kierdan
Full Member
The following info was found at the Cecil County historical society website.
http://www.cchistory.org/howard/factfile.htm
Most information was gathered in the 1970's by Ernast A. Howard. Should be great for anyone in the area. Very close to Del and Pa. Very good info here. If anyone is interested and would'nt mind a new guy tagging alonge, drop me a line
Please not that this is not the complete listing. It is only about half of what is there, but due to size limits I had to cut alot of it off.
ACADIANS IN CECIL COUNTY
Arcadia was a French colony ceded to England by the Treaty of Utrecht and renamed Nova Scotia. In order to reduce the French influence, England in May 1755 deported about 6000 Arcadians to the American Colonies. For several years some 40 of them lived at Fredericktown and were sent to Louisiana at public expense. (Johnson 260)
ADDITION
This was the name of the farm near Woodlawn on which Dr. Richard Brookings was born in 1807. It is now owned by Mrs. A. C. Sherrard, Sr. When he was 38 he married Mary Carter, age 18, daughter of Robert Carter of Walnut Hill. Their son, Robert Somers Brookings, was born January 22, 1850. Dr. Brookings died January 9, 1852, and he and his wife are buried in St. Mary Anne’s cemetery.
Editor’s note: Richard Somers Brookings founded the Brookings Institution in Washington, D. C.
THE ANCHORAGE
A brick and frame farmhouse on Augustine Herman Highway [Rt. 213] one and one-half miles north of Cecilton. The original part was built in 1735 by the Lusby family. The house was the home of Commodore Jacob Jones (1768-1850), who married Miss Ruth Lusby.
ANDORA
A village on Maryland 280 about six miles north of Elkton. It is pleasantly situated overlooking the valley of Little Elk Creek. The present name was adopted in 1853, although the original name of Poplar Hill is still heard. The elevation is 350 feet above sea level.
Editor’s note: The ACD street map (2005) shows a Poplar Hill Lane in Andora.
ANNA CATHERINE NECK
The name given to a tract of land of 400 acres at the mouth of Principio Creek taken up and patented on July 20,1658, by William Carpender. It was described as butting on Bay Head (now Principio) Creek. This is believed to be the first permanent settlement in Cecil County (Johnston 27)
ANTEGO
A farm on Deaver Road about one mile southwest of Leeds lying close to the B&O railroad. The name is said to be of Indian origin. The farm was once owned by Judge James McCauley. The sandy soil is well adapted to the production of truck crops.
APPLETON
As far back as 1792 this place was known as Dysart’s and later as Fox Chase and a tavern there bore the name Seven Stars. When a post office was established in July 1881 it was given the name Appleton by Mrs. Mary Kimble, who was the first postmaster. (Francis A. Cooch 1936)
ARK HAVEN
A village in the northwestern corner of Cecil County near the Pennsylvania line where boats entered the Maryland Canal from the Susquehanna River and were towed to Port Deposit. It was submerged in 1927 when the [area behind] Conowingo Dam was flooded.
ARUNDEL CREEK
The name formerly applied to the small stream which transverses the southern edge of the town of North East; now commonly known as the run.
BACK NECK CREEK
The area on the east side of Elk River between Perch Creek on the north and Back Creek on the south, in which are located such developments as Locust Point, Blair Shore, and Elk Forest.
BALD FRIAR
A small village on the Susquehanna River, a short distance below the Lancaster [County] border. A ferry was kept there at one time by a bald-headed man named Fry, from which fact it was called Bald Fry’s Ferry. On April 12, 1781, Lafayette’s army crossed the river in scows at Bald Friar en route to Virginia. (Johnson 345)
BALLINTEMPLE FARM
The modern name of Cherry Grove, birthplace of Governor Veazey in Veasey Neck at the junction of the Bohemia and Elk Rivers. The Governor lies buried in the family burial plot in front of the long frame house.
BARKSDALE
This crossroads village in the 4th district was called Barksdale after a way station on the B&O Railroad was named for Hamilton M. Barksdale, who was in charge of construction of the railroad through the county in 1883-4. Mr. Barksdale was later a vice president of the DuPont Company.
BARNES CORNER
This is the development midway between Farmington and Colora where Maryland Route 269 is intersected by Route 276 from Rising Sun.
BASIN RUN
A small stream which joins Octoraro Creek at Rowlandsville and forms the boundary between the 6th and 7th election districts. It rises from the Indian Queen spring and was called Beason’s Run on a plat surveyed by Samuel Maffitt about 1722.
BATTLE SWAMP
A small village on the old Philadelphia & Baltimore Turnpike (now Md. Route 276), three miles east of Port Deposit. In 1853 it boasted a post office (Woodlawn), a large granite hotel, coach shop, blacksmith and wheelwright shop, and several dwellings. [See Cecil Democrat advertisement for sale of tavern and store, prior to January 31, 1865].
Editor’s note: Battle Swamp tavern was at the site as early as 1812. Battle, according to the Oxford English dictionary is a term, now obsolete, for fodder or grasses used for grazing livestock, and this is likely the meaning for the name. The identification of the area as Battle Swamp has become infrequent, and the ACD Street Map Book of Cecil County (2005 edition does not show Battle Swamp. The National Geologic Map database recognizes Battle Swamp as the unofficial name of Woodlawn (database search: May 31, 2007).
BAYARD HOUSE
This hostelry was at the corner of Front Street and Bohemia Avenue in Chesapeake City, according to 1877 Atlas of Cecil County. Captain Firman Lyman was the proprietor at that time. He kept the choicest wines and liquors constantly on hand and served salt water oysters in every style.
Editor’s note: The Bayard House is now a restaurant.
BEAUFORT FARM
This property, originally known as Ford’s Landing, is at the west end of Veasey’s Neck in the First District, affording a fine view of Elk River. It was named for Richard Ford and his wife, Elinor, who settled there about 1696. Steamboats plying between Baltimore and Philadelphia stopped at Ford’s Landing. The present owner is James Stanley Frazer.
BEER’S CORNER
This was the early name for the present village of Barksdale, which is the first crossroads north of the B&O railroad tracks. It is in the 4th District and has an elevation of 209 feet. The Milburn orchards are near Barksdale.
BEAVAN FARM
This farm is on the road from Port Deposit (Rock Run) to Liberty Grove and is now owned by Mr. Isaac Rehert. In the Beavan burying ground on the farm lies Capt. James Christie, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on June 2, 1784, and died Sept. 14, 1820. He was an officer in the War of 1812.
BELLECONNELL
A tract of 2000 acres at head of Elk patented in April 1683 to George Talbot. It extended from Big Elk Creek, which was its western boundary, to the top of Gray’s Hill.
NDY HOUSE
A log House which stood near the head of Persimmon Run, east of Cowantown, in the 4th District. It was reputed to be the house of Andrew Jackson’s father, who emigrated to North Carolina prior to the Revolutionary War. (Johnson 292)
Editor’s note: No evidence supports this claim.
BETHEL CHURCH (MP)
This church is in a clearing in woods west of Marysville on Maryland 272. It was deeded to a Methodist Protestant congregation on April 4, 1872, and was part of the old Cecil Circuit. It is now a station on Bay View charge. The building is covered with aluminum siding and a cemetery adjoins the church. (Visited 10/29/1968)
BETHESDA M. P. CHURCH
The former Bethesda Church is at Oakwood in the 8th District. A church was organized here by Methodist Protestants in 1858 and the building was erected about 1894. After being closed for several years, it was reopened, enlarged, and is now Oakwood Mennonite Church. The well-kept Bethesda cemetery is nearby. (Visited 8/28/1967)
BIG ELK CHAPEL
Big Elk Chapel is at Flounder’s Corner about one mile east of Andora, where Chapel road crosses Gallaher road. It was built in 1877 when a congregation was formed in the neighborhood as a result of a revival conducted by the Rev. John France, who was then pastor of Cherry Hill M. E. Church.
BLACK ROCK PROPERTY
This property was situated on East Main Street in Elkton between the present library building and Church Street. In 1859 it comprised a dwelling, a store kept by W. McClelland, and a large lot along Church Street. It was selected as the site for the new Methodist church but terms of the purchase were not acceptable. (Cecil Democrat 7/16/1859)
Editor’s note: The “present library” is the old library location and the current location of the Historical Society of Cecil County, 135 East Main Street.
BLACKENSTIN’S FOREST
A tract of land containing 209 acres surveyed for Mathias Vanbibber of May 8, 1722, described as “near the crossroad from Frenchtown to New Castle and the old county road.” (From Rent Rolls of Cecil County, Calvert papers No, 884, folio 164.) (Letter in Baltimore Sun, September 1, 1969)
BLOOMINGDALE
This farm of 465 acres of land is on the Sassafras River near Cecilton and was originally called Hawse Neck (colloquially, Hall’s Neck). The three-story sixteen-room house was built in 1846 by Thomas Chandler Cruikshank of bricks made on the farm. The present owner’s are Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Cook. (1968)
BLAKE
Also known as Fair View, this place was named for George A. Blake, Elkton attorney, when a post office was opened April 2, 1898, with James M. Ewing as postmaster. He was succeeded by Miss Elsie Wherry on April 20, 1901. The office was discontinued July 31, 1908 and mail sent to the Childs office. (Murray J. Ewing 5/20/40)
Editor’s Note: The ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County (2005 edition) refers to the village as Blake and the road approaching it from the south as Fairview road.
BLUEBALL TAVERN
A long two-and-a-half story stone inn established on the Nottingham Lots about 1710 by Andrew Job, a Quaker. It was operated as an inn until 1866. The tavern is now occupied by James H. Mendenhall, who conducts a country store there. Blue Ball is 8 miles northwest of Elkton on Route 273.
BOHEMIA ACADEMY
This school was established at St. Francis Xavier Church by Father Thomas Pulton in 1745-46 and was conducted by Jesuit priests. It was intended to afford an elementary education to sons of Catholic colonists who were sent abroad to complete their studies. As many as 20 boys boarded at the academy at one time.
BOHEMIA AVENUE HOUSE
See May 6, 1899 ad (Cecil Democrat?)
BOHEMIA LANDING
This landing was near the junction of the two branches of Bohemia River and only a few miles from navigable water of Appoquinimink Creek. In 1715 the colonial assembly decreed that all liquors imported into Maryland should be brought to Bohemia Landing, where a duty of 3 pence a gallon was collected for many years. (Johnston 197)
BOHEMIA
The plantation of 1100 acres on Bohemia River was bought in 1827 by Louis McLane, who in 1812 had married Mary Catherine. Mr. McLane was a distinguished lawyer. He was Secretary of State under President Jackson. He left public life in 1837 to become president of the B&O Railroad. The McLanes had 13 children.
Editor’s note: One of McLane’s daughters married Confederate General Joseph Johnston
BOHEMIA BRIDGE COMPANY
This company was incorporated by the legislature in January 1853, with eight commissioners. A contract was awarded to David Palmer, of Chesapeake City, to build the bridge for $20, 700. Work was finally started in July 1867 and the completed bridge was open to travel on November 16, 1867.
BOHEMIA MILLS
Located on Sandy Branch road at Great Bohemia Creek close to the Delaware line. It appears as T. C. Murphy’s grist mill in the Atlas of 1877. The mill was later owned by Lakes and by Harry Davidson when it burned. A post office was opened here on April 5, 1854, and discontinued May 3, 1866. John Walston was the first postmaster.
BOHEMIA VILLAGE
This name was applied to a settlement on the banks of Back Creek which developed into Chesapeake City when work was started on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. It was the shipping terminus for sailing vessels from Baltimore and other southern ports.
BOTTLING ESTABLISHMENT
A plant for bottling mineral waters was in active operation in Elkton, “near the bridge,” prior to the Civil War. The owner claimed it was doing a large business, but his attorney, Hiram McCullough, advertised it for sale in the Cecil Democrat of June 1860 (page 2, col. 6).
BRANTWOOD
A farm of 680 acres on Augustine Herman Highway [213] two miles south of Elkton. The 18-room house was built before 1750 and was remodeled in 1829. Originally known as Wallace’s Good Design. It was renamed by Frank E. Williams for the English home of John Ruskin. The present owner is Wallace Williams Jr.
Editor’s note: Brantwood Golf Course marks the area and retains the name.
BOULDEN’S CHAPEL
Bouden’s Chapel is on Nottingham Road near the old Eder station on the B&O railroad. It was founded by and named for Mrs. Ann Boulden, and dedicated Nov. 19, 1871. The chapel was conveyed from the Peninsula Methodist Conference to the Church of the Nazarene in March 1957.
BREWSTER’S BRIDGE
Brewster’s bridge spans the Big Elk Creek on Devinney Road west of Barksdale. The new bridge cost $235,000 and was opened to traffic in November 1972. It replaced an old bridge which had been closed for several years.
BREWSTER’S MILL
This was a four-story stone factory on the Big Elk Creek at Elk Mills in which John Brewster manufactured cotton goods after the Civil War. The bare walls of the old factory were razed in 1971 after standing for many years as a grim reminder of another of the county’s lost industries.
BRICKLEYTOWN
The name by which the village of Farmington was originally known. Farmington is on Maryland 274 about two miles southeast of Rising Sun. The elevation is 380 feet.
BROAD CREEK CHURCH
A Presbyterian church established in 1720 at the head of Broad Creek on Bohemia Manor by settlers from New Munster. The church was east of the site of the former Bethel Methodist church at Pivot Bridge. The creek from which the church derived its name was obliterated by construction of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
BROXON’S POINT
The junction of Scotchman’s Creek and Bohemia River. In May 1730 the General Assembly passed an act for laying out and erecting a town at this placed called Ceciltown. Scotchman’s Creek was then called Omealy Creek.
BUCKWHEAT RUN
The beginning of Little North East creek which flows eastward across Blue Ball road near where Reynolds’s mill stood. A covered bridge with a 30 foot span was built here in 1860.
BULL’S HEAD HOTEL
A hotel on North Street in Elkton opened by former sheriff Robert M. Walmsley on October 1, 1862. His bar served the finest liquors and his stables accommodated 25 horses. It was patronized by soldiers during the Civil War. The property at 310 North Street is now owned by Mrs. Gladys Swift Miller.
Editor’s note: Bull’s Head was recently (within the last 4 or 5 years) torn down by the town for a parking area.
BUTTERMAN’S HILL
A hill on the west side of Little Elk Creek a short distance north of the site of Harlan’s binder-board mill. It is said to contain a deposit of stealite (soapstone) which was used by Indians in making pottery. The elevation is about 160 feet.
Editors Note: The name is not in the Geological Map database (Search conducted May 31, 2007).
CABIN JOHN CREEK
In 1682 the legislature passed an act providing for two towns or ports in each county in Maryland. One place named in Cecil was Cabin John’s Creek, a small bay between Veasey and Pearce Necks. (Johnson 254). In time this became “Cappin” or Cabin John Creek.
CANDLE MANUFACTORY
A candle manufactory in conjunction with a bakery was operated in Elkton E. Estes in a log and frame structure which stood at the corner of North and Whig streets. The period cannot be determined. His daughter, Emma Estes, married William T. Giles, who later conducted a restaurant in the old building, which became a historic landmark.
CARA COVE
Formerly known as Garrett Cove and Carrot Cove, a farm on the east side of North East River about five miles south of the town of North East. As early as 1785 this small bay was called Roach’s Cove.
CARTER’S SCHOOL
A unique octagonal stone schoolhouse at Carter’s Bank known as 8-Corner School. In was built by Robert Carter in 1820. In the county school system Carter’s was No. 9 in the 4th District. Due to a shift in the population Carter’s was superseded in 1886 by a new frame two-room building at Andora.
CATHER’S CORNER
Junction of Rising Sun road (Rt. 276) with old Baltimore & Philadelphia Turnpike, about one mile northeast of Hopewell Church. The Cathers were an old family in Cecil County. Ann Cather was married to John Robinson on November 11, 1781.
CASH CORNER
Junction about one mile east of Cecilton (Rt. 282) from Warwick and Ward’s Hill road from Head of Sassafras. The elevation is 83 feet.
CAYOT’S CORNER
The intersection of Augustine Highway (Rt. 213) and the Town Point Road (Rt. 310) about two miles south of Chesapeake City. It was named for Jacques Cayot (1806-1889), a Frenchman, who owned a farm there. This crossroads was also known as Hudson’ Corner and Kale’s Corner.
Editor’s note: The name change from Hudson’s Corner to Cayot’s Corner occurs in the period between 1858 [Martinet map] and 1877 [Cecil County Atlas]. The entry for Massey’s Corner indicates that this was yet other name for this corner.
CECIL COUNTY NEWS
is weekly newspaper was started on September 1, 1880, by Dr. James H. Frazer, who sold it to Daniel Bratton in1889. When Mr. Britton died in April 1895, his brother, William D. Bratton took over as editor and continued to publish the paper until December 23, 1936, when he retired.
Editor’s note: Hardcopies and microfilm copies are available at the historical society.
CECIL COUNTY RAILROAD COMPANY
This company was chartered by the Maryland Assembly on March 6, 1850 for the purpose of constructing a railroad from North East to some point in Pennsylvania. Books were opened on February 16, 1852 at North East and Brick Meeting House to receive subscriptions to the capital stock, but prospective investors were wary.
CECIL COUNTY SPCA
This society was formed early in 1969 by Mrs. Samuel DuPont, and an animal shelter was built on Rt. 213 south of Cayot’s Corner. On July 1, 1969 the management of the county’s canine population was taken over by the SPCA from the county commissioners. Dr. Leroy H. Manlove was the first president of the society.
CECIL CROSSROADS
This was the original name for the present Cecilton. The first house was built by James Morgan, who was born and lived at what is now known as Wickwire.
CECIL GAZETTE
This weekly newspaper was started in Elkton in September 1834 and was published and edited by Henry Bosee. It was 24 x 32 inches in size. The paper was neither popular nor prosperous and was sold in February 1840 to Thomas M. Coleman, who changed its name to the Cecil Democrat and Farmers’ Journal.
Editor’s note: The Cecil Democrat and Farmers’ Journal shortened its name to Cecil Democrat and ceased publication in 1981. Copies of these newspapers are available on microfilm at the historical society.
CECIL MANUFACTURING COMPANY
This company was organized in 1794 and erected a large factory on Little Elk Creek at New Leeds for the manufacture of woolen and cotton goods. Col. Henry Hollingsworth was a large stockholder. The stone factory was sold in 1826 to Robert Carter, who converted it into a paper mill. The mill was destroyed by fire on January 11, 1853.
CECIL NATIONAL BANK
The Cecil National Bank of Port Deposit was founded May 1, 1850, with Jacob Tome, President and Allen Anderson, Cashier. The original capital stock was $25,000, which was soon increased to $100,000. When the bank entered the national system on July 1, 1865, the capital stock was increased to $300,000.
CECIL PAPER MILL
Cecil Paper Mill on Little Elk Creek about six miles north of Elkton was built in 1816 by Robert Carter, who came from Delaware County, Pa. For 20 years this mill made all the paper used in printing the Baltimore Sun. It was continued by his sons, Joseph and I. Day Carter. The mill was destroyed by fire December 19, 1900.
CECILTON ACADEMY
In 1816 the General Assembly authorized a lottery to build a schoolhouse in Cecilton. Six managers were to raise $20,000 to be used for erection and support of the Cecilton Academy under direction of its trustees. No evidence was found to show that the money was raised or any school opened.
THE CECIL TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH CO.
Was incorporated January 26, 1891 with a capital of $2,000. Charles G. Wells was president and Charles H. Smith was treasurer. The lines of the company covered 40 miles in the county and were to be extended rapidly. It was soon taken over by the Diamond State Telephone Company.
CEDAR HILL SEMINARY
This private school for young ladies was near Port Deposit and was under the management of Miss M. R. Heckart. In 1884 it had a large enrollment of boarding students.
CECILTON, THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT
See Cecil Democrat, September 15, 1888, page 3, column 5 (I column)
CENTRAL COURANT
This paper was started in Port Deposit in March 1833 by L. A. Wilmer, who had worked as a printer on the Elkton Press. It was 15 ½ x 21 ½ and was $1 per annum. It was published as late as November 1834, but how much longer is not known. After its demise Mr. Wilmer became connected with the Saturday Evening Post. (Johnson 465)
CHARLESTOWN
Charlestown was laid out in 1742 and named for Charles Calvert, 3rd Lord Baltimore. The original plot contained 200 acres and it was to be a state metropolis with wide streets, a public square, and a market house. The hopes of the incorporators were never realized. The county court and a jail were situated at Charlestown from 1882 to 1787.
CHERRY GROVE
The ancestral home of Governor Thomas Ward Veasey (1836 – 39) in Veasey Neck. The first owner of the place was John Veasey who emigrated from Essex County, England in 1687.
CHERRY HILL, ELKTON, & CHESAPEAKE CITY ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM
This imaginary public utility was incorporated by the Maryland General Assembly in March 1896. The Senate passed a bill transferring to the new company the sum of $58,000 which had been appropriated in 1894 to the Elkton & Southern Railroad, but the House refused to concur and the money was left standing to the credit of the E&S RR.
CHERRY TREE CORNER
Intersections of Sandy Branch Road by Middle Neck Road on the division line between the 1st and 2nd districts one quarter mile west of the Delaware line.
Editors Note: Cherry Tree Corner is not in the ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County and is not in the U. S. Geological Map database (Database search: May 31, 2007).
CHESAPEAKE CITY NATIONAL BANK
This bank opened for business July 1, 1903 with a paid-in capital of $25,000. The first president was Jos. H. Steele and the cashier was John Banks. It was absorbed on May 9, 1922, by the Elkton Banking & Trust Company which increased its capital from $100,000 to $125,000 and sold the new stock at $75 a share.
CHESAPEAKE CHESAPIKE
This was the name of a newspaper founded in Chesapeake City in 1876 by Henry Moss, who sold it to Dr. D. H. B. Brower in 1878. Dr. Brower changed the name to the Chesapeake Record and published the paper until he moved to North East and began publication of the North East Record on December 21, 1878.
CHESAPEAKE CITY
Formerly known as the Divided City of Cecil County. (includes some history) Cecil Democrat, June 27, 1903, p. 1, cols. 6-7
CHILDS
Originally known as Spring Hill, Childs became a station on the B & O Railroad and was named for George W. Childs, one time editor of the Philadelphia Ledger, who owned and operated the Marley paper Mill close by.
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
Immanuel Church of the Brethren off Maryland 213 on Frenchtown Road was opened in January 1963. The main auditorium of the red brick building seats 160 people. The Church of the Brethren originated in Germany in 1708 and was imported to America between 1717 and 1720.
CHURCH CREEK
In 1698 the vestry of St. Stephen’s Church agreed to build a chapel of ease on the west side of Elk River, and for this purpose purchased from Peter Lawson one acre of land in St. John’s Manor in Elk Neck. It was described as lying upon Church Creek, which was so called because the chapel was near it.
THE CHURCH OF GOOD SHEPHERD
The Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd is at the intersection of Route 40 and Aiken Avenue in Perryville. It is under the Diocese of Wilmington and the pastors serve mission churches of St. Theresa in Port Deposit, St. Agnes in Rising Sun, and St. Patrick in Pilottown. The parish headquarters was transferred from Port Deposit to Perryville in May 19, 1954.
CHURCH POINT
Point at the head of North East where St. Mary Anne’s Church is located.
CHURCHTOWN
Early name for the present village of St. Augustine, three miles south of Chesapeake City. It was the location of the original Manor Chapel and a later brick church, around which the Hessian troops encamped in August, 1777. The present frame church was restored in 1964 at a cost of $60,000.
CLAYFALL
A historic tract of land owned by Francis Clay which included a large part, if not all, of Carpenter’s Point Neck. The first settlers were English traders with the Susquehannock Indians. Clay Fall was bought by Captain Jeremiah Baker in 1784.
CLUNN’S MILL
This mill was in Sassafras Neck on Hall Creek, on the road from Fredericktown to Pedler’s Lane, and about one mile from the former place. It was equipped with two pairs of burrs – one for wheat and one for corn. The property was sold on December 9, 1868 to John B. Lewis for $1000.
COKESBURY
Present name of site on U. S. 222 formerly known as Hawkinsville between Craigstown and Port Deposit. One of the oldest Negro churches in the country is located there. It was founded in 1790 and is now affiliated with the Peninsula Methodist Conference.
COLLEGE GREEN
College Green (or Greenhurst) on the Ebenezer Church Road, was the home of Dr. John Beard, who erected a building there which he proposed to give to the College of New Jersey. He was a graduate of Oxford University and pastor of West Nottingham Presbyterian Church from 1762 to 1771.
Editor’s Note: The U. S. Geological Map database identifies College Green as the unofficial name of Farmington (search conducted May 31, 2007. The ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County (2005) identifies Greenhurst, College Green, and Farmington as three separate villages in the same area (Map 4).
COLORA
Colora was added to the nomenclature of Cecil County when the word was coined by Lloyd Balderston as a name for the farm he bought in February 1841. It is derived from the Latin words culmen, a ridge, and aura, a breeze, and is descriptive of the farm’s topography. The name was later applied to the railroad station and post office.
CONCORD
This name was given to the area along Maryland’s Route 310 between Cayot’s Corner and St. Augustine Church.
Editor’s note: The name appears on the 1858 Martinet map, and the 1877 County Atlas. The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005. The U. S. Geological Map database identifies Concord as a historic place name (39º 29’ 20”N and 75º 50’ 18” W – database searched May 31, 2007).
CONOWINGO BRIDGE
The first Conowingo Bridge was built about 1820 and carried away by a flood in 1846. It was reopened in 1859. Part of the bridge was burned in 1907 and again rebuilt. It was finally destroyed by dynamite in 1928 to make way for the Conowingo Dam. Conowingo is an Indian word meaning “at the rapids.”
Editor’s note: There is an 1889 photograph of the Conowingo Bridge, a covered bridge. The 1907 replacement was metal and several pictures including a picture of its destruction are in the archives.
CONTENTION RUN
A small stream originating in the woods above Cedar Hill and flowing eastward into the Little Elk Creek near a sharp curve in the road between Carter’s Bank and Providence Mill.
Editor’s Note: Not identified on the ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County (2005), nor listed on the U. S. Geological Map database (database search May 31, 2007).
COPSON PARK
An area at the southern end of the bridge over the B&O railroad tracks at Leslie where the Church of the Nazarene held annual camp meetings. It was named for John Copson, who acquired a tract of land at Gilpin’s Falls from Joseph Gilpin in 1735.
Editor’s Note: The National Local Preachers’ Camp Meeting Association also held camp meetings at this site up to around 1919.
COPSON’S PASTURE
A farm of 180 acres on the old road (Maryland 7) between North East and Charlestown about a half mile from the North East River. It was advertised to be sold on June21, 1860, by J. T. McCullough and George Earle, trustees. The occupant was Benj. B. Sweet. (See Democrat June 2, 1860).
CORNER KETCH
This is the original name of the crossroads intersection of the Colora and Harrisville roads just north of West Nottingham Church. James Brown, a Quaker, located there in 1701. The elevation is 386 feet above sea level.
COUNTY FAIR
The first fair of the Cecil County Agricultural Society was held in Elkton on 3-6 October1880, and continued annually until 1897. Large premiums were offered for livestock, and there were bicycle, horse, mule and ox races, balloon ascensions, and a tournament on the third day.
COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING
The Cecil County Office Building was dedicated on 10 August 1967. Construction of the building was started on October 5, 1965. The contractor was the F. G. Krapf Company of Wilmington, Delaware. It contains 45,563 square feet of space and cost approximately $1,350,000.
COURT HOUSE POINT
A projection on the south bank of Elk River directly opposite Oldfield Point. It was the site of the second county seat, 1719 to 1782 and the terminus of the Elk ferry.
COURTHOUSE (PRIOR TO 1886)
References: “The Old Courthouse. Interesting Reminiscence by a Prominent Citizen. One column article in the Democrat, October 23, 1886, page 3, column 5; article on the history of the Cecil County Courthouse, the Democrat, July 24, 1886, page 3, column 3 carries a 1 1/3 column article.
CRAWFORD’S FACTORY
A stone mill 30 x 60, two and one half stories high, on Big Elk Creek near Leslie, in which woolen goods were manufactured. At one time it was known as Whitehead’s Mill. Includes an ad from June 10, 1865 (newspaper not cited, most likely Cecil Democrat)
Editor’s note: Bulletin #48 has an article on Crawford’s factory.
CRESWELL’S FERRY
As early as 1729 Thomas Cresap had a ferry at Port Deposit called Smith’s Ferry, probably because it was at the highest point reached by Captain John Smith on the Susquehanna River. It was afterwards called Creswell’s Ferry when owned by Colonel John Creswell, the grandfather of General J. A. J. Creswell. (Johnson 393)
CROMWELL
Location of a post office on the road from Warburton’s Mill to Union Church in the 3rd District. It was established in January 1852, with James Warburton as postmaster, and discontinued April 30, 1856.
Editor’s note: The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005, nor is it in the U. S. Geological database (database search May 31, 2007.
CROOKTOWN
Site of the Etherington homestead near Cecilton.
Editor’s note: The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005.
CROSSED KEYS HOTEL
A tavern established in 1800 just south of Harrisville by Captain Leonard Krauss. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and acquired his title by forming a military company in 1810. He was the father of 17 children. He died January 12, 1858, at the age of 97. (Cecil Democrat, September 20, 1890.
Editor’s note: The ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005 edition, shows a Krauss cemetery in the area south of Harrisville (F-7).
CROUCH CHAPEL
The chapel is located on Route 13 about two miles south of Elkton. It was built in 1876 as a missionary project of the Elkton Methodist Church and dedicated October 29, that year. The chapel was named for Thomas C. Crouch, who established it and served for many years as superintendent of the Sunday school. He died August 16, 1896 at the age of 87.
DIVIDED CITY
An appellation formerly applied to Chesapeake City.
DOLLY VARDEN STREET
Name originally given to South Street in Elkton.
DUBLIN
A settlement on the Big Elk Creek near Strahorn’s Mill, so called because all the residents were Irish people who worked in a woolen factory located there.
DUCK NECK
A tract of land containing 100 acres which was laid out for William Smith on April 20, 1702, described as beginning “att a marked white oak standing by the side of Elk River near a place called French Town.” (Rent Roll of Cecil County, Calvert Papers No. 884, folio 126).
DUFFY’S FORT
This fort was erected on Duffy’s Creek in Fredericktown for defense against the British during the War of 1812. It was in commanded of Colonel Thomas W. Veasey when the town was burned by the invaders on May 4, 1813.
DUTCHTOWN
When the Wilmington & Susquehanna Railroad was being built in 1833 a number of Germans who were employed near North East encamped north of the town on the road to Mechanics’ Valley. The location was called Dutchtown and the railroad crossing was known as Dutchtown Crossing.
EBENEZER AME CHURCH
Just off St. Augustine Road about one mile east of Cayot’s Corner on Bohemia Manor is a small well-kept frame church. Its marble cornerstone reads:
EBENEZER
A. M. E. CHURCH
A former schoolhouse serves as a recreation building.
EDER
Eder was a way-station on the B&O Railroad. It was located near the bridge which carries Nottingham Road over the railroad tracks and is about one mile east of Mechanics Valley. It was named for William H. Eder who owned a large farm in that vicinity.
EGG HILL
Egg Hill is an eminence of 442 feet southwest of Pleasant Hill on Union Church Road, and location of a fire tower. It is the highest point in the county. The named was derived from the large number of pheasant eggs which were formerly collected in the neighbor.
EGAN’S CORNER
Intersection of Principio and Ebenezer Church roads south of College Green. James Egan owned a farm there. Angeline Egan, daughter of James and Mary Evans Egan, died May 30, 1928, age 90. Andrew Egan went to defense of Baltimore in 1814 with Captain Patten’s company.
Editor’s note: The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005, nor is it in the U. S. Geological database (database search May 31, 2007).
ELK ACADEMY
A Presbyterian classical institution taught by Rev. Alexander McDowell, past of Rock Church, at his home a mile southwest of Lewisville. It was founded at New London and removed to Cecil County in 1752. The school was moved to Newark, Delaware in 1767 and was the genesis of Delaware College [University of Delaware].
University of Delaware early history: http://www.udel.edu/PR/munroe/chapter1.html
ELK FORGE
Site of forges on Big Elk Creek where town of Elk Mills is located. Manufacture of bar iron was commenced here in 1761 by Jesse Hollingsworth, Thomas May, and others and continued about 70 years.
Editor’s note: The historical society has a number of materials on this topic.
ELK IRON WORKS
This rolling mill for working sheet iron was at Cowantown on Big Elk Creek five miles north of Elkton. The stone and frame mill building was 90 x 55 feet and three stories high. The water wheel was under a fall of 16 feet. The property was sold for benefit of creditors of Parke, Smith & Company in November 1867.
ELK NECK STATE PARK
This park is nine miles south of North East almost at the tip of the narrow peninsula between the Elk and North East rivers. It was established in 1936 when Dr. William L. Abbott, traveler and naturalist, willed his estate of 386 acres to the state for recreational purposes. Four hundred and nineteen acres of adjoining farmland were added to it later.
http://www.cchistory.org/howard/factfile.htm
Most information was gathered in the 1970's by Ernast A. Howard. Should be great for anyone in the area. Very close to Del and Pa. Very good info here. If anyone is interested and would'nt mind a new guy tagging alonge, drop me a line
Please not that this is not the complete listing. It is only about half of what is there, but due to size limits I had to cut alot of it off.
ACADIANS IN CECIL COUNTY
Arcadia was a French colony ceded to England by the Treaty of Utrecht and renamed Nova Scotia. In order to reduce the French influence, England in May 1755 deported about 6000 Arcadians to the American Colonies. For several years some 40 of them lived at Fredericktown and were sent to Louisiana at public expense. (Johnson 260)
ADDITION
This was the name of the farm near Woodlawn on which Dr. Richard Brookings was born in 1807. It is now owned by Mrs. A. C. Sherrard, Sr. When he was 38 he married Mary Carter, age 18, daughter of Robert Carter of Walnut Hill. Their son, Robert Somers Brookings, was born January 22, 1850. Dr. Brookings died January 9, 1852, and he and his wife are buried in St. Mary Anne’s cemetery.
Editor’s note: Richard Somers Brookings founded the Brookings Institution in Washington, D. C.
THE ANCHORAGE
A brick and frame farmhouse on Augustine Herman Highway [Rt. 213] one and one-half miles north of Cecilton. The original part was built in 1735 by the Lusby family. The house was the home of Commodore Jacob Jones (1768-1850), who married Miss Ruth Lusby.
ANDORA
A village on Maryland 280 about six miles north of Elkton. It is pleasantly situated overlooking the valley of Little Elk Creek. The present name was adopted in 1853, although the original name of Poplar Hill is still heard. The elevation is 350 feet above sea level.
Editor’s note: The ACD street map (2005) shows a Poplar Hill Lane in Andora.
ANNA CATHERINE NECK
The name given to a tract of land of 400 acres at the mouth of Principio Creek taken up and patented on July 20,1658, by William Carpender. It was described as butting on Bay Head (now Principio) Creek. This is believed to be the first permanent settlement in Cecil County (Johnston 27)
ANTEGO
A farm on Deaver Road about one mile southwest of Leeds lying close to the B&O railroad. The name is said to be of Indian origin. The farm was once owned by Judge James McCauley. The sandy soil is well adapted to the production of truck crops.
APPLETON
As far back as 1792 this place was known as Dysart’s and later as Fox Chase and a tavern there bore the name Seven Stars. When a post office was established in July 1881 it was given the name Appleton by Mrs. Mary Kimble, who was the first postmaster. (Francis A. Cooch 1936)
ARK HAVEN
A village in the northwestern corner of Cecil County near the Pennsylvania line where boats entered the Maryland Canal from the Susquehanna River and were towed to Port Deposit. It was submerged in 1927 when the [area behind] Conowingo Dam was flooded.
ARUNDEL CREEK
The name formerly applied to the small stream which transverses the southern edge of the town of North East; now commonly known as the run.
BACK NECK CREEK
The area on the east side of Elk River between Perch Creek on the north and Back Creek on the south, in which are located such developments as Locust Point, Blair Shore, and Elk Forest.
BALD FRIAR
A small village on the Susquehanna River, a short distance below the Lancaster [County] border. A ferry was kept there at one time by a bald-headed man named Fry, from which fact it was called Bald Fry’s Ferry. On April 12, 1781, Lafayette’s army crossed the river in scows at Bald Friar en route to Virginia. (Johnson 345)
BALLINTEMPLE FARM
The modern name of Cherry Grove, birthplace of Governor Veazey in Veasey Neck at the junction of the Bohemia and Elk Rivers. The Governor lies buried in the family burial plot in front of the long frame house.
BARKSDALE
This crossroads village in the 4th district was called Barksdale after a way station on the B&O Railroad was named for Hamilton M. Barksdale, who was in charge of construction of the railroad through the county in 1883-4. Mr. Barksdale was later a vice president of the DuPont Company.
BARNES CORNER
This is the development midway between Farmington and Colora where Maryland Route 269 is intersected by Route 276 from Rising Sun.
BASIN RUN
A small stream which joins Octoraro Creek at Rowlandsville and forms the boundary between the 6th and 7th election districts. It rises from the Indian Queen spring and was called Beason’s Run on a plat surveyed by Samuel Maffitt about 1722.
BATTLE SWAMP
A small village on the old Philadelphia & Baltimore Turnpike (now Md. Route 276), three miles east of Port Deposit. In 1853 it boasted a post office (Woodlawn), a large granite hotel, coach shop, blacksmith and wheelwright shop, and several dwellings. [See Cecil Democrat advertisement for sale of tavern and store, prior to January 31, 1865].
Editor’s note: Battle Swamp tavern was at the site as early as 1812. Battle, according to the Oxford English dictionary is a term, now obsolete, for fodder or grasses used for grazing livestock, and this is likely the meaning for the name. The identification of the area as Battle Swamp has become infrequent, and the ACD Street Map Book of Cecil County (2005 edition does not show Battle Swamp. The National Geologic Map database recognizes Battle Swamp as the unofficial name of Woodlawn (database search: May 31, 2007).
BAYARD HOUSE
This hostelry was at the corner of Front Street and Bohemia Avenue in Chesapeake City, according to 1877 Atlas of Cecil County. Captain Firman Lyman was the proprietor at that time. He kept the choicest wines and liquors constantly on hand and served salt water oysters in every style.
Editor’s note: The Bayard House is now a restaurant.
BEAUFORT FARM
This property, originally known as Ford’s Landing, is at the west end of Veasey’s Neck in the First District, affording a fine view of Elk River. It was named for Richard Ford and his wife, Elinor, who settled there about 1696. Steamboats plying between Baltimore and Philadelphia stopped at Ford’s Landing. The present owner is James Stanley Frazer.
BEER’S CORNER
This was the early name for the present village of Barksdale, which is the first crossroads north of the B&O railroad tracks. It is in the 4th District and has an elevation of 209 feet. The Milburn orchards are near Barksdale.
BEAVAN FARM
This farm is on the road from Port Deposit (Rock Run) to Liberty Grove and is now owned by Mr. Isaac Rehert. In the Beavan burying ground on the farm lies Capt. James Christie, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on June 2, 1784, and died Sept. 14, 1820. He was an officer in the War of 1812.
BELLECONNELL
A tract of 2000 acres at head of Elk patented in April 1683 to George Talbot. It extended from Big Elk Creek, which was its western boundary, to the top of Gray’s Hill.
NDY HOUSE
A log House which stood near the head of Persimmon Run, east of Cowantown, in the 4th District. It was reputed to be the house of Andrew Jackson’s father, who emigrated to North Carolina prior to the Revolutionary War. (Johnson 292)
Editor’s note: No evidence supports this claim.
BETHEL CHURCH (MP)
This church is in a clearing in woods west of Marysville on Maryland 272. It was deeded to a Methodist Protestant congregation on April 4, 1872, and was part of the old Cecil Circuit. It is now a station on Bay View charge. The building is covered with aluminum siding and a cemetery adjoins the church. (Visited 10/29/1968)
BETHESDA M. P. CHURCH
The former Bethesda Church is at Oakwood in the 8th District. A church was organized here by Methodist Protestants in 1858 and the building was erected about 1894. After being closed for several years, it was reopened, enlarged, and is now Oakwood Mennonite Church. The well-kept Bethesda cemetery is nearby. (Visited 8/28/1967)
BIG ELK CHAPEL
Big Elk Chapel is at Flounder’s Corner about one mile east of Andora, where Chapel road crosses Gallaher road. It was built in 1877 when a congregation was formed in the neighborhood as a result of a revival conducted by the Rev. John France, who was then pastor of Cherry Hill M. E. Church.
BLACK ROCK PROPERTY
This property was situated on East Main Street in Elkton between the present library building and Church Street. In 1859 it comprised a dwelling, a store kept by W. McClelland, and a large lot along Church Street. It was selected as the site for the new Methodist church but terms of the purchase were not acceptable. (Cecil Democrat 7/16/1859)
Editor’s note: The “present library” is the old library location and the current location of the Historical Society of Cecil County, 135 East Main Street.
BLACKENSTIN’S FOREST
A tract of land containing 209 acres surveyed for Mathias Vanbibber of May 8, 1722, described as “near the crossroad from Frenchtown to New Castle and the old county road.” (From Rent Rolls of Cecil County, Calvert papers No, 884, folio 164.) (Letter in Baltimore Sun, September 1, 1969)
BLOOMINGDALE
This farm of 465 acres of land is on the Sassafras River near Cecilton and was originally called Hawse Neck (colloquially, Hall’s Neck). The three-story sixteen-room house was built in 1846 by Thomas Chandler Cruikshank of bricks made on the farm. The present owner’s are Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Cook. (1968)
BLAKE
Also known as Fair View, this place was named for George A. Blake, Elkton attorney, when a post office was opened April 2, 1898, with James M. Ewing as postmaster. He was succeeded by Miss Elsie Wherry on April 20, 1901. The office was discontinued July 31, 1908 and mail sent to the Childs office. (Murray J. Ewing 5/20/40)
Editor’s Note: The ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County (2005 edition) refers to the village as Blake and the road approaching it from the south as Fairview road.
BLUEBALL TAVERN
A long two-and-a-half story stone inn established on the Nottingham Lots about 1710 by Andrew Job, a Quaker. It was operated as an inn until 1866. The tavern is now occupied by James H. Mendenhall, who conducts a country store there. Blue Ball is 8 miles northwest of Elkton on Route 273.
BOHEMIA ACADEMY
This school was established at St. Francis Xavier Church by Father Thomas Pulton in 1745-46 and was conducted by Jesuit priests. It was intended to afford an elementary education to sons of Catholic colonists who were sent abroad to complete their studies. As many as 20 boys boarded at the academy at one time.
BOHEMIA AVENUE HOUSE
See May 6, 1899 ad (Cecil Democrat?)
BOHEMIA LANDING
This landing was near the junction of the two branches of Bohemia River and only a few miles from navigable water of Appoquinimink Creek. In 1715 the colonial assembly decreed that all liquors imported into Maryland should be brought to Bohemia Landing, where a duty of 3 pence a gallon was collected for many years. (Johnston 197)
BOHEMIA
The plantation of 1100 acres on Bohemia River was bought in 1827 by Louis McLane, who in 1812 had married Mary Catherine. Mr. McLane was a distinguished lawyer. He was Secretary of State under President Jackson. He left public life in 1837 to become president of the B&O Railroad. The McLanes had 13 children.
Editor’s note: One of McLane’s daughters married Confederate General Joseph Johnston
BOHEMIA BRIDGE COMPANY
This company was incorporated by the legislature in January 1853, with eight commissioners. A contract was awarded to David Palmer, of Chesapeake City, to build the bridge for $20, 700. Work was finally started in July 1867 and the completed bridge was open to travel on November 16, 1867.
BOHEMIA MILLS
Located on Sandy Branch road at Great Bohemia Creek close to the Delaware line. It appears as T. C. Murphy’s grist mill in the Atlas of 1877. The mill was later owned by Lakes and by Harry Davidson when it burned. A post office was opened here on April 5, 1854, and discontinued May 3, 1866. John Walston was the first postmaster.
BOHEMIA VILLAGE
This name was applied to a settlement on the banks of Back Creek which developed into Chesapeake City when work was started on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. It was the shipping terminus for sailing vessels from Baltimore and other southern ports.
BOTTLING ESTABLISHMENT
A plant for bottling mineral waters was in active operation in Elkton, “near the bridge,” prior to the Civil War. The owner claimed it was doing a large business, but his attorney, Hiram McCullough, advertised it for sale in the Cecil Democrat of June 1860 (page 2, col. 6).
BRANTWOOD
A farm of 680 acres on Augustine Herman Highway [213] two miles south of Elkton. The 18-room house was built before 1750 and was remodeled in 1829. Originally known as Wallace’s Good Design. It was renamed by Frank E. Williams for the English home of John Ruskin. The present owner is Wallace Williams Jr.
Editor’s note: Brantwood Golf Course marks the area and retains the name.
BOULDEN’S CHAPEL
Bouden’s Chapel is on Nottingham Road near the old Eder station on the B&O railroad. It was founded by and named for Mrs. Ann Boulden, and dedicated Nov. 19, 1871. The chapel was conveyed from the Peninsula Methodist Conference to the Church of the Nazarene in March 1957.
BREWSTER’S BRIDGE
Brewster’s bridge spans the Big Elk Creek on Devinney Road west of Barksdale. The new bridge cost $235,000 and was opened to traffic in November 1972. It replaced an old bridge which had been closed for several years.
BREWSTER’S MILL
This was a four-story stone factory on the Big Elk Creek at Elk Mills in which John Brewster manufactured cotton goods after the Civil War. The bare walls of the old factory were razed in 1971 after standing for many years as a grim reminder of another of the county’s lost industries.
BRICKLEYTOWN
The name by which the village of Farmington was originally known. Farmington is on Maryland 274 about two miles southeast of Rising Sun. The elevation is 380 feet.
BROAD CREEK CHURCH
A Presbyterian church established in 1720 at the head of Broad Creek on Bohemia Manor by settlers from New Munster. The church was east of the site of the former Bethel Methodist church at Pivot Bridge. The creek from which the church derived its name was obliterated by construction of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
BROXON’S POINT
The junction of Scotchman’s Creek and Bohemia River. In May 1730 the General Assembly passed an act for laying out and erecting a town at this placed called Ceciltown. Scotchman’s Creek was then called Omealy Creek.
BUCKWHEAT RUN
The beginning of Little North East creek which flows eastward across Blue Ball road near where Reynolds’s mill stood. A covered bridge with a 30 foot span was built here in 1860.
BULL’S HEAD HOTEL
A hotel on North Street in Elkton opened by former sheriff Robert M. Walmsley on October 1, 1862. His bar served the finest liquors and his stables accommodated 25 horses. It was patronized by soldiers during the Civil War. The property at 310 North Street is now owned by Mrs. Gladys Swift Miller.
Editor’s note: Bull’s Head was recently (within the last 4 or 5 years) torn down by the town for a parking area.
BUTTERMAN’S HILL
A hill on the west side of Little Elk Creek a short distance north of the site of Harlan’s binder-board mill. It is said to contain a deposit of stealite (soapstone) which was used by Indians in making pottery. The elevation is about 160 feet.
Editors Note: The name is not in the Geological Map database (Search conducted May 31, 2007).
CABIN JOHN CREEK
In 1682 the legislature passed an act providing for two towns or ports in each county in Maryland. One place named in Cecil was Cabin John’s Creek, a small bay between Veasey and Pearce Necks. (Johnson 254). In time this became “Cappin” or Cabin John Creek.
CANDLE MANUFACTORY
A candle manufactory in conjunction with a bakery was operated in Elkton E. Estes in a log and frame structure which stood at the corner of North and Whig streets. The period cannot be determined. His daughter, Emma Estes, married William T. Giles, who later conducted a restaurant in the old building, which became a historic landmark.
CARA COVE
Formerly known as Garrett Cove and Carrot Cove, a farm on the east side of North East River about five miles south of the town of North East. As early as 1785 this small bay was called Roach’s Cove.
CARTER’S SCHOOL
A unique octagonal stone schoolhouse at Carter’s Bank known as 8-Corner School. In was built by Robert Carter in 1820. In the county school system Carter’s was No. 9 in the 4th District. Due to a shift in the population Carter’s was superseded in 1886 by a new frame two-room building at Andora.
CATHER’S CORNER
Junction of Rising Sun road (Rt. 276) with old Baltimore & Philadelphia Turnpike, about one mile northeast of Hopewell Church. The Cathers were an old family in Cecil County. Ann Cather was married to John Robinson on November 11, 1781.
CASH CORNER
Junction about one mile east of Cecilton (Rt. 282) from Warwick and Ward’s Hill road from Head of Sassafras. The elevation is 83 feet.
CAYOT’S CORNER
The intersection of Augustine Highway (Rt. 213) and the Town Point Road (Rt. 310) about two miles south of Chesapeake City. It was named for Jacques Cayot (1806-1889), a Frenchman, who owned a farm there. This crossroads was also known as Hudson’ Corner and Kale’s Corner.
Editor’s note: The name change from Hudson’s Corner to Cayot’s Corner occurs in the period between 1858 [Martinet map] and 1877 [Cecil County Atlas]. The entry for Massey’s Corner indicates that this was yet other name for this corner.
CECIL COUNTY NEWS
is weekly newspaper was started on September 1, 1880, by Dr. James H. Frazer, who sold it to Daniel Bratton in1889. When Mr. Britton died in April 1895, his brother, William D. Bratton took over as editor and continued to publish the paper until December 23, 1936, when he retired.
Editor’s note: Hardcopies and microfilm copies are available at the historical society.
CECIL COUNTY RAILROAD COMPANY
This company was chartered by the Maryland Assembly on March 6, 1850 for the purpose of constructing a railroad from North East to some point in Pennsylvania. Books were opened on February 16, 1852 at North East and Brick Meeting House to receive subscriptions to the capital stock, but prospective investors were wary.
CECIL COUNTY SPCA
This society was formed early in 1969 by Mrs. Samuel DuPont, and an animal shelter was built on Rt. 213 south of Cayot’s Corner. On July 1, 1969 the management of the county’s canine population was taken over by the SPCA from the county commissioners. Dr. Leroy H. Manlove was the first president of the society.
CECIL CROSSROADS
This was the original name for the present Cecilton. The first house was built by James Morgan, who was born and lived at what is now known as Wickwire.
CECIL GAZETTE
This weekly newspaper was started in Elkton in September 1834 and was published and edited by Henry Bosee. It was 24 x 32 inches in size. The paper was neither popular nor prosperous and was sold in February 1840 to Thomas M. Coleman, who changed its name to the Cecil Democrat and Farmers’ Journal.
Editor’s note: The Cecil Democrat and Farmers’ Journal shortened its name to Cecil Democrat and ceased publication in 1981. Copies of these newspapers are available on microfilm at the historical society.
CECIL MANUFACTURING COMPANY
This company was organized in 1794 and erected a large factory on Little Elk Creek at New Leeds for the manufacture of woolen and cotton goods. Col. Henry Hollingsworth was a large stockholder. The stone factory was sold in 1826 to Robert Carter, who converted it into a paper mill. The mill was destroyed by fire on January 11, 1853.
CECIL NATIONAL BANK
The Cecil National Bank of Port Deposit was founded May 1, 1850, with Jacob Tome, President and Allen Anderson, Cashier. The original capital stock was $25,000, which was soon increased to $100,000. When the bank entered the national system on July 1, 1865, the capital stock was increased to $300,000.
CECIL PAPER MILL
Cecil Paper Mill on Little Elk Creek about six miles north of Elkton was built in 1816 by Robert Carter, who came from Delaware County, Pa. For 20 years this mill made all the paper used in printing the Baltimore Sun. It was continued by his sons, Joseph and I. Day Carter. The mill was destroyed by fire December 19, 1900.
CECILTON ACADEMY
In 1816 the General Assembly authorized a lottery to build a schoolhouse in Cecilton. Six managers were to raise $20,000 to be used for erection and support of the Cecilton Academy under direction of its trustees. No evidence was found to show that the money was raised or any school opened.
THE CECIL TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH CO.
Was incorporated January 26, 1891 with a capital of $2,000. Charles G. Wells was president and Charles H. Smith was treasurer. The lines of the company covered 40 miles in the county and were to be extended rapidly. It was soon taken over by the Diamond State Telephone Company.
CEDAR HILL SEMINARY
This private school for young ladies was near Port Deposit and was under the management of Miss M. R. Heckart. In 1884 it had a large enrollment of boarding students.
CECILTON, THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH AT
See Cecil Democrat, September 15, 1888, page 3, column 5 (I column)
CENTRAL COURANT
This paper was started in Port Deposit in March 1833 by L. A. Wilmer, who had worked as a printer on the Elkton Press. It was 15 ½ x 21 ½ and was $1 per annum. It was published as late as November 1834, but how much longer is not known. After its demise Mr. Wilmer became connected with the Saturday Evening Post. (Johnson 465)
CHARLESTOWN
Charlestown was laid out in 1742 and named for Charles Calvert, 3rd Lord Baltimore. The original plot contained 200 acres and it was to be a state metropolis with wide streets, a public square, and a market house. The hopes of the incorporators were never realized. The county court and a jail were situated at Charlestown from 1882 to 1787.
CHERRY GROVE
The ancestral home of Governor Thomas Ward Veasey (1836 – 39) in Veasey Neck. The first owner of the place was John Veasey who emigrated from Essex County, England in 1687.
CHERRY HILL, ELKTON, & CHESAPEAKE CITY ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM
This imaginary public utility was incorporated by the Maryland General Assembly in March 1896. The Senate passed a bill transferring to the new company the sum of $58,000 which had been appropriated in 1894 to the Elkton & Southern Railroad, but the House refused to concur and the money was left standing to the credit of the E&S RR.
CHERRY TREE CORNER
Intersections of Sandy Branch Road by Middle Neck Road on the division line between the 1st and 2nd districts one quarter mile west of the Delaware line.
Editors Note: Cherry Tree Corner is not in the ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County and is not in the U. S. Geological Map database (Database search: May 31, 2007).
CHESAPEAKE CITY NATIONAL BANK
This bank opened for business July 1, 1903 with a paid-in capital of $25,000. The first president was Jos. H. Steele and the cashier was John Banks. It was absorbed on May 9, 1922, by the Elkton Banking & Trust Company which increased its capital from $100,000 to $125,000 and sold the new stock at $75 a share.
CHESAPEAKE CHESAPIKE
This was the name of a newspaper founded in Chesapeake City in 1876 by Henry Moss, who sold it to Dr. D. H. B. Brower in 1878. Dr. Brower changed the name to the Chesapeake Record and published the paper until he moved to North East and began publication of the North East Record on December 21, 1878.
CHESAPEAKE CITY
Formerly known as the Divided City of Cecil County. (includes some history) Cecil Democrat, June 27, 1903, p. 1, cols. 6-7
CHILDS
Originally known as Spring Hill, Childs became a station on the B & O Railroad and was named for George W. Childs, one time editor of the Philadelphia Ledger, who owned and operated the Marley paper Mill close by.
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN
Immanuel Church of the Brethren off Maryland 213 on Frenchtown Road was opened in January 1963. The main auditorium of the red brick building seats 160 people. The Church of the Brethren originated in Germany in 1708 and was imported to America between 1717 and 1720.
CHURCH CREEK
In 1698 the vestry of St. Stephen’s Church agreed to build a chapel of ease on the west side of Elk River, and for this purpose purchased from Peter Lawson one acre of land in St. John’s Manor in Elk Neck. It was described as lying upon Church Creek, which was so called because the chapel was near it.
THE CHURCH OF GOOD SHEPHERD
The Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd is at the intersection of Route 40 and Aiken Avenue in Perryville. It is under the Diocese of Wilmington and the pastors serve mission churches of St. Theresa in Port Deposit, St. Agnes in Rising Sun, and St. Patrick in Pilottown. The parish headquarters was transferred from Port Deposit to Perryville in May 19, 1954.
CHURCH POINT
Point at the head of North East where St. Mary Anne’s Church is located.
CHURCHTOWN
Early name for the present village of St. Augustine, three miles south of Chesapeake City. It was the location of the original Manor Chapel and a later brick church, around which the Hessian troops encamped in August, 1777. The present frame church was restored in 1964 at a cost of $60,000.
CLAYFALL
A historic tract of land owned by Francis Clay which included a large part, if not all, of Carpenter’s Point Neck. The first settlers were English traders with the Susquehannock Indians. Clay Fall was bought by Captain Jeremiah Baker in 1784.
CLUNN’S MILL
This mill was in Sassafras Neck on Hall Creek, on the road from Fredericktown to Pedler’s Lane, and about one mile from the former place. It was equipped with two pairs of burrs – one for wheat and one for corn. The property was sold on December 9, 1868 to John B. Lewis for $1000.
COKESBURY
Present name of site on U. S. 222 formerly known as Hawkinsville between Craigstown and Port Deposit. One of the oldest Negro churches in the country is located there. It was founded in 1790 and is now affiliated with the Peninsula Methodist Conference.
COLLEGE GREEN
College Green (or Greenhurst) on the Ebenezer Church Road, was the home of Dr. John Beard, who erected a building there which he proposed to give to the College of New Jersey. He was a graduate of Oxford University and pastor of West Nottingham Presbyterian Church from 1762 to 1771.
Editor’s Note: The U. S. Geological Map database identifies College Green as the unofficial name of Farmington (search conducted May 31, 2007. The ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County (2005) identifies Greenhurst, College Green, and Farmington as three separate villages in the same area (Map 4).
COLORA
Colora was added to the nomenclature of Cecil County when the word was coined by Lloyd Balderston as a name for the farm he bought in February 1841. It is derived from the Latin words culmen, a ridge, and aura, a breeze, and is descriptive of the farm’s topography. The name was later applied to the railroad station and post office.
CONCORD
This name was given to the area along Maryland’s Route 310 between Cayot’s Corner and St. Augustine Church.
Editor’s note: The name appears on the 1858 Martinet map, and the 1877 County Atlas. The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005. The U. S. Geological Map database identifies Concord as a historic place name (39º 29’ 20”N and 75º 50’ 18” W – database searched May 31, 2007).
CONOWINGO BRIDGE
The first Conowingo Bridge was built about 1820 and carried away by a flood in 1846. It was reopened in 1859. Part of the bridge was burned in 1907 and again rebuilt. It was finally destroyed by dynamite in 1928 to make way for the Conowingo Dam. Conowingo is an Indian word meaning “at the rapids.”
Editor’s note: There is an 1889 photograph of the Conowingo Bridge, a covered bridge. The 1907 replacement was metal and several pictures including a picture of its destruction are in the archives.
CONTENTION RUN
A small stream originating in the woods above Cedar Hill and flowing eastward into the Little Elk Creek near a sharp curve in the road between Carter’s Bank and Providence Mill.
Editor’s Note: Not identified on the ADC Street Atlas of Cecil County (2005), nor listed on the U. S. Geological Map database (database search May 31, 2007).
COPSON PARK
An area at the southern end of the bridge over the B&O railroad tracks at Leslie where the Church of the Nazarene held annual camp meetings. It was named for John Copson, who acquired a tract of land at Gilpin’s Falls from Joseph Gilpin in 1735.
Editor’s Note: The National Local Preachers’ Camp Meeting Association also held camp meetings at this site up to around 1919.
COPSON’S PASTURE
A farm of 180 acres on the old road (Maryland 7) between North East and Charlestown about a half mile from the North East River. It was advertised to be sold on June21, 1860, by J. T. McCullough and George Earle, trustees. The occupant was Benj. B. Sweet. (See Democrat June 2, 1860).
CORNER KETCH
This is the original name of the crossroads intersection of the Colora and Harrisville roads just north of West Nottingham Church. James Brown, a Quaker, located there in 1701. The elevation is 386 feet above sea level.
COUNTY FAIR
The first fair of the Cecil County Agricultural Society was held in Elkton on 3-6 October1880, and continued annually until 1897. Large premiums were offered for livestock, and there were bicycle, horse, mule and ox races, balloon ascensions, and a tournament on the third day.
COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING
The Cecil County Office Building was dedicated on 10 August 1967. Construction of the building was started on October 5, 1965. The contractor was the F. G. Krapf Company of Wilmington, Delaware. It contains 45,563 square feet of space and cost approximately $1,350,000.
COURT HOUSE POINT
A projection on the south bank of Elk River directly opposite Oldfield Point. It was the site of the second county seat, 1719 to 1782 and the terminus of the Elk ferry.
COURTHOUSE (PRIOR TO 1886)
References: “The Old Courthouse. Interesting Reminiscence by a Prominent Citizen. One column article in the Democrat, October 23, 1886, page 3, column 5; article on the history of the Cecil County Courthouse, the Democrat, July 24, 1886, page 3, column 3 carries a 1 1/3 column article.
CRAWFORD’S FACTORY
A stone mill 30 x 60, two and one half stories high, on Big Elk Creek near Leslie, in which woolen goods were manufactured. At one time it was known as Whitehead’s Mill. Includes an ad from June 10, 1865 (newspaper not cited, most likely Cecil Democrat)
Editor’s note: Bulletin #48 has an article on Crawford’s factory.
CRESWELL’S FERRY
As early as 1729 Thomas Cresap had a ferry at Port Deposit called Smith’s Ferry, probably because it was at the highest point reached by Captain John Smith on the Susquehanna River. It was afterwards called Creswell’s Ferry when owned by Colonel John Creswell, the grandfather of General J. A. J. Creswell. (Johnson 393)
CROMWELL
Location of a post office on the road from Warburton’s Mill to Union Church in the 3rd District. It was established in January 1852, with James Warburton as postmaster, and discontinued April 30, 1856.
Editor’s note: The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005, nor is it in the U. S. Geological database (database search May 31, 2007.
CROOKTOWN
Site of the Etherington homestead near Cecilton.
Editor’s note: The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005.
CROSSED KEYS HOTEL
A tavern established in 1800 just south of Harrisville by Captain Leonard Krauss. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and acquired his title by forming a military company in 1810. He was the father of 17 children. He died January 12, 1858, at the age of 97. (Cecil Democrat, September 20, 1890.
Editor’s note: The ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005 edition, shows a Krauss cemetery in the area south of Harrisville (F-7).
CROUCH CHAPEL
The chapel is located on Route 13 about two miles south of Elkton. It was built in 1876 as a missionary project of the Elkton Methodist Church and dedicated October 29, that year. The chapel was named for Thomas C. Crouch, who established it and served for many years as superintendent of the Sunday school. He died August 16, 1896 at the age of 87.
DIVIDED CITY
An appellation formerly applied to Chesapeake City.
DOLLY VARDEN STREET
Name originally given to South Street in Elkton.
DUBLIN
A settlement on the Big Elk Creek near Strahorn’s Mill, so called because all the residents were Irish people who worked in a woolen factory located there.
DUCK NECK
A tract of land containing 100 acres which was laid out for William Smith on April 20, 1702, described as beginning “att a marked white oak standing by the side of Elk River near a place called French Town.” (Rent Roll of Cecil County, Calvert Papers No. 884, folio 126).
DUFFY’S FORT
This fort was erected on Duffy’s Creek in Fredericktown for defense against the British during the War of 1812. It was in commanded of Colonel Thomas W. Veasey when the town was burned by the invaders on May 4, 1813.
DUTCHTOWN
When the Wilmington & Susquehanna Railroad was being built in 1833 a number of Germans who were employed near North East encamped north of the town on the road to Mechanics’ Valley. The location was called Dutchtown and the railroad crossing was known as Dutchtown Crossing.
EBENEZER AME CHURCH
Just off St. Augustine Road about one mile east of Cayot’s Corner on Bohemia Manor is a small well-kept frame church. Its marble cornerstone reads:
EBENEZER
A. M. E. CHURCH
A former schoolhouse serves as a recreation building.
EDER
Eder was a way-station on the B&O Railroad. It was located near the bridge which carries Nottingham Road over the railroad tracks and is about one mile east of Mechanics Valley. It was named for William H. Eder who owned a large farm in that vicinity.
EGG HILL
Egg Hill is an eminence of 442 feet southwest of Pleasant Hill on Union Church Road, and location of a fire tower. It is the highest point in the county. The named was derived from the large number of pheasant eggs which were formerly collected in the neighbor.
EGAN’S CORNER
Intersection of Principio and Ebenezer Church roads south of College Green. James Egan owned a farm there. Angeline Egan, daughter of James and Mary Evans Egan, died May 30, 1928, age 90. Andrew Egan went to defense of Baltimore in 1814 with Captain Patten’s company.
Editor’s note: The name is not identified in that area on the ADC Street Map of Cecil County, 2005, nor is it in the U. S. Geological database (database search May 31, 2007).
ELK ACADEMY
A Presbyterian classical institution taught by Rev. Alexander McDowell, past of Rock Church, at his home a mile southwest of Lewisville. It was founded at New London and removed to Cecil County in 1752. The school was moved to Newark, Delaware in 1767 and was the genesis of Delaware College [University of Delaware].
University of Delaware early history: http://www.udel.edu/PR/munroe/chapter1.html
ELK FORGE
Site of forges on Big Elk Creek where town of Elk Mills is located. Manufacture of bar iron was commenced here in 1761 by Jesse Hollingsworth, Thomas May, and others and continued about 70 years.
Editor’s note: The historical society has a number of materials on this topic.
ELK IRON WORKS
This rolling mill for working sheet iron was at Cowantown on Big Elk Creek five miles north of Elkton. The stone and frame mill building was 90 x 55 feet and three stories high. The water wheel was under a fall of 16 feet. The property was sold for benefit of creditors of Parke, Smith & Company in November 1867.
ELK NECK STATE PARK
This park is nine miles south of North East almost at the tip of the narrow peninsula between the Elk and North East rivers. It was established in 1936 when Dr. William L. Abbott, traveler and naturalist, willed his estate of 386 acres to the state for recreational purposes. Four hundred and nineteen acres of adjoining farmland were added to it later.
