The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-08-03


at the close of the Revolutionary war, was
couiiscated and was returned by the asses.
Sors. in 1877, As part of Talbot's manor,
claimed by the State. This land was pat.
cntcd, after the close of the Revolutionary
war. Ia the tenants in possession, who then
held il under leases from the Lord Proprie-
tary 10y the ln;endent of the Revenue.
The duties of this officer were similar To
those IF tie Comptroller of the Treasury,
and hc also had charge of lands that Lad
escheated 10 the State.
The act for laying ont Charlestown was
passed in tie Fall of 1912, and Thomas
Coiviil, Nicholas Hylaud. benjamin Pearco,
William Alexander, Henry Baker, Z-bu.
Ion liollingsworth and John Reed were az.
pointed Commissioners to carry out its pro
visions.
The town was to DC laid out at a place
called Long Point, ON the west side OF
North East river. Twenty five years be
fore, the county seat had been moved from
the SasSafraS river to Long Point" ON
tine Elk river, and the people of she county
had made some effort to have 4 town built
there. but the enterprise did not succeed.
No doubt those that obtained the passage
of the act for the erection of Cha.leStown
hoped and expected To derive much benefit
from the town. The reasons for building
the town are set forth in the preamble TO
the act. as follows:
WHEREAS, The Encouragement Of trade
. " navigation rs the surrSt means of pro.
noting the happiness * increasing the
riches of every country, and that such
trade is " it'll the greatest ease and atlvsn-
tagc carried on. when the same j. drawn in
Ia X fixed IN one or more convenient places ::
whereby it appears that erecting towns, 4
granting lmmuuities * Privileges for the
encouragement of people to iuhabIi therein.
most greatly contributes to 50 desirable an
end, x there being as yet no such place
settled at or near the Head of Chesapeake
Bay, although from the great extent Of the
+ country round, * the want of navigable
water above ii, the same seems altogether
necessary.
These were certainly good and sufficient
reasons for building i town, and ,hc afuro-
said Commissioners met on the site OF
( Charlestown. on the 10th of February,
I lii2, accompanied by John Ncasey, who
was County Surveyor, and Vim. Knight,
who was at this time County Clerk. At
/ this meeting, Mr.. Colvil produced a letter
/ from benjamin Tasker, the agent of the
/ Lord Proprietary, in which he expressed
/ the opinion that the five hundred acres
which they were authorized to include in
( the said town Were very well worth $3.50.
/ in which opinion the Commissioners ac-
/ quiesed. The Commissioners. after few
meetings for consultation, left the matter
III charge Of the Surveyor. and adjourned
to meet on the 18th of April, 1i3, at
which time the Surveyor had completed i
disappeared, but we learn from the pro
! crcdings of the Comm lSSiouers, part Of
which are recorded in the County Clerk :
office, that they laid out two hundred OF the
/ five hundred acres in two hundred lots, and
/ that the town contained seven streets that
ran al right angles with the river and were
crossed at right angles by tive other streets.
/ Iasle.'S Lane, which was the name given
/ to the most westerly street, was no doubt
80 called IN honor of the Lord Proprietary's
agent, BENJAMIN Tasker, while his lord
ship WAS thirdly houored by the name Of
/ Cecil, Calvert and Baltimore being applied
to three OF the principal streets. The fact
that one of the streets was called Cones
tOga is indicative OF a desire to cultivate
! the best Of feeling with the people of Ian
caster county, some Of whom alterward be
came the owners Of lots in the new town.
The remaining three hundred acres were
reserved, agreeable to the provisions Of the
act, for the common use of the citizens Of
the town, for the purpose of furnishing
them with fire wood and pasture for their
| cattle. Some pant of this common is yet
held by the town, but it is doubtful if IT.,
possession was ever of any material adyan
tagc To the citizens.
Certain parts of the town were reserved
for the purpose of erecting 4 public wharf
and ware house - for the more commOdi-
Gus carrying ON of trade, and for the cree
ton of a market house, court house, and
public buildings.
The 10th Of May, l7i3, was the day desig-
mated for balloling for the town lots, no
record of which we have been able to find.
consequently we are in ignorance of the
names of the original PROJECTORS. But we
learn from the deeds for lots which were
sold few years afterwards, that some per-
sons from Lancaster, Chester, Anne Arun-
del, Kent and Baltimore counties. and
Philadelphia city, were among the original
proprietors. The Rev. William Wye, who
was rector of North Elk Parish at that
time, was one of the original proprietorS Of
lots; and it is worthy Of remark. as show
ing the power of the clergy at that time
that he waived his right to collect the forty
pounds per poll of tobacco which was as
sessed upon each taxable in the parish
from the citizens of Charlestown. His
object in doing this was to encourage the
enterprise by lessening taxation, and to
induce immigration. Rev. Hugh Jones, who
was then rector of North Sassafras Parish,
is believed TO have been one of the original
lot holders. lie certainly owned one of
the town lots at the time of his death and
dey iscd it in his will.
Tie new town throve well at first and
the lots were all taken up during the first
year OF lis existence, and such was the
popularity OF the enterprise and the desire
to acquire building lots in it, that many of
the original lots were divided and subdi
vded i'll order to supply the demand. The
lots commanded good price. In l74a,
one of them, - 10y - feet, sold for E22
At the session of the General Assembly, in
l1ii, the original act of incorporation,
which was as long as Lord Baltmore's
charter for the province. was supplemented
10y an additional one, which empowered the
/ Commissioners to take charge of and dis
burse 900, which the lot holders had
raised 10y voluntary contributions for the