Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-03
Dead Cities in MARYLAND

There are dead cities which have not. ot!y
been abandoned, but themselves have disap-
peared as completely as Babylon vanished Ike
the baseless fabric Of vision that leaves not
wreck behind-and Maryland herself has
furnished the site Of more than one OF these
phantoua boroughs, Of which scarcely cven 4
tombstone remains 10 mark the spot where
their former inhabitants were buried.
For instance, thore is The venerable city oi
Saint Marys, the capital Of the province OF
Maryland, where all the old time dignltarics
used to gather during the sessions Of court aud
assembly and hold high revels 10 their velvets
and lacss. It is not au odd trick OF fortune
that both jamestown aud Saint Mary's, the
original capitals of Virginia and Maryland,
should have vanished so utterly from th, fac,
of the earth that the dlstnctest traces We nav
have of them is the mellowcr tlIth ami the
darker color of the waving grain over The place"
that once were popuous 2 Saint Mary Was a
CITY of great expectations Baron CacclluS haH
such hopes of it that he esteemed town los
within its limits the best present which he could
make to his friends and favoritcs. who wHuiG
own town lot in Saint Mary's now u"
Protestant clement was too strong Tor II: T.
planting interest preferred tho stronger laads
The PatuYent; the center OF population mog,
rapidly up the bay, and an irrevertnt a,aemb
suddenly decided that the capital should bc r.
moved 10 "Aune Arundel town upon the Sew
ern. - The poor people OF Saint Mary's SEPT
up quaint and pathetic petition to the asscIn
bly, not to destroy them. They offered to mak2
roads to establish ferry at Drum Polri: to
ruu stage line from the Patuyent. They got
down on their knees to the assembly almost,
l,,k ~ avail Tho Eat ha ,rri'
the capital was transferred, and Salut Mary's,
with lis State House and ell, crumhed ln!o u7
dislioguishablc ruin.
Another city that was expected to oeoome
| the Eastern Shore rival OF Saint Mary aud
later of Annapolis, and which, 1t was thought,
could not fail to become a great comm orcs!
emporium, go elieibly was it situated, was The
town on Tredayon creek, called Williamstadt,
and now known as Oxford. People arc saii
| TO be engaged in speculatiag ln town lots III
Oxford now, just as they were In 1904, but
Oxford has never grown to be city ard prob
ably will not, in our day. l! had much com.
merce ut ono time, many servants we're landed
there and sold, and thousands OF hogsheads, ci
tobacco were put on board ship there. But
after awhile the factors who had warehouses
removed TO other ports, some TO Annapolis.
some to ChestcrtoWn, some to E!krldge Land
ing, some to Joppa, aud Oz!orl--@e viii COT
say died, but went to sleep, like the beauty NJ
town that it is.
And Ekridge landing. loo u, the y"ung
men who go to catch gudgcuns at the R.iay
ever think that ships used tn ssiI UP that
stream from foreign ports, and that lht i't:.
| town across the way wss once comWrlrs'
emporium, the 1ival Of Annapolis and lap"a.
| and the superior ol Baltimore? At one stu's
! moro tobacco vas shipped lrom L kLidga th4a
| from any other port 10 the state. 1t ~is lie
polt OF half or Anne A u0de ADD hAIti
more counties. of Howard aud Montgomery and
Frederick countes, and ''roog roads led TO
| it in every direction. 1t had furnaces AMI IRON
| mills, stores and warchouses-bnt lot cven u
puupy goes up to Etkridgc now. Th' trade
| ebbed away from 1t, the river llied with 5'I'
| Ekridge was city 90 more
! About ITO. the story goes, a European c"p''
| tsljst came to Mary land with money IL invo.t
! in town lots. He looked around him~care1u''y;
{ examined the harbors and Inquired H. III" pro
| rpccLs Of all our towns, Annapolis. Elkr'II":
| Baltimore, Sc, and after hesltsllnG %oo.i
| while between Joppa and ChesLertown, IN: his
money to rest in CharlesLoWn, lor thAl. ha was
sure was 70 become q great c!ty. Can tho road
er tell US whore Charlostown was li' WI!
not find i. on the mapa, yet 1t was lad out Tor =
| Point, on the west side OF North East riycr. III
Cescii county" And the people who lt', II
out had great hopes it, and : "ss prrt'c1 M ''
favorte OF the gentlemen OF the AasSLat'y: i"@
! Rnt for all ,hst Charlestown is q dead city.
The city. however, which died he mos; com
pletely and the most gnominousiy was Jopp"
| occe 3 busy emporium of Baltimore un!y
Jo3pa wss the third attempt OF Baltimore
counay to establish county toat k Us s!t' was %
selccted with great care, Oh tie cast bank o. th'
junnnwder not q groal distance ba!Ow the falls.
on good, bold broad Water, and 1t WAS " noisD."
place bcjore there we!o any houses 70 spe'k o.
ia Baltimore. 1t hads court house and Js'l, ana
many largo iac:o-ies; received tobacco IN isISe re
qusnties and shipped to Bristol, to ;.h L:'on, tn,
| West Indies and TO Holland. In lI3i JoHpa
wss large enough to have an epidemic Of small
pox, and Baltimore county courts and eieGlIoni
wore held there from lil2 t? 1865 ,Joppa
-oads" and "old court roads are st''l iouno
ir Baltimore and Hartford counties; convoiHtth. IN.
towards that point on tho GHnp9%5sT Hns sta, .".
nroth ono,ary of tho county lived there III H'"'. a
y, ~ Jnnns iiself is no moro to be found. II ma
shed completely from hta1 G the md !"es yS ms m
sneo si,a here once stood Baltimore county 'us'