The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-11-22

The Third district included that part OF
Elk Neck west of Elk ferry and that part Of
the county between the Western boundary
line of the Second district and Principle
creek, and northerly line from near the
head of that creek to the State line. Elec-
tons We're held at Charlestown, in the house
Of Samuel Hogg.
| The Fourth district included all that part
of the county west of the Third district.
Elections We're held at Battle Swamp, in the
house of Greenbury Rawlings.
Jacob Reynolds did not sign the return
made by the other commissioners, probably
for the reason that he did not agree with
them about the place of holding the cleo
| ton in the Fourth district which soon after
was changed to the village of Rising sun.
These districts remained intact till 1885,
when Joseph Bryan, Edward Wilson, VIM.
Mackey, Henry {. Chamberlaine, Thomas S.
| Thomas, George Kidd and Patrick Ewing
were appointed by an act of the Legislature
| to lay off the county into seven districts
This change seems TO have been made in
Difference to the wishes of the people in re-
gard TO the selection of County Commits
| Sioners
By the act of 1897, five persons were to be
appointed by the Executive, STYLED "Com-
missioners of the tax" who were to lew
the tax and do such other business gener-
ally rs had previously been transacted by
the Justices Court, when sitting as a levy
| court but in 1927 this law was repealed and
II was enacted that five commissioners
should be elected by the people One of
these commissioners was to be chosen from
each district by the voters of the district,
except the Second, from which two were to
he chosen. This law did not work satisfac-
torily, for Obvious reasons, and the legisla-
ture sought to abridge the political power of
the Second district by the act of 1929 which
provided that the commissioners should be
elected by the people of the whole county,
but made no change in the number and
still required two of them to be taken from
the Second district.
The commissioners appointed by the act
OF 1888, met at the court house early in
April, 1886, and appointed Thomas Richards
W
serve, and on the 2lst of June, 1887, com
pleted their work, having laid off the coun-
ty into districts, nearly as they are at pres
ent, except that the Eighth district was
formed out of parts of the Sixth and Sew
enth, by an act of the legislature, in 1852:
and the Ninth was formed in the same man
nor, in 1856, out of parts of the Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth districts. 1t is worthy of
remark that only four of the commissioners
signed the report, which indicates that the
others did not agree with them
In $3.50, the legislature appointed James
Steel, Stephen Boyd, Washington Hall, Levi
II. Evans and Samuel Irwin commissioners
Ia locate the boundary line between Cecil
and Hartford counties. They finished their
work i'll 1882. We learn from their report
that they began at the State line, at a rock
called Long Rock, in the middle of the Sus
quehanna rivef, in which they inserted an
iron bolt, marking the rock wirn t Il initials
OF the two counties, and continued the line
southwardly by various islands and rocks
III tho river, till theS reached a large fiat
rock at the lower part of Pllmer's Island,
which they marked with ring and bolt
and the letters II. and c.
We learn from history of Maryland and
Delaware, published in Philadelphia nv
Joseph Scott, in 1907. that at that time there
"e.e nfty-tnree grist and merchant mill, in
this county, and that Cecil Furnace, on
Principle creek, was in successful operation
and cannon, equal to any manufactured in
the nited States, were made there. There
were, in addition to thsse, a ioree at North
East, one on the Octoraro, and one on the
Big Elk; several rolling and stilling mills
On the Elk creeks, and a nail factory at
Marley. There We're also fifty saw mills
four fulling mills and two oil mills in the
county. Elkton was described as q one of
the greatest wheat markers IN America.
2ln,0oo bushels being sold in year" This
quantity may now seem too small to have
warranted this assertion, but we must not
forget that at this time the fertile fields of
the Western States were an uneXplored will
dernesS, and that great deal Of the wheat
produced III Lancaster county was sold in
ElktOn and to the millerS along the Elk
creeks, who found Il market for their flour
IN Philadelphia. Strange as it may now
seem, the assertion was probably quite true.
The writer of this history informs us that
Elkton contained one hundred and twenty
dwellings and that about thousand castor
and wool hats were made there annually
And that Charlestown contained r..r. r-nve
fl,,-, Il 'i,,,r L !,
isInts, and the two stores there sold annual
" - eco worth OF goods, and that there WAS
4 market house III Cllarlextown. in which
market vas held twir> a week, and that
.iZ ve*<s.;; -a,Iet nom that town weekly.
The cabinet making and windsor chair
making we're also carried on extensively in
Charlestown, and the writer mentions is a
notable fact that fifty pairs Of haot- anil
two thousand pairs 81 SHOES we're made
.hrre annually. t.fhe lathe used in turning
certain parts of these chairs is now in the
possession Of the descendants of H. b. Ora
ham, who, at that time, WAS proprietor of
the chair manuflctory.) The fact is tl.at
boots were v"~y little ,.seu III this county at
that time, only a few eff the wealthy people
being able to afford expensive Il luxury.
Charlestown, at this time was probably the
most important town in the cauu.y ard
probably had reached tie neignt Gifts pros
l,trits. The people of the county We're gen
orally free and easy set of hale fellows
well met and were given to fun and frolic
ON Saturday afternoons it was customary
for the people of many neighborhoods to as
semble at the country stores and taverns
and indulge iH playing at bail, and ''long
ouiiets.'' long bullets, though very pop
ular game at that time, has long since fallen
into disuss, and after much inquiry we have
been unable to ascertain exactly how it was
played. 1t appears, however, to have can
sisted in throwing cannon balls of several
pounds weight rs far as possible by two
sets of players, those who scored the great
est distance being the winners of the game
The citizens of Charlestown seemed to have
INDUCED in this game to such an extent I'D
to have endangered the lives and limbs of
pedestrians, for, in 1902 the commissioners
passed the following ordinance which is so
curiously worded that we publish it entire:
Whereas the inhabitants CT Charlestown
have suffered, and have been likely to suffer,
by playing long bullets on the streets of the
aforesaid town. In consequence whereof
the commissioners of Charlestown have
son or persons who will be found playing