MARYLAND’S ACADIAN HERITAGE

I drove down to Princess Anne today to see the unveiling of the Acadian Highway marker.  A nice size crowd turned out of about 30 people.  They had some really good speakers.  It started at 3 pm and was over with by 4 pm. 

 

As in Delmar the Princess Anne Police had the street blocked off so no one would be hurt by passing cars.  Since this park is behind the police station it wasn't a long walk for them.  The park was selected because this is about where the Acadians disembarked. 

A striking person due to her height was Marie Rundquist, author of Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine “American” Heritage and Cajun by Any Other Name: Recovering the Lost History of a Family and a People.

She spoke of how pleased she was Maryland finally had an Acadian marker as in her search for family history she has travel from Nova Scotia to Louisiana and Maryland had no marker (she lives in Maryland)

 

 

and below is the Maryland highway marker unveiled.  The marker sets at an intersection with stop signs so travelers will have a few moments to read the sign before moving on.

Besides Marie Rundquist, Nancy Kurtz of the The Maryland Historical Trust spoke about the marker

 

By far the most interesting speaker was Marty Guidry an Acadian genealogist and historian from Louisiana, who  has studied the culture, language, history and genealogy of the Acadians for over 40 years. I thought he might deliver a boring speech on general Acadian history but he was quit specific about those who came to Princess Anne and those who traveled from princess Anne to Snow Hill. 

A Somerset Commissioner happily spoke only a few words as the heat was getting to everyone. 

July 28th was picked for this unveiling as on July 28, 1755, British Governor Charles Lawrence signed the deportation order, which set in motion Le Grand Dérangement or the Great Upheaval. The Acadians were exiled from their homeland of l’Acadie, and from 1755 until 1763, an estimated third of their population perished as a result. While many of the Acadians eventually found their way to Louisiana and reestablished a community, their descendants remained a people in exile until 2003, when Queen Elizabeth II signed a Royal Proclamation. This Proclamation stated July 28^th is the official day in which the world will remember the Acadians’ suffering as a result of Le Grand Dérangement and their subsequent exile.

I enjoyed this as I learn a little bit about a piece of history I had never paid any attention to. 

Unlocking the History of an Old House.

On Friday, August 16, at 1:30 pm, historian and educator Mike Dixon presents “Unlocking the History of an Old House.” Just as families have a past, old houses and the land they are built on have histories. This practical lecture is designed to show you how to uncover that past and answer questions such as when was the structure built, who lived in it, how has it changed over time, and what are its stories. The discussion centers on implementing an organized research process, what records are available, where to look for documents, and interpreting the findings. The discussion concludes by presenting suggestions for creating a history of an old house. If you know where to look, you may find the clues to the past.

Polio Insurance 1949

Looking For Information on Joe Wilton

I am doing an article for the next issue of the Delmar Historical and Arts Society newsletter on Joe Wilton.  Joe Wilton lived in Delmar around 1950.  He wrote an a weekly article in the Bi-State Weekly in that time period.  Born around 1884, in the 1920's and thru 1940 he was in vaudeville crisscrossing America doing comedy acts and producing his own shows.  He had a wife named Lulu and two children a daughter Jean and son Joe.  I am looking for information on what he did when he was in Delmar.  Where did he go and why did he go. 

The Hunley talk At Ft Delaware

NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL

Contact: Laura Lee, Fort Delaware State Park, 302-834-7941; or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9175 or necia.beck@state.de.us

History of Civil War submarine to be presented at Fort Delaware State Park

DELAWARE CITY (June 26, 2013) - Fort Delaware will host a special program on Saturday, June 29 featuring the story of the H. L. Hunley, an ill-fated Confederate submarine that sank in Charleston Harbor in 1864 with its crew on board. Local historian Bill Jenkins will conduct a special presentation at 11:30 a.m., during which he will discuss the mission and the recovery of the submarine and the sailors who went down with it, as well as the artifact record of the submarine.

Access to Pea Patch Island is by ferry from either Delaware City or Salem, New Jersey. Ferry tickets cost $11 for adults, $6 for children 2 through 12 and $10 for seniors and Active Duty Military (with ID). Children under 2 are admitted free of charge.

There is no extra charge for the program. Those who wish to see the program will need to take the 9:30 a.m. Salem, N.J. ferry or the 10:45 a.m. Delaware City ferry to reach the fort in time.

Ferry reservations are suggested, but visitors may purchase tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made by calling 1-877- 987-2757 or visiting destateparks.com. Tickets may only be reserved 24 hours in advance.

The Civil War Comes To Rockville Maryland

Picked up from the Rockville Patch

Should you be in Rockville Maryland this weend;

On Saturday, a day of free historically themed events will commemorate the 150th anniversary of Confederate Gen. J.E.B Stuart's march into Rockville on his way to Gettysburg.
The event—Civil War Comes to Rockville—is part of a countywide celebration of history this weekend, the 2013 Montgomery Heritage Days.

 

Here’s the scheduled of events or Rockville:
Beall-Dawson Park103 W. Montgomery Avenue

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.—Montgomery County Historical Society will have reenactments of Civil War camp life, including historic reenactors and craft demonstrations. Dr. Stonestreet, a Civil War-era surgeon will hold "office hours."
• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.—Songs, stories, mummers' plays and crafts for kids, provided by Washington Revels. Meet historic personae Abraham Lincoln, his secretary, John Nicolay, and Ann Maria Weems, an enslaved girl who excaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Join in a family sing-along at noon with Bruce Hutton and the Roustabout String Band.
• 2 p.m.—Federal City Brass Band Concert

Historic Red Brick Courthouse29 Courthouse Square

• 10 a.m.—Lecture. “Changing America,” John W. Franklin, National Museum of African American History & Culture. Presented by Peerless Rockville.
• Noon—Lecture. “Emancipation Proclamation at 150,” by Scott Ackerman, President Lincoln’s Cottage. Performance by Washington Revels Jubilee Voices. Presented by Peerless Rockville.
• 2 p.m.—Lecture. “J.E.B. Stuart’s ‘Wild Ride’ through Montgomery County, June 1863,” by Robert C. Plumb, Historian.

Christ Episcopal Church107 S. Washington Street

• 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.—Concerts by Washington Revels Heritage Voices, Jubilee Voices, and Roustabout String Band.

Courthouse SquareE. Montgomery and Maryland Avenues

• 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.—Civil War/Underground Railroad Walking Tours
• 3 p.m.—Reenactment of the June 28, 1863 arrival of J.E.B. Stuart in Rockville. Follow Stuart from Courthouse Square to Christ Episcopal Church to Beall-Dawson Park, as he rounds up Union-sympathizing citizens.
• 4 p.m.—Federal City Brass Band Concert

Rockville Town Square21 Gibbs Street, Rockville

• 6:30-8:30 p.m.—Community Country Dance with Washington Revels Roustabout String Band and dance caller Janine Smith

Rockville Memorial Library Rockville Town Square

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.—Screening of film, "Life in a War Zone: Montgomery County during the Civil War" in Meeting Room 1.

The Poured Concrete Tombstone

In my travels thru graveyards and recording tombstones I occasionally come across the poured concrete tombstone. Some of these seem to be commercially made, others are homemade. Virtually all are in poor condition.

Now I assume the main reason for a concrete tombstone instead of granite or limestone would be money. In some cases however I am sure it was because the family or friend felt they could make it a more personal monument to the deceased.

There are two drawbacks to the concrete tombstone that I see. First the surface is more porous than granite and as such they erode more quickly and moss and fungus settle on them more than with granite. The second is the engraving or lettering. If you have at any time wrote your name in wet concrete you know the lettering is usually only as wide as the nail, or pointed stick that you use to write with. You also will find out the still moist concrete will flow back into the lettering making the letters even more narrow. Over the years this narrow lettering and the amount of fungus on the concrete will make it difficult to read.

These poured concrete tombstones can be found in just about every older graveyard and I wish I had taken photos of some of them I have seen over the years. The examples shown are all mostly from the local area.

These last two photos I feel are also poured concrete based on the width of lettering and the condition of the stone. Altho both show a certain neatness and order not achieved in the other photos.