USA > Maryland > Cecil County > History of Cecil County, Maryland, and the early settlements around the head of Chesapeake Bay and on the Delaware River, with sketches of some of the old families of Cecil County > Part 33
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This effort failed owing to the inability of the commis- sioners to obtain the requisite amount of subscriptions to the stock, and at the session of 1812, an act was passed author- izing and requiring John Creswell, Samuel C. Hall, and Lawrence McComb, of Cecil County, and John Stump, John Archer, and James Stevenson, of Harford County, who
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were appointed commissioners for the purpose, to fix upon a site for a bridge at such point on the Susquehanna River, at or near the head of tide water at Kerr's Island, near Rock Run, as to them should appear most proper. This act also designated twenty of the most influential citizens of Baltimore, Harford, and Cecil counties, to solicit subscrip- tions. The commissioners employed Hugh Beard, alluded to in connection with the town at Creswell's Ferry, to lay out a site for the bridge. His certificate of survey is dated the 16th of August, 1813. It shows that the bridge, or bridges, were to extend from the Harford shore to Wood's Island, thence to Kerr's Island, thence to Steel's Island, and from there to the Cecil shore. By this route the bridges be- tween the Harford shore and Kerr's Island were placed fur- ther up the river than the others, and the turnpike connect- ing them crossed Kerr's Island at a considerable angle. This route required three thousand three hundred feet of bridging and two hundred perches of turnpike across the islands. This site was not satisfactory, probably for the rea- son that the route was longer than was necessary, and by a supplementary act passed in 1815, the company was author- ized to change it.
Eight years had elapsed since the first effort to erect the bridge had been made and still it had not been commenced. This long delay was caused by the scarcity of money and the reluctance of capitalists to invest in an enterprise that seemed hazardous and uncertain. Probably they had doubts about the practicability of maintaining the bridge, after it was erected, on account of the tremendous ice floods in the river. But financial ability seems never to have been wanting among the citizens of Port Deposit, and they tried perhaps the only plan that could have resulted suc- cessfully, that was, to have the charter amended so as to allow the company to carry on the banking business. This change was effected in 1816, and was eminently successful. The site selected at this time, which was the one upon
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which the bridge was built, crossed the river, which at that place was only twenty feet less than a mile wide, nearly at right angles. This route was upwards of a thousand feet shorter than the other one. At the same time, about four acres of the river bank on the Cecil side, contiguous to the abutment, was condemned for the use of the company, for the purpose of obtaining stone for the construction of the abutments and piers.
It is worthy of remark, as showing the changes that have taken place since that time, that the owners of this land, in most cases, received but one cent damages each, which was equivalent to about one cent an acre. The bridge was in course of construction in 1817 and was finished the next year. Kerr's Island was then owned by Robert Kerr, whose large family of seven daughters and four sons were born on it.
At this time, Dr. John Archer was president and Thomas L. Savin, cashier of the company. The company was author- ized to discount notes and issue bank bills, and though it is probable that the bridge could not have been built without a resort to this or some similar means, it is doubtful if it finally was not productive of more harm than good, for the company ultimately failed, and the stockholders and holders of the notes in circulation lost heavily. This bridge was built by contract by a Mr. Burr, and was consumed by fire, on the 1st of January, 1823. The fire is said to have orig- inated from friction caused by an iron shod sleigh, which was driven rapidly over it. The bridge was rebuilt in 1829-30, by a Mr. Wormwag, who was the contractor; it remained standing until 1854, when one span of it was broken by a drove of cattle which were crossing. It was never repaired, and the remainder was carried away by a freshet in 1857.
The Susquehanna Canal never paid the proprietors much interest on the capital invested, and they were always in debt. In 1817 they owed the Bank of Maryland upwards
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of $30,000, for which a judgment was obtained, to satisfy which the canal was sold by Robert C. Lusby, who was then sheriff of this county. It was purchased by Samuel Sterritt, of Baltimore, who was treasurer of the canal company, for $40,000. There being doubts of the validity of this sale, Sterritt conveyed the canal back to the company in Febru- ary, 1819, in order that it might be resold for the benefit of the creditors. An examination of the minute book of the company, from 1821 to 1835, which is all that is now ex- tant, throws some little light upon the history of the com- pany during that time.
During that period there were saw-mills in operation at Conowingo and Octoraro, and the company were quarreling a great deal with the proprietors of the mills about the quantity of water they used. The managers were also an- noyed by persons who used the tow-path for a highway, and in 1829 they passed a resolution requiring their agents to place such obstructions on it as would prevent it from being injured by wheeled carriages. This year the com- pany opened a quarry, near the east end of the bridge, which was the beginning of the trade in granite that has added so much to the prosperity of Port Deposit. The same year the managers fixed the rates of toll for coal barges or arks, which indicates that but few of them had come down the river before this time. A motion was made this year by one of the managers that a model of the boats used for the transportation of heavy goods and merchandise on the river Mersey, near Liverpool, be obtained for the purpose of ascertaining whether such boats were suitable for use on the canal and for the passage to Baltimore. This was only about a half a century ago, and it is hard to realize that the people of that time were so little acquainted with the means and appliances for canal and inland navigation. But the reader must not forget that this canal was among the first constructed in this country, and that steam naviga- tion was then in its infancy.
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In 1832 the company memorialized the Legislature in reference to two dams erected across the river, one at Nanti- coke and the other at Shamokin. These dams prevented the free navigation of the river, and were in violation of the compact between Maryland and Pennsylvania, in con- sequence of which Maryland had consented to charter the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and the other company asked the Legislature to use such means as would cause the dams to be removed. In 1832 the company purchased thirty acres of land for a log-pond. Previous to this time it had a small pond, but the increased amount of lumber that passed through the canal made it necessary to enlarge it. In 1835 the canal from Columbia to the State line was projected, and the proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal seem at first to have been very favorably impressed with it; so much so as to send a considerable sum of money to Har- risburg to be used in helping to obtain the charter.
The Pennsylvania Company was incorporated in 1835, and the proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal immediately offered to sell out to it, or to continue their canal to tide water with locks of a capacity equal to those of the other canal, and to charge no more toll per mile than it did, which fully explains why they had spent their money to aid the other company in obtaining its charter. Shortly after this ar- rangement was sought to be effected, it was ascertained that the proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal had no legal au- thority to sell the franchise conferred upon them by their charter. This led to a long and angry newspaper contro- versy between the friends of the respective companies. The Pennsylvania Company threatened to cross the river above the State line and continue their canal to tide water, thus effectually destroying the business of the other one. The Maryland Company charged the other one with trying to depreciate the value of their stock and trying to make the impression on the public that instead of being valuable as so much of the work already completed it was a hindrance
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to the new enterprise. The matter was finally adjusted by an act of the Legislature of Maryland, passed in 1836, in compliance with which the two companies were subsequently consolidated. This was effected by the new company pur- chasing a large preponderance of the stock and assuming all the incumberances and responsibilities of the old one. Thus ended a controversy between the people of the two States about the navigation of this turbulent river that had continued for forty years and at times was as turbulent as the river itself.
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CHAPTER XXIII.
County divided into election districts-County commissioners-Loca- tion of boundary line between Cecil and Harford-Number of mills in Ceeil County-Elkton wheat market-Manufactories -Charlestown- Elkton bank-Line of packets between Baltimore and Philadelphia cid Elkton-Frenchtown and New Castle Turnpike Company-Curious pro- vision in the charter.
PREVIOUS to the Revolutionary war, the elections for dele- gates to the Legislature were held at the county seat, and the people voted vire roce. From the close of that war until 1800, elections were still held at the seat of justice, and continued for three days; but in that year, Henry Pearce, Colonel John Creswell, William Alexander, Jacob Reynolds, and Samuel Hogg, who had been designated by the Legislature as commissioners, laid off the county into four election dis- tricts. The first district included all that part of the county south of Back Creek and the Elk River; elections were held at Warwick, in the house of Isaac Woodland. The second district included all that part of the county north of Back Creek, and east of a northerly line running from Elk ferry, along certain old roads long since closed, until it struck the North East Creek, and continued up the creek to the fork thereof, thence up the eastern branch until it forked, thence by a northerly course until it reached the State line ; elections were held in Elkton in the court-house. The third district included that part of Elk Neck, west of Elk ferry and that part of the county between the western boun- dary line of the second distriet and Principio Creek, and a northerly line from near the head of that creek to the State line; elections were held at Charlestown, in the house of Samuel Hogg. The fourth district included all that part of the
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county west of the third district ; elections were held at Battle Swamp, in the house of Greenbury Rawlings. Jacob Reynolds did not sign the return made by the other com- missioners, probably for the reason that he did not agree with them about the place of holding the election in the fourth district, which soon after was changed to the village of Rising Sun. These districts remained intact until 1835, when Joseph Bryan, Edward Wilson, William Macky, Henry C. Chamberlaine, Thomas S. Thomas, George Kidd and Patrick Ewing were appointed by an act of the Legislature to lay off the county into seven districts. This change was made in deference to the wishes of the people in regard to the selection of county commissioners.
By the act of 1797 five persons were to be appointed by the executive, styled " Commissioners of the tax," who were to levy the tax and do such other business generally as had previously been transacted by the justices' court, when sit- ting as a levy court; but in 1827 this law was repealed, and it was enacted that five commissioners should be elected by the people. One of these commissioners was to be chosen from each district by the voters of the district, except the second, from which two were to be chosen. This law did not work satisfactorily for obvious reasons, and the Legisla- ture sought to abridge the power of the second district by the act of 1829, which provided that the commissioners should be elected by the people of the whole county, but made no change in the number, and still required two of them to be taken from the second district.
The commissioners appointed by the act of 1835 met at the court-house early in April, 1836, and appointed Thomas Richards in place of Patrick Ewing, who refused to serve, and on the 21st of June, 1837, completed their work, having laid off the county into districts, nearly as they are at pre- sent, except that the eighth district was formed out of parts of the sixth and seventh by an act of the Legislature in 1852, and the ninth in the same manner in 1856, out of
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parts of the fourth, fifth, and sixth districts. It is worthy of remark that only four of the commissioners signed the report, which indicates that the others did not agree with them.
In 1829 the Legislature appointed James Steel, Stephen Boyd, Washington Hall, Levi II. Evans, and Samuel Irwin, commissioners to locate the boundary line between Cecil and Harford counties. They finished their work in 1832. Their report shows that they began at the State line, at a rock called Long Rock, in the middle of the Susquehanna River, in which they inserted an iron bolt, marking the rock with the initials of the two counties, and continued the line southwardly by various islands and rocks in the river until they reached a large, flat rock, at the lower part of Watson's Island, which they marked with a ring and bolt and the letters H and C.
It is stated in a history of Maryland and Delaware, pub- lished in Philadelphia, by Joseph Scott, in 1807, that at that time there were fifty-three grist and merchant-mills in this county, and that Cecil Furnace, on Principio Creek, was in successful operation, and cannon, equal to any manufactured in the United States, were made there. There were, in ad- dition to these, a forge at North East, one on the Octoraro, and one on the Big Elk ; several rolling and slitting-mills* on the Elk Creeks, and a nail factory at Marley. There were also fifty saw-mills, four fulling-mills, and two oil-mills in the county. Elkton was described as " one of the greatest wheat markets in America, 250,000 bushels being sold in a year." This quantity may now seem too small to have war- ranted this assertion, but at this time the fertile fields of the Western States were an unexplored wilderness, and a great. deal of the wheat produced in Lancaster County was sold in Elkton, and to the millers along the Elk Creeks, who found a market for their flour in Philadelphia. Strange as it may
* Mills for separating bars of iron lengthwise by water-power.
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now seem, the assertion was probably quite true. It is stated in Scott's History that Elkton contained one hundred and twenty dwellings, and that about a thousand castor and and wool hats were made there annually. And that Charles- town contained forty-five dwellings and two hundred and fifty inhabitants, and the two stores there sold annually £7,000 worth of goods, and that there was a market house in Charlestown, in which markets were held twice a week, and that six vessels sailed from that town weekly. The cabinet making and windsor chair making were also carried on extensively in Charlestown, and the author mentions as a notable fact that fifty pairs of boots and two thousand pairs of shoes were made there annually. The fact is that boots were very little used in this country at that time, only a few of the wealthy people being able to afford so expensive a luxury. Charlestown at this time was the most impor- tant town in the county and had reached the height of its prosperity. The people of the county were generally a free and easy set of "hale fellows well met," and were given to fun and frolic. On Saturday afternoons it was customary for the people of many neighborhoods to assemble at the country stores and taverns and indulge in playing at ball and "long bullets." Long bullets, though a very popular game at that time, has long since fallen into disuse, and very few persons now living know how it was played. It appears, however, to have consisted in throwing cannon- balls of several pounds weight, as far as possible, by two sets of players, those who scored the greatest distance being the winners of the game. The citizens of Charlestown indulged in this game to such an extent as to endanger the lives and limbs of pedestrians, and in 1802, the town commissioners passed the following ordinance :
" Whereas, the inhabitants of Charlestown have suffered, and have been likely to suffer, by playing long bullets on the streets of the aforesaid town. In consequence whereof the commissioners of Charlestown have agreed and passed into a law, that any person or persons who will be found
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playing long bullets on the streets before mentioned shall pay a fine of five dollars with costs of suit if any for every such offense."
The village of Brick Meeting-house, then called Notting- ham, contained eleven dwellings and ninety-two inhabitants, and the writer before referred to informs his readers that clocks and mathematical instruments were made there. IIc also states that the flour trade of Elkton had declined since the establishment of banks in Baltimore, and it was no doubt with a view of restoring it that the Elkton Bank was chartered. This bank was the first in the county, and was chartered in 1810. The business of the bank was transacted for a time in the old brick building two doors east of the Court-house. Twenty-one of the most influential citizens of the county were named in the act of incorporation, any five of whom were empowered to act as commissioners to put the bank in
operation. The capital stock was to consist of $300,000 money of the United States, divided into 6,000 shares of $50 cach, 2,000 shares being reserved to the State. The act of incorporation provided that all notes offered for discount should be made negotiable at the banking house, and when the drawer did not reside in Elkton, the notes were to be made payable at the house of some person in the town and notice given at said house that the note had become due was to be held and considered as binding on the drawer and endorsers as if it had been personally served upon each of them. This bank continued in operation until 1822, when it failed, owing to the fact that the millers for whose con- venience it had been chartered, sold their flour on credit to certain merchants in Philadelphia, who unfortunately failed and the millers, being largely indebted to the bank, were unable to meet their engagements.
In 1806-7 the first line of packets between Baltimore and Philadelphia was established by William McDonald and Andrew Henderson. It consisted of four sloops which ran to Frenchtown, whence freight was carried by wagons to New Castle and thence to Philadelphia by water. Shortly after
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this time another line was started between the two cities via Court-house Point and a point on the Delaware near Port Penn. The two lines were soon consolidated under the name of the Union Line, after which the line via Court-house Point was discontinued.
The large amount of business done by this line and the difficulty of transporting passengers and freight across the peninsula on the roads then in use, led to the organization of the Frenchtown and New Castle Turnpike Company, which was chartered in 1809. The act of incorporation con- tains many curious provisions, but is too long to be inserted here. It required the turnpike to be laid out one hundred feet wide, and further required that an artificial road, at least twenty feet wide, be constructed and well bedded with wood, stone, gravel, clay, or other proper and convenient ma- terials, well compacted together a sufficient depth to secure a solid foundation for the same. By the terms of the char- ter, the turnpike was to be finished in three years,which was not done, and in 1813, the Legislature extended the time, having in the meantime made the important discovery that clay was not a proper and convenient material for bedding the road.
The schedule of tolls, which is lengthy, but moderate, con- tains many curious provisions, one of which is as follows: " For every cart or wagon, the breadth of the wheels of which shall be more than seven inches, and not more than ten inches, or being of the breadth of seven inches, and shall roll more than ten inches, two cents for each horse drawing the same; for every cart or wagon, the breadth of the wheels of which shall be more than ten inches, and not exceeding twelve inches or being ten inches shall roll* more than fifteen, one cent and a half for each horse drawing the same; and for any such carriage
* This seems to indicate that the fore and hind wheels were not inten- ded to run in the same track, but were purposely made to run in different ones, for the purpose of smoothing and compaeting the road, which had it been made of clay as at first contemplated, it frequently would have badly needed.
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the breadth of the wheels of which shall be more than twelve inches, one cent for each horse drawing the same."
Whether wagons were made in those days with wheels, the rims of which were of the width of ten and twelve inches, has not been ascertained, but the Legislators of the State in 1809 seemed to be of the opinion that they might be made, and graduated the toll according to the width of the rim of the wheels that might be used on the turnpike.
CHAPTER XXIV.
War of 1812-British fleet in Chesapeake Bay-Camp of observation on Bull's mountain-General Thomas MI. Foreman-Forts Hollingsworth , and Defiance-Colonel William Garrett-Persons employed in building Fort Detiance-British land on Spesutia Island-Visit Turkey Point- Burn Frenchtown-Zeb. Furgusson-British fail to reach Elkton-Inci- dents and anecdotes-Burning of Havre de Grace-Poetical extract- Pillaging-British burn Principio Furnace-Destruction of Frederick- town and Georgetown-Brave defence of Colonel Veazey-List of militia under him-Treaty of Ghent-Rejoicing-Accident at Fort Hollings- worth.
IT is not within the scope of this work to discuss the causes that led to the war of 1812, for that reason it suffices to say that the people of this country were divided in their opinions respecting the justice of it; and, while the Demo- cratie party, then in power, was in favor of the war, the Federalists opposed it. Owing to this, party spirit was very bitter in Baltimore at that time, and manifested itself in riotous and disorderly conduct ; but to the credit of the people of this county, though probably a majority of them belonged to the Federal party, no riotous demonstrations occurred within its limits.
At that time this country had not completed the first third of a century of its existence as an independent nation, and was but illy prepared to cope successfully with Eng- land, which then was probably the strongest nation on earth. In December, 1812, England declared the posts on the Chesapeake and Delaware bay under blockade ; and in the February following, a large squadron under Admiral Cookburn entered the former and commenced preying upon our commerce, and plundering and pillaging the inhabi- tants along its shores. Their primary object was the capture
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of Baltimore City, which was then, as now, the commercial emporium of the State. At this time many of the militia of the county were in that city, having been summoned there to aid in its defense. This left the county in great measure unprepared to repel the attacks of the British ; but what few militia remained at home did the best they knew.
Early in the spring of that year they established a camp of observation on the summit of Bulls Mountain, and stationed a company of cavalry there to watch the enemy and give notice of their approach, by means of a line of mili- tary posts, extending from that place to Elkton. They also prepared to defend the county seat and the other towns along the navigable waters of the county, but owing to their want of experience and the scarcity of artillery, their efforts were of little avail when the threatened invasion took place.
General Thomas M. Foreman* was in command of this
* General Thomas Marsh Foreman was a native of Kent Island and a grandson of Thomas Marsh, who bequeathed him the plantation called " Rose Hill," in Sassafras Neck. upon which most of his life was spent. When the Revolutionary war commenced he was living on this plantation in charge of a tutor, and though only fifteen years of age, ran off and joined the American army. His friends being unable to induce him to return home, procured for him the position of aid-de-camp to General Sterling. During the occupation of Philadelphia by the British he was stationed at the Green Tree Tavern to prevent the Tory market people from communicating with the enemy. He was one of the representatives of Cecil County in the General Assembly in 1790 and 1800, and served under General Armstrong during the bombardment of Fort Mellenry, in 1813. Ilis remains are interred in the family burying ground at Rose Hill, and are covered with a marble slab, on which is the following epi- taplı : "To the memory of a gallant soldier of the Revolution, Major Thomas Marsh Foreman, eldest son of Ezekiel Augustine Foreman, who was born August 20th, 1758. At the age of fifteen he joined the army, and at Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth, Brandywine, and Valley Forge bravely fought and endured. He died after a short illness, in a firm but humble hope of merey through his Lord and Savior, on the 8th of Jan., 1845." There is evidently an error in the above epitaph. Gen- eral Foreman was probably eighteen years of age when he joined the army.
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