The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-02-20
MisceIIaneO u IS.
For The 4Egis & Latelligencsr.
4 Ramble in Hartford.
NO. III.
FROM BROAD CREEK TO DARLING
TON.

DuJlin-ItS Churches and Early Settlement
The House Of the Writer'S Forefatders-
Pedler Run-A Region too Poor for Kill
deers-Nigger-headsand Boulders-Poplar
Groro-A Splendid Tie,O-Farms' and
Buildings IN tro States Wonderful
Changes about Darlington-The old Meet
ing-House and Place of Graces-A Sad
Disappointment-7oo much Simplicity
Entertainment at Mrs. Ssceets, the daugh.
ter Of an old triend-A Beautiful Country
darlington as q Summer Resort, DEC.
Mr.. BAKER: 1t does really seem to me,
if anybody in the world ought to apologize
for an unprovoked assault upon the "body
politic,h am that unfortunate individual.
In attempting to give you what you prob
ably thought might be comprised in one
brief letter, have already imposed upon
your readers and yourself two tolerably
long ones, with prospect of two or three
more of equal length. Those of my friends
who have known me best have given me
some little credit for the faculty of conden-
sation, but very much fear my love of
talking about Hartford will obliterate that
transient virtue, and render me as odious
for writing as the eternal" Foote is for
talking.
When closed my last letter, had got
ten as far as the house of William Mccoy,
on Broad Greek, some two or three miles
from the ancient and respectable town of
Dublin. In one of the letters of u former
series irreverently spoke of this as it was
in the olden time, with its single street and
implanted tenements, as resembling snake
with the tail end towards Conowingo. |
was happy to find on my late visit, that it
had undergone great changes for the better,
and that it is now quite bright and
handsome little village, altho' l could not
see that street had been added to the
ancient number. Time was when Darling
ton was the nearest place OF worship for
the dcvout people of Dublin, but noticed
that they have at least two churches at
present, albeit one of them is out of town
and the town itself removed some distance
from the other, which Involuntary sug-
gested the thought that if it is inconveni-
ent to remove the town to the churches,
the churches might be removed to the
town. There is reason for this, because
if | know anthing of human nature | do
know that nothing is better calculated to
drive pious thoughts from the mind of a
lady, than to have her Sunday skirts be-
dragglcd in mud, or so apt to make a de-
vout gentleman think bad words to have
the boots soiled that lie had spent Sab
bath morning hour in polishing.
am but poorly versed in the history OF
Harlord-by whom and when settled
but / have heard somehow and somewhere,
that Dublin and its immediate vicinity
were among the first settlements. 1t was
within mile of it, how much more than a
hundred years ago l have no means OF
knowing, that my ancestors, fresh from old
| Albion, reared their cabin and cleared the
forest. The lands they occupied arc those
now owned by family by the name OF
Forsythe, the one original tract having been
divided into several farms. 1t is upon this
tract that Pcdlcr Run has its source, made
immortal by the pen Of my friend Squire
Scarborough. The region round about
Dublin, being the Highest part of the coun,
ty, was considered the most healthy, and
hence settled at an early period in the his
tory of the colony. The ridge upon which
the village is located is what We in the
mountains all "dividc," the streams hav
ing their sources in it running in diverse
directions one into Deer Creek, another
into Broad Creek, third into the Susquc
hanna, and so on.
Dublin and Darlington, as you and you
readers know, are some three or four mile!
apart, and the intermediate country. APP
propriately termed arabia Petre," in ear
ly times, was when l first knew it, too
poor to raise killdeers. The whole surfac,
of the earth was covered with Niger bead
and boulders, where even mullen stalk
had an unhappy time in trying to struggl
through. About n mile east of Dublin, t,
the right of the road, was green but mel
ancholy looking spot-a dilapidated dwell
ing in grove of magnificent poplars
That house was said to be haunted, an,
never passed it when a particular
in the night time without trying to fran
prayer, or singing or whistling at the yer
top OF my vocal powers. The house Ina
been demolished and all those grand oil
trees have disappeared. Instead Of III
romantic grove and green sward, wher
ghosts revelled, and poetical as well as re
ligious aspir ,tions were born, we now fin
the locality appropriated to the produc
tion of buckwheat, corn and pumpkins.
= Anywhere along this road from thi
, point to the brow of the hill this side G
! Darlington, there are but few more sublim
or expansive views Away off to the soutl
the country ara uollv descending tow n