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 29
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
literally crowded with persons coming to witness the execution. By 8 o'eloek, so great was the erowd in the streets adjoining the jail, that they were rendered almost impassable ; and even at this early hour, though the morning was wet and dis- agreeable, the place of execution was surrounded by thousands who had taken their stations to wit- ness the awful scene. At half-past 10, the unfor- tunate criminals were placed in the wagon, at the jail door. Thence preceded by their coffins, ac- companied by the clergy, and guarded by Cap- tains Barr's and Swearingen's troops of horse and Capts. Drury's and Bell's foot companies they proceeded along singing solemn musie to the piace of execution. The Rev. Messrs. Allen and Kurtz first ascended the platform; the former delivered an address, and the latter offered prayer. The three criminals then aseended, accompanied by the Rev. Mr. Clay. Several Hymns were sung during the ceremony, in all of which they appeared to join with earnestness. The elergy having per- formed their duties, John, the youngest son, rose and addressed the multitude: He acknowledged the guilt of his brother and himself-that they had occasioncd the death of Adams, and eonse- quently that they merited death; but deelared that his father was innocent. He admonished the spectators to take warning by the example about to be made, and refrain from sinful practices as such practices had brought him to the awful situ- ation in which he then stood; he also exhiorted them to endeavor to become religious, as the only means of ensuring happiness in this world and the world to come. William, the eldest son, coneur- red in the declaration of his father's innocence ; and the old man persisted to the last in deelar- ing that he was innocent, but affirmed that he was prepared to die. When the ropes were fasten- ed and their caps drawn, they all stood up with firinness and continued to pray audibly and with apparent fervency, until the platform sunk, and at once put an end to their supplications and their lives. The last words that John was heard to pronounce distinctly, were "O Lord be merciful to me a sinner !- O Lord come quickly !- O Lord come down this minute !- 0! Here the door fell and eut short the sentence began, but left the exclamation awfully complete."
It was estimated that the execution was wit- nessed by twenty thousand spectators.
Just before this famous trial of the Cotterills, was the trial of George Lizer for the murder of
his father, William Lizer, in August 1818. The two had gotten into a dispute over some trivial affair, and in the course of the desperate alterca- tion which ensued, the young man struek his fath- er a blow on the back of his head which caused instant death. The parrieide fled and eluded for a month the officers of the law. But in Septem- ber he voluntarily surrendered himself. He had for a whole month been wandering in the moun- tains without shelter, without venturing near any human habitation and with no other food than the berries or other fruit of the mountains. His con- dition was deplorable in the last degree. He was tried in the old Court House, eonvieted of murder in the second degree and sentenced to the Peniten- tiary for eighteen years. For a year and a half of this time he was to be in solitary confinement. He escaped, however, from prison before any great part of his term was out ..
Among the incidents which occurred in the County about this time was the death of Major Martin Kershner who died at his residenee near Hagerstown in November, 1817, at the age of seventy-four years. He had been a number of times a member of the Legislature and for years a Justice of the Peace-a highly honorable office then.
In May 1818 great damage was done in the County by a terrific hail-storm. Hail-stones fell in torrents, crashing through glass and in some instances perforating the roofs of houses. In August of this year, a live elepehant was exhibited in Hagerstown. The charge of admission was twenty-five cents, and people were warned that they would never again have an opportunity to see this wonderful animal. In 1819, the Legislature passed an act for introdueing water into Williams- port. In March 6th, 1819, Col. John Carr, of Hagerstown, an officer in the Revolutionary Army, died. In September, 1820, the death in Hagers- town of an old woman was announced, who was born in Germany in 1712. Her age was therefore a hundred and nine years. Her eyesight was unimpaired, and she had never been compelled to usc spectaeles. Two other instances of extreme old age were noticed about the same time. Peter Bazlin, "a man of color," that is the way negroes were always spoken of in those times,-who had been a servant of Col. John Rea, of Savannah, died in Hagerstown Jan. 12, 1822, at the age of a hundred and ten years. The next month, Febru- ary 20, Mrs. Catharine Carla died at the age of
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
a hundred and nine years and eight months, hav- ing lived to see the fifth generation of her de- seendants.
In September 1821 Joseph Chapline died at Mt. Pleasant, his country seat near Sharpsburg, aged seventy-five years. He was a soldier in the revolution and had led a large party of volunteers into the service from Washington County. That same month a meeting was held in Hagerstown to stock the Antietam with fish. In April 1822 Jacob Rohrer, then the oldest native born eitizen of the county, died. He was born in 1746, when the country was still a wilderness and only ten years after the very first settlement within its lim- its. He eould remember the French and Indian war and had doubtless fled with his parents to Fredericktown from the Indians and had heard what few persons now living have ever heard -- the terrible war whoop of the painted savage. Notwithstanding an exeeeding liberality, giving and doing deeds of charity, he amassed a consid- erable fortune.
In the following Deeeniber, Col. Eli Williams died in Georgetown from a disease eontraeted whilst surveying a route for a proposed Potomac Canal. Eli Williams, a younger brother of Gen. Otho Holland Williams, was the second son of Joseph and Prudenee Williams. He was born in Prince George's County in 1750. He entered the Revolutionary Army with his more distinguished brother and received a Colonel's commission. He served in the war with eredit, and upon his return to Washington County, he was appointed first clerk of the Circuit Court, which position he held until the year 1800, when he resigned and was sueeeeded by his son, Otho Holland Williams. Another son was John S. Williams, who went from Anne Arundel County to Quincy, Illinois. His eldest daughter, Maria Sophia, married Chief Justice John Buchanan; the other daughter, Prudenee, inarried Col. John I. Stull, of Georgetown; and Catherine, the third daughter, married Henry H. Gaither.
During these years -great good was aecomplis'ı- ed in IIagerstown by the "Female Society for In- structing Poor Children." It had been organized in 1815 and in twelve years a hundred and twenty- nine children between the ages of five and twelve years had been received into it. Homes were pro- cured for many homeless children who were bound out. Boys were taught reading, writing and
arithmetie and girls sewing and knitting in addi tion.
In 1817 John Palmer, an Englishman travel- ed through Hagerstown on a tour of inspection of the Western country. He was moved to publish his observations of America, he says, because "most of the travels I have seen are full of prejudiee and invective against America and the Americans" the reason of which he hints is to make their publica- tions palatable to their English readers. At the time of Palmer's visit the war of 1812 had not been long ended and there was still a bitter feeling between Englishmen and Americans. On June 8th, 1817 Palmer started in a stage from George- town bound for Pittsburg. Leaving Frederick the next morning he proceeds.
"With great labour to the horses and eonsid- erable toil to ourselves, we reached the summit of the blue-ridge and began to descend when our axle-tree broke at a distance of 8 miles from Hagerstown, our destination for the night. It was getting dark and we had no recourse left but to find our way on foot as well as we eould. The driver did not accompany us, staying to put his vehiele in order, but gave us directions how to proceed. Anyone acquainted with the state of roads in America, will readily suppose we got lost, which was the case several times; but the country being pretty well inhabited, after penetrat- ing the woods in various directions, we at last succeeded in finding the town, very much fatigued and happy to find a good supper on the table and Mr. Edwards our landlord ready to accommodate.
"The stage setting off very early the following morning we expressed a wish to stay till Wednes- day to recruit ourselves; to which Mr. Edwards who is stage master. readily assented, saying it would make no difference.
"Hagerstown, Maryland, is situated in the fertile valley of Conegocheague, 70 miles from Washington. It is laid out at right angles, the houses three or four hundred in number, are of brick or stone; the public buildings are a Court House, stone Jail, Market House and Bank. The Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Meth- odists have each a meeting house. There are sev- eral good stores in the town and a number of mills are situate on Antietam creek. Considerable trade is carried on with the Western country. Billiards played with two red balls was a com- mon amusement of the young farmers and planters
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
who frequented our quarters; several of them also betrayed a partiality for slings and mint juleps, certain cordials, but I saw none drink to excess.
"Prices of provisions at Hagerstown, June 1817: Meat, 8 cts. per lb., butter 16 cts. ; cheese 13 cts .; whiskey 50 cts. per gallon; flour 50 cts. per stone; milk, 8 cts. per qt .; beer 12 1-2 cts per quart ; cyder 6 1-4 cts. per quart.
"The size of farms near Hagerstown is 200 acres, often half in wood. The soil is of excellent quality. Price of farms with improvements, near $100 per acre. Farm horses $100, cows from $10 to $30 each. Labour, if a white man, $12 to $14 a month and board, or $1 per day. Taxes of all sorts do not exceed $3 to $1000 of property owned. The amount of produce to the acre and the price per bushel is given as follows :
Produce per Acre Price
Wheat. 25 to 30 bushels
$1.40
Oats.
20 to 25 bushels 40
Rye.
25 bushels 90
Buckwheat
15 bushels 35
Corn
35 bushels 60
Clover .
.2 ton 12.00
Mr. Paliner left Hagerstown June 11 at 3 a. m. en route for Pittsburg arriving at Mercersburg for breakfast.
In the summer of 1818 the people of the County and especially the farmers upon whom all the rest depended, began to feel the pinch of hard times and immediately looked around for some object to which their evil plight could be attrib- uted. Their eyes fell upon the banks and there was great popular outcry against these institutions. Benjamin Galloway issued a call in the newspapers for a public meeting to "protest against the pre- vailing system of banking or swindling." There was a general response and a large number gath- ered and listened to a speech from Mr. Galloway. Wheat had been selling for a good price early in 1818 but crops had failed and the farmers could not make both ends meet. Nor was the distress confined to Washington County. It was general throughout the State and in other States. In Pennsylvania public meetings were held and de- mands were made upon Congress to reduce sata- ries of officials and upon the people to give up the use of all foreign goods. The General Assembly of Maryland passed a stay law. Samuel A. Chew, the cashier of the Conococheague Bank of Wil- liamsport, issued a call for a meeting of the stock- holders of the bank. This he did, not because the
bank was insolvent, but because of the general bus- iness depression. The meeting was accordingly held, Frederick A. Schley presiding. Upon mo- tion of Judge John Buchanan. it was determined to close up the affairs of the company. A com- inittee composed of Frederick A. Schley, Alex. Neill, Richard Ragan, Frederick Dorsey and James S.Lane was appointed to look into the affairs of the company. After doing so, they reported that the bank was entirely solvent. The stock of the bank was received in payment of indebtedness and the affairs were closed up. Some years later the present Washington County Bank took the place of the Conococheague. In the meantime the ar- rests for debt and the applications for the benefit of the laws for insolvent debtors were unprecedent- ed. The stock of the Hagerstown Bank was not seriously affected and in 1821 it was selling at par. When the stay law expired by limitation in 1821 debtors found themselves in no better condition to pay their debts than they were two years before and petitions to the Legislature were everywhere circulated and signed to have the time extended. In 1821 the crops were greatly dam- aged. The corn was attacked by the cut worm and the wheat by the fly and all the erops were injured by severe hail storms. In the autumn there was a change for the better in the circum- stances of the people brought about by an ad- vance in October, of the price of flour to six dol- lars per barrel and then in two weeks to a further advance to eight and ten dollars. This would have afforded great relief to the farmers if they had had much wheat for sale. But unfortunately this was not the case either here or elsewhere as was attested by an occurrence which stands almost alone in the history of the country. In 1822 the "Volcan" arrived at New York laden with wheat from England. This immediately suggested a re- sort to the English corn laws and the enactment of such an impost was at once advocated by the New York Commercial Advertiser and many other newspapers. About this time or during the fol- lowing month wheat was selling in Baltimore at a dollar and forty-eight cents a bushel and flour at six dollars and a half a barrel. That summer no rain fell within the County, in sufficient quan- tities to afford any relief, from May until August. The potato and corn crops were destroyed and the yield was not sufficient to pay for gathering them. Water was very scarce and although the Antietam scarcely contained a sufficient quantity to turn the
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
mill wheels, the people of Middletown and the eastern portion of Frederick County were compell- ed to bring their grain to the mills along this stream to get it ground. In 1818 and previously the waters of the Antietam moved the machinery of a Paper Mill. "one mile from Hagerstown on the great road leading from Hagerstown, through Herman's Gap to Baltimore." This year a move- ment was started to bridge the Potomac at Shep- herdstown. A notice published in the Torch Light in 1818 by the proprietor of the Globe Tav- ern gives a curious insight into a practice which prevailed, not only at that tavern, but in ali oth- ers in the town. The proprietor of the Globe in- formed the public that he was well aware that certain persons, with whom he was well acquainted, were in the habit of skulking around his house, eve-dropping in order to gain information of convivial parties who were enjoying themselves. These "convivial parties" were gamblers. The hotels were the headquarters of professional gamb- lers who plied their trade there. These were men of excellent presence and address, dressed with scrupulous neatness in broadcloth. Their prey was the rich farmer and many a one of them would be compelled to sell his slaves or even his farm to pay the debts contracted during a night at the Globe Tavern. Some of the Taverns of the town and county at this time were the Columbian Inn on Washington street next to the Post Office. It was kept in 1820 by C. C. Fechtig, Jr. A tav- ern at Orr's Gap was a gathering place for thieves and other lawbreakers and it was even suspected that murders had taken place there and been con- cealed. The gatherings at this place on Sundays were particularly vicious. The north-west corner of Washington and Jonathan streets was known in 1820 as the Bell Tavern kept by Mrs. Kendal. The Eagle Tavern in the north-west angle of the square was re-established in 1821 by John Mc- Ilhenny. On North Potomac street was the Swan Tavern. Samuel Slicer kept a tavern on the West- ern Pike on north side of Sideling Hill. Charles Hesletine kept the Bell Tavern in Williamsport in 1822. Thomas Edwards kept the Columbian Inn at Boonsboro. In Sharpsburg there were four public houses which were kept by John Grove, Wm. Rohrback and John M. Knode, besides the one at Belinda Springs. Knode's Tavern burnt down along with Dr. Joseph C. Hayes' and other build- ·ings. In Clearspring in 1823 George Lowe kept the Western Hotel and Adam Brewer kept the
Clearspring Hotel. The Union Hotel in Leiters- burg was kept by William Kreps. In Indian Spring there was a tavern kept by Daniel Gchr, senior.
In the spring of 1820 was the first term of Court held in the new Court House. This build- ing was claimed to be at that time "equal in ele- gance and taste to any in the country." A peti- tion had been presented to the Legislature repre- senting that the old Court House was in a state of ruinous decay, that it was too small, that the public records were not safe and that the location of the building at the intersection of the two prin- cipal streets greatly injured the appearance of the town. Indeed as far back as 1802 there was a great outcry about the insecurity of the County records. In 1816, acting upon this petition, a law was passed appointing a commission to consist of John Blackford, Samuel Ringgold, William Gabby, John Bowles and Thomas C. Brant to buy a lot and build a Court House with the necessary offi- ces. The Levy Court were authorized to levy a sum not to exceed thirty thousand dollars in five annual installments to pay for the lot and build- ing. They were also directed upon the completion of the new building to demolish the old and sell the material to help to pay for the new building. This latter provision was subsequently changed and the old Court and Market House was given to the town to use the matter in erecting the pres- ent town hall and market house. The public ground upon which the old Court House stood was condemned as a public street not to be built upon or used but as a public street of the town. The commissioners bought the lot at the intersection of Washington and Jonathan streets extending down to the alley south of the Mail building. The two lots not covered by the Court House were subse- quently sold by the commissioners at $200 each. The architect and contractor of the new Court House was Thomas Harbine. The design was a square central hall surmounted by a dome and flanked on each side by a wing for the offices of the Clerk of the Court and Register of Wills. The Court Hall in the centre was a handsome room hung with tapestry but it was a whispering gallery and only in certain positions could a word be heard. A floor was then put in and the court hall removed up stairs but this did not improve mat- ters. The floor was then removed and afterwards a floor was made beneath the dome. This improv- ed the acoustic somewhat. In 1859 a large back
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HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
building was added and the court hall put into it so that it would be removed from the noise of the street. This building was destroyed by fire De- cember 6th, 1871. Whilst the Court House was building there was considerable activity in other buildings and especially of churches. Subscrip- tions to the new Episcopal Church on Jonathan street just back of the Court House were taken. Under the active pastorate of the Rev. John Cur- tis Clay the Epispcopal congregation had grown and prospered. The old building which had stood many years on Mulberry street opposite the Semi- nary and in the midst of the graveyard had be- come too small and very dilapidated. In July 1820 the subscribers met at the Court House and shortly afterward the building was begun and com- pleted. About Christmas 1821 Mr. Clay left the town greatly to the regret of the congregation, "his unremitting care of his parish," said the Torch Light, "his excellent discourses, amiable and pious deportment, secured the affection of all de- nominations." In July 1821 the building com- mittee of the new church, Eli Beatty, George Baer, Otho H. Williams and Franklin Anderson, bought the lot on Jonathan street for six hundred dollars from Christian Fechtig. The church was conse- crated June 18, 1825, by Bishop Kemp, the Rev. George Lemmen being the Rector. This church which had once been partially destroyed by fire, was burned along with the Court House in 1871. Although the great mass of the people of the Coun- ty were of German blood and belonged to the Lutheran or Reformed Churches, yet the Episcopal Church got an early foothold in the County and was perhaps the first which organized a congrega- tion. The whole of the County was originally a portion of All Saints Parish, Frederick County. It is believed that the first Episcopal Church in the County was a log chapel on the lane which leads from the College of St. James to the Sharps- burg pike and from which "Chapel Woods" takes its name. This was built about the year 1760 and in it the Rev. Bartholomew Booth a clergy- man of the church of England, and a celebrated teacher officiated. St. John's Parish. Hagerstown, or Frederick Parish as it was called until 1806, was created in 1770. It included until recently all of Washington County except Pleasant Valley which belongs to St. Mark's Parish, Frederick County. Separate congregations within this parish were created at various times. In 1819 a congre- gation was laid off in Sharpsburg under the name
. of St. Paul's and in 1835 St. Thomas', Hancock, in 1839 St. Andrew's, Clearspring. The chapel at the College of St. James was consecrated in 1842 and in 1852 a congregation was formed and a church built known as St. Mark's at Lappans. St. Luke's Chapel was built in Pleasant Valley within St. Mark's Parish, and later on the pretty stone St. Ann's Chapel at Smithsburg. The first church at Hagerstown was occupied about the year 1791. The first vestry was composed of John Stull, Daniel Hughes, Alexander Clagett, Thomas Sprigg, Richard Pindle, Nathaniel Rochester and Eli Williams. The Rev. George Bower was the first rector employed by them. In 1803 the church was still unfinished and an Act of Assembly was procured authorizing a lottery to raise $600 to com- plete the building. The Commissioners to conduct the lottery were Nathaniel Rochester, Richard Pindle, Ignatius Taylor, Robert Hughes and Otho Holland Williams. Prizes amounting to $3,000 were offered and the receipt from the sale of the tickets amounted to that exact sum. The profit was made by retaining twenty per cent. of the prizes paid. After the old church was remov- ed from the thickly peopled graveyard which sur- rounded it and in which many prominent and dis- tinguished men lie buried, the graveyard was re- tained and used by all the congregation until Rose Hill Cemetery was opened. Recently it has been enclosed in a substantial stone wall erected chiefly through the activity of Mr. Jones of Frederick County, a member of the Dall family, many of whom were buried in the churchyard.
The little golden soldier on the cupola of the Market House has been regarded as the tutular saint of Hagerstown. "Little Heiskell," for that is his name, was at one time more discussed and created a greater contention than any other matter within the town. He has been "buffeted by Boreas" and has pointed out the direction of the wind to the people for more than a century. Af- ter Hagerstown became a county seat the first desire of the people,after having a Court House was to have a Market House. The two went along together. The Court House which was sixty feet square, was perched upon pillars in the midst of the Public Square leaving a large open space below. This was the Market space. On one side of the Court House wall was a bell which rang out at sunrise on Wednesdays and Saturdays the market days and upon a rod which surmounted the roof of the building "Little Heiskell" revolved in obe-
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
dience to the wind just as he does today. After the building of a new Court House had been de- termined upon it also became necessary to take steps to procure a new Market House for the old building had to be demolished. An Act having this object, was passed by the General Assembly in December 1818. In the Act Peter Seibert, Jo- seph Gabby and Henry Shaffer were commissioned to buy a lot near the Square and to build a Mar- ket House upon it, and the Moderator and Com- missioners of the town were empowered to levy for the necessary funds or to borrow them at a rate of interest not to exceed six per cent. The old Court House was ordered to be demolished as soon as the new one should have been completed. The materials of the old building were given to the town to be used in the new building or to be sold and the proceeds applied to the payment of it. This bill was in response to a petition to the Leg- islature presented by the Washington County del- egation. This was the beginning of the movement for the Market House, but the end was a long way off. The first serious difficulty encountered by the Commissioners was procuring a suitable lot at a reasonable price. The lot was selected without dif- ficulty but they could not agree with the owner for a price. So condemnation was resorted to. But the price fixed by the jury was deemed by the town authorities too extravagantly high and far beyond the ability of the town to pay. So the matter rest- ed in abeyance for another year when additional legislation was obtained. Under this authority in September 1820, a new Commission, consisting of Frisby Tilghman, William O. Sprigg and Wil- liam H. Fitzhugh was formed. These Commis- sioners succeeded in buying the lot on the south- east corner of Franklin and Potomac streets, a full lot fronting eighty-two feet on Potomac and running back two hundred and forty on Franklin street. The price paid was one thousand dollars. On December 25, 1821, the Town Commissioners advertised for sale the east end of this lot which was described as one hundred and twenty feet long and eighty-two wide and that if application was not made before the 29th of that month, it would be otherwise disposed of. The Town furnished the materials to erect the buildings and advertised for proposals to do the work in December 1821, George Brumbaugh being the town elerk. About this time the plan of placing a Town Hall and a Masonic Hall for Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 33, over the Market House was first suggested and the Leg-
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