The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-12-13
LOCAL HISTORY.
[coryaosTso 1874. ry GEORGE JOINS on
HISTORICAL RESEARCHES
THAT QUILP MADE Is A BOHEMIAN
ENTERPRISES UPON THE SUSOUE-
HANNA RIVER.
The Susqdehanna Ca1al-Smi!h's and C-eswelps
Ferry-The Thomas Famiy-Port Deposit
Laid out-The Old Mill-The Port De-
pest Bridge-Its History-Kerr's
Island-The Canal is Sold.
It's History

The enlargement of the Susqnehanna ca
nal seems to have given great impetus TO
the growth of the town just below its south
ern terminus, or, probably it would be more
correct TO say, that the success of that enter
prise led TO the building of the town. AS
early us 1929, Thomas tresap, who took such
an active part i'll the Border war a few years
afterwards, had Il ferry there, which is be
lievcd to have been called Smiths Ferry
probably because ii was near he uppermost
point on the river. which was reached by
the adventurous Captain John Smith, who
a-cended it when engaged in exploring the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. 1t was
afterwards called CreSwell's Ferry, no doubt
because it WAS owned by John CreSwell,
the grandfather of the Hon. j. A. j. Ores
well, who owned two large tracts of land
contiguous to it, much of which is yet in
possession of the CreSwell family.
The town, if there was any town there,
must have been quite small in 1913, when
The British visited Lapidum. for they made
bu! little eXertion to enter ii, though it was
place Of som" Importance, and the citizens
and people of the vicinity had erected a fort
for its defense, and probably would have
given them 4 warm reception.
one Philip Thomas then owned large
quantities of land, extending from near the
ferry, which was about midway of the town,
Il considerable distance down the river, ell
bracing t he tracts called Mount Ararat and
\ Yorkshire, which was Immediately below
the former, and some others He died in
1911: ana his property, not being suscepti-
bic of division, was purchased by his son
Philip the next year, he agreeing to pay the
other heirs their shares of the value placed
upon it by the commissioners appointed by
the court fer he purpose. This Philip Thomas
caused the lower l.if Of the town 10 b. laid
az. into streets and blllins lots by Hugh
Beard, an eminent surveyor of that time,
who made Il plot Of il, which may be seen
among the land records of the county. This
plot is dated October list, 1872, and pur-
ports to be the plot of a town at CreSwrl' s
Ferry But at the session OF the Le,$l2-
ture, held the naxt Winter, I'll" name OF the
place was changed to Port Deposit. This
change was made, as stated in the prcain-
bic to the act, to prevent the Inconvenience
arising from the different names by which
the place was then called. There is reason
TO believe that the town had, previous to
this tinic, hccn also called Rock Run.
The next year Edward Wilson, of Phia-
delplia. purchased the site of the mill at the
lower or tide locks, of the canal, which in
cluded an insignificant amount Of land and
thu RI ht to water sufficient to run six pairs
Of mill stones of six feet diameter, to be
driven by water wheels Of not less than fif-
teen feet diameter, for Sc, 600. The quantity
OF water was to lie aScertained by actual
experiment after The mill was erected. This
mill subsequently came into the possession
of James Bosley, Of Baltimore, who, in 1881 d.,
became involved in quarrel with the pro-
prietors of the canal in reference to the guam
tity of water he used. BoSley probably used
more water than was agreeable to the pro-
prietors of the canal, who advertised in the
Baltimore papers that they would permit
the use OF Inc water OF Tue canal ONLY IN
accordance with the agreement in the deed
given to Wilson. Boslev set the proprietorS
Of the canal at defiance, and ono day started
the machinery at its utmost speed in conse-
uuence of which the mill caught fire and
was entirely consumed. This ended the
quarrel.
Previous to the construction of the canal,
we have been informed that most of the
lumber and produce which came down the
river stopped AT Lapidum. This was be-
cause the water was deeper on that side of
the river After the construction of the ca
nal. the business was diverted to this side
of the river. and the want of some better
means of crossing than that afforded by u
ferry became necessary. This led to the
first efforts to erect the Susquehanna bridge,
and resulted in the formation Of the first
bridge company, which was Incorporated in
1903. OF the rncorporators, five were from
Baltimore city and county, six from Har
ford county, and six were from Cecil, as fol-
lows: James Sewali, Alan Whann, Henry
W. PhySir, William iIoilingsWorth, ThoS.
W. Neazey, and Thomas Williams. The
commissioners wcc4 authorized to raise $3.50, :
900 by subscription, in shares Of $50 each,
for the purpose of building bridge over
the Susguehanna river at the most suitable
place in their Judgment between Havre de
Grace and Bald Friar Ferry
This effort seems to have failed owing to
=
the requisite amount of subscriptions to the
stock, which was probably caused by the
indefinite location of the bridge, for, ut the
session Of 1872, an act was passed authorz-
ing and reouirinp John CreSyelI Samuel c.