USA > Maryland > Talbot County > History of Talbot county, Maryland, 1661-1861, Volume II > Part 41
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52 The boundaries of the Wards here given are probably sufficiently explicit.
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Pleasant, and the Church land. This church land lay within Braddock's ward or square, and at a subsequent date most of it was sold by direction of the vestry. After the survey had been completed, the commissioners drew up a report of their procedures, and, with a plot of the town, filed it with the Clerk of the county for record; but a diligent search has not been able to discover the book in which this report was copied. The town thus described is situated upon an arm making out from the South side of St.Michaels river and is about twelve miles from the Chesapeake Bay. According to the Coast Survey the Episcopal church near the centre of the town is in Latitude 38 degrees 46 minutes 58 seconds, and in Longitude 76 degrees 16 minutes 10 seconds west from Greenwich; and it is eleven miles and five hundred and seven yards from the Court House at Easton. The limits of the town as laid off by these commissioners and their surveyor remained unaltered until the year 1852, when upon the petition of sundry of its inhabitants the legislature authorized that certain lands adjacent to the corporate lines should be embraced within the corporate limits. These lands were thus defined in the Acts of Assembly. "Beginning on Talbot street at a stone which limits the original corporation [of 1804] at the northeast corner of a lot belonging to the heirs of Richard Harrington on said street, and running south eighty-three degrees west two hundred and forty feet to New Street; crossing said street a space of sixty feet and continuing beyond or west of said street one hundred and twenty feet; thence parallel with Talbot street, north two and one-half degrees west eight hundred and fifty-five feet to Church Neck road thence cross- ing said road north twenty degrees west three hundred and forty-six feet to the division line between the lands of William Jones and John N. Hambleton; thence south eighty-seven and one-half degrees east two hundred and eighty feet to Talbot street, including that portion of the town not embraced in the former Act. For the purpose of com- pleting this relation of the bounds of the town, reference must be made to the Act of Assembly of the year 1860, by which the jurisdiction of the Commissioners was extended over "the waters of St. Michaels harbor west of a line drawn from Navy Point to Jones' Point." This same act amended the original charter in certain particulars that need not here be noted. Again in 1880 another act was passed which con- tained numerous amendments so full and comprehensive as to be equiva- lent to a new charter; but as these are not significant of any changes in the character of the town, or the social condition of the people though they do indicate increased growth, any detailed statement of them is
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unnecessary. They relate chiefly to the government of the municipality, and for the better conduct of this government the Commissioners were. reduced in number from five to three, were allowed to appoint one of their number President of the Board, who became virtually Mayor, a Treasurer, a Clerk and a Bailiff, officers which already had an actual if not a legal existence. The limits of the town jurisdiction in the har- bor, by this act of 1880 was "a line drawn from Parrott's Point to Three Cedar Point," so that the whole harbor was included. In the year 1868 an Act of Assembly had authorized the appointment of a harbor master. The appointment of this officer and the extending of the town jurisdiction over the harbor had been rendered necessary by the development of the oyster industry, which brought a much larger num- ber of vessels into this port, and as a consequence a greater liability to if not actual increase of disorder. In 1882 there was another Act of Assembly by which the powers of the Bailiff were extended. It author- ized him to act as conservator of the public peace in any part of the county of Talbot, and to receive such fees as constables are entitled to receive.
From what has been said in connection with this subject, it is evident to those acquainted with St. Michaels and its vicinity that the boun- daries as they have been described do not include all the territory that should properly belong to the town, for both above and below there are districts partially built over that are not embraced within the limits of the corporation.
It has already been noted that the period of the inception or beginning of the town of St. Michaels terminated with the outbreak of the war of Independence. The same great event marks the commencement of its growth in population and industrial enterprise. After the Revolu- tion the ship building interest received new impetus, and the construc- tors of vessels to supply the demand which the greatly increased domes- tic and foreign trade created, gave employment to all the shipwrights within the county. St. Michaels as the centre of this interest accordingly prospered. For about forty years, down to 1820, the ship yards in or near the town were ceaselessly engaged in building all kinds of sailing craft, from the large sea-going ship to the smallest sloop for bay navi- gation. The masters of these yards contended in generous rivalry who should carry off the palm for beauty of model, for excellence of work- manship and for despatch in building.58
53 The following, taken from the Republican Star of Nov. 26th, 1805, is illustra- tive of this rivalry. "Improvement in Ship Building." "On Saturday evening,
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A class of vessels which at one time possessed a world-wide reputation for their sailing qualities, and for the gracefulness of their lines, and which acquired their name rather from the port out of which they sailed than from the place of their construction, probably owed their origin to the shipyards of St. Michaels, and the skill of the shipwrights of the same town.54 These were those Baltimore Clippers, which first gave preced- ence to our chief city as the principal entrepôt of the West India trade in this country, and which during the war of 1812 bestowed upon the same city the equivocal distinction of being the port of arrival and departure of the greatest number and of the most successful of the priva- teers that preyed upon the British commerce.
If it should be required to assign a date when the ship building interest had attained its greatest development in and near St. Michaels-when the town was enjoying its highest prosperity from the prosecution of this its peculiar business, the year 1810 might safely be given. To be sure for four or five years previously, as for the same time after there was no sensible increase or decline except so far as it was affected by the war; but by the year 1820 many of the yards had been abondoned and those that were still active were conducted with much diminished force and restricted capital. In or about the year designated, 1810, every ship wright in the county was fully employee, and all those mechanics whose work was necessary in naval construction. It may be interesting and useful to place upon record the names of some of the ship builders who at this date were prosecuting the business at or near St. Michaels. It is proper to say that this town was the residence of many of the work- men who were employed in yards that were some miles removed. Two
the 23rd of November was launched in Broad Creek, the elegant and substantially built ship 'Hope,' burthen nearly 400 tons. We assert (and our assertion is ground- ed upon the opinion of correct judges) that this ship was never equalled in model nor excelled in workmanship, by any ever built upon the Eastern Shore .- It may not be amiss to mention that instead of thirty hands, during twelve months, being necessary for the building of said ship, as was represented by some of the ship carpenters of this county, that she was on the stocks but six months and three days, with fourteen men about one half the time, and the remaining half, from twenty to twenty-four men, including every person engaged on the ship."
(Signed) "Harrison & Kemp, Ship Builders,
St. Michaels, Talbot Co."
54 Mr. Edward Spencer himself the descendant of a Talbot shipbuilder, says in his chapter of "manners and customs" in Scharf's History of Maryland: "It is held by some that the models of the "Baltimore Clipper" for schooners the fastest sailing vessels in the world, originated near the town of St. Michaels, in Talbot county, where ship building has been a hereditary pursuit ever since 1670."- Scharf's History of Maryland, Vol. ii, page 63.
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of the largest ship builders were the Messrs. Spencer, Col. Perry Spencer, who lived at Spencer Hall, near the town, had yards at his own place, upon Broad Creek, and at the village itself. Besides he gave contracts to other builders, which his own workmen were not able to fill. He is said to have engaged to build six of the barges that composed the bay flotilla. Mr. Richard Spencer, his brother, lived at Beverly on Broad Creek, and carried on ship building extensively. His workmen popu- lated Onion Hill, but a portion were inhabitants of St. Michaels. Mr. William Harrison, of Mount Pleasant, Church Neck, was the builder of large sea-going vessels and his yard was one of the most extensive in the county. Mr. Harrison was not a shipwright himself but with Mr. Levin Blades as his foreman, he was a successful builder. He gave sub contracts to Mr. Thomas Hambleton, whose yard was near Hamble- ton's Island, in Church Neck. Mr. Thomas Wayman built vessels upon Solitude Creek. The ship yards just named were near St. Michaels and many of the workmen had their homes in the town. There were other yards a little more remote, as that of Mr. John Dawson at Peck's Point, that of Mr. James Colston at Clay's Hope, in Ferry Neck, that of Thomas and James Ball in Broad Creek Neck, and that of James Collison in Bay Hundred. These were all tributary to St. Michaels and might be considered as outlying labor stations of the town. Im- mediately at and within the limits of the town were the yards of Messrs. Thomas L. Haddaway, Impey Dawson, John Wrightson, Skinner Harris, John Davis and Joseph Kemp.55 Mr. John Dorgan was largely engaged in building, but he was not a shipwright. He was a ship-smith, and employed others in the construction of vessels. In 1817 he was associated in ship building with Mr. Cooper. William Merchant was
55 The information respecting these ship yards has been derived from personal recollections of aged citizens of St. Michaels: of whom special mention may be be made of Mr. Jeremiah Harrison, now deceased, and Mr. Robert Lambdin, who in hale old age still survives. The last named is himself a ship builder, and followed his calling for many years at St. Michaels. He has been kind enough to furnish recollections of the "fellow craft." of the date to which reference is made, in writing, and the compiler of these annals wishes to make his acknowledgments to Mr. Lambdin for his courtesy in furnishing the data embodied in the text. His memory of ship building and ship builders extends over more than sixty years. His first work with the broad-axe was in hewing the oars for the barges built by Col. Spencer for the flotilla, and as he still occasionally wields the same imple- ment in the ship yard of his son who has succeeded him, may it be long before the annalist shall have to record that he has struck his last blow.
Messrs. Thomas L. Haddaway and Impey Dawson had each a vessel upon the stocks when the British attacked the town in 1813.
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another ship-smith, and was interested in ship building. It is not to be supposed that all the persons named as builders at St. Michaels were car- rying on at the same time and at different yards. It was customary to form temporary copartnerships, when the contracts were heavy. And again it was common for the owner of the timber, the inaster workman in wood, the master workman in iron, the merchant furnishing supplies for the families of all, journeymen included, to form a partner- ship for the building of a ship, and to divide the profits, according to a certain proportion when the ship was sold and paid for. In truth, there were but few ship builders in the county, except the Messrs. Spencer and Mr. William Harrison, able from their resources to construct a ship of five hundred tons. One of the merchants most largely interested in this industry was Mr. Samuel Harrison, who succeeding his father, Mr. Thomas Harrison, in business in Broad Creek, at Canton, moved his store to St. Michaels about 1810, and there conducted a most profit- able trade in making advances to ship builders, both money and sup- plies, and in co-partnerships with practical workmen of deficient capital, but of abundant skill. After the war of 1812, Mr. Harrison owned a large vessel in the West India trade, built in Talbot, and it was for the purpose of furnishing outward freight for this vessel, that his large mill, heretofore referred to, was built.
After the close of the war with Great Britain say from 1815, the ship building interest sensibly declined. The ship timber easily accessible began to grow scarcer, and more difficult to be procured; but the princi- pal influence that affected this interest was the growth of the city of Baltimore, not only as a great emporium of commerce, but as the point at which naval construction was concentrating. Some large vessels con- tinued to be built in Talbot, but by the year 1820 or 1825, the work of the yards was almost wholly given to the fabrication of the smaller craft adapted to bay navigation. By the last named year ship building had so dwindled that it could no longer be considered a leading indus- try of the county and especially of the town of St. Michaels. It may be said to have been almost wholly extinguished for a number of years, but there was a revival in or about the year 1840, from which time it has been pursued with very considerable energy, two or more yards having been active down to the present time. Within this period, that is from 1840 to the present, the representatives of the ship building interest in the town may be regarded as being Mr. Edward Wiley and Mr. Robert Lambdin. At the date of this writing, (Dec. 1882), there are three active shipyards in St. Michaels, that of Robert Lambdin & Sons,
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Thomas H. Kirby & Co., Thomas L. Dawson, which are giving employ- ment to many workmen in the construction of the smaller varieties of sailing craft, such as coasting schooners, pungies, and that peculiar form of naval architecture known by the cacophonous name of bug-eye, which seems to be a hybrid produced by the cross of shallop and canoe.56
That period in the history of the town now under review that is from the Revolution to 1850, and which may be called its period of organiza- tion and growth was characterized by the prosecution, expansion and temporary extinction of that industry which has just been noticed. But coincidently, and in a large degree consequently, the town during this period manifested signs of development and progressive improve- ment. A better class of houses began to be erected within the decade commencing with the year 1805, and something of permanency and substantialness was shown by the employment of brick instead of wood for the construction of buildings. About this time was erected by Mr. William Merchant the house lately used as a residence for the min- ister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, also the house at the S.E. corner of Talbot and Mulberry streets, now occupied by Mr. Denny Williams, was built by Mr. Wrightson Jones; also the house at the N.E. corner of the same streets, now owned by Mr. John Harper, was built by Mr. Dooris. Col. Kemp built the house now occupied by Mr. Oliver Sparks, Mr. Samuel Harrison built the brick store house, burned down some years ago, (1870, March 28), upon the ground now occupied by Stephen Harrison, and to this store house he transferred his business from his farm, Canton. In or about the year 1819 this gentleman, who was a man of great enterprise, erected in the town the first steam mill that was ever built upon the Eastern Shore. It stood upon the point of land where the ship yard of Mr. Kirby now is, and was built upon a large scale, being intended by its owner to be a merchant mill for the manufacture of flour for exportation to the West Indies and the Spanish coast of South America. The machinery was of the most approved and expensive character, and all the appointments of the mill were in keeping. A portion of the machinery had been used in and were a part of a horse mill, which Mr. Harrison had erected upon his farm, Canton, and which stood upon a lot now within the town limits,
56 While the origin of this term bug-eye, though of very recent date, is involved in hopeless obscurity, it being probably a mere vulgar locution without signifi- cance, the name 'pungy' may almost certainly be traced to a river or creek of the E. S. of Virginia called the Pongueteogue, where possibly this description of craft may have first been built.
·
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near the place where the Masonic Hall now stands. This horse mill performed such good work, and was so remunerative as to encourage the owner to the undertaking the larger enterprise, which was not successful, but resulted in very considerable pecuniary loss to the owner. Many years later, after the mill had long remained idle, it was taken down, to give place to the ship yard of Mr. Edward Willey; but in 184- another steam mill, smaller, simpler, and of more modern machinery was erected upon Gibson's or Navy Point-that point which lies to the right of the approach to the inner harbor-by a joint stock company. This mill supplied a neighborhood want, for wind-mills, which had been the reliance of the farmers from the very settlement of the county, were disappearing, and it was therefore successful. It was destroyed by fire in February, 1860, but quickly rebuilt upon the same site. This mill was destroyed by an explosion of the boilers in 1864, and in its stead another was built near the same place, which is still in existence and at work.
To encourage the farmers of the vicinity to fetch their garden, orchard and dairy products to the town for sale to the inhabitants, a market house was erected about the year 1805, in the centre of St. Marys' square. It seems to have accomplished its purposes very imperfectly, as the oldest people do not remember to have seen it occupied as a place for the sale of provisions. If it ever was used for this purpose, it was quickly abandoned; and soon after the war of 1812-15 it was a kind of armory, where were placed those cannon which were presented to the town by Mr. Jacob Gibson as a peace offering for the alarm he had caused by his escapade in 1813, elsewhere related. These cannon having been removed to the armory at Easton, the market house was about the time when public or primary schools were introduced into the county, say in 1835, converted into a school-house, and such it remained, until better accommodations were provided at the lower end of the town, when it was demolished.
In the year 1810 the building of a new church for the use of the con- gregation of the Protestant Episcopalians was begun, but this was not completed until 1815. The church of 1810 was demolished in 1878, and on the 14th of August of the same year the corner stone of the beautiful structure, now standing, was laid. This church was dedicated Nov. 1, 1882, having been completed some months before. The "people called Methodists" very early had a large brick church fronting upon St. Mary's square, which was erected about the year 1781-82.57 This
57 That is the date of the deed of the land upon which this meeting house was built.
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church was torn down in the year 1839-40, and another erected in its stead, which though still standing is used for the accommodation of a High School, the congregation having removed to a more commodious edifice, built in 1870-81 upon Talbot street. This was dedicated July 12th, of the last named year.
In the year 1813 the existence of vessels upon the stocks, including some of the barges for the flotilla, invited an attack from the British then in control of the bay. This attack was handsomely repelled by the militia from the town and county. A full and particular account of this affair and all the attendant circumstances, has been published among these contributions, in the Easton Ledger of June and July, 1882, so there is no need to do more than refer to these incidents in the history of the town.
The second period, that of organization and growth, or what may be designated as the ship building period, terminated with the third decade of this century. With the year 1830, commences the third period of its history, extending down to the present. The last ten years of the preceding period was marked by a very sensible decline of prosperity. The ship building which had been its support gradually, after the war with England, gravitated towards Baltimore or had found other local- ities more favorable for its prosecution. The ship carpenters moved to that city or to the lower part of the peninsula where timber was more readily and cheaply obtained. These ten years from 1820 to 1830 were years of privation and actual suffering. There was much pov- erty and destitution, particularly among the aged, the infirm and the weaker sex. The waters of St. Michaels river furnished abun- dance of oysters and fish, and the capturing of these afforded a yet unrenumerative employment to a few men, while the women eked out a livelihood by spinning and weaving for the neighboring farmers., The town was still the home of some persons following the various handicrafts, which they plied in the country around. The neces- sity of resorting to the water for a large part of the animal food consumed in the town gradually produced a class of men who followed fishing and oystering, and particularly the latter as a constant and only employ- ment, selling their captures either to the citizens of the town or to boat- men who occasionally carried a cargo to the city of Baltimore. Thus a great business originated. At first it was confined merely to the supply of home consumption, and was necessarily very restricted. But with the growth of our chief city in population there was a corresponding increment; but even down to a comparatively late date this business
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was very limited, for the whole bay as well as the rivers of Virginia yielded this living harvest, and the market of so small a city as Baltimore was readily supplied from such extensive fields. But a beginning was made for the building up of a large industry. In the year 1830, we find this industry receiving a very wonderful impulse by the opening of the Delaware & Chesapeake canal,58 and from this time we must date the commencement of the third distinctive period of the history of the town -a period characterized by this new and profitable pursuit. This canal by enabling vessels of small tonnage to pass directly from our bay to Philadelphia and thence through the New Jersey improvements to New York, gave to the oystermen of Saint Michaels the advantage of the markets of three cities instead of one, and they were not slow to avail themselves of it. From this time the town began to resume its former prosperity; the population, which had diminished in numbers, began to increase, comfort took the place of want and competence that of poverty. New houses began to be built, and old ones to be repaired and renovated. Merchants brought their goods, finding here a profitable market, and professional men settled among a people able to pay for their services. The dying or dead trade of ship building, a little later, say in 1840, was resuscitated, and then the once familiar sounds rever- berated in the long stagnant air, and some of the deserted ship yards put on their old animation. The weekly packet of Capt. Dodson's was constrained to surrender at last her human freight, to the more certain and regular steamer, that touched at the wharf, while the casual and cumbersome sloop that carried a cargo of oysters now and then gave place to a whole fleet of light, shapely, swift and staunch pungies, owned or freighted by the citizens of the town. As one or another of this fleet anchored in the harbor, and displayed the signal that indicated her readiness to receive a fresh cargo, she was soon surrounded, not by rude and ungainly dug-outs, crank and ugly, besmeared with pitch, and propelled by the paddle or square sail, extemporized it may be from some discarded sheet or blanket-such as were seen even while the ship wrights were constructing these marvels of naval architecture, the so- called Baltimore Clippers-but by those marine beauties the modern canoes, graceful in their lines, resplendent in their colors, light in their structure, swift and acrial in their movements-the very butterflies of sea, flitting from bar to bar, as from parterre to parterre, carrying off this luscious spoil. Upon this industry the town has mainly depended
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