CURRENT PROJECTS:
The Bee Hive
The Bee Hive is a complex of Colonial buildings set alongside the Little Elk Creek. Four buildings remain of what was once a bustling community, providing sustenance to the many mills nearby. ECPS purchased the property in 2016.
The fireplace in the Fence Maker's House was rebuilt in 2014 and a drop ceiling hiding the original exposed beams was removed. The building still needs a great deal of work. Elk Creeks was happily awarded a grant for this from the State of Maryland in 2019.
In July 2018, we began major restoration work on the Tavern. Because these buildings were once connected like row houses, the west gable was never intended to be an exterior wall. It was sheathed with wood siding when the attached buildings were dismantled in the 19th century. The wall was in very bad shape and little was salvageable. The weight of a three-story brick chimney was pulling the wall down and there was no foundation beneath it. Since the chimney was a 19th century addition to accommodate a coal or wood stove and not part of the original structure, the decision was made to remove it. Volunteers dismantled it brick by handmade brick. A beautiful foundation was built by expert mason Larry Boyd with stone found entirely on site. New framing was "sistered" in with the old. The outside was re-sheathed with old growth cedar siding, hand milled and planed. The power lines running from a nearby pole to the tavern were buried underground and new electrical service installed. Some windows have been replaced and we hope to rebuild sills and replace others. In 2024, repairs to the slate roof were made by Mark Hurm. The soffits were replaced and chimney reflashed.
The Cooper's Shop was cleared out in 2014. The keystone of the massive fireplace inside, which was sagging, was restored to its original position. In 2024, work began to repair and rebuild the stone walls. Power lines running close to the front of the building made completion of earlier restoration efforts impossible. Without a roof for so many years, the huge walls were beginning to crumble and give way. We are grateful to Delmarva Power Company for devising a solution that enabled the work to be accomplished safely.
You can follow updates on the work by liking our pages on facebook: Elk Creeks Preservation Society and The Bee Hive. If you'd like to help with the restoration work there are many ways you can lend a hand or make monetary donations. Experienced carpenters are needed, but it would also be wonderful just to have more hands to make clean up easier. No experience necessary! Also needed are painters, plasterers, and seamstresses. Other ways to be involved: grounds-keeping, research, helping to organize fundraisers and events, working at the annual Apple Butter Festival, or occasionally providing drinks/snacks/meals for other hard-working volunteers.
The fireplace in the Fence Maker's House was rebuilt in 2014 and a drop ceiling hiding the original exposed beams was removed. The building still needs a great deal of work. Elk Creeks was happily awarded a grant for this from the State of Maryland in 2019.
In July 2018, we began major restoration work on the Tavern. Because these buildings were once connected like row houses, the west gable was never intended to be an exterior wall. It was sheathed with wood siding when the attached buildings were dismantled in the 19th century. The wall was in very bad shape and little was salvageable. The weight of a three-story brick chimney was pulling the wall down and there was no foundation beneath it. Since the chimney was a 19th century addition to accommodate a coal or wood stove and not part of the original structure, the decision was made to remove it. Volunteers dismantled it brick by handmade brick. A beautiful foundation was built by expert mason Larry Boyd with stone found entirely on site. New framing was "sistered" in with the old. The outside was re-sheathed with old growth cedar siding, hand milled and planed. The power lines running from a nearby pole to the tavern were buried underground and new electrical service installed. Some windows have been replaced and we hope to rebuild sills and replace others. In 2024, repairs to the slate roof were made by Mark Hurm. The soffits were replaced and chimney reflashed.
The Cooper's Shop was cleared out in 2014. The keystone of the massive fireplace inside, which was sagging, was restored to its original position. In 2024, work began to repair and rebuild the stone walls. Power lines running close to the front of the building made completion of earlier restoration efforts impossible. Without a roof for so many years, the huge walls were beginning to crumble and give way. We are grateful to Delmarva Power Company for devising a solution that enabled the work to be accomplished safely.
You can follow updates on the work by liking our pages on facebook: Elk Creeks Preservation Society and The Bee Hive. If you'd like to help with the restoration work there are many ways you can lend a hand or make monetary donations. Experienced carpenters are needed, but it would also be wonderful just to have more hands to make clean up easier. No experience necessary! Also needed are painters, plasterers, and seamstresses. Other ways to be involved: grounds-keeping, research, helping to organize fundraisers and events, working at the annual Apple Butter Festival, or occasionally providing drinks/snacks/meals for other hard-working volunteers.
Centre School
Centre School is the oldest stone schoolhouse standing in Cecil County today. Built in 1849 of fieldstone, the building is located within the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area. The school was restored in 1993, with support and funding from Elk Creeks Preservation Society. Careful attention was paid to historic accuracy. ECPS recently renewed its dedication to this important piece of our history by funding a new cedar shake roof and helping to maintain the building. Working with the Department of Natural Resources, we were able to offer a one-room schoolhouse experience to homeschoolers in grades 3, 4, and 5. We hope to continue this partnership and expand the programs offered.