The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-01-26

FORCES in Maryland, if not the very first.
1t is a fact, worthy of notice, that iron works
have been almost continuously in operation
on these two spots ever since their first
establishment, or about one hundred and
sixty years. At Principle, Mr.. George P.
Whitaker has had charcoal furnace in
operation for long time, aud at North
East, on the very site of the old forge, are
the present extensive FORCES and rolling
mills of the Mccullough Iron Company.
Stephen Onion and Thomas Russell, ST.,
if not the originators, were the most active
promoters of the enterprise. They came
to America, and after prospecting, leased
and opened ore banks, purchased woodland
for making charcoal, built a furnace, ar
ranged for the disposal of the iron they pro-
duced, and established the business in good
working order. Although unable to trace
in the records of the Land Office at An
napolis the original purchase of land for
their furnace, still the records show that
their acquisitions were extensive at a very
early date, particularly after the encourag-
| luP dCb Vi ia NeuJ lHIU OpeIdllOD. III
April, 1921, John Copson, of Philadelphia,
obtained a warrant from Lord Baltimore S
land office for a tract of land called "Geot-
farson,' in Cecil county, near North East,
containing 5,743 acres, as originally sur
veyed. extending from Garrett cove on the
North East river to within mile or two of
Elkton. One of the boundary lines of this
tract was one thousand perches long, or
more than three miles. The patent was
issued to Copson, May "a, 1929, and in
July of the same year he transferred it to
stephen Onion and Company "for a valua-
BILE consideration by me received, and other
good reasons thereunto me moving" Also
William Chetwynd and others, designated
as iron masters of Great Britain, held 200
acres of land which they had 10y lease dated
May 81, 1922, under his Lordship, as part
of Baltimore, alias North East manor and
part of New Connaught, alias Susque-
! hanna Manor which contained 80 600 acres,
and was originally granted to Col. George
! Talbot, but forfeited to the Lord Proprie-
tary. Also among the writs of ad quo6
damnum, granted out of the provincial
chancery of Maryland in pursuance of the
act of 49, was one issued October 10,
1121 for twenty acres Of land in Cecil
county for grist mill, which, as is shown
by the books, was carried on by the Com
pany in connection with their furnace.
Russell and Onion, having started the
I "a I,l...
| land, a practical iron master, and sailed
for Great Britain together in 1924. They
took passage from New Castle in the same
ship with Ben Franklin, who says,
| in his memoirs. describing his first visit to
England: 81 quilted Philadelphia in the
ship which anchored at New Castle. Mr..
Andrew Hamilton, celebrated lawyer of
Philadelphia, had taken passage in the
same ship for himself and son, with Mr..
Denham, Turkey merchant, and Messrs.
OMAN and Russell, masters of an iron
work in Maryland, who had engaged the
great cabin"
Onion soon returned and in 1876 was in
active superintendent at Principle; but
| russell remained Ill England.
| Ore for the furnace was at first obtained
in the immediate neighborhood, but before
long they were compelled to bring it from
more extensive deposits lying at greater
distance. Chief of these deposits were
those banks of 50le armonidck described by
Captain Smith, the banks of the Patapsco
river below the present city of Baltimore.
| Here is one of their original contracts:
.Then bargained and sould unto Ed.
mund Perks, of Cecil county, all my Right
and Title of 4 to any stone, commonly called
| llonstone, now lying and Being at the
poyut, called Gorsuch spoynt, at the mouth
of the North West branch in Patapsco
river, Maryland, not no ways going above
| High Water mark of the aforesaid poynt,
for which | have reed in part in goods 4
money, one pistole, &C." Dated Sept. 4,
| 1724; signed by John Gorsuch, and as
signed by Perks, Sept 10, 1924, to "Mr.
John England and Comp. of the iron works
at Principle - for the same consideration
Gorsuch's point was below Canton, on the
east shore of the Patapsco about opposite
Fort McHenry.
In 1927 they effected lease of Whet-
stone Point, lying between the branches of
the Patapsco, and at the extremity of which
| Fort McEenry now stands. The name pos
sibly originated from the appearance of the
ore, which may have been what is now
called hone ore, having when broken,
texture and color very similar to whet-
stone. The Virginia ore of the same gen.
eral character was, in the richer sort, of
dark color, mixed with rust, while the
poorer kind was liver colored. One of the
earliest settlers, Charles Gorsuch, had pat
| ented in 1862 fifty acres, comprising what
was afterwards known as MILESTONE Point,
but he afterwards vacated a part of the
land, and patent was granted for it under
the same name in 1902 to James Carroll.
| Four years later it was made a town, but
was never settled upon, and in 1925 Car
roll sold it to John Giles for five pounds
sterling. In 1927 the Principle Company,
through John England, purchased of Giles
all the iron ore Opened and discovered, or
shut and not yet discovered, for $500 sterl
ing and $50 current money of Maryland.
1t was for many years one of their princi-
pal sources of ore. During the Revoiu-
ton, MILESTONE Point was fortified with
eighteen guns, and boom laid across the
river to protect the town from Lord Howe's
British fleet An air furnace was also
| erected on the point, from which, as the
Maryland Gazette Sept. 9, IT'D announces,
"red thunderbolts of war will issue to meet
our invading foes.'' But the fleet sailed
quietly past and landed Lord Howe and his
army on Elk river, whence they marched
northward and encountered Washington at
Brandywine.
In country which was still forest,
charcoal cost very little. Wood cutters were
paid 2s. Sd. per cord for cutting; colliers
received 6 and shillings per load for
| 10 tba In nf