Colora Civic Association Remembers the Past & Continues Advocacy

The Colora Civic Association hosted another one of its "Remember When" programs on April 21. At these meetings everyone is invited to share their remembrances of Colora and listen to stories from the community's past. This one was on the Railroad and the Society participated by showing slides of the Octoraro line. Over 50-people turned out, and we are told that the response to the first session on Downtown Colora was even larger. The members, drawing on first hand experiences or stories handed down from an earlier generation, shared insights, adding to the rich knowledge of this area.

We were impressed with the excellent turnout, as well as the enthusiasm the interested guests and officers of the association brought to the subject. We commend the members for the proactive work they are doing to look after the community's past and care for its rural legacy. In a time of tremendous change at the top of the Chesapeake, it is good to know that there are citizen-stakeholders working to preserve our legacy and environment and to assure that sound decisions are made as changes occur.

Click on the link above to get more information on the Association and to check the schedule for future programs. Thanks to Hazel, Dianna and all the officers and members for inviting us to attend an enjoyable evening where we learned so much and for the work they're dong as advocates for the Colora area.

Diggins Booksigning - July 12

We are pleased to announce that the Society will host a booksigning for a new Cecil County history title on July 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. Milt Diggins, the editor of the Society’s Journal is the author of this title, which is part of the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing. Milt spent much of 2007 examining thousands of Cecil County photos and he selected over 200 of these for his volume. Many of these images have been unseen for decades, some are from glass-plate negatives from the 19th century, and, since he also worked with private collections, some of picture have never been published. We eagerly look forward to hosting the first booksigning for Milt's Images of America – Cecil County. Watch our blog and keep an eye on our calendar for updates. We’re sure you will enjoy this title.

Remembering the Past at Mr. Caldwell's School

The Cecil County Board of Education celebrated the legacy of one its former schools on February 10th when it rededicated the central office on Booth Street as the George Washington Carver Education Leadership Center. This facility, the county-wide high school for African-Americans in the era of segregated education, graduated its last class in June 1964.

The blast of strong winds and snow showers rattling the building on this special Sunday wasn’t able to put a freeze on the excitement at the ceremony. An overflow crowd of several hundred former students, friends, educators, and others eagerly looked on as Dr. Carl Roberts discussed the reason for rededicating the building while others recalled its history. This large turnout on this wintry Maryland Sunday and the conversations that filled the hallways afterwards as old friends rekindled memories and recalled past experiences spoke to the strong bonds that remains for George Washington Carver alumni and family.

A community’s history is important and it is essential that we preserve reminders of the past so we have context for understanding current events. Dr. Roberts, the Historical Society of Cecil County thanks you for helping assure that we recall this part of our heritage and for helping to make sure we keep in mind a time when the challenges at Principal Caldwell’s school were different.

The House was Packed for Tillie Pierce Performance

An outstanding performance by University of Delaware history major Abby Harting playing Matilda “Tillie” Pierce wrapped up our winter living history series. Fifteen-year-old Tillie witnessed the battle of Gettysburg and she wrote about those dramatic days later in her life. The house was full as Abby, in character, vividly told guests about the civilian side of this pivotal Civil War battle. The emotions felt by a young lady witnessing dreadful scenes that July in Gettysburg caught the audience up in the show. Once she finished the performance, the crowd peppered her with lots of questions. If you missed this show, you missed a superb portrayal. In addition to portraying Tillie, the Middletown Delaware resident has done reenacting and interpretations related to the War of 1812 at Fort McHenry. Abby sometimes plays the young Civil War era lady at the Tillie Pierce House Bed and Breakfast in Gettysburg. If you missed this engaging performance, perhaps you can catch her there over the summer. Look for more information on next year’s winter living history series later this year.

Truman Appears in Elkton

The past came back back to life last night when President Harry Truman walked on stage to perform for a Historical Society audience as part of our season of living history performances. The thirty-third President of the United States, Harry Truman, dispensed his Missouri straight talk in a one-man show called “Give ‘em, Hell Harry!” Of course, the real Truman died in 1972, but the nation’s leader was played on this special evening by Gerald Riley of Wheatfield Theatre Company. Two Mount Aviat Academy students, William & Rielly Graham, who also happen to be two of our youngest members, greet the important visitor after the show. Check out the Society event blog for additional upcoming performances during our winter living history series.

A Night on the Town - Key Ingredients Exhibit Opening Video Blog

We've posted a videocast of the Key Ingredients Exhibit Opening, an evening when the shops, galleries, and restaurants of downtown Elkton filled with patrons as folks came to the county seat to celebrate the arrival of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit. Conducted locally in cooperation with the Arts Council, the exhibit was made possible by the Maryland Humanities Council. In addition to the larger file, there's a smaller flash visual for those with slower connections. Click here to go to the media page. When the video screen comes up, hit "loop all" to star