What started out as a trip down memory lane turned out to be a rude awakening to the present and sadness of Scott Creek, meandering along the Ma and Pa railroad line and Bunker Hill road, just north of Delta. There isn’t a whole lot of childhood left except in the mind, so I grabbed a chance to reconnect with this piece of history, still part of the landscape and I would think something the townsfolk would want to preserve.
As a kid I would walk the rails from the slaughter house, out and around the bend of the tracks to the ever-so-long wooden trestle as the line headed north to its final destination of York. In the distance was the long trestle I would try to walk across after a train crossed. It still looks as long as it did when I was a kid. Moss has aged the wood…the rails long since taken up… a few large trees have fell across parts of it, and still it stands, beautiful and strong and bold as ever. I remember slow moving freights at the station, loading or unloading, and I would race down Bunker Hill road so I could get a good look as they crossed over the trestle.
Once I saw a couple men, down under it, but I kept moving and headed home as soon as the train passed over. The trestle is maybe 20 or 25 feet at its highest point.
Looking at it today was like a page from an old book that’s been read long ago and partly forgotten. It was coming back with each bend of the road and it was good.
Rumor had it that a ‘hobo jungle’ camp was located beneath the trestle where the hoboes living there could take advantage of the water of Scott Creek and the handouts of folks who fed them for a day’s work. A couple of times grandma Holden took the offer of help with work around the house and gave them a meal. Sometimes she just packed up some food and gave it to them.
As a 9-year-old, I’d watch the stranger with well-worn clothes disappear down the alley and onto the tracks, walking gracefully across the ties and then out of sight. It was like the circus was in town for a few minutes. These ‘mystery men’ appearing at the door on a warm summer’s day, offering to do odd jobs for some food and soon after, they were on their way.
I never saw the same man twice, but I wasn’t living at grandma’s full time either.
My visits got me there by way of the Ma and Pa train on Friday afternoon, and the same train took me home to Bel Air on Sunday afternoon. I feel grandma took in just about anyone who needed a hand and had an empty stomach.
The two big attractions for me in Delta, apart from Glackin’s Esso station, were the Green Marble quarry at one end of town, and the trestle and slaughter house at the other.
I hadn’t been near Scott Creek or the trestle in many years and so I turned off of Watson Road and onto Bunker Hill and headed into town the back way. Sadly, the first thing I saw was a couple sofas that had been dumped along the creek side of the dirt and slate road. But the beauty of seeing the creek and old railroad bed took me back into time and a space of being a child exploring the far reaches of the world of Delta in the early fifties.
There’s something magical about abandoned rail lines, those flat open spaces of the roadbed, winding along gracefully following the creek in gentle, abstract curves.
The early morning rain had left the dogwood, beech, oak and sycamore glistening with a bright shiny glow. There was no trash then, just water, trees, and trains. The scattered patch-work quilt of blue, white and green plastic jars, gallon containers and shopping bags stood out so terribly wrong in this otherwise tranquil scene of bygone days.
Came to mind that Delta has a recycling center, at the site of the Green Marble Quarry, yet there were bags of trash increasing as I drove along towards town. Why take the time to bag it up, and instead of taking it to a place where some, maybe most of it could be recycled, instead it’s tossed like a sheaf out and over the banks of a lovely creek to be scattered across the fern and lichens of the forest floor. Why?
The landscape now unfolds over the next little hill with more bags and sofas and recliners, tables, refrigerators, stereo cabinets…a veritable ‘rummage sale of unwanted household furnishings’ that once no doubt served a purpose and when worn out or replaced were destined for Scott Creek, a handy place to toss away what was not wanted.
The ‘low spot’ literally and figuratively came half way to town, where a large mud hole filled with water caused a little ‘jerk’ in the road. There were dozens of sofas and furniture, piled up, rotting, soaking wet and stinking. Every color you can imagine on the downhill side of this graceful lane.
The trash kept coming stronger and stronger as it laced the slopes of green. It reminded me for a moment of Christ being crucified on the cross…the trestle, the beams, the innocence of it all and the carnage of raping the land with unwanted things. Like defecating on the face of nature. A curse on those who lay waste to the sacred grounds of Scott Creek and the Ma and Pa trestle.
Before I knew it an hour and a half had passed on this jaunt on Bunker Hill, a short ride but a long process of thought and nerves and sadness. Another bit of looking at the long curve in the roadbed leading to the trestle and I headed out, seeing the town ahead.
Instead of driving up to Main Street for some great ice cream, I followed the wellmowed roadbed along its route south, passing beautiful backyards all well-manicured and cared for. Old basketball nets, tin roofed sheds, ramshackle garages, leading up to a solitary vacant two-story house with a slate roof and a long-gone porch. I remembered this house, where John Wales had his woodworking shop in the back, attached. It was Number 204 Park Avenue and just up the street was the house my grandmother Holden once lived in.
A journey of fifty years in the span of a quiet Sunday ride on the back way to town. A ride a long time in the memory and a long time keeping close to my heart. The sadness of the trashing and massacre of Scott Creek is not right. A group could muster some dump trucks and a backhoe with a cable to haul the debris up and out and it would be a start on keeping a safe walking trail along the history of Delta alive and well.
For now, if you read this and have dumped along Scott Creek, do me a favor and next time you replace the sofa or table, head down to Scarborough Landfill and let them do the dirty work…don’t put the dirty work on a treasure. Better yet, take a walk down to Scott Creek and take a good look…it’s your back yard.
No doubt there is more to learn about Scott Creek and Bunker Hill Road, and as I am informed so too will the message be passed along to you, the readers who need to be informed.
Of course, nothing may be done, and still the beauty of what is there will continue to be overshadowed by man’s dishonor to nature and beauty and all things creative.
Great article. What some people will do to take the easy route of disposing their unwanted items. What are they thinking; are they that stupid. I once saw a lady in Box Hill (far from the site discussed in this article) walking her dog and using a plastic bag to pick up the doggy do. But what she did next sent me through the roof of my car. This woman threw the plastic bag with her dog do into the storm drain. I guess she didn’t want the smell at her home. I blew my horn to let her know I saw what she did . . . but I wonder how many of “her” blue plastic bags have been sent to the Bay.
rob…i walk the Henderson/Leeswood roads weekly, and have picked up many a blue plastic bag of dog b.m.’s, and like you, don’t understand why someone who walks a dog, picks up the mess, then tosses it over the guardrail into Wysong branch. Litter begets litter, so I do what is best and pick up others trash. I’m sure you do to.
these people are illiterate lazy slobs.. thank goodness we have many good people who care about their neighborhood,community and the chesapeake bay. These slobs are the people that complain that the fish aren’t biting or wonder why their homes aren’t selling when they turn their neighborhood into ghetto’s..As a many year realtor i have seen many gorgeous neighborhoods turn into trash filled ghetto’s. Middlesex, Hawthorne, Highlandtown, Eastwood, Moravia road area, Hamilton, parts of edgewood and aberdeen.
I think the degrading of a lot of the middleclass suburban neighborhoods was largely because of the federal governments push to provide better housing to the “under-priviledged”. They allowed section 8 to push into desirable communities and they allowed peopole to borrow money they couldnt afford to pay back. It allowed many people that had no pride in home ownership or the means to maintain their property to buy into neighborhoods and destroy the fabric of those neighborhoods. I grew up in a beautiful suburban neighborhood that was constructed in the 1980s and it was the neighborhood that parents dreamed of raising families in. In 30 short years, entire blocks have been run down and converted into section 8 housing. In the 22 years that I lived in that house, crime was literally non-existant and we even slept with open windows and doors. Today, theft and vandalism has become much more common and blocks where section 8 has set in police patrol frequently because of the rise of drugs and violence. In my opinion, if you cant afford it, you dont deserve to live there and section 8 does not belong in middle class communities if it even deserves to exist at all.
30% fraud in welfare. A worker named Paulette Faulkner was fired from social services because she followed the rules and when people came in with no id’s or id’s that didn’t match social security #’s she wouldn’t approve them for assistance. Then she started noticing these same people coming back in and appealing her decision and was granted with funds. Almost all walked in welfare and walked out with emergency checks. She complained to her manager and was told not to worry about it. She sent a letter to Omalley about these things and 2 weeks later she was fired. That was a couple of years ago and i think a lawsuit is pending.. Corruption of Government for his “new americans”.. I urge each harford county resident to take a ride along PG county Main street and bring along their camera’s.. Pg ranks #1 for “illegal aliens”, followed by Moco, baltimore city then baltimore country. Baltimore county Ms13 gang activity is very high. Wake up Harford. Report employers who hire them. Don’t support the farms, businesses that hire them. Don’t allow them to work on your properties if they can’t read, write or talk english. its ok to ask for green cards. These new americans are suing their employers in record numbers. Don’t be caught aiding and abetting.
It is human nature to learn how to survive from their parents. Section 8 is simply a means by which many families have used to help them survive. I grew up in a middle class family, but only because I had two working parents and a father that worked two jobs to provide the lifestyle for his family that his parents did not provide for him. My father died at the age of 49 when I was 15 years old leaving my mother with the financial burden. My mom wasnt able to pay for college, but because of my determination and the choices I made, I put myself through without scholarships and without one single dollar from the government. It took me 8 years to achieve my bachelors degree, but I did it and I now afford a better lifestyle than my parents ever provided me. My good friend in high school grew up in a section 8 housing. She did very well in high school and landed a job making a good salary with benefits without college. She received a grand from the state for college and took a few courses at a community college. Today she is unmarried, lives on her own in section 8 housing and welfare with two children that were unexpected from two seperate fathers (neither present, one jailed). She was given more opportunity than I was, yet somehow I prevailed. The point is that its all about the survival mechanisms that our parents teach us and the choices that we make.
Funny you mention social security fraud. A friend of mine that worked at the social security administration who is responsible for “filtering” through social security disability claims recently had a female applicant apply for disability because she claimed to be disabled by her obesity. She had no medical condition and was the same height and weight as my friend. My friend denied the application and that application was appealed and disability was granted on the grounds that the woman was considered “obese” by their standards. Now my friend is by no means skinny, but she is far from being disabled by her weight and even participated in our neighborhood bowling and softball teams. Just a sad example of how government operations make no sense!
That is just despicable. That’s worse, but not so much worse in my mind, as the person who walks two dogs along my street, bags up the dog poop, then leaves the bags on top of my trash can which is waiting for pickup. I cannot understand the mindset of people like that.
Rob, I live in Box Hill, too and swear I have seen the same lady throw the bags down the sewer. One time, she let her dogs do their business on my front lawn and then she proceeded to walk away without picking up the poop. I yelled out to her, “Do you need a bag?” and she replied, “Nope” and continued to walk away. I grabbed a bag and brought it out to her and said, “Seriously? You’re going let your dog poop on MY lawn and not pick it up? I don’t think so.” I then pressed the bag into her hands. Only then did she pick it up. People these days have absolutely no manners!
I think it is very sad as well but have lived in both Bel Air and now Delta/Airville and know exactly why the people in PA dump (I do not condone it however). In MD yes you can take it to Scarborough landfill for a very minimal price but in PA you have to go to near York City (before 4 last time I checked) on a week day and pay a phenomenal amount of money just to dump one thing. Green Marble only takes metals, you have to find a drop location for all of your other recyclables. I do believe Delta Borough has recyclable pick-up but on the outskirts where I live that is not an option with the trash company you have to find a place and take it there. Again I am not condoning what these people do, it disgusts me, we go out of our way to recycle and get trash pick-up weekly for the rest. My guess is it is PA residents since the further into PA you go the more illegal dumping you see. PA really needs to work on their recycling and trash system. Another way to curb this problem would be to put the inexpensive motion cameras in major dumping locations (you could probably get by with just putting up a “Smile your on camera” sign), the County would make money from the fines they could send out and it would definitely reduce the amount of dumping.
I live in Fawn. Our trash service takes one bulk item every Tuesday.
Excellent story, Mr. Holden. I knew your grandparents and can only imagine how disgusted they’d be with the Scott Creek litter situation.
Otto, been years since I’ve heard your name. Thanks for reading the Dagger and mentioning Addie and Ches Holden. Pass on my regards to Steeleye Sloane and the Sloners of Gobbler’s Knob.
I know the article is dealing with trash. But what got my attention was the photo of the trestle. I remember walking the right of way as a kid back in the early 60’s. The trains had only been gone a few years then. I think the rails were pulled up in 58 or 59. They left the wooden ties in the ground and lots of them had copper nails in the center of them with the date they were installed cast in their top. I still have a bunch of them somewhere. There was also a small turn table in Delta which could still be turned. We kids took turns pushing each other on our own industrial merry go round. Sorry to hear that it’s now a dump 50 years later.
Wayne, this little stretch of road, Bunker Hill, has all the necessary ingredients for a spectacular walking/birding trail/roadway. The woods, Scott Creek, old Ma and Pa trestle, my God, you couldn’t plan or build a more scenic area. The plan is to populate that little road more and more, and maybe some ‘scrappers’ will step up and haul some of the items away, and get their salvage cash from Banks in Poplar Grove or some other recycling center. Stick with us on this Wayne, we need your support. Neither of us live in Delta, but we still hold great memories of it.
Sounds like a good job for the folks on unemployment or welfare to clean up the area. Or maybe a gang of illegal aliens before we ship them back to where they came from.
I too spent many an hour as a child walking the rails. The turn table, the trestle. And bottle digging on the side of the hill near the trestle. Sadly that area has been a dumping ground for many many years. Delta and York County should make it easier for people to get rid of their trash/recycles. But not sure that will ever happen
This is a great article. I’ve been thinking about this issue in Harford County for a while now because the problem seems to be more rampid in Harford than other counties in Maryland. Many of my neighbors properties are horrendous and filled with scrap metal, old car parts, home furnishings and random garbage. I grew up in Carroll County where it seems to me that illegal dumping and storing of bulk trash on ones property is far less a problem even in the rural areas of the county. The difference between harford and Carroll? Carroll has less incorporated cities, but far more of the populace live within those incorporated cities that provide trash removal, a county-wide recycling program and bulk trash removal that will remove bulk items from your curb at no extra cost to you, all courtousy of your tax dollars. Curb-side removal is a huge help because many people (like myself) do not own a truck and are unable to transport trash to a dump without incurring extra expenses. Once upon a time I lived in PA, so I no the pains of getting rid of bulk trash. I used to drive the bulk trash to my mom’s house and leave it on the curb to save the huge fees PA charges.
must say it’s a pleasure to write something in Dagger and not be pounced on by ‘Bane Haters’…scheez, what a relief.
Your likening of this pathetic behavior by the uneducated vermin among us to the crucifiction of Christ is one that has crossed my mind often. As a nature lover I’ve always thought that the god we should all be worshiping is right below our feet.
We (our children most likely) will no doubt reap what we have sown.