The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-06-03

I
While captain, he obtained patent for
all the surrounding property, including
Fort Oldham, or '0ultons Garrison.
Here he built house, or part of 4 house,
hundred feet south of The Garrison, and
in 1899 conveyed this property to Thomas
Cromwell and James Murray. In 100,
Murray became sole possessor, and, in 1901 !,
sold a part of it to VIM. Talbot. His
widow married John Risteau; thence to his
son Thomas, thence to George Carman, a
nephew; thence bought by Robert Carman,
father of George; thence to Mr.. Metcalf;
thence to John Lloyd; thence to Condiff
Tagart; thence to Samuel Tagart, thence
to the trustees of the McDonogh Insti-
tute.
ALMOST UNKNOWN.
The question naturally arises, why was
so little known of the Garrison Fort, so
near and so easy of access 2 This ques-
ton is not hard to answer by an student of
Maryland history More than two hun
dred aud fifty years has passed since the
colonists came to St. Mary's, and for two
hundred years, until the formation of the
Maryland Historical Society, no organized
effort was made to preserve the records Of
the past, except legislative and ecclesiasti-
cal proceedings This Garrison Fort has
a peculiar value in that it is the Oldest
permanent fort in Maryland. Fort Cum
berland's site is occupied by church.
Fort Frederick, built in 1850, still exists.
No traces exist of the forts in st. Mary's
City, or Mattapany, Piscataway, or the
Indian fort on Spencer's Island. There is
one near Annapolis named originally Fort
Beeman and now Fort Madison, but the
date of its origin is uncertain. Now, as
Revolutionary relies, sword or chair, are
held in high esteem, how much more should
one preserve fort built to defend our
frontier in 1893, and again used for de-
fense against the French and Indians in
1855 by Captain John Risteau, sheriff of
Baltimore county? Braddock's defeat
caused such alarm that the people of the
forest took their guns to church, not know
ing when their devotions might be inter
rupted by the Indian war cry.
"The committee having thus presented
for the consideration of the Historical So
ciety all the facts obtainable so far, make
no specific recommendations at present,
hoping, however, that such convincing
light may be thrown upon this building
that it may become not only memorial of
momentous events in the past history of
Maryland but utilized for the present dis
semination of that historic knowledge which
is greatly conspicuous by its deficiency.
THE FORT HARD TO FIND.
The enthusiast who starts on an eager
tramp across the county to search for the
old fort needs patience and perseverance in
large quantities. No one within radius
of iige miles seems to be aware of the ex-.
istence of the fort, and to all interrogatories
the stereotyped answer, 81 never heard of
it" is given. Though most people in that
section known of the location of the Gear
rison Farm" and the fGarrison Forest or
the ''Garrison Road, few know why they
are so called, or are aware of the location
of the ''Garrison," from which these places
derived their names.
When the visitor finally reaches the farm,
however, his troubles are at an end, for Mr..
Michael N. Fringer, its genial occupant,
takes pleasure in conducting any one to the
old fort. 1t is quaint stone structure,
with massive walls punctuated here and
there with embrasures for musketry, and
there can be no doubt that it was built for
defense against forces invading the land at
the earliest period in the history of its set
tlement Heavy oak posts and beams or
sills show the great strength of the fort,
and it surely served its purpose well. Its
walls are whitewashed, and the interior is
coated with a dark brown calsomine A
hen had made her nest in the embrasure
from which many sturdy settler pointed
his gun at an Indian foe. In its gables !
pigeons coo, AID a great shrub bush by its
door was fairly weighted down with fra
grant blossoms,