The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-11-08

4 visit TO the Only Remaining House OF
tho first scat of Baltimore County

tho First scat of Baltimore County,
..,t,rk L." writes TO The sun the fol-
! lowing description of "a recent VISIT to we
Site of JOppa the original seat OF bai"-
more county, T., t
thinking that your readers may ne III
terostcd ina hearing something about
placc once the rival Of Baltimore WHl'l
II antcdated as a settlement by scFel"l
voars "a shipping port whose name was
/ known 10 every London lIdurt n'lvtD
baltimore town had been heard on the
county scat long before Gen. Nathan
Tcwson. after whom the present county
seat was named was born. town
! whence roads-N hiCh still exist 10 perpet-
uatc its mcmory-radiated M every az
roction throughout the surrounding 'ouh-
try like spokcs from huD, aUNrdlhk 20
many avenues Of supply ior me lmpoI lau1
| commerce which this ancient town ENJOY
cd submit the subiOined account OF
recent congratulated pilgrimage 10 lle
site Of one of the earliest settlements I'D
! the State-a town Of such promise d cen
fury and a half ago. that. were the shade
| Of David McCulloch. a merchant of Jop-
pa. who died on the 18th day OF Scptcm-
ber 1Ti aged fOrty-cight years. ms lie
inscription on his still-Standlns toiup-
stone attests. TO revisit the scenes OF ms
youth he would doubtless expect 10 VII
ness such "a growth as the town or fred-
orick has enjoyed during the past century.
What he would find it was the writer
mOurnful privilege 10 behold after aithl-
ing from "a train which had Whlsked MN
uD from Baltimore. o. distance or some
twenty miles. in exactly half am houf.
rate Of suced and q mode or tranepOrta-
ton whereof we may well imagine the
most visionary dweller at Joppa never
dreamed.
The sole survivor az Joppa Of that re-
lontless mclar. the tooth Of time. ls ono
solitary. though substantial and roomy
brick house. with q real Queen Anne roof
M least 10 was put on during her reign.
If the record of the date I'm the broad
chimney place which the hosnitable pres
cnt occupant Of the mansion, Mrs. Nel-
son Bell went 10 some pains 20 disclose
for my inspection. may he accepted as
conclusive evidence Of the date OF It's erec-
ton.
A wide hall extends from the front
door, which faces the lane. formerly a.
busy street. leading up 20 the house 10
the back. which opens ON the river IRON.
not a stones throw off 40 the foot OF
the lawn which slopes down 10 meet IT.
IT the belief Of the present owners or
this. the old Rumsey mansion, Doe correct,
DO Is none other than the original COURT
house. Certainly the remains OF no other
buildings Of equal size are 10 De iouhd
I'm the vicinity. in which case the date pm
tho chimney place corresponds with me
time Of its alteration from the require
mcnts Of a courthouse. which l1d tallen
into disuse two years before un 1863. az
which time the records were removed To
a rev courthouse &c Baltimore town,
the then county scat-to those of dwell
ing. which il now ard for so long time
past. has so admirably served.
"As President Tyler Of William and
Mary College In a recent letter 10 the
Century Magazine. takes exception 10 the
statement that many of the Old Colonial
residences I'm Maryland were built with
bricks brought over from England. be-
cause, as he oVcrs, there is not case 10
be found I'm the annals Of \ilglni9 OF
bricks imported from Enllaud-iDrlck-
makers. Dee maintains. mot bricks, were
imported from England until / shall
have had time 10 consult the records Of
the early Maryland imports. which
strongly suspect Will entirely demoiish
this novel Interpretation, / must qualify
the statement that the Rumsey dOmiciie
was made Of English bricks by explain
ing that this must DE understood. accord
ing 10 the authority just quoted. as refer
ring TO bricks made (here) according 10
the Enei sh method.
After refreshing myself with a glass of
my kind entertainers excellent cider !
obtained her permission 10 roam al VIII
through tho apple orchard, which now
covers "a large part of the site OF the an
cient town I'M search OF footprints of n
lOng-departed past. Truly ! exclaimed.
as / surveyed the ruin time and efficient
ally the farmers plowshare. had wrought
'JOppa has fallen on evil days, for the
JhlIi OF lp-tdE II Ntrl hivNN az JhNNA
farm. and the farmer Is, above all men,
a utilitarian.
Like death. he Is no respector of per-
sons, especially when those persons have
been dead for century or more. TO him
fOundatiOn-stOnes Of a church. Jail. and
an inn, however historic. are alike, and
only serviceable for filling up prehistoric
cellars, or for celebrating waterless wells
which have long fallen into "A condition
best described as one Of inOcuOus desue-
A. hist IL
easier and less wasteful of the ground
to pillow them up. or down II you prefer,
than 10 pillow around them.
Having thus abolished the graveyard,
successive narrowing reverses have
gradually effaced the very sites of the
prominent buildings, which in spite of
the lapse Of time ono might reasonably
expect TO find. Thanks to an ancient
drawing. we know that hard by the still
standing reputed courthouse stood the
Jail. while block or two of the modest
spire Of St. Johns church pierced the
sky, but which heap of stones marks the
site Of either building II would require the
services OF a surveyor 10 determine.
From the mcth-eaten records Of ST.
Johns parish. covering a period Of over
two centuries, we learn that Samuel. son
of Nicholas and Elizabeth Day. born
March l. 1870, was the frst male child
born I'm the town. as an evidence that az
that early date Joppa set the pace FOR
Baltimore. 1t is worthy of note that the
Specifications FOR old ST. Paul's church re-
quired that II should be built after the
pattern OF the church in JOppa. In Jop-
pa Whitfield Gin $780, gave a word OF
exhortatlOn 10 about forty people In the
church. and II was of this same church
that the aforesaid ID. McCulloch was. for
several years an honored yestryman.
Church. priest. and people are all
gone. In the family burying-ground OF
the Run seys protected by its inclosng
wall which has the anpcarance OF haV-
ing az some still earlier day answered the
purpose OF a foundation for much more
ancient structure. the remains OF several
members OF that family are 10 he found,
some OF whose descendants still reside IN
the neighborhood