Category: Maryland

Nabb Research Center Digitizes Old Newspapers from Lower Delaware & the Eastern Shore of Maryland

Marylander and Herald, January 4, 1916, Princess Anne, from the Nabb Center digital collection
Marylander and Herald, January 4, 1916, Princess Anne, from the Nabb Center digital collection

It was only some 15 to 20 years ago that researchers were getting excited about being able to access the decennial census data on the World Wide Web.  This digital information was going to make Investigations of the past so much easier as the e-schedules would be text searchable and the entire universe of census products would be available.

Now that we are in the second decade of the 21st century, lots of added helpful data is often just a few keystrokes away, as the universe of online information expands rapidly.  The document array is exploding exponentially now as for-profit online publishers and open source providers rush to make valuable research content available to a broader user base.

I learned of another valuable online collection of newspapers at the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at the Salisbury University, while doing a talk in Delmar.  This excellent special collections archives has created a strong group of online historical Delmarva newspapers. It consists of regional weeklies, spanning the years 1745 through 1922.

In the online records group you will find 17 different newspaper serials from Lower Delaware and the mid and Lower Shores of Maryland.   Titles include publications from Salisbury, Easton, Berlin, Snow Hill and elsewhere.  The products are text searchable, and the queries yield PDFs of the pages.

This was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.  Howard, the president of the Delmar Historical and Art Society tipped me off about this great virtual research warehouse of serials as we talked about such matters.  Thanks Howard and Thanks Nabb.

A Salisbury newspaper from the Nabb Center, Salisbury Advertiser, June 5, 1896
A Salisbury newspaper from the Nabb Center, Salisbury Advertiser, June 5, 1896

Interest in History of the Mason Dixon Line Grows as 250th Anniversary Nears

On the eve of the 250 anniversary of the Mason Dixon Line I have been doing a number of talks about the history of this famous boundary.  To end a boundary dispute between the Penns and Calvert (the proprietors of the British colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania) it was surveyed in the 1760s.  Delaware was part of Pennsylvania at that time.

While speaking to a group at the Wicomico County Public Library yesterday and sketching out the details about the work commissioned by the Penns and Calverts, one gentleman had some stories of his own to share.  His family, some of the earliest European settlers in the region, own property on both sides of the line.  In an old trunk in the attic he located detailed surveys from the era showing the property boundaries and topographical features along the transpeninsular boundary.  It was a fascinating historical document and we had a long enjoyable talk about some of the manuscripts he possessed, as well as some the markers and points along the 325-miler border.

Here are a few modern photos of the famous line that got its start in 1763.  Next year, I am scheduled to do a number of additional talks about the line that grew to have representations far beyond that associated with a boundary dispute.

Post Road crosses Mason Dixon Line
The Mason Dixon Line on the Old Baltimore Pike between Newark and Elkton.
Mason Dixon Line near Unions Mills MD
Route 97 between Littlestown, PA and Union Mills, MD

.Mason Dixon Line near Littlestown PA