The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1882-09-29
"Ancient JOppa"-Of Maryland.
BY w. NJ. MARINE.

recently PAID Visit TO Inc once promls-
| ing city of Joppa, situate at the junction OF
the Little and Big Gunpowder Rivers. To
get there you must travel through aswampy
| growth of trees, along road that will permit
| your passage in summer, but how it is ever
gotten over in winter, is puzzle. The ruins
of Joppa show that it was of substantial, i'm
ported brick built cdifices, and was evidently
| a considerable village at one time. Much of
its history is as hard to procure as its relative
in the distant East This only shows how
| soon and how completely our names and very
habitations are forgotten. Why any one
| should have selected this spot on which to
build city, is marvel. 1t could not have
reached far in any given direction without
| striking a swamp. But in the days when it
| flourished it was port entry for the ships
| that sailed between this and the mother coun-
| try. The land in its neigiborhood was cul-
| tivated in tobacco. The English must have
| learned to chew and smoke an enormous
amount the weed in very short period of
| time. A narrative of their experience in be-
coming able to tolerate the vile stuff within
the doorway intended to accommodate better
| things, would show the number of sick folks
| nauseating their stomachs for the purpose OF
of Indianzng their palates.
| In the days of the early history of this
town, the Gunpowder River must have been
deep stream, for men are living who have
| loaded large schooners at its landing, who
testified to its having depth of twenty feet
| Its broad surface of a mile in width, floating
argosies upon its now placid and then rut.
| fled bosom, must have presented beautiful
scene. Then the woodland along the margin
of its banks in the upper country remained
untouched by the axe; the ploughshare had
not been running through the earth, the tuft-
ed grass and other wild growth prevented
the wash of soil which in late years has chok-
| ed up the river. Islands of mud have formed,
and the waters out ofthe channel, which is two
hundreds yards wide, with depth of five
| feet, will not float a small batteau. The old
town wharf stands where the Little Gunpow-
der enters the larger stream of the same
name. 1t is about twenty feet wide and is a
ruin the stones are loosened and it is so
| flattened down that the high tides wash over
it. The channel runs close by, seemingly
not DESTROYS of deserving so old friend
The eXhalations from the marsh are here per-
ceptible An occasional fish disported in the
water, willow trees were growing, and
beach stood near the shore bank An orch
ard has been planted over the space occupied
by the main part of the town. The graves
and principal portions of existing ruins are
covered by it, Many tracesofthe foundations
of houses are clearly discernble, brick and
other rubbish by the side observations telling
where they stood. Very little can be accu-
rately determined as to what buildings cover
ed the particular sites. The spot occupied by
the old Jail is pointed out, and an under
ground passage is said to have led from 1t to
the court house. This passage was recently
discovered, choked up, by some one who
works on the farm. There now stands close
to the river bank in a state of excellent pre-
| lao al, i,n I'm N
to Joppa. 1t was unquestionably among the
last erected 1t has the old hip roof, Is con-
structed of imported brick, and has very
wide passage-way through the middle of it,
The rooms have the carved wooden mould
ings, and the windows are the small old
fashioned ones of long ago. Throughout the
style is that of a past era. This house was
built for judicial purposes 1t is observable
in the northern wall that the windows have
been contracted. On an iron chimney jam
are the figures, 1880. This cannot, however
denote the age of the building, and the plate
was probably put there some time after the
house was completed. This is the farm man
sion, and is occupied by Mr.. David Smith, &c
whose kindness | am indebted for much OF
the information herein contained The place
where stood the Episcopal church is sur
rounded by graves, not many of which art
distinguislablc by memorials, although here
, and there broken rs well as II whole sal
: of marble, with the names lettered on them
, is living around. Then Il few tombstones are
now standing, black with age and covered
= with incrustations. There is also private lot
having ancient as well as modern graves in
it. 1t is enclosed by n stone wall construct
ed out of the abundance of the foundation
material lying about. The country in this re
gion has no stone, so those that are here have
1 IL ~.,Ian