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 32
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in the English corn laws, with which Parliament had been experimenting since 1814 had begun to affect the market. The great difference between the price of wheat in Baltimore and IIagerstown naturally kept the subject of transportation con- stantly before the people. In April 1825 a meet- ing was called at the Court House "to ascertain the practicability" of uniting the head waters of the Antietam and Conococheague by a canal and to render both streams navigable. The Conoco- cheague could be rendered navigable much more readily than the Antietam. As far back as 1795 large quantities of flour and other produce de- scended the Conococheague to the Potomae and thence by boat to Georgetown whence it was slip- ped to Philadelphia. Some years before 1825 Governor Findlay, in a message to the Legislature of Pennsylvania suggested that the Conococheague and Conoedogwinnet, the latter being a stream which discharges into the Susquehanna near Har- risburg, should be united and in 1825 the canal
commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania urged the union of the Susquehanna with the Potomac by these streams, as a most important measure. It was assumed that a national canal along the Potomac would soon be made and it was regarded as important that all the streams tributary to the Potomac should be made navigable and so afford an outlet to market for large tracts of country.
Whilst Maryland and Pennsylvania were thus working together in harmony to secure water transportation, there was a sharp competition go- ing on between the two States in the matter of the land transportation of the traffic between the East and West. It was foreshadowing the later com- petition which sprang up between the Maryland and Pennsylvania railroads which occupied in a measure the old lines of wagon and stage coach business. The Maryland route from Baltimore through Hagerstown and Cumberland by the national road was considered much the best road and had along with it the best taverns. But the Pennsylvania route had the advantage in distance and cheapness of fares. The distance by the for- mer route front Wheeling to Baltimore was 267 miles and the regular fare for a passenger by stage coach was $18.75. This was divided up as follows : From Wheeling to Uniontown, $4.25, thence to Cumberland $4; from Cumberland to Hagerstown $5; thence to Frederick $2; thence to Baltimore $3.50. By the Pennsylvania route through Cham- bersburg the distance to Baltimore from Wheeling was but 228 miles and the fare was $15.50. But although the Maryland route was forty miles longer, such was the superiority of the road, stages and teams that time consumed in the journey was the same-namely for the United States mails a little over three days.
About this time there was some endeavor to settle the division line between Washington and Frederick Counties. The line was originally des- ignated as following the crest of South Mountain but it was discovered that the ridge was consider- ably broken and the crest had to be determined. In 1810 an Act had been passed to effect this. It provided that each County should appoint three commissioners to lay down the division line. But Washington County did not make any appoint- ment under the Act although Frederick did and when the subject was revived in 1823 it was doubt- ed whether action under the law of 1810 would then be valid. Another enabling act was accord- ingly passed in December 1824.
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Politics, however left but little time for any other publie matters. For several years there was a fever of excitement which was only surpassed by the two Jackson campaigns. In 1825 there were no less than five tickets for the Assembly before the people. These were the Union, the Christian, the People's, the Antietam and the Independent. The Christian ticket which was composed of Andrew Kershner, Joseph I. Mer- rick, James H. Bowles and Lancelot Jacques was opposed to the confirmation of the Act to remove the political disabilities of the Jews which had been passed at the former session. All of these were elected with the exception of Bowles who was defeated by Thomas Kennedy the author of the bill which had excited such bitter opposition in the County. He was on the Antietam and the Independent tickets. The next year the questions which were discussed during the campaign were the proposed revision of the constitution of the State and the State appropriations to construct the Canal. The candidates for electors of State Senators were John Bowles, William Gabby, John Van Lear, Jr., Ezra Slifer and Benjamin Gallo- way. As usual the latter conducted the campaign in the newspapers. He bitterly assailed Bowles and Gabby in prose and rhyme as being unfriendly to the Canal. These gentlemen replied candidly that they were opposed to taxing the people to make the Canal but if it could be built in any other way they would heartily favor it. This brought out many public expressions of opinion. One gentleman avowed himself in favor of build- ing a canal to every mill in the County. Lancelot Jacques, who was a candidate for re-election to the Assembly said he favored the canal but he had voted against the immense State appropriation at the previous session because he considered it be- vond the ability of the people to pay. A new Constitution was also discussed with extreme ran- cor. The people of the County were in favor of appropriations to the canal to any extent and Mr. Jacques' prudence cost him his re-election. Thos. B. Hall, Jonathan Newcomer, Henry Fouke and Robert M. Tidball were the successful candidates. One of these, Mr. Hall, received soon after his election the appointment of State Lottery Com- missioner with a salary of a thousand dollars a year. There were at this time four lotteries author- ized in this County. Under the Act of 1803 to rai- $5,000 for the Conococheagne bridge; under the Act of 1801 to raise $4,000 to build a market
house in Williamsport, and by the Aet of 1813 to raise $10,000 for the Hagerstown Academy. In 1827 a bill was passed to pay the Academy $4,000 upon condition it would relinquish its right to hold a lottery. During the melee of the State clection the contest for Congress was almost un- noticed. But there were four candidates in the field -- Michael (. Sprigg, John Lee, Samuel Hughes and Thomas Kennedy. In Washington County Sprigg received 899 votes, Lee 958, Hughes 621, Kennedy 592. Sprigg was elected. Mr. Kennedy, a few months later, in January 182; was elected State Senator and Joseph Gaboy was elected by the Legislature President of the Governor's Council. At this time Thomas Keu nedy was the Postmaster of Hagertsown. Then Hagerstown was next to Baltimore the most im- portant Post Office in the State. These two were the only "distributing" offices. The system of conducting business at the post office entailed con- siderable labor for which the trifling salary he received was but a small compensation. The en- tire revenue of the office did not exceed twelve hun- dred dollars a year and frequently did not reach that amount. Out of this had to be paid the salary of the postmaster, clerk hire, rent and fuel. Fre- quently three or four clerks had to be employed at night to get the mails ready for the stages. Mails had to be prepared to be sent by thirty-six stages and ten horsebaek mail carriers each week. Each package of letters had to be accompanied by a way bill showing the number of letters of each kind, whether prepaid, unpaid or free. Five per cent. commission was allowed on the amount of these bills. When unpaid letters were delivered to regular and trusted patrons the ercdit system prevailed and the number of charges entered upon the books amounted to nearly five thousand each year. The number of newspapers printed in Hag- erstown and dispatched through the mails were twenty-two thousand, those addressed to printers went free of charge. This business of the Post Office was very large at that day in proportion to the size of the town.
Hagerstown contained according to the cen- sus of 1810, a population of 2342-1.951 whites. 94 free negroes and 297 slaves. In ten years the increase had been but 348. The number of slaves had slightly decreased and the number of free negroes had increased. In 1827 the population of the town had increased to 3,262. It is interesting to note the varied ocenpation of these inhabitants.
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There were 7 clergymen, 11 attorneys, 8 doetors, 4 silversmiths, 3 coachmakers, a rope maker, 5 tinners and coppersmiths, 2 tobaeconists, 6 sad- dlers, 5 briek makers, 2 saddletree makers, 2 up- holsterers, 3 wheel wrights, 2 gunsmiths, 2 white smiths, 1 bellows maker, 8 cabinet makers, 12 mantua makers, 10 butchers, 2 eoopers, 10 weavers, 3 wagon makers, 13 house joiners, 6 blaeksmiths, 12 bakers, 5 brieklayers and stone masons, 1 nail maker, 7 plasterers, 2 barbers, 2 pump makers, 5 painters, 1 comb maker, 2 brass founders, a card- ing machine factory, a woolen factory, a plow factory, 20 shoemakers shops, 6 tanneries, 4 hat- ters, 4 potteries, 2 breweries, a book bindery, 3 printing offices, 38 stores, 13 taverns, 2 book stores, 2 drug stores, 3 confectioners. There were 15 schools-4 for females, 6 mixed, 1 classical, 3 Sabbath and a charity school. There were nine churches, the bank and the Academy. West Washington street was then as now the principal street and contained the largest proportion of brick houses ; but West Franklin was the most populous. The whole number of houses fronting upon the streets of the town was 558. Of these 128 were of brick, 43 of stone, 56 rougheast, 93 weather- boarded and 238 log. On West Franklin street there were 119 houses. The population of the different streets was as follows: E. Washington 208, W. Washington 874, S. Potomac 528, N. Po- tomac 913, E. Franklin and suburbs 527, W. Franklin 1,164, Antietam and South-Western sub- urbs 306. The town was then rejoieing in the possession of the new Court House, the Market House and Masonic Hall, the large new jail con- taining four inmates-a runaway negro, one for sale, one prisoner for debt and a man who could not agree with his wife. The town hay scale, bad just burned down in January of that year.
In the year 1827 there came journeying to Hagerstown one Mrs. Anne Royall, "author of Sketches of History, Life and Manners in the United States and Tennesseean." She seems to have been a native of Maryland and somewhat bumptious and not at all judicial in making her estimates. In "The Black Book," published in 1828 she gives her impressions of various parts of the United States including Maryland and an account of her trip to Hagerstown. She went from Baltimore to Washington, thence through Montgomery County to Fredericktown, thence to Harper's Ferry, to Charlestown, to Shepherdstown and thenee to Hagerstown. Frederiektown, Mrs.
Royall found to be "the handsomest town in Maryland, except. Baltimore, and hardly exceeded by il."
In the year 1827 stages plied through Shep- herdstown to Baltimore, crossing the Potomae at the town and going on to Boonsboro proceeding thence eastward by the great Western road. From Shepherdstown Mrs. Royall saw "a beautiful man- sion perched on the Summit of a lofty eminenee on the opposite shore." "Wishing to take a near view of the site I left my baggage to come with the stage, and crossed the river. After a pretty fatiguing walk up a moderate mount, I found myself on a level plain where sits the mansion, or palace rather, of- It is built in the form of an L and is the most splendid building of any country house in the State and the view from it equally grand. But the house appears to more advantage when viewed from the Virginia shore. It however lacks nothing to render it a paradise ; it is well built of bricks and magnifieently finished. The terraces, net work, gardens and shrubbery all correspond. was sitting in his eool portico which overlooks the whole country, and was watching me, he said, from the time I left Shepherdstown. He is a middle aged man, mar- ried to a beautiful young wife, if I remember, his second wife. It is said he made his fortune from his farm on the Potomac, and the Ferry. After taking a glass of his cool water and ehatting some time, I walked down to the ferry house in order to be ready for the stage, which did not ar- rive in some time. At length it appeared on the opposite shore rolling down to the river, and I am once more on the road."
This stage carried Miss Royall to Boonsboro where she changed to one of the "liners" plying Westward from Baltimore to the Ohio river. Of her journey through Washington County Mrs. Royall says :
"The land is very rough and hilly, for some distance after leaving the Potomac and not a pas- senger in the stage but myself. Of course the stage from want of weight was rough. The farms on the way were indifferent until we reached Boonsboro, where we happened to come in the nick of time ; had we been a half a second later I should have lost my passage that night.
"Here a chubby German rather more than half drunk, came up to the door of the stage in which I was still sitting, to know which was my baggage. I asked him if he was the Hagerstown
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driver. He replied he was; good! "Do you think you are sober enough to drive a coach?" "Vy, yes, I always trifes pest ven I iss half trunk." "But friend, I rather think you are more than half. You have a Royal cargo, you must mind what you are about. If you don't act as straight as a line, I will have you np when I get to Hagerstown ; do you carry the mail ?" "Pe sure I toes." "You are a pretty fellow to be trusted with the mail, I shall see to this; we must have sober men if they can be found to carry the mail. Do you think you can drive me to Ilagerstown by dark?" "I will try." By this time his hat was off, and think- ing no doubt from the firmness of the tone, and the authentic manner I assumed, I could be no less than some great personage, he stood trembling to help me in the Hagerstown stage.
"The door of the tavern before which we stop- ped was crowded with people of tolerable appear- ance some of whom belonged to the Hagerstown stage; it was amusing to see the silent amazement at the manner in which I addressed the driver. 1 dare say they would have traveled through the United States without it ever coming into their heads to call those drunken fellows to account. It is needless to say that the driver was my hum- ble servant and friend during the drive.
"The stages in these parts are very large and strong and have four seats sufficiently large for four persons each. There were nine passengers ten with myself in the stage.
"Every eye was upon me. All was wonder! who can she be? was whispered. They were not long left to conjecture. A clerk who lived in Baltimore, one of the agents of the line, let out the secret. I had seen him it appears, in Stokcs & Stockton's office; and after renewing our ac- quantance he took his seat with the driver-as matters stood it was quite necessary for the driver to do his duty.
"I sat in the front seat and every now and then the driver would ask me how I was pleased. "Very well." "Ah, I warrant you shall say as you vas never petter trifed in all your life," which was true enough, for better horses or a better road is not to be found in the world than the road from Boonsboro to Hagerstown. The road is a great curiosity, being turnpiked with white stone, broken into small regular pieces, and laid as firm as the original rock. No floor could be more level ; it was one entire smooth pavement. It appeared more like sailing or flying rather than riding over
land; not a jar or a jolt the whole way, and I was proud to confirm the driver's prediction that I never had so pleasant a drive before nor, excepting my return on the same pavement. Meantime the poor driver became very sober and made very free use with the whip and we were not long going to Hagerstown. But the passengers-it was laugh- able to see how they sat staring like statues. Not one ventured to open his mouth until at length a man in a genteel garb who was beastly drunk, assailed me in a very abrupt and impertinent man- ner. 1 bore it in silence some time, and though he was too drunk to receive any benefit from a lecture on his unfortunate failing, I, at length, as a warning to the rest of the company, admon- ished him in a very sharp and pointed leeture. Ile was silent for some time but after awhile began again, when one of the passengers, a very genteel man who lived in Pittsburg, said, 'Sir, if you are not civil I will throw you out of the coach.' This sobered him a little, but if I could have found him at llagerstown he should have paid for his insolence.
"This valley is the finest country as to seen- cry. fertility and situation in the United States. It is called Conococheague Valley and lies between South Mountain, (the Blue Ridge) and Alleghany Mountain. Nothing can be imagined as a parallel to the beautiful appearance of these mountains. As you drive through the richest soil-fine houses -large fields of luxuriant, dark green wheat as far as the eye can see-the undulating mountains keeping pace with the traveller, affords one of the richest treats. The Blue Ridge loses none of its grandeur by changing states; the saine sublinie, blue, hold wave distinguishes this beautiful moun- tain to the Hudson river.
"It was only dark when we arrived in Hagers- town which lies on the grand road to Wheeling, leading from Baltimore and Philadelphia; of course is usually crowded with strangers. Situ- ated as it is in a fertile soil, and inhabited by an industrious German race, it is a flourishing, though not a very fashionable town. It contains about 2600 or perhaps 3000 inhabitants, six churches, a jail and court house and trades largely with the Western country. It is situated near a creek called Antietam. The site of the town is pleasant, the streets convenient and many of the houses elegant-I might say, superb. Hagerstown is principally settled by Germans and their de- scendants, and of course retains many of their
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OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
eustoms. The women are short and ill-shaped and have a vacaney of countenance which too evidently shows the want of proper schools. They, however, endeavor like their neighbors of Baltimore, to cover the defect of dress which only makes the matter ten times worse; for when we see a very fine dressed lady, we of course, without any other evidence, set her down for an ignorant woman or a very great fool.
"Hagerstown, notwithstanding, is the seat of some literary taste and a great deal of good feel- ing and hospitality. Many of the first gentlemen of the State reside in Hagerstown as well as Fredericktown. This is always the case when rich land obtains. The wealth and independence, re- sulting from fertile land, is sure to attract those most qualified to estimate the advantage. Amongst these are Wm. Price, Esq., also Otho H. Williams, Eli B-y (Beatty?) R. Mc- -, Esq., Dr. Reynolds, William D. Bell and Mr. Abbott. The names of these distinguished gentlemen are sufficient, as they are well known to be learned and accomplished, and rank among the first gentlemen in the State. These are not all. Franklin An- derson. Esq., whom I had not the pleasure to see, he being absent, is very highly spoken of. Be- sides these there are many enlightened gentlemen in IIagerstown. But of all wild beasts (he must be a missionary)-is the greatest. He and one Sneakgun or Sneaking or some such namne, with the landlord where I put up, are the last men in Maryland. The landlord (I do not know his name) but to warn all travellers who do not wish bad fare, their poekets picked and to be insulted and robbed afterwards, he lives, or did live, next door to the Post Office.
"This is the worst public house I have met with in the Atlantie country and none can be less worthy of patronage. The chambermaid was drunk all the time I was there; no more necd be said of her. Her mistress was ignorant, proud, squat, seornful and sluttish. The house was small and dirty, the windows high and the passages nar- row. The landlord I never saw. I called for my bill the night previous to my departure; it was a third too high. I paid what I usually paid at oth- er places and quit the house instantly. Next morning the ruffian bar keeper refused to give up my trunk and I came off without it, intending to have the fellow up for robbery ; but my friends in Baltimore sent for it. Now it is disgraceful to our country that strangers are robbed in this man-
ner .* * I am astonished that towns which receive such great advantages from strangers do not fix the rates of tavern keepers and compel them under pain of a heavy fine to keep them in the publie rooms ; and make it erimnal for any beastly tavern keeper to stop people's trunks. * *
"I had but a very few days to spend at Hag- erstown and my way lying through Frederiektown, I had the pleasure of saluting my friends there once more. In travelling from Hagerstown to Fredericktown we cross the Blue Ridge, which is pretty steep and rough but affords an extensive prospeet."
Among the sixty-four inmates of the Ahns House, who died there that year was Ira Hill. This eccentric personage was constantly before the people in the public print. He had been a school teacher and possessed some learning but his mind was always unbalanced. He was an inveterate talker and was deeply interested in the Aboriginies of America, its geology and its antiquity. Upon the latter subject he published a book and wrote many articles. IIe was always ready to explam to his own entire satisfaction any oeeucrrence which was regarded as extraordinary. He eould always tell the cause of a cold spell of weather or a rainy period or a time of heat and drought. At the time of his death his faculties were entirely deranged.
The following year it seemed as if the entire population of the County had lost their minds in the wild exeitement of the Jackson eampaign. Undoubtedly the majority of what were termed in earlier days the "well-born and the wealthy," in the County were favorable to Adams, but the masses of the people were ardently attached to the hero of New Orleans. Between the "adminis- tration party" and the Jackson party or loeo-foeos, as they were ealled in derision by their opponents a war of declamation and newspaper controversy was waged with untiring zeal and fierce bitterness. An aged and an honored citizen ordinarily the most inild mannered and benevolent of men, who had filled the most exalted official positions in County and State, declared in the public print that those persons who should attend an administra- tion meeting were two legged swine was met by the following response from a correspondent of one of the Whig papers which is here given to illus- trate the bitterness of the prevailing feeling :
"In my former Nos. I have shown that this grey-headed slanderer is in principle a coward and
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by education an aristocrat-that he was a TORY in the revolution and a monarchist in later days- that he was a traitor to his party, and a reercant from duty-that he was the tool of a faction and the slave of a cabal-that he was the slanderer of his own father, and the defamer of his own character-that he has been the sport of the little boys and the pity of the hinnane and benevolent -that his whole character constitutes a compound of venality and iniquity, which no pen can paint, and which no man can comprehend. This politic- al mountebank-this moral desperado-who, at times denounces and at times pays court to the people-but a few days since publicly declared, that not one man out of fifty should be entitled to a vote-that one-half of that number were fools and the other half knaves. And, but two days ago denounced over his own signature, those who shall attend the Administration meeting. as two legged swine. This man, whose very breath speaks pestilence, and in whose every action iniquity is personified, is now engaged with the industry of a demon and the malignity of a fiend in slandering the best men of the country and in sowing the seeds of disorganization-this man of morbid soul -this compound of cold-hearted villainy-is ren- dering himself conspieuous by the prostitution of his worn-out powers to the bavest political drud- gery. which has ever been resorted to by the most depraved of one party for the injury of another. This man must be chained by his friends or seourg- ed by his enemies, or we may bid good bye, during his natural life, in elections, to everything like Fair Play.
This memorable campaign was opened during the summer of 1821 by an administration meeting in Hagerstown of which F. Zeller was chairman and Alex. Neill and David Clagett were secretar- jes. A large delegation consisting of some of the leading men of the County was sent to the State convention in Baltimore. Among these were Wil- liam Price. Major David G. Yost. Dr. Frederick Dorsey, Col. Frisby Tilghman, Franklin Anderson, Dr. Michael U Findlay, Alex. Neill, Col. John Blackford, Joseph Gabby, Thomas B. Hall and Samuel M. Hitt. Two months later this was fol- lowed by a great Jackson meeting at the Court House. John Wolgamot and Elias Baker were chairmen. John D. Grove and Daniel Rench seere- taries. Committees of vigilence and correspond- once were appointed for each district. The num- ber present was estimated at one thousand. Thom-
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