Evening star., 1897-02-27
The Dear Old Town is l45 Years Old
Today.
how THE PLACE Was FOUNDED
Washington Then a Youth, Lafay-
cite Child, George III an Urchin.
/ n TIE X EST tt n Ct RETROSPECT

The year 114S saw enacted the treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle. which meant an universal
peace for Europe. but was broken In 1756
by the bloody seven years war, in which
the whole of Europe was again plunged
lEto general war and which extended to
the western hemisphere. under the name
of the French and Indian wars.
Just half way between these two events
there occurred in the new world peace
ful and TO us very important event and
cne which makes the year 1852 as much
the .Annus Urbis Conditae'' to the citizen
OF Georgetown as was to the Romans the
year IL which Romulus and Remus founded
their immortal city. So therefore, on Feb
ruary %, 1897, We Sing of the arms and
men who first upon the Potomac's shore
founded the city of Georgetown, one hum
dred and forty-five years ago, Or to give
1t little more of the SAVIOR of antiquity
nearly century and half ago. In the
preceding year the legislature of the prov
lEce OF Maryland had authorized certain
persons TO act commissioners and to
erect town in Frederick county above
the mouth of Rock creek which town
with ITS lanes, streets and lots, was to be
formed from purchase of sixty acres
and the town thus crea ted was to be called
Georgetown. Although the commissioners
met four months after and chose the site
Yet the owners were dissatisfied and re-
fused to sell, whereupon it was assessed
and taken. and two hundred and eighty
pounds paid TO the two owners. and on
February z, 1IJ2. was completed the sur
Vey and division of the future Georgetown
into streets and lots. of which latter there
were eighty.
When Braddock Came.
rms auspicious event happened 1IJ years
ago today A very small fraction of time
Ill the worlds history, and yet We Ameri-
cans citizens of new and pow erful ma
ucn. are accustomed to regard events oc-
corrlng previous to the founding of the re-
pnpli; almost as prehistoric, or at least
belonging to ancient history. Although
II was not Sc long ago, still in the FIRST
year after the founding of Georgetown
u.at great American who was in the future
10 occupy the highest column in the tenn
pie of fame George Washington had lust
passed his twentieth birthday but IT was
only three years later that he established
ms military reputation in the unfortunate
fort Duquesne expedition. That other
bright American genius, Thomas Jefferson
from whose brain and pen came the Dec
Iaration of Independence, was but a small
boy of eight years. That great French
man, Lafayette, who was destined to take
part In two great revolutions and to see
one king despoiled of his richest colonies
ard another his owl king lose his head
was IN l.I2 but five years of age: but hard
~ three-quarters of a century later he was
able to visit the United States and passed
through Georgetown, then with a ponul,
tich OF S.pp souls, on his way to visit at
MI Vernon the tomb of his former friend
and fellow soldier
George Ill., who was destined to play a
e.eat part In coercing his colonial sub
Jects TO unite in open resistance to unlaw-
1ul taxation and tyrannical oppression
was then Prince George. and but fourteen
years old, and when he died in 1870 he had
lr.rh f1 1t
onies organized into a strong nation and
the little village on the Potomac above the
mouth of Rock creek, named after his
lather, George ii. prosperous town of
over i.ID Inhabitants.
The Corsican lieutenant, Bonapare des-
tined 10 become Emperor of France, and TO
set all Europe aflame with his wars AMI
ihtriSues. was not even born in 1852 Thus
we see that in the year of our humble be-
ginning these men who were to become
famous in the annals of history were then
utterly unknown. and have so long since
departed that but few men live now who
can remember the closing years of their
careers.
Subjects of the King.
AT the time of foundation we were
Narylanders and subjects of George II,
and loyal subjects. for We always then
spoke of him with Kindness and respect l
suppose II was not at all uncommon In
those early days 10 hear the pious ejacula-
ton God save our king" or God bless
King George" We showed our LOYALTY a
few years later In the French and Indian
war, which was really the western section
OF the seven years war, and the western
counties of Maryland AMI Virginia suffer
ed severely at this time at the hands OF
the Indians
In the spring of 1853 there must have
been great futter Of excitement among
our fellow townsmen, for there mad arrived
t.ay ~ - -It
regulars aboard. under command of Gen.
Braddock. and those .roops were to make
some atonement by their attacks on the
French and Indians, for the lack of success
IN tle north. Not many months later came
back the dismal news Of the utter failure
OF this expedition, and It's almos. complete
ann1hilation but for the skill and discretion
OF Col. George Washington of Virginia
again IN ,he year lt'9 was there cause for
rejoicing in the town, for the great victory
az Quebec, but saddeneG by the death of
Wolfe upon the Heights of Abraham. In
the year 1t1O, the scene has somewhat
changed, the people are not so warm in
their expressions of loyalty to George
III as they had been to his father The
BOSTON massacre, and later on the Boston
tea party In Massachusetts and the burn
ing OF the Peggy Stewart and ner cargo
OF tea In Annapolis. had set men 10 think
Ing hard We can well ina gine our fellow
toWnsmen anxiously asking If this state of
thlngs was to last forever, wondering how
ioHs tHe iles OF kinShlp anC 4 common an
cestTy would permit them 10 submi. quiet
ly TO such an obstinate and unfriendly mo-
ther. Probably some We're even beginning
to hint that the dominion of England
would not and could not last forever and
probably calculating il we were strong
enough TO resist sue cessfully and become a
great nation. That little spark the love of
iberty, was aglow, and was soon to burst
INTO the flame which should burn until the
allegiance to the mother country had been
Shaken off, and the Independence of the
United States dckn 1wledsed by the world
Loyal to the King.
We know that our old Georgetonians
were thoroughly in sympathy with the
movement Of resistance to British tyranny,
and that the town furnished men and stores
TO the armies of Washington and Lee The
writer has a letter written by a member
OF one of the Maryland companies which
passed through Georgetown to join Lafay-
ette at Yorktown, and which tells "of the
kind and friendly treatment we received at
Geo Town"
The close Of the revolutionary war found
Georgetown with a population of about
l,5OO souls, and in the state of MARYLAND
instead OF the province. But she was not
in the same county, for i'll 1852 she was
part of Frederick. She was now in Mont