whole family.”

County resident James Crothers will be discussing his new book “History of the Rising Sun Little League” and signing copies. (This book was excerpted recently in the Historical Society’s publication, The Inkwell.)

Drawings will be held for Blue Rocks tickets and baseball cards, and there will be free Cracker Jacks, hot dogs and peanuts for hungry baseball fans.

This event is free and open to the public. The Historical Society of Cecil County is located at 135 E. Main Street, Elkton, Md. For more information, please call the Historical Society at 410-398-1790 or email info@cchistory.org. Visit the Historical Society online at http://www.cchistory.org/.

Cecil's Field of Dreams, an Exhibit Showcasing the History of Baseball Opens April 30th.

(click on image for a better view)

The Honeymoon Express Program, Feb. 13 Cancelled Blizzard Recovery Continues

The Honeymoon Express program for Saturday, Feb., 13 has been cancelled as the area recoveres from the February blizzard. The program will be rescheduled in a few months.

Society Closed Feb. 15 for President's Day

The Society is closed on Monday, Feb. 15 for President's Day.

Society Closed in Observance of Martin Luther King's Birthday

The Society is closed on January 18 in observe of Martin Luther King's birthday.

Getting Started with Genealogy, A Workshop, Jan 16

While you have your snow shovel out this winter, think about digging up a little history with the Historical Society of Cecil County’s winter programs. You can start digging at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16 by uncovering your roots with a program entitled ”Getting Started With Your Family history: An Introduction to Genealogy.”

This three-hour workshop will introduce you to the basics of genealogical research. You will learn about the online resources available to you , as well as the records at our local historical society and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The Society has access to records and databases you might not know about.

This workshop is intended for everyone even if you don’t have Cecil County family roots. The workshop is free for members of the Society and is $5 for non-members. The program will be held at the historical Society at 135 E. Main Street, Elkton.

A Free Program: When the Marriage Industry Thrived in Elkton - Feb. 13

Society Announces Closing for Holidays - Dec. 22 Through Jan. 3

The Society is closed from Dec. 22 through Jan. 3. Our last day before the holiday closure is Monday, Dec., 21 and we reopen the library on Monday, January 4.

Society Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Just a reminder that the Society will not be open this Thursday or over the weekend so our volunteers may enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday with their families. We'll reopen as normal on Monday.

Book Talk & Signing on Oct. 4 Explores Local Connection Between football, the Navy & War on Oct. 4

Wilbur D. Jones, Jr., the author of “Football! Navy! War! How Military ‘Lend-Lease’ Players Saved the College Game and Helped Win World War II“ will speak about his new title and sign books at the Historical Society of Cecil County on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 p.m. While highlighting the Navy’s role in preserving the game and football’s impact on national morale and the war effort during the 1940s, it has a significant local angle. One of the star players, “Choo-Choo” Charlie Justice trained at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center.

During World War II, the U. S. military and colleges joined forces, fielding competitive teams to prepare men for combat. The book highlights the Department of the Navy's role in preserving the game and football's impact on national morale and the war effort through their "Lend-Lease" to colleges of officer candidates, including All-America and professional players. It describes wartime college and military football.

From a local perspective, the book features details about the powerful Bainbridge Naval Training Center teams of 1943-45, whom Jones rates as the No. 1 military wartime team. State Bainbridge opened in 1942 as a boot camp and advanced training station, and closed in early 1970's. The center was located at the Jacob Tome Institute at Port Deposit. This is a major previously unpublished work on the history of Cecil County and region during WWII.

“Exciting military games were a diversion from war’s horrors and sacrifices, and they helped boost bond sales and home front morale for civilians and the military,” Jones writes. His book covers such games as Great Lakes Navy’s final-minute 19-14 upset over perennial power Notre Dame in 1943 (though the Irish won the national championship anyway). Featured in previously unpublished detail is the sport’s wartime star, teenaged halfback Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, a kid among the All-Americas and NFL players at Bainbridge Navy and a postwar superstar at North Carolina.

Admiral James L. Holloway III (Ret).., 20th Chief of Naval Operaitons and Chairman Emeritus of the Naval Historical Foundation said Football! Navy! War! “is an untold story about the relationship of America's great game with the armed forces - especially the United States Navy - during this struggle against the Axis powers. As one who fought alongside many of the outstanding athletes that Wilbur Jones portrayed, I can testify how the smash-mouth tactics of the gridiron were applied in the waters and archipelagoes of the Western Pacific. The book is a must-have for any patriot and fan of the sport."
Don Jenkins of Sports Illustrated said: "I've been waiting for somebody to do this book and preserve these treasured college football memories, and now Wilbur Jones has done it - and done splendidly."

The author, Wilbur D. Jones, is a retired Navy captain with four decades of service. He spent several days in Cecil County working on this project. This free program takes places at the Society’s headquarters at 135 E. Main Street in downtown Elkton. Light refreshments will be served.

Haunted Eastern Shore Subject of Oct. Meeting

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CECIL COUNTY
ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
OCTOBER 19, 2009
6:00 P.M.
CHESAPEAKE INN BANQUET ROOM

GUEST SPEAKER – MINDIE BURGOYNE
“HAUNTED EASTERN SHORE: GHOSTLY TALES FROM EAST OF THE CHESAPEAKE”

MUSIC BY BOXTURTLE BOB


The October Dinner Meeting of the Historical Society of Cecil County will be held on Monday, October 19, 2009 at 6:00 P.M. at the Chesapeake Inn Banquet Room, 605 2nd Street, Chesapeake City. Please enter through the Ballroom entrance which is to the right of the restaurant entrance. Please inquire with the valet if you need to use the elevator. There is limited parking so carpooling is suggested.

Our guest speaker will be Mindie Burgoyne who has recently published the book “Haunted Eastern Shore: Ghostly Tales from East of the Chesapeake” Mindie is a native Marylander who currently lives on the Eastern Shore and works for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. There will be copies of her book for sale at the dinner meeting.

The cost of the dinner is $23.00 per person for members and $25.00 per person for non-members. You may select between Crab Cake or Chicken Marsala. Your meal will include salad, coffee or tea and dessert.

Please send your reservation to the Society with your check, to Paula Newton, HSCC, 135 E. Main St., Elkton, MD 21921. Please make your check payable to the Historical Society of Cecil County. The deadline for reservations is October 9, 2009. This is a catered dinner making it impossible for us to take late reservations or walk-ins. If you have any questions, please call the Historical Society at 410-398-1790.

Be sure to list the name of the attendees and their meal selection.

The Past Comes Alive at the Society on March 28 With Mary Pickersgill The Flag Lady

The past will come back to life during a fascinating living history performance at the Society on March 28 at 7:00 p.m. For this theatrical, living history presentation, University of Delaware History major, Abby Harding, returns for another popular performance. Abby was last with us in Feb 2008 when she played to a packed house, appearing as Tillie Pierce a young witnessed to the battle of Gettysburg.

This year she performs as Mary Pickersgill, the well known 19Th century flag maker. While she was especially known for her ship’s flags, during the War of 1812 she was selected to make a huge high-flying flag for Fort McHenry. The commander, General Armistead, knew that this would help raise the spirits of Baltimoreans during the British attack on the city for Fort McHenry.

You don’t want to miss her performance and interpretation of Mary Pickersgill for this year’s living history show. This is a free program.

Click here to go to the program brochure

Winter Meeting - Feb. 21

The winter luncheon meeting of the Society will take place on Saturday, Feb. 21. The subject will be the history of Union Hospital, an institution which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008. Kathryn McKinney, the Director of Public Relations, will be the speaker. Watch this site for details after the first of the year.

Society Closed; Reopens Jan. 3

The society reopens on Jan. 3

Society to Close for Holiday

The last day the Society is open in 2008 is Monday, Dec. 22. After that we will close for the holidays. The Society will reopen on Saturday Jan. 3, 2009

Society Closed for Election Day Nov. 4

The Society is closed on Election Day Nov. 4

Cemetery Walk - Oct. 18

As the Halloween season gets underway, hear about things that go bump in the night and listen to tales of the unknown as The Historical Society of Cecil County brings the popular cemetery walk to Elkton on Saturday, October 18. While shadows lengthen on the Big Elk Creek and a cool fall darkness descends over an ancient churchyard, stories of legends, ghosts, and history will intrigue you. Join in on this fun tour, which combines tales of the paranormal and history. Storyteller Ed Okonowicz tells the tall tales, stories of hauntings and unexplained happenings at the top of the Chesapeake. Historian Mike Dixon weaves in fascinating historical facts about the area.

Held for the first time in several years in Elkton, the Society has arranged for one tour of the cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 18. The walk steps off from the Society’s headquarters at 135 E. Main Street at 5 p.m. The cost is $8 or $5 for children under 15 years of age. For additional details or reservations phone 410.398.1790 or e-mail history@cchistory.

On a space available basis, walk-ups are welcome on the day of the tour, but to assure your spot reservations are encouraged. You will want to hear about haunts, graves, spirits, and history at the top of the Chesapeake, a place where the past is present so don’t miss it.

Dinner Meeting - Oct. 20

The October Dinner Meeting of the Historical Society of Cecil County will be held on Monday, October 20, 2008 at 6:00 P.M. at the North East River Yacht Club. From Rt. 40 take Rt. 272 South. Continue through North East, travel 1 mile then bear right onto Hances Point Rd., travel half a mile and turn right onto Bayside Drive.

Our guest speaker will be Milt Diggins who is a retired county school teacher and formerly the Editor of the Historical Society’s Journal. He recently published Images of America Series: Cecil County. His talk will focus on Chapter 2, “Passing Through”. There will be copies of his book for sale at the dinner meeting.

The cost of the dinner is $27.00 per person for members and $29.00 per person for non-members. You may select between Crab Cake or Chicken Marsala. Your meal will include salad, green beans almandine, red potatoes, coffee or tea and apple crisp.

Please complete the bottom portion of this letter and mail it, with your check, to Paula Newton, HSCC, 135 E. Main St., Elkton, MD 21921. Please make your check payable to the Historical Society of Cecil County. The deadline for reservations is October 10, 2008. This is a catered dinner making it impossible for us to take late reservations or walk-ins. If you have any questions, please call the Historical Society at 410-398-1790.

Society Closed for Labor Day

In observance of Labor Day, the Society's museum and library are closed on Monday, Sept. 1