USA > Maryland > Washington County > Hagerstown > A history of Washington County, Maryland from the earliest settlements to the present time, including a history of Hagerstown > Part 16
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Washington County Orphans' Home.
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Zion Lutheran Church, Williamsport.
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
the rear, a portion of one of these posts was dug up, full five feet under the pavement and amidst springs of water which trickled out of the ground as the excavations were made, showing how much the streets have been elevated by constant filling, and that Hagerstown was originally built in what was little better than a swamp. South Potomac street, as the town extended in that direction, was deflected toward the east to avoid running into the marsh. It was this filling up of streets which led to the incorporation of the town and the insti- tution of a town government. In the desire to fill up and avoid the inundations of cellars and houses in wet weather, grades were changed, differ- cnt elevations of sidewalks were adopted and gut- ters destroyed and water turned into the middle of the streets rendering them at times impassable. This action was taken by the Assembly in 1791. Thomas Hart, Ludwig Young, Wm. Lee, Jolin Shryock, John Geiger, Peter Heigley and Baltzer Goll were appointed Commissioners with power to improve and maintain streets, dig wells and organ- ize a fire department and to levy a tax not to exceed three shillings on one hundred pounds, equivalent to about fifteen cents on the hundred dollars.
Thomas Hart. the first named of the Commis- sioners was the partner of Nathaniel Rochester in the dry goods and afterwards in the hardware bus- iness and various other enterprizes. The store of Hart & Rochester was the first one in Hagers- town. He was one of the numerous colony which left Hagerstown early in the century to settle in the wilds of Kentucky, then attracting immi- grants by its rich soil and various advantages. Hart was no less prominent in his new home. He is distinguished among other things for being the father-in-law of Henry Clay Thomas H. Benton was a nephew and named after him. In 1790 the firm of Hart & Rochester advertised a large quan- tity of nails, brads and sprigs. Twenty penny nails and flooring brads were sold at nine pence per pound or thirteen shillings and six pence per thousand. It was claimed for them that they were far better than any imported from Europe. They were all made here in Hagerstown and hammered by hand out of wrought iron. The forge where the work was done was on the lot at the southeast corner of Washington and Prospect street where the Presbyterian Church now stands. One relie of the hardware store of Hart & Rochester still remains in Hagerstown. It is the enormous lock on the front door of Mr. Rochester's residence
which stood on the opposite corner and which still remains, one of the most beautiful residences of the town. It has been greatly improved since that time and is now the home of Mrs. James Findlay, daughter of Mrs. Howard Kennedy.
The great event of this period in the Town's history was a visit in 1790 from the President of the United States, and that President the Father of his Country, the immortal Washington. The occasion of this visit is not very clear although its object has been always understood to visit Wil- liamsport as a candidate for the location of the Federal City. For some time a fierce contention had been going on at intervals in Congress between the Northern and Southern delegates as to the permanent home of the Federal Government. A session of Congress had been held in the old State House at Annapolis and the journey from Massa- chusetts to that town was one of three weeks' dur- ation over roads which constantly menaced the lives of the travellers. The delegates from the North desired to locate the proposed Federal City at a more convenient distance and the Southern delegates were equally determined that they should do no such thing. New York had spent what was at that day considered a large sum of money, in erecting buildings for the accommodation of Con- gress and the proposal to remove Congress to Phil- adelphia was fiercely assailed by the press of New York. In July 1790 a writer in the New York Journal criticised the proposed removal to Phil- adelphia with bitter sarcasm. It was eminently proper, snarled this writer. to remove to Philadel- phia, for that city was nearer than New York to the ancient domain of Virginia. Much weight should be given to this for the next stride was to plaee Congress on the banks of the American Nile at Conococheague, a spot apparently as much des- ignated by nature for the Capital of the country as Kamtchatka or Otahiete. But it was to the banks of the "American Nile" that Congress was to go in spite of sarcasm. In 1783 Congress had passed a bill to buy a tract of a mile or two on the Falls of the Delaware and erect buildings for which pur- pose the magnificent sum of a hundred thousand dollars was appropriated. This proposition was as- sailed by the Southern members who truly contend- ed that the proposed location was not central. But they were unable to obtain a reconsideration. In the following vear, however, it was resolved that it was inexpedient to have Congress sit always at the same place and that buildings should also be erect-
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ed at Georgetown on the Potomac. The Southern delegates did not ask that the Capital should be brought south of the Potomac but they were de- termined that it should not go farther north. During the entire discussion the Northern mem- bers gave the name of ('onococheague to the pro- posed Capital and it was used by them in derision, for it was well understood from the beginning that the selected spot on the Potomac, or the American Nile as it was called by the Northern satirists, was Georgetown and not Conococheague. After the passage of the two Capitals resolution nothing fur- ther was done until December 1784 when it was rescinded and commissioners were appointed to buy lands and erect buildings at Lambertville on the Delaware. Its final location on the Potomac was the result of a log rolling arrangement by which the Southern members agreed to vote for the bill for settling the public debt in return for giving them the Capital on the Potomac.
In 1791 Fisher Ames wrote to Thomas Dwight that "the Southern people care little about the debt. They doubt the necessity for more revenue. They fear the excise themselves and still more their people, to whom it is obnoxious and to whom they are making it more odious still by the indiscreet violence of their debates. Besides they wish to seize the bill as a hostage for such a regulation of the bank as will not interfere with Conococheagne ten years hence."
During the discussion of the bill establishing the Bank of the United States, unfortunate Con- ococheague was again bandied about as a term of derision and coupled with such names as Reedy Island and other imaginary spots of great seclusion.
The circumstance which brought Williams- port, or as it was still called, Conococheague, into this undesirable prominence was a petition from the citizens of that hundred addressed to the Legislature of the State, setting forth that the law of Congress respecting a district for their per- manent residence presented an occasion to hope that the district might be located in this County, and that the petitioners were willing to make such contribution as their means would enable them towards furnishing Congress with the necessary accommodation. They therefore prayed the Leg- islature to pass a law appropriating a district ten miles square within this County wherever it may please the President to make the location. So confident however, were the people of Williamsport of their great destiny that persons having lots to
sell would hold forth as an inducement to buyers that it was "expected, from a late decision in Con- gress, that the grand Federal City will be erected at or near said port." But I am satisfied that it was not to make this selection that Washington rode up to Hagerstown on the twentieth day of October in the year 1790. It is more likely that he desired to inspect the Potomac river, then in the hands of the Potomac Company of which he was the President, and that instead of making the tedious journey up in a boat pushed by poles up stream, he determined to ride up and make his inspection as he floated down stream. But be that as it may he came and it was a great day for Washington County and especially for Hagerstown where he was to spend the night. Captain Kezin Davis called out his Company of militia, composed in part of veterans who had fought in the Revolu- tionary War, and went down the road a mile or two beyond Jerusalem to meet the distinguished visitor. The military was of course accompanied by a concourse of citizens and when the President came in sight he was welcomed by thundering cheers. As the procession approached the town and pro- cccded down Washington street to Beltzhoover's tavern the church bells of the town rung a wel- come and the people who lined the way shouted themselves hoarse and salutes of artillery and mus- ketry fired. An address was presented to the President by Thomas Sprigg, Henry Shryock and William Lee in bchalf of the citizens of the town and County bidding him a hearty welcome to the town and thanking him for granting them the first, the greatest of all favors, his presence. They felicited themselves upon his exploring our coun- try: "Our beloved Chief !" the address went on, "Be pleased to accept our grateful thanks for this honor conferred on us. And may the disposer of all things lengthen out your days, so that you may behold with satisfaction the virtue and pros- perity of the people whom you have made free! And when you come to close the last volume of your illustrious actions, inay you be crowned with a crown not made with hands!" The President re- plied to the address briefly and courteously, thank- ing the people for their flattering expressions of regard and extending his sincerest wishes for their temporal happiness and future felicity.
The principal citizens had prepared a supper which we may well imagine was the very best the town could afford. A long list of toasts, no less than thirteen in number, were drunk. The Pres-
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
ident of the United States, Congress, the Land We Live in, the River Potomac, American Manu- factures, Commerce and Manufactures, the Na- tional Assembly of France, the Marquis Lafay- ette, the spirit of Liberty, the memory of the soldiers who fell in the war, and Dr. Franklin were all duly honored. The fifth toast was, "May the residence law be perpetuated, and Potomae view the Federal City."
The banquet terminated at an early hour and in accordance with his constant custom, Washing- ton retired to his bed at ten o'clock and by seven the following morning he had caten his breakfast and was on the road to Williamsport. After a short stay in that settlement, probably at Springfield, the Williams residence, he embarked on one of the double stern boats covered with can- vas like a wagon and floated down the beautiful stream, its banks at that time of the year flashing in the sunlight, the brilliant tints of autumnal foliage, to his home at Mt. Vernon. A descrip- tion of the character of the fare and accommoda- tion at Globe Inn, more commonly called, Beltz- hoover's Tavern, where Washington spent the night, would be curious reading. The Globe was in 1790 the principal tavern of the town and stood on the eastern part of the lot now covered by the Baldwin House. Beltzhoover, who kept it, was a brother of the proprietor of the Fountain Inn, for many years the most popular hotel of Baiti- more. The Fountain was the stopping place for the numerous wagons and teamsters which started from the Globe in Hagerstown, or which had spent the night at the Globe on the way from the Valley of Virginia or places west of Hagerstown. The Indian Queen Tavern stood on North Potomae street above the Market House and there were many other hotels started up not long after- wards. Among these were the General Washing- ton. the Swan Tavern, the Eagle Tavern which occupied the lot where now stands the Smith building, which was the Mail office 25 years ago. North of Hagerstown and at that time con- siderably beyond the town limits was the Wayside Tavern. Before the turnpike roads were made the road entering the town to North Potomac street was an important one. Great numbers of wagons, bringing produce to the town or going through towards Williamsport, or Baltimore came down this road and nut up at the Wayside Tavern. It was also a place for sleighing parties to mect for
dancing and between this point and the town the sport of bullet playing was practiced to such an extent as to be dangerous to life and limb that it was finaily prohibited by an act of assem- bly. Bullets were thrown with utter recklessness and iron bars had to be placed over the windows of the Court House in the square to protect the glass from these missiles. Another of these suburban taverns was situated years afterwards, on the road to the West, one mile from the town. It was known as the "Buck Tavern," taking its nanie from the painting of a large buck on a swinging sign, before its door. In its rear was a grove of native forest trecs. Under these in an enclosure the "sports" of the town and surrounding country often met to test the fighting power of their chick- ens. Crowds frequented these entertainments. Not unfrequently "Bull baits"-fights between a bull and dogs took place. Cruel as it was there was to many an attractiveness about it that always made it a profitable exhibition. Often during these exhibitions, between the town and tavern, boys between eight and fourteen could be seen under the escort of their parents leaving the exhibi- tion. They had left liome or school for this excite- ment.
After the making of the National Turnnike road the Hagerstown taverns became stopping places for the enormous travel between the East and the West, and their yards were crowded with teamsters, wagons, stage coaches, sheep and cattle on the way to the East or West and a character of patronage came to the taverns which demanded and received the best accommodations. But at the time of Washington's visit there was no such stimulus to the Elizabethtown taverns and they were doubtless on a par with the ordinary country tavern of the time. Even in the large towns as many as eight beds were put into a single room and if there were no bed empty the new arrival would take his place beside the stranger in the first bed he would come to without so much as asking leave. Sheets were changed on regular days, and a traveler who should presume to ask for clean sheets would be suspected of being an aristocrat .* Letters complaining of the taverns were frequently published by strangers whom cu- riosity brought to the country from Europe. They admitted that the fare was usually good but natu- rally objected to having their rooms kept open all night "for the reception of any rude rabble that
*McMaster's History.
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
had a mind to put up at the house." All eom- plaint was silenced by the reply that it was the eustom of the country. These taverns were plaees of publie resort for the diseussion of polities, for dances and amusements and for the drinking of whiskey. The amount of whiskey consumed in Hagerstown at that time and down to recent years, is fearful to contemplate. It was eheap and fortu- nately it was pure. There was no adulteration and no excuse for any. The prices for drinks for many years was regulated by law. If a man wished to "treat" he would not order so many drinks but a pint of whiskey more or less, accord- ing to the number called up to drink. For many years there was a fashion of whiskey bottles, blown into a likeness of Washington and nearly every man in this County had his "George Washington" which he took to the nearest grocery to get filled. Every grocery sold whiskey and many other stores kept a bottle in a back room to "treat" customers. On Saturday a grocery clerk in Hagerstown was kept busy from morning to night filling "George Washingtons" from a barrel until frequently a hoy engaged in this work would topple over drunk from the fumes. Sometimes the storekeeper would make the boy drink a small quantity of the whiskey and that would at once render him proof against the overpowering effects of the vapor. For many years and down to the time when the Frank- lin railroad, the Canal and the National Turnpike were constructed, it was a matter of contraet with laborers the amount of whiskey to be dealt out. regularly employed functionary on these and all other works employing a large number of men was the "Jigger Boss" who made constant rounds among the men, with his "jigger," a small tin can, dealing out whiskey. The men working on the Canal agreed with the contractors to receive eigh- teen of these jiggers and a "chance at the jug" -- that is. at the close of the day's work each one should have the privilege of drinking from a jug all that he could take at a single draught. l'os- sibly this will aceount for a number of riots which occurred during the prosecution of work on the C'anal.
One of the most important events which took place in Washington County towards the end of the eentury was the establishment of the first news- paper, the Washington Spy. Up to this time the nearest periodicals were Bartgis' Gazette of Fred- ericktown and a newspaper in Winchester Virginia. At this time there were but few newspapers pub-
lished in the United States and most of the people of Washington County had never seen a newspa- per, and a large proportion of them could not have read one. The ignorance of the people of eurrent events and their eredulity in easily becoming the prey of imposters was due not only to the scareity of newspapers but to the small amount of informa- tion about events in the communities where they were published whiel they contained. The Waslı- ington Spy, however was a good paper and through hints and allusions and controversies and adver- tisements contained in its columns, we get a fair pieture of the times.
The first issue of the Spy appeared to the astonished citizens of Hagerstown in July 1790. Its editor was Stewart Herbert and its price was fifteen shillings a year. Its pages were ten by fifteen and a half inches. In April 1795, Herbert died and the paper was continued by lus widow, Phoebe Herbert, in partnership with a journey- man printer named John D. Carey ; but this part- nership was dissolved March 20, 1796. The day of issuing the paper was changed several times in consequence of a change in the day for the ar- rival of the weekly mail, bringing the newspapers from Europe. March 31, 1796 there was no issue of the paper because of a removal of the office to Peter Miller's house. About the first of January 1796, Thomas Greeves, a Seotchman, Professor of Mathematics, opened a night school in the town This Thomas Greeves married Mrs. Phoebe Her- bert and thenceforth gave up teaching Mathemat- ies and became editor of the Spy. This position he occupied but a short time, for the paper failed to pay expenses and was discontinued-the last copy being issued January 18, 1797. Greeves, as we shall see, started the Maryland Herald in the place of the Spy and was its editor for more than thirty years. He died in Cumberland Md., in 18-40 at the age of 74 years. Fifty years he had spent in America. A bound file of this interesting publication is preserved in the rooms
of the Maryland Historical Society at Batı- more. From its columns we can get a fairly good and full picture of the town and county and of the condition of society at that time, and as much or more from the advertisements than from tlic news columns. A mere hint is oeeasionally given of some interesting occurrence. For instance in September 1791, this item appears: "On Tues- day morning will be published and for sale at 4d a letter from Miss S-a to Mrs. R .-- who
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on her way to Bath visited St. Rozo Vitozo, the most celebrated person in this part of the country and now residing near Sharpsburg." For several weeks the reader is left entirely in ignorance of who St. Rozo Vitozo is, but then the following partial explanation is given : "Fifty or sixty per- sons pass through Shepherdstown daily to visit Miss Rosa Orndorff near Sharpsburg, some through curiosity, others conscientiously affected by the surprizing situation and appearance presented by this young woman, many coming two hundred miles." Rosa Orndorff here spoken of was a daugh. ter of Major Christian Orndorff, a distinguished citizen of the county, and a man of wealthı and great hospitality. Many officers of the Revolu- tionary Army in traveling between the North and South erossed the Potomae at the Shepherdstown Ford and many of them spent the night at Major Orndorff's. Among these was General Horatio Gates, who during one of these stoppages beeame desperately enamored of Miss Mary Orndorff, the sister of Rosa, who was at that time but fifteen years of age, and distinguished for her great beauty. She rejected General Gates and married young Jonathan Hager. Rosa Orndorff was sub- ject to attaeks of the singular disease known as eatalepsy. Probably a majority of reported eases of this disease are impostures but this seems to have been a genuine one. No copy of the publish- ed description of her case is known to exist but the descendants of the family say that in her trances, she seemed to be entirely insensible to any pain, so that pins could be stuek into her flesh without produeing any effect upon her; and that hundreds of visitors were anxious to experiment upon her, and a strict watch had to be maintained over her to save her from being converted into a pin cushion. It appears that she was a Spiritual- ist, and whilst entirely unconscious of all her surrounding would converse with spirits and bring messages from the spirit world to those who wish- ed to communicate with their departed friends. It is not surprising, therefore, that in that ered- ulous age persons eame from long distances to see so remarkable a personage. It must have been an intolerable nuisance to have several hundred visi- tors each week although they did bring their pro- visions with them. Later, the Orndorffs moved to Kentucky and there Rosa died, having first ob- tained a promise from her father that her body should be buried on the old homestead near Sharps-
burg. This promise was faithfully performed althought it must have been at a heavy eost.
During the decade from 1790 to 1800, the population of the County had increased from 15,822 to 18,659, of these 2,200 were slaves. Much of the land was still held in large traets, which had not all been brought under cultivation. The prairie fires had been stopped, and forests of oak, hickory, walnut and popular had sprung up and covered a great part of the surface of the country. The crops were tobaeeo, wheat, corn, flax, hemp and some cloverseed. The products of the latter was not sufficient for the local demand, for some was imported from Laneaster County, Pa. Good erops of wheat were raised; the harvesting was done then and for twenty years afterwards with siekles, and the threshing by the flail or the grain was spread around in a circle on a clean floor, and trodden out by horses. This latter method was used until it was superseded by the first threshing machines, which gradually came into use about the year 1820. The tobacco crop was a very import- ant one, for a frost which occurred September 26, 1792, inflicted a heavy loss upon the County by the injury to the tobacco erop. Great daniage was also done to this erop and to the corn by a hail storm in August, 1790.
The people of course had less communication with the outside world, and were less dependent upon other communities than at present. Cloth- ing and linen were all of home manufacture. Every housewife had her spinning wheel for both wool and flax. Dying and fulling mills were numerous and there was no neighborhood which had not some repository for goods to be dyed. In 1790 John Rohrer had succeeded his father, Jacob Rohrer, in his fulling mill on the Marsh run, close to Hagerstown, where he did fulling, blue dying and all sorts of coloring. Lawrence Protz- man had a fulling and reed making mill in Hagerstown, and did blue dying. On the Conoeo- cheague, six miles above Williamsport, near Major Kershner's mill, William Didenhover had his full- ing mill. Henry Funk did fulling and dying a half mile from Newcomer's mill. Two miles and a half from Hagerstown was the fulling and dying mill of Martin Baechtel.
The wool was spun and earded at home and the cards for this purpose were made in Hagers- town. In the year 1790, no less than five thou- sand dozen wool cards were produced in Hagers-
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
town and all importation of this useful household implement had ceased. Brushes were also made.
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