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 27
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94
absorbing love 'of country, which was ever upper- most in his mind. Having enlisted in Baltimore during the War of 1812. he marched six hundred miles to the Canadian frontier, and there, under Gen. Scott, whose memory he revered, participated in the fearful, sanguinary battle of Lundy's Lane, and near its close was severely wounded in several places, the honorable marks of which he carried to his grave. He received a Pension from Congress for his services, and some years ago the Legislature of Maryland presented him with a fine Rifle, which he prized very highly, but which was a poor reward for his gallant services from his native State.
149
OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
ferred to Mr. Bell, then the sole proprietor of the Torch Light. Its publication was discontinued.
In October 1816, a colored woman known as "Mammy Lucy" died in Hagerstown. It was generally believed that she was a hundred and thirty years old, and that her son had been a servant to Col. Cressap and it was so announced in the papers. Before this, in November 1809, Mrs. Rosanna Stake, the mother of A. K. Stake, died at the residence of her son in Hagerstown, at the age of a hundred and two years and three months. At the time of her death she had a hun- dred descendants living. Col. William Van Lear died February 11, 1815, at the age of fifty-eight. He was brigade major under Gen. Wayne and in- spector of Lafayette's divison before the surren- der of Cornwallis. He was wounded at the battie of Green Springs and at the close of the war, settled in Washington County.
George Beltzhoover's tavern, where the Bald- win now stands, was known in 1814 as the Globe Inn and was kept by O. H. W. Stull. Mr. Stull was afterwards Post Master of the town but left and settled in Burlington, Iowa. Christian Fech- tig kept the Columbian Inn on Washington street and Benj. Light the Black Horse Inn, which was afterwards known as the Antietam House and occupied the corner where the Hotel Hamilton now stands. At that time the bricks were painted alternately red and black like a checker board. Near where the Franklin House stands was the "Golden Swan" kept by a man named Saylor. George Fague kept the house opposite the Lutheran Church and Henry Strause the tavern on the S. W. corner of the Square. The manufacture of hats was a considerable industry. Henry Mid- dlekauff, John Julius and John Crumbaugh all had prosperous shops. John Creager made curicd hair mattresscs and Brantlinger made gloves and buckskin breeches. After Brantlinger's death his sign, which showed a pair of buckskin breeches and a deer was used in a practical joke by young Christian Fechtig. a youthful and very bright wag. It was one of the strangest customs of the tinie to make a kind of ."jollification" of sitting up with a corpse. Young men were invited to perform this duty and were expected to bring their sweethearts with them and frequently a consider- able company of these merry watchers would be gathered into a house of mourning. The boy Fechtig was one night one of a party watching by the corpsc of a boy. He left his companions
and went out to have some fun changing signs. Old Dr. Young had bought Brantlinger's sign and had his own name painted on the reverse side and nailed it over the door of his office in the roughcast house at the corner of Antietam and Potomac streets. Fechtig reversed it and when the old Doctor came out the next day he found Brantlinger's breeches over his door with the notice that he was a breeches and glove maker. Even more incensed were John and Hugh Ken- nedy, on the southeast corner of the Square where Roessner now is, and who had the largest store in the town, to find over their door a sign reading "Beer and Cakes." This Fcchtig had taken from old Mrs. Steel's shop on Washington street where James I. Hurley's house stood.
Old Dr. Young, above mentioned, was a well known character. He died July 23, 1838, and his dust reposes in the yard of the old Pres- byterian Church on South Potomac street, where he was buried after living in this world a full century. During the latter years of his life he would spend the summer afternoons dozing in his chair before the window of his office, or "shop" as a physician's office was called in those days, occasionally arousing to kill flies with whisk- broom, which he enticed within his reach by smear- ing molasses on his shoes. After the old man's death, it was under the floor of this "shop" that a hair trunk was found which contained gold coin to the value of many thousands of dollars. Dr. Young was a native of Ireland, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, and of the Medical Uni- versity of Edinburg. IIc came to this country before the revolution and attained a high position as a phpysician and a good man. Previously to the building of the Hagerstown Academy the town did not enjoy the best facilities for educating the young. There was, however, one excellent teacher-Elijah B. Mendenhall. He had studied law but abandoned that profession for teaching. He carried into his new vocation considerable learning. He taught the different branches of English and frequently sallied forth at the head of a class, with compass and chain to give practical lessons in surveying on the commons.
When Hagerstown was laid out two tracts were reserved as "comnions" upon which the peo- ple of the town pastured their cows, and nearly every family had a cow. One of these tracts com- prised all of the town north of Church street and the other was east of Mulberry street and south
150
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
of Ladle Spring. In this latter one, on the hill now crowned by the Hagerstown Seminary, was a large cannon which was fired to celebrate great occasions. Another piece of artillery which was used for the same purpose, was placed on the hill west of Walnut street and north of Church, now occupied by a steam saw mill. The first of these cannon exploded at a celebration of Gen. Jackson's victorv at New Orleans and George Boward was killed by a fragment, and Charles Gelwig so ser- iously wounded that his leg was amputated. The other cannon also exploded and broke the thigh of a bystander.
At the south end of the Lutheran Church on South Potomac street stood a small log school house, kept by Mr. Ricknecker who taught a num- ber of urchins in the German language.
Any account of the customs of our people eighty years ago would be incomplete without a reference to "Bellsnickol" and "Christkindle" who were in their glory about Christmas time. The former seldom appeared in the day. With face concealed behind a mask, he patrolled the streets at night carrying a bell, nuts and cakes to reward good children and a rawhide to punish bad ones. During the time when it was supposed he might be making his rounds there was no fear the child- ren would leave the firesides of their homes after dark. Christmas and Easter were both celebrated with great joy. Christmas trees for the former festival and colored eggs for the latter, never failed. The colored eggs were hid in the garden and the children sought for them on Easter morn- ing, never doubting that the rabbits had laid them.
And the gardens in those days were radiant with the blossoms of the most beautiful flowers. The German love for them was in full possession. A home without flowers was scarcely considered a home. In Funkstown, which was largely peopled by persons who had more recently left the Fath- erland the gardens were still more beautiful. The Boerstlers, the Shafers, the Knodes, Shroders, Beckleys and Stonebrakers vied with each other in floriculture and the result was the most beau- tiful flower gardens in the State.
Wedding parties frequently came to Hagers- town from the surrounding country. The bride and groom would come horseback accompanied by a large escort of friends and neighbors. After the marriage ceremony the company would repair to Cook's Tavern on North Potomac street where an entertainment would be awaiting them. Dan- cing and merry making would be indulged in all night and the cavalcade would proceed homeward by the morning light. As the boundary of the town was reached the party would halt and one of the groomsmen would ride back and soon return with a bottle of wine and two glasses on a waiter. The bride and groom would each drink a glass of wine after which the waiter, bottle and glasses would be cast down in the road and then the party would proceed. But before reaching home they would almost invariably encounter a strongly bar- ricaded fence or other obstruction erected across the road by such of the neighbors as had not been invited to partake of the festivities. The latter custom came from the original settlers.
.
-
OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
151
- .
-
CHAPTER XI
HE contract for constructing a turnpike road from Hagerstown to the Conococheague Creek was lct to McKinley, Kinkead & Ramsey, of Cumberland, and the stone bridge to Silas Harry, in December, 1817, the work to be completed in two years. The cost of the bridge was between $11,000 and $12,000. The National Road extended from Cumberland to the West. The Bank road from the Conococheague to Cumberbland had been laid out by Commissioners, and would be completed in 1822 and this road would give a continuous ma- cadam road from Hagerstown to the Ohio river. From the cast the turnpike had not yet reached Boonsboro, and the portion between that town and Hagerstown was not completed for several years and was a serious obstacle to travel between Bal- timore and Washington and the West. The mat- ter of roads was a much more serious and impor- tant question than at present. Now wagon roads are merely local affairs ; then, they were national. Intercommunication between the distant parts of a broad land was only maintained, away from the coast or navigable rivers, by means of wagons and stage coaches. The peculiar character of the soil of the country between Hagertsown and Bal- timore and Washington made good roads of any other kind than those of stone almost impossible. Before the turnpikes were made, the County was frequently cut off from all communication with the outside world. Mails were delayed, and freight had to be stored in warehouses until the state of the roads admitted of travel. This was particu- larly exasperating because the major part of the transportation was done in farm wagons and was
most liable to interruption at the very time when fariners were at leisure to do the work. It is not surprising therefore that this question occupied much of the thoughts of the people of Washington County at an early time; and many meetings were held and projects and schemes suggested. As early as December 1, 1796, a meeting was held at Hag- erstown in the Court House, to devise means for procuring a turnpike road to be made from Bal- timore Town through Hagertsown to Williamsport, one-eighth of the expense to be borne by Wash- ington County. Gen. Thomas Sprigg presided. Resolutions were passed setting forth the advan- tages of the road to the farining interests of West- ern Maryland, in giving access to market, and at the time of the year when farmers were unable - to work on their farms and could then move their crops. General Heister was the choice of the meeting for Washington County's member of the Commission to lay out the road. Eli Williams, William Clagett, Samuel Ringgold, Daniel Hughes, Nathaniel Rochester and Adam Ott were the committee.to procure the passage of a charter and a committee was also appointed .to get names to a petition to the General Assembly for such a charter. It was to be left to the Legislature to decide whether the road should fork at Boonsbor- ough, with one branch to Hagerstown and one to Williamsport or whether it should be made through Hagerstown to Williamsport. The char- ter was granted in March 1797 for the road to pass from Baltimore through Frederick and Hagers- town to Williamsport. In September, 1797, Na- thaniel Rochester presided over another turnpike meeting in Hagerstown to express the opinion
152
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
of the people on a proposed turnpike from Balti- more to Washington County. A bill had been passed by the General Assembly looking toward such a road and the people of Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Washington and Allegany counties had entered into the project. The IIag- ertsown meeting was of the opinion that "such an establishment would produce advantages of the first magnitude in our Agricultural and Commer- cial pursuits, that by improving the opportunity and ability of the Counties in their intercourse with Baltimore, will enlarge the scale of Com- merce in that growing City, and create powers in both which will be exercised to their mutuai ad- vantage; that it is conceived the establishment will be of general utility. and that it cannot injure the interest of a single individual, either in his property of privileges; that an institution which injures none but benefits all, not only deserves but demands the support of every eitizen who wishes for the prosperity of this Country."
Eli Williams, Daniel Heister, Samuel Ring- gold, Charles Carroll and Nathaniel Rochester were appointed a committee to carry out the objects of the meeting. It was twenty-seven years before the object sought by this meeting was at- tained and in that time there was a regular turn- pike fever. Turnpikes were chartered in every conceivable direction. In 1810, a company obtain- ed a charter to build a road from Hagertsown to Westminster and Charles Carroll, Upton Law- rence, William Heyser, William Downey and Rob- ert Hughes were among the commissioners to receive subscriptions. Before the completion of the present Baltimore pike, it was a favorite route through Westminster and Emmittsburg. The Baltimore and Frederick Town Turnpike Con- pany which had been chartered in 1805, was au- thorized by the General Assembly in 1815 to ex- tend its road westward from Boonsborough. But the present Hagerstown and Boonsborough Turn- pike Company was chartered in 1819. In 1813, the Presidents and Directors of the Banks in Bal- timore and of Hagerstown, Conococheague and ('umberland Banks were incorporated as the pres- idents, managers and company of the Cumberland Turnpike road, and in 1821 the Baltimore Banks, except the City Bank, and the Hagerstown Bank were incorporated as the President, Managers and Company of the Boonsboro Turnpike Company. The Baltimore, Liberty and Hagerstown Turnpike Company was chartered in 1815 and Henry Lewis,
Martin Kershner, R. Ragan, W. Heyser, John Wit- mer and Daniel Hughes, Jr., were the Commission- ers to receive subseriptions. In 1818, a Company was chartered to make a road from Boonsborough to Williamsport. It was expected that this would divert the Western travel from the Hagerstown route and send it through Williamsport over a short road to intersect the road to the West. In 1815 a road from Boonsborough through Sharpsburg to Swearingen's Ferry on the Poto- mac, was chartered. This Company was organized and the first election held September 24 of that year; John Blackford was elected President, Col. John Miller, Treasurer; Jacob Mumma, George Smith, James Labrun, William Lorman, John Briek, George Hedrick, Abram Shepherd and Ja- cob Hess, Managers. In 1818, a road from Rock- ville to Williamsport was chartered. and in the same year one from Hagerstown to Gettysburg- the Legislature of Pennsylvania having previously chartered the portion within the territory of that State. The important road of about fifty-seven miles, to connect the Hagerstown and Conoeo- chcague road at the creek, with the National road at Cumberland, was laid out in 1819. and its eom- pletion in 1822 was assured. The money for this road, like the Conococheague, the Boonsborough and the Baltimore roads, came principally from the banks and subscriptions to the stocks of these companies, to the aggregate amount of $486,170.71 and were exacted from them as a condition to the renewal of their charters in 1816. The proportion of the Hagerstown Bank was $16,772.22. and of the C'onococheague Bank at Williamsport $10,566 .- 81. In December. 1820, there was a movement upon the Legislature to have the State buy and complete the road from Baltimore to Cumberland and make it free of tolls, as was the road beyond the latter city. The road from Boonsborough to Hagerstown had been laid down by Commissioners who reported early in 1822. They had surveyed several routes and the owners of the land on each route. in competition with others, gave the right of way through their property free of charge and in September 1822. William Lorman, the first Presi- dent of the Company, advertised for contractors to make the road. In March 1823, the contractors on the road were working with a large foree of Irish laborers near Funkstown. On St. Patrick's day of that year occurred the Battle of Funkstown, which attracted much attention throughout the Country. Nile's Register deelared that it exeited
$1
-
Old Smithsburg Bank.
THE SMITHSBURG BANK UF WASHINGTON DE
New Smithsburg Bank.
155
OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
as much interest as a war between France and Spain. The casus belli was a Paddy, produced among the turnpike hands to ridicule them on the festival of their national saint. The Torch Light, whose editor Mr. William D. Bell, was com- mander of the American Blues, which went to the support of Funkstown, gives this account of the affair :
"Early in the morning a good deal of ex- citement was produced among the turnpike hands, by the appearance of an inanimate personage, gen- erally denominated a Paddy. By whom this per- sonage was brought into view, is uncertain. The citizens of Funkstown lay his appearance to the turnpikers ; whilst they, in turn, attribute it to the citizens of the town. Be this as it may a consid- erable number of the sons of Hibernia collected in a body, and proceeded some distance down the main strect of the town, when they came in contact with some of the citizens; a quarrel ensued, in which one or two individuals on each side were severally cut and bruised, and others slightly wounded Appearances at this time were rather alarming-a general engagement between the cit- izens and the workmen was anticipated. This however, was fortunately prevented.
"After the lapse of some time, the Turnpikers marshalled their force, to the amount, as reported, of about 150 men, in one of the cross streets at the upper end of the town; and the Funkstown Rifle corps was paraded in the main street. Thus prc- pared, the belligerent parties remained in view of each other until the rifle corps was reinforced by a part of the troop, American Blucs and a strong company of militia, from Hagerstown. A short time was then spent in parleying, which resulted in the dispersion, in a great measure, of the shillela-men. The combined forces of Funks- town and Hagers-town then marched up and took possession of the high ground, and succeeded in securing several of the ring-leaders of the mob, some of whom were only taken after a diligent in- vestment and search of their headquarters. One of these was brought over to this place and com- mitted to jail, and the rest recognized to appear before our county Court now in session. Part of the Hagers-town forces remained during the night in Funks-town, as a guard, and returned the fol- lowing morning through a drenching rain in mud almost up to the knces. The result of the cam- paign may be summed up as follows : None killed, one wounded by the kick of a horse, some a little
and some a good deal frightened, a few made pris- oners-and the insurrection quashed! Our town has not, since the last war, worn a more military appearance than it did on this occasion-for a few hours everything was bustle and confusion. But happily the "dreadful note of preparation" soon gave place to peace and tranquility."
In Funkstown it was not regarded as any matter for a joke; and when the alarm, which was genuine, subsided, a public meeting was held, over which Michael Iseminger presided, and res- olutions were passed, thanking the troops for sup- pressing the riot.
The completion of this road gave a splendid macadam turnpike, two hundred and sixty-eight miles in length, from Baltimore to Wheeling. Of this, one hundred and thirty miles, from Cum- berland west, the road was frce.
There was a movement in 1827 to plant an avenue of trees along the pike from Hagerstown to Funkstown, in which Dr. Boerstler and William D. Bell took a prominent part. There was a pub- lic meeting in the Town Hall in October of that year to promote the scheme. A sum of money was raised and Lombardy poplars were planted, not only between Hagerstown and Funkstown, but out the Western pike as far as the Buck Tavern. They grew to be a beautiful avenue but all died off at the time of the singular simultancous decay of all of these beautiful trees throughout the country. In 1828 the Gettysburg and Hagerstown turnpike received twenty thousand dollars from the State of Pennsylvania and in the same year our Legis- lature passed an act, supplementary to an act which had already been passed, chartering the com- pany and one to extend the time for completing the road from Boonsborough to Swearingen's Ferry to 1833. When the Washington County Bank of Williamsport was chartered in 1832, a subscrip- tion of $10,000 to making a turnpike from Williamsport to Hagerstown or to Boonsborough, or from Cavetown to Westminster, was exacted. The Bank elected to make its subscription to a road to Hagerstown and on June 3, 1833, subscrip- tion books were opened. One dollar a share had to be paid at the time of subscribing, and it was a condition of the charter that six hundred shares at twenty dollars each, in addition to the subserip- tion by the Bank, should be taken before oper- ations under the charter could begin. On the sec- ond of September 1833 the first mecting of stock- holders was held and the company was organized.
156
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
The first election resulted in the selection of John Davis for president ; Horatio McPherson treas- urer ; Eli Beatty, William D. Bell, George Brum- baugh, John R. Doll and Matthew S. Van Lear, managers. It was announced that the stock had been taken to the amount of $22,000 of which the Bank had $10,000, citizens of Hagerstown $6,- 500, and citizens of Williamsport and vicinity $4,000. Washington County subscribed $1,500 upon which to the year 1888, it had received $3,042 in dividends. About 1895, a majority of the stock was purchased by the Hagerstown Elec- tric Railway Company, and a railroad track was laid along the pike. It had for years been the expectation of the people of Hagerstown that it would be an important point on the line of through travel between the east and west, not only from Baltimore and Washington but also from Phila- delphia. It was supposed that passengers from the latter city would reach Hagerstown through York and Gettysburg and thence procced by a com- mon route to the West. When it was regarded as settled that the Baltimore and Ohio railroad would pass through the town or Williamsport and a rail- road was projected from Pennsylvania through Greencastle to Williamsport, there to intersect the Baltimore and Ohio road and the Canal, it was believed that the expectations were in a fair way to be realized. The completion of the con- tinuous turnpike road from Baltimore to the West partially fulfilled these sanguine expectations, and was the beginning of a time of great prosperity and activity in the town. Before this time the road to Baltimore was through Funkstown, over the mountain below Wolfsville and to the north of Fredericktown. This road was very rough, at the best of times, but frequently in winter it was im- passable. The traffic was in farm wagons, and included a great quantity of produce brought down the river to Williamsport in flat boats and rafts. The major portion of this, which was not used in Hagerstown, was carried on down the river to Georgetown, but some went to Baltimore in the wagons. The farmers were enabled to do this hauling as cheaply as they did by the saving of tav- ern bills. The wagoners not only took with them enough food for themselves and their teams to last until their return, but also carried their bedding with them. This they spread upon the floor of the bar-room and the only profit the landlord of the tavern could get from such economical guests was in the whiskey and hot coffee they bought. With
.
whiskey selling at a "fip" or a "levy" a pint, the profit from that source could not have been very great, unless the amount consumed was enormous. This was probably the case, for the amount of whis- key drinking in those days, when adulteration was unknown, was indeed incredible.
On the pike, it took a wagon about seven days to make the round trip from Hagerstown to Baltimore and return. A team consisted of four, five or six horses, and a load for a good team was twenty-four barrels of flour.' Over the old "dirt road" the charge for freight was ordinarily $1.25 per barrel when the road was bad, but on the pike this rate was greatly reduced, and was of course no longer regulated by the condition of the road but by competition ; 80, 50 cents, and sometimes even lower rates prevailed. In the spring and autumn, merchants would hire teams to go for their stocks of goods, and the teams would take loads down for such prices as they could get, frequently receiving no more than would pay toll. Besides flour, down freights consisted of corn, clover seed, rye, whiskey, dried fruit, etc. No wheat was shipped. The whole crop of Washing- ton County was manufactured into flour at home, besides a large quantity which was brought from Franklin County. Hagerstown was always a good wheat market, and the large mills of Jonathan Hager, George Shafer, Samuel. David and Heze- kiah Clagett, and others drew wheat from places as far as Chambersburg. In winter, the public square was generally filled with wagons or sleds bringing produce of various kinds to barter with the merchants, who shipped it to Baltimore as occasion offered. The amount of flour shipped was very great and when the railroad was com- pleted to Frederick, that citv was the terminus of wagon transportation. The freight offered there for shipment frequently greatly exceeded the lim- ited capacity of the railroad. There were no ware- houses for storage, and frequently as many as a thousand barrels of flour were seen piled up, ex- posed to the weather, awaiting shipment by rail. When the Canal was opened to Williamsport, a great deal of flour was sent to Georgetown by boat. Warehouses were built and flour was hauled and stored during the winter awaiting the opening of navigation in the spring.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.