The evening times., 1898-08-01
ssTHoITAs czEsAp.
He Was Ose of the, Noted Men IN
:. C0lcufal Days.

l
:. colcHial Days.
York, Pa, Aug. 1.lcresap's fort. IL
lower Windsor townshop. York county
about eighteenmiles from the Maryland
line. has been discovered.
It recalls to memory one Of the mosi
remarkable men who ever lived in this
State. The northern limits of Lord Bal
timore's domain. as originally granted
took in the place now occupied by the
southern part Of Philadelphia, running
| due west and including in Maryland a
! as Maryland contends. were cosened out
l of this rich domain by the Penns. but be-
| fore the final settlement a condition near
| Iy approaching border warfare prevail
| ed for many years. Both the Calverts
| and the Penns made land grants in this
| disputed territory and the conflicting
claims occasioned constant turmoil.
| Cresap settled on the Susquehanna
| nearly opposite Columbia. Pa, and bull,
| a blockhouse, not for defense against the
| Indians, for the Indians were then peace
| able. but for. defense against the Penn
sylvania settlers. 1t Is likely that Cresap
went at the request Of Lord Baltimore
to ho,d the country for him. Lord Baiti-
more had made grants to a number OF
Catholics and these received harsh treat
ment from Penn's people.
In the immediate neighborhood OF Gre
sap's fort colony OF Germans had set
tied under grants from Penn. Cresap, at
the head of fifty men. marched against
them to drive them out. A fracas en-
sued. in which Pennsylvania named
Knowles Dant was killed. The sheriff Of
Lancaster county proceeded against
Cresap with a posse but he had taken
refuge in his fort and stood a siege. The
sheriff finally succeeded, under cover Of
darkness, in setting fire to the fort Gre
sap rushed out and attempted TO break
through the beslegers, but was captured.
along with four of his comrades. They
were imprisoned in Philadelphia and the
Inhabitants Of that town fioclted to get a
sight of the Maryland monster" as they
called him. In an address to the King by
the government of Maryland 1t was
charged that the Penns had allowed one
of these prisoners to starve to death in
JAIL
After remaining in jail a year. Col.
Cresap was released by order Of the King
and came TO Maryland. and In 1739 got a
grant Of land from Lord Baltimore at a
place a few miles north OF the present
Sto VA AAd6SAbtOHh- Auio WdS oHC VI
the earliest grants west Of the Blue
Ridge. 1t is one OF the most fertile and
beautiful portions Of the State and is still
known by the name II received from
Cresap. namely. Long Meadows. Here.
when the French and Indian war broke
out. Cresap built fort as a refuge from
the Indians. The farm. or that part of
the original tract upon which the fort
and dwelling stood. is now owned by Mr..
William s. Young. 14is Druid Hill Ave-
nue.. Baltimore. A portion OF the stone
wall OF the fort is still preserved in the
springhouse- This farm, after the Revo-
luton came into the possession of Col.
Thomas Hart. and il was there that his
daughter. Letitia, the wife of Henry Clay,
was born.
Thomas Cresap was born in Yorkshire.
England, and came to America at an
early age. After the events narrated
above he established a hunting lodge on
the Potomac, near the mouth of the
South Branch. When the Indian war be-
gan he received commission from Gov.
Dunmore in the colonial troops, and was
with Braddock on his fatal campaign to
Fort Duquesne. In this campaign he was
Intimately associated with Washington
and later on was connected with Wash
ington In the Ohio company enterprise.
After Braddock's defeat there was
period OF Indian warfare in Western
Maryland extending over nearly ten
years. In all this time Cresap was the
chief defense of the western frontier. He
penetrated farther west than Cumber-
lapd. wheu one "0f, his sons, Daniel. was
killed by ali Indian, the mountain where
his death occurred being still known as
Dams Mountain. Negro Mountain, in the
same neighborhood, got its name because
upon it negro man owned by Cresap
was killed by an Indian
Thomas Cresap lived, 1t is said, more
than a hundred years. His adventures
were many and exciting. His son Mich
ael was scarcely less distinguished. He
lived at Long Meadows. while his father
was at his lodge on the Potomac. At the
of the Revolution he led two
companies of riflemen from Frederick
then including the present three
western counties. though the wilderness
TO join Washington at Boston. After
taking part in the military operations
there he started home on sick leave. but
got no farther than New York. There he
died and was buried with military hon
ors and In the presence of a great crowd
in Trinity Church graveyard His tomb
stone bears the following inscription: I'm
memory of Michael Cresap. the first cap
tain of the rifle battalions, and son of
Capt. Thomas Cresap. who departed this
life October the is. 1115.
Michael Cresap's memory suffered from
a charge that he was concerned in the
massacre of the family of the Indian
chief Logan. The origin of this charge
was a speech written by Thomas Jeffer-
son and attributed to an Indian chief but |
it was proved conclusively that Cresap
had nothing to do with the massacre, but |
was in Maryland at the time it took
place. Michael Cresap was educated In
Baltimore county at the school Of the |
Row Thomas. Craddock.