The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-08-10
Dead Cities in MARYLAND.

There are dead cities which have
not only been abandoned, but them
selves have disappeared as complete
ly az BabylOn-vanished like the
baseless fabric of a vision that leaves
not a wreck behind-and Maryland
herselfhas furnished the site gilmore
than one Of these phantom boroughs,
Of which scarcely even a tombstone
remains to mark the spot where their
former inhabitants were buried.
For instance, there is the venerable
city of Saint Mary's, the capital of
the province of Maryland, where all
the old-time ,dignitaries used to
gather during the sessions of court
and assembly and hold high reyelS in
their veIvets and laces. Is it not an
odd trick of fortune that both James
town and Saint Mary's, the original
capitals of Virginia and Maryland,
should have vanished so utterly from
the face Of the earth that the dis
tinctest traces we now have Of them
is the mellOWer tilth and the darker
color of the waving grain over the
places that once We're popuiOuS ?
Saint M&ry'S was 4 city of great ex-
pectations. Baron Caecilius had such
hopes of it that he esteemed a town
lot within its limits the best present
which he could make to his friends
and tavorites. Who would own a
town lot in Saint Mary's now? The
Protestant element was too strong for
it; the planting interests preferred
the stronger lands of the Patuxent;
the center Of population moved rap
idly up the bay, and an irreverent
assembly suddenly decided that the
capital should be removed to "Anne
Arundel town, upon the Severn"
The poor people of Saint Mary's sent
up quaint and pathetic petition to
the assembly not to destroy them.
They offered to make roads; to eS-
tablish a ferry st Drum Point to
run stage line from the Patuxent.
They got down on their knees to the
assembly almost, but without avail.
The fiat had gone forth; the capital
was transferred, and Saint Mary's,
with its state house and all, crumb,
led into undistinguishable ruin.
Another city that was expected to
become the Eastern Shore rival of
Saint Mary's and later of Annapolis,
and.which, it was thought, could not
fail to become a great commercial
emporium, so eligibly was it situa-
ted, was the.town on Tredavon creek,
called Williamstadt, and now known
as Oxford. People are said to be en-
gagged in speculating in town lots in
Oxford now, just as they were in
1854, but Oxford has never grown to
be city and probably will not, in
our dav. 1t had much commerce at |
one time, many servants were landed !
there and sold, and thousands of
hogsheads Of tobacco were put on
board ship there. But after awhile
the factors who had warehouses there |
removed to other ports, some to An
napolis, some to Chestertown, some
to Elkridge Landing, some to Joppa,
and OXford-we will not say died,
but went to sleep, like the beauty Of
a town that it is.
And Elkridge Landing, too. Do /
the young men who go to catch
at the Relay ever think
that ships used to sail up that stream
from foreign ports, and that the post
town across the way was once COM
mercial emporium, the rival of An
napolis and Joppa, and the superior
Of Baltimore? At one time more
tobacco was shipped from Elkridge
than from any other port in rhestate.
1t was the port of half of Anne Arun-
del and Baltimore counties, Of |
and Montgomery and Fred
crick counties, and rolling roads"