Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-08-01

fNFnI.r
been abandoned. but themselves have Any
ESaled Is completely as Babylon-yaniShad
IKE the oaseiess iaoIic Of vision that leaves
not wreck beaind-and Marylapd heTssIs
has furnished the site OF more than one 90
these phantom b0lOughS, OF which scarcaIs
even tombstone remains tc mark the spot
where their former Inhabitants were burIad
For instance, there is the venerable city Of
Saint Mary's. the capital of the provinces az
Maryland where al the old time dignitaries
used 10 gather durtag the sessions OF court
NeiYefs and laceS. IL IL not an ODD trick az
fortune that both jamestown and Saint Mary's-
The original capitals of Virginia and Mary.
iaEd, should have vanished so utterly from
the lace 81 the earth that the diStincteSt traces
we now have OF them is the mellower tilth and
me darker color of the waving gram over the
Places tlat shce were populouSs Saint Mary's
was city OF great expectations Baron Gaze
chluS had such hopes OF IL that he esteemed n
IG N iol Mlthih It's limits the best present
winch De could make 10 his friends and favor
ties. VINO would own town LOT In Saint
Mary now? The Protestant element waS
ice strong Tor L the planting interest pre-
iSIred the stronger lands Of the PatuNent
The center OF population moved rapidly uD
The DAY, and an lTreyerent assembly SuddenIy
ceclded that the capital should be removed u
Ahne Arundel town, upon the Severn"
he poor people OF Saint Mary'S sent upJa
tdalnI and pathetic petition Ia the assembly
nnt 10 destroy them. They offered 10 make
roads; TO eStablish ferry al Drum Paiul; TO
run stage line from the PatuNent. They got
down on their knees 10 the assembly almost
but without avail. The fiat had gone forth:
the capital was transferred, and Saint Mary's''
with IFS state house ana all, crumbled into nm
dStinguiShable ruin.
Another city that was expected 10 become
the Eastern Shore rival OF Saint Mary'S aud
later OF Annapolis and which. il was thought
could not fail 10 become a great commercial
emporium, 50 ehgiOly was it situated, was the
town on IredaVun creek. called WilIiamSfadt
and now known as Oxford. People are Said
To De engaged in Specializing in town lots in
OAioTd now, Just as they were in 1924, but Ok
io i,G mas never grown TO be city aud probably
VIII not, IN our day. Ii had much commerce.
al one time, many servants were landed there
and SOld,and thousands of hogSheadS of tohac-
co were put on board ship there. But after
awhile the factors who had warehouses there
removed To other ports, some TO Annapolis.
some 10 CheSiertown, some TO ElkTidge Land
ing, some 10 Joppa, aud ONford-we will not
say died, but went 10 sleep like the beauty of
"A town that il is.
And Elkridge Landing, too. DO the young
men who go To catch gudgeons at the Relay
ever thlnk that ships used TO sail up that
stream from foreign ports, and that the post
town across the way was once n commercial
emporium, the rival of Annapolis and Joppa,
and the superior of Baltimore? AT one time
more tobacco was shipped from Ellridge than
from any other port in the state. Ii was the
port ol hall ni Anne Arundel and Baltimore
counties, oil Howard and Montgomery and
Frederick counties, and rolling roads led In
Ii IN every dlIec lou. Ii had furnaces aud iron
mills, stores and warehouses--but not even A
pungy goes up TO Etkridge now. The trade
ebbed away from il. the river filled with silt
Elkridge was city no more.
ABOUT Il2n, the story goes, European capt.
tallSt came TO Maryland with money 10 invest
in. town lots. He looked around him care
fully; examined the haTbOrS and inquired into
the prospects OF all our towns, Annapolis, Elk
ridge, Baltimore, &c. and after heSitaiing a
good Willie between JOppa and CheSIertOwn
pul MS money To rest IN CharleStOwn, for that
he was sure, was TO be coming great civ.
Can the reader tel us where ChaTeSt0Wu VASE
lie viii not find II on the maps Vet il was laid
out Tor very great city in l1i2 at place
called Long Point, on the west side of North
East river, IN Ceacil county" And the people
VINO lald II out had great hopes of il, and it
was particular fayorite OF the gentlemen of
the assembly, too. But for all that Charles
town Is dead city.
Tie city, however, which died the most COM
petely and the most ANONYMOUSLY was Joppa
once busy emporium of Baltimore county
Joppa was the third attempt of Baltimore
county TO eStaDllsh county seat. Its site
was selected with great care, on the east bank
oil The GunpoWder, not great distance below
the falls, on good, bold, broad water and IL
was notable place before there were any
houses to speak of in Baltimore. Ii had a
court house and jail, and many large factories;
shipped 10 Bristol, TO Lisbon, to the West In
dies ana 10 Holland. In 1871 Joppa was large
eL0ugh 10 have an epidemic of small poX and
Baltimore county courts ana elections were
held there from l7l2 TO l76S. "Joppa roads"
ard "Old court roads are still found in BaIti
more and Hartford counties, conyerging To-
wards that point on the GunpOwdeT, and the
parliamentary OF the county lived there I'm
state But Joppa itself is no more TO be
found. 1t has vanished completely from
of the face OF the earth-a city dead and
buried, and you may shoot canvass-back ducks
now from the very site where once stood Bal
timOre cOuntyS busy seat Baltimore Ere
ming Bulletin.