June 6, 2001

GEORGE W. TO TOUR CECIL COUNTY ON JULY 7!

In an unprecedented move, Cecil County Tourism has confirmed plans for George W. to tour Cecil County in July. Well……sort of. Okay, we cannot tell a lie! It’s not really the President……or at least not “George W.” Bush. We’re actually referring to none other than General George Washington, the “Father of our Country.” This extraordinary leader is brought to life through an incredibly realistic portrayal, by American Revolutionary War impersonator and historian, Carl Closs.

Imagine meeting General George in person! Having breakfast with him or the chance to engage in a conversation with this great American, and have your picture taken with him. On July 7, 2001…..imagination becomes virtual reality, as Cecil County Tourism presents the incredible, “Travels With George”……an interactive, “living history” tour. This exciting “Living History” presentation is actually an all-day event that recreates the life and times of General George Washington as he travels along the Cecil County Old Post Road, as he did many times before in the early days of America.

The General’s colonial journey across Cecil will commence from historic Rodger’s Tavern in Perryville, where visitors can enjoy “Breakfast with George” and informative tours of Rodger’s Tavern. George will then depart from Rodger’s Tavern in a vintage carriage, complete with a drum and fife corps procession along Broad Street, as he travels to Principio Iron Works in Perryville. As the General greets visitors, walking tours of this historic property will be conducted in addition to art displays and many other activities.

As the “Living History” tour carries on, General George will travel in his vintage carriage from Principio to Charlestown, where he’ll visit as part of his mid-day activities. Events planned in Charlestown during the General’s stay include tours of historical homes, living history presentations, colonial music, food and more!

From the historic shores of Charlestown, George will depart via rowboat to the fiery sound of cannon fire….where he’ll travel to the town of North East to take part in the day’s activities at the Water Festival at North East Town Park. Scheduled “Travels With George” events at the North East Water Festival include living history presentations, food and more. The “Living History” tour continues in North East with a visit to the historic St. Mary Anne’s Church, along Main Street…..where people will be invited to join the General inside the 18th century church, as he engages in conversation with a Colonial Pastor, discussing issues of the day.

From the church, George will climb into his vintage carriage and travel to historic Elk Landing in Elkton. See history come alive, as visitors experience Revolutionary War encampment, tours, period music, colonial poetry readings….and more. From Elk Landing, the “Travels With George” tour culminates at Cecil Community College for the “Chautauqua 2001” event at 7pm. Chautauqua, is a humanities program, featuring scholars who take on the persona of celebrated historical figures, educating and entertaining audiences as they engage them in dialogue about the past. “Travels With George” events are free….with the exception of the 2-house tour in Charlestown.

“Travels With George”…..is an interactive, historical journey into the life and times of America’s first and foremost hero, George Washington as he’s amazingly brought to life in a most realistic portrayal, guaranteed to fascinate and educate both you and your family, by George! We’re talking serious history here!

For more information about “Travels With George”, call 1-800-CECIL-95 or click on Cecil County Tourism’s website at: www.seececil.org.

May 26, 2001

Militia Camp Opens to Public Memorial Day Weekend

Although guns and cannons have been silent at Elk Landing for centuries now, commands and cries of militiamen will ring out once again on the Little Elk Creek in Elkton over Memorial Day Weekend. Beginning at noon on Saturday, May 26, Historic Elk Landing will open to the public, with members of the Cecil County Militia setting up a military campsite for the weekend.

Located just off Route 40, at the end of Landing Lane, the property will be open until 5:00 p.m. Saturday, according to Fred Allen, the Captain of the militia. The encampment continues Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., the Captain says. Members of the Cecil County Militia, a county-based Revolutionary War reenactor group, will bring to the holiday weekend a portrayal of what camp life was like for citizen soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

At this colonial-era site, standing amidst white canvas tents, these soldiers, dressed in period-appropriate clothing, will practice and drill, demonstrate musket-firing routines, recruit militia-members, and use utensils of the period. Guided tours of the historic Landing and the 18th century Zebulon Hollingsworth House will offer insight on the importance of this tract of land when the first cries for independence penetrated the woods, fields, and waters of Cecil County.

As the militia practices precision military drills and formations and occasionally muskets ring out, following the sharp command of the Captain, you might be able to imagine the British are again marching on Elkton, as you relish the sights and sounds of another era.

May 5, 2001
Archaeologists to "Invade" Elk Landing 
By Eric F. Mease

For three weeks this summer, Elk Landing will be invaded. No, these aren't alien invaders from outer space. Instead of ray guns and shuttle crafts, these invaders will carry shovels, trowels, brushes, dust pans, yard sticks, tape measurers, stakes, hammers, plastic bags, and large sieves.

These "invaders" are men and women archaeologists who will be looking for evidence of human occupation of Elk Landing, which has been home to various peoples for over 300-years. This team of archaeologists from TRC Garrow Associates Inc. (TRC) out of Durham, North Carolina, will be lead by Dwayne Picket who says their goal is two fold: "(We will) identify all archaeological sites located at Elk Landing, both prehistoric and historic," Dwayne explains. Then "we'll evaluate those findings against the research goals of the Historic Elk Landing Foundation."

Dwayne and his team will look for remains associated with past human activity, which can include ceramics, glass, nails, bricks, and even animal bones. These artifacts, as they are known, will lead the researchers to locations of long disappeared buildings and activity areas.

Dwayne says the dig will encompass the entire 42 acre Elk Landing site. "We will be systematically digging what we call 'shovel tests' every 30 feet across the site," Dwayne points out. "Shovel tests are small round holes about a foot in diameter." What we find in these holes "will lead us to the location of buildings, activity areas, or other features." When numerous artifacts are found the size of the dig in that area will increase "to investigate areas of artifact concentrations." And, Dwayne says, everything will be carefully inventoried. "We place the artifacts in a ziplock bag and record its province (location) on the bag," Dwayne notes. Then they are "taken back to our lab in Durham, North Carolina where they will be washed, catalogued, and analyzed before being returned to Elk Landing."

Dwayne says not all artifacts can be dated, but many can be. "For certain ones we know their dates of manufacture, which can help date other items found with them that are not dateable," Dwayne explains. "Depending on the completeness of an artifact, we can tell what it is used for, based mainly on shape and size." Dwayne points out that this dig will only begin to tell the complete story of Elk Landing.

"Additional excavations will most likely be needed to explore more thoroughly, what was uncovered during this first phase," Dwayne predicts. "The number of additional digs will depend on what we find on the upcoming dig." Best of all, you, the general public, will be able to witness this search for clues to the origins and many uses of what we now call Elk Landing. "People are more than welcome to come out and see what we are finding," Dwayne says.

The dig is expected to begin in June and continue, depending on the weather, until sometime in July. Please return to this Elk Landing web site for further updates on this time traveling adventure into Elk Landing's past.

April 8, 2001
Elk Landing Second Annual Defenders Day 2001
By Eric Mease

Saturday April 28, 2001: 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.
How would we be different today had the British attack on Elkton been successful during the War of 1812? We'll never know, thanks to the heroics of the Cecil County Militia at Elk Landing just south of Elkton, on April 29, 1813. It was here that British marines, after burning Frenchtown, attempted to land and march toward town with plans to burn everything in its path. But the militiamen, dug in at both Fort Hollingsworth and Fort Defiance, greeted the most powerful and feared military in the world, with cannon and musket fire, driving them down the Chesapeake Bay.

On Saturday, April 28, 2001, join us for a celebration of this gallant defense of Elkton with re-enactors and men and women dressed in early 19th century garb, activities for children, and historians to answer you questions about this important event in Maryland, Delaware, and our infant nation's early history. Explore the hallowed ground where British and American fought. Visit the Hollingsworth house, occupied by the entrepreneurial Hollingsworth family for over 150 years. See the "stone house" built three quarters of a century before the American Revolutionary War. And find out how and why the efforts of a few hundred soldiers guaranteed a future for northeastern Maryland.

Please join us for Elk Landing's Second Annual Defenders Day Celebration, Saturday April 28, 2001.

Feb 10, 2001
The Hollingsworth House: One of History's Mysteries?
By Eric Mease

Most historians and archaeologists love a good mystery and that's exactly what they have on their hands at Historic Elk Landing. As reported on this site earlier in January, TRC Garrow Associates, Inc.(TRC) conducted an "emergency" archaeological dig under and around the dilapidated front porch of the Hollingsworth House at Elk Landing in mid December, 2000. The idea was to find out as much as possible about this area of the house before the porch was replaced, rendering the ground untouchable. Again, as noted, the preliminary report revealed exciting Native American finds dating to the Late Woodland time period ( A.D. 800 -1600). Many nineteenth century artifacts were also uncovered. Both Native American and more recent finds will be studied further.

But now the final report on the "Emergency Dig" is in and while it confirms information first reported on this site earlier in January, the final report also raises several questions. Among these questions are: when was the original Hollingsworth House constructed, the 18th or 19th century? Where is all the debris from the 1848 Hollingsworth House fire? And last, but not least, what happened to all the artifacts that would have been generated by the site in the 18th century?

According to an abstract of the final report, the TRC archaeologists say, "The exact construction date of the first (Hollingsworth House) is unknown, but it was built sometime after 1735 when Zebulon Hollingsworth acquired the property." The abstract goes on to state that "based on evidence gathered during current excavations, it appears that the original Hollingsworth House was constructed sometime in the early nineteenth century and was then renovated sometime after 1850."

Why all this conjecture about the building date for the house? The report says the reason lies in the archaeological evidence. "Very few artifacts that were definitively eighteenth century were recovered," the report states, "and no evidence of the fire was found either." So what happened? The report has a theory. "This could mean," the report goes on, "that this material (from the fire) was deposited elsewhere on the property, probably behind the house." As was noted in our earlier article on the dig's preliminary report, the homeowners may have dumped the house fire debris behind the structure rather than in front for esthetic reasons, and who could blame them.

So, how will we know exactly when the house was built and where the debris was buried? Glad you asked that question! The TRC team of archaeologists will return to the area in April to begin an extended archaeological dig across the entire site. It is hoped that the results of this dig will answer these and other unanswered questions about the uses of, the people of, and the overall history of Elk Landing during its many centuries of existence. Please return to this web site for more information about this and other topics concerning Historic Elks Landing.

Feb 02, 2001
Maryland Humanities Council Awards Grant
By Eric Mease

Washington, D.C. isn't the only place where education is a top priority these days. Thanks to a grant from the Maryland Humanities Council, The Elk Landing Foundation will soon publish a brochure describing the history of this centuries old tract at the top of the navigable waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This high quality, full color, glossy pamphlet will help educate history students, young and old alike, about the events and importance of those events, which occurred at Elk Landing over the last three hundred plus years.

The project, which will cost approximately $6,500 dollars, will cover everything from the first settlements at Elk Landing by the Swedes and Finns in the late 17th century, through events during the Revolutionary War, and the repulsed English invasion of 1813. The brochure will also feature information on the Hollingsworth family, which inhabited the property for over 150 years and the commerce, which took place there. This educational tool will serve as a companion document to Elk Landing's initial public literature, the membership recruitment and development piece.

Our sincere thanks to the Maryland Humanities Council for its generous contribution toward the continuing education of our visitors with a curiosity for what came before them and helped make us the people we are today.

January 8, 2001
ACE Helps Centuries Old House Begin New Century in Much Better Condition 

Old Field-Stone House Witness to Timeless Tide of History

Elkton, January 8, 2001 - What some scholars believe is the oldest standing structure in the greater Elkton area is beginning another century in much better condition, thanks to a generous donation from Associated Cecil Endeavors (ACE). The stone house, at the end of Landing Lane in Elkton, was built in the 18th century.

  Commanding a view of the ever rising and falling waters of Little Elk Creek, the old field stone house has witnessed a timeless tide of history. When thousands of British soldiers invaded Elkton during the Revolutionary War, it was there. In 1813, when highly trained Royal Marines sailed up the River to attack Elkton, Fort Hollingsworth, right next to the house, prevented the advance of the red coats.

 Yet, until a few weeks ago, the centuries old structure was in danger of collapse. In the 1980s, its roof gave in and exterior walls were beginning to crumble. That is where ACE came in. Concerned about the rapidly deteriorating condition of the structure, the nonprofit group stepped forward with a $33,000 donation to underwrite the cost of having Grubb Construction stabilize walls and remove debris from the site.

 The work, which was completed about a month ago, gives the Historic Elk Landing Foundation, the nonprofit group restoring the site, time to raise funds to continue the restoration process, says Foundation Director Joshua Brown, the construction oversight manager.

 When the site is finished, in a few years, Historic Elk Landing will become an interpretive center of interest to tourists and residents.

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January 8, 2001
Tree Rings to Help Date Centuries Old House at Elk Landing

 Unraveling a Mystery: The Science of Dendrochronology

Elkton, January 8, 2001: A thorough study of tree rings will soon help write part of the history of a centuries old stone house, a building that is being restored by the Historic Elk Landing Foundation. Regarded by some scholars as the area's oldest standing structure, it will be the subject of a careful scientific analysis. The exact date it was built has never been precisely documented so the Foundation wants to determine its age before major structural and restoration work begins.

 Sometime in January, Dr. Edward Cook of The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, and his associate, William Callahan, will drill holes in wooden structural components found in the 18th century building. After removing core samples from timbers in the house, the science of dendrochronology will be applied. "That field of study pinpoints when trees were felled by comparing tree-ring patterns of the building's samples with living trees and known tree ring patterns in the region," says James Wollon, the Foundations' Preservation Architect.

 Josh Brown, the Elk Landing Director responsible for construction oversight, says: "We want to have as much evidence as possible as we start accurately interpreting the history of the Landing and developing it into a living history museum." 

 This method has been used to date many historic houses in the United States. "While the study is one piece of evidence, all the other bits have to go together as architects, historians, and archaeologists obtain data to make a complete story for the Landing," Brown adds.

 One thing is for sure, whatever its exact age, the old Stone House on Little Elk Creek will be telling a story of centuries of history for a long time to come, as the Historic Elk Landing Foundation restores the property at the top of the Elk River.

 In 1999, the Mayor and Commissioners of the Town of Elkton, recognizing an opportunity to protect a natural resource and preserve a significant historic tract, bought the 42-acres at the confluence of the Big and Little Elk creeks. The Historic Elk Landing Foundation, a nonprofit corporation, was created, to implement the Town's vision and to manage the site.

 As the Chesapeake Bay's most northern navigable point, Elk Landing was destined to play a major role in the development of the nation. The great and the near great journeyed through the area, during the colonial-period. When the American Revolution started, armies (Continental, French, Hessian, and British) marched onto the Elk Landing Farm, turning it into an important transportation corridor for the movement of troops and supplies. During the War of 1812, a contingent of British marines attacked Fort Hollingsworth at the Landing.

 The Foundation is preserving the site, restoring it to its early identity as a colonial settlement and port. Various historical and tourism-related programs will be developed as the restoration of the property advances.

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January 3, 2001
The Porch Dig: A Preliminary Report

Artifacts Older Than 17^th Century Uncovered at Landing

By Eric F. Mease

Elkton, Maryland, January 3, 2001 -- While most of us were busy doing last minute holiday shopping in late December, a team of archaeologists was down and dirty at the Elk Landing historic site. After the old, dilapidated, circa 1848 porch at the Hollingsworth House was removed, Dwayne Picket of TRC from Durham, North Carolina and his team began digging and sifting through the ground under and around the old porch. Dwayne's official report won't be ready for another month or so, but we have a sneak preview on just what was found.

Dwayne says his digging uncovered artifacts, which are older than the 17^th century European settlement of the area. Among them are fragments of prehistoric pottery and stone "flakes" or fragments of stone, which were chipped from larger stones. Dwayne also says he found "Fire Cracked Rock" or FCRs. "(FCRs) are rocks that have been heated," Dwayne explains, mostly for cooking purposes. "They were used in open hearths, earthen ovens, and placed in water to make it boil," Dwayne says. As for that prehistoric pottery, "It dates from the late Woodland period (A.D. 800-1600)." Dwayne says that "once we get them cleaned up we might be able to narrow down the time frame."

The archaeologists also uncovered some 19th century artifacts including some ceramics. "Most of the ceramics were English imports," Dwayne says. "But we did find some Chinese import porcelain and domestically made redwares." Redware was ceramic earthenware used to prepare and store food, but not eat it.

Oddly enough, Dwayne reports that what we call "artifacts" was "trash" to those who put the materials in the ground. "Most people back then," Dwayne says "just threw their trash right out the doors and windows of their houses which is good for us archaeologists today." In addition to the ceramics, porcelain, and redware, the team found some clay marbles, bone buttons, and pins. The animal bones at the site can reveal the eating habits of the residents.

Missing in this dig are 18th century artifacts. Dwayne says not to worry, they will probably turn up in the major archaeological dig scheduled for 2001. "The lack of any artifacts that were definitely eighteenth century," Dwayne explains, "might be due to the fact that they (the residents) wanted to keep the front of the house clean and deposited their refuse elsewhere on the property, possibly behind the house."

Please return to our Elk Landing web (www.elklanding.org) site periodically for updates on the area including Dwayne's final report and updates on the major dig coming in the spring of 2001.

The study was partially underwritten by a grant from Preservation Maryland, a private, nonprofit preservation organization.