Doing Research? Visit the Historical Society of Cecil County

Consider a visit to the Historical Society of Cecil County, Maryland – it’s really the best way to do your research! When you’re here, our very knowledgable volunteers can help make your search more efficient. Also, you’re likely to discover new and interesting depths to your subject or perhaps follow paths you hadn’t considered – after all, you don’t know what you don’t know.

While there is a $5.00 fee for non-members to do research in the library, it’s inexpensive and easy to become a member. For more information on becoming a member and supporting the mission of the HSCC, please visit our Become a Member page.

Join the HSCC Now!

Hours of Operation
Monday  10:00 am  – 4:00 pm
Thursday  10:00 am  – 4:00 pm
1st Saturday of each month  10:00 am – 2:00 pm

We have free parking in the rear of the building that is also handicap accessible.

Please check our holiday closing schedule before you visit.

The Historical Society of Cecil County
135 E. Main Street,
Elkton, MD. 21921.

Telephone: 410-398-1790

Because we are a volunteer organization, the best way to reach us is by email – we typically answer emails the same day they are sent. A volunteer will be on hand to answer the telephone during normal operating hours. We are closed on all major holidays.

At-a-Distance Research Requests

If it is not possible for you to visit the Society to conduct family or local history research, we have a small group of volunteers who will try to help for we realize our collections contain a significant amount of unique material. If we locate information, we photocopy the documents and forward the materials to you. Our turnaround is usually good, though remember, volunteers are doing this work and processing time can be affected by weather, the volume of requests, vacations, and personal availability.

At-a-Distance Research Request Form

Guidelines and suggestions when submitting a request:

  1. We limit a search to four hours per request since we receive several queries each week.
  2. Our at-a-distance research service is focused on examining our vertical files, newspapers. marriage, church, death, burial and cemetery records, as well as photographs, manuscripts, governmental documents, and other holdings. We also search our indexes and published sources.
  3. We are not able to search other repositories.
  4. To initiate a request carefully complete the online form.
  5. Be as specific and precise as possible with your query since that allows us to maximize our search time and provide you with the most helpful information.
  6. For doing this, we ask that you reimburse us for postage and photocopying and also ask that you consider making an additional contribution beyond the direct costs. We leave the amount of the contribution up to you, but, based on the amount of work we do for you, be as generous as possible since these contributions allow us to continue this service. The cost of photocopies is .25-cents a page for non-members or .20-cents a page for members.
  7. If you have trouble with the form or need to communicate additional information to us email the Society.
  8. Don’t forget to check out our research aids section. We’re constantly adding new materials to help researchers.

Geneaology Research Tips

If you’re tracking down information on your ancestors, here are some other helpful websites that you may want to peruse:

Fee-Based commercial sites

Cecil County Store

Interior of a Cecil County Store