The Baltimore County union, the Towson news., 1909-10-23


to Cardiff Tagart; thence to Samue
Tagart, his brother; thence to the
trustees of McDonogh Institute, anC
then to the late Charles J. Moore
whose family still retains possession
The question now presents itself
why was so little known of the Garri
son Fort, SO near the most populous
portion of the county and easy Of
access? The question is not hard tC
answer by any one familiar with
Maryland history. Two hundred
and seventy-fve years have passed
since the colonists came to st. Mary
and for 200 years, or until the forma.
ton of the Maryland Historical
Society, no organized effort was made
to preserve the records of the past,
except by legislative and ecclesiastical
proceedings.
This Garrison Fort has a peculiar
value in that it is the oldest (if il
can be proven by a rigid inspection
permanent fort in Maryland. Fort
Cumberland 8 site is occupied by a
church. Fort Frederick, built in
1855, still exists in ruins, but no
traces remain of the forts in St. Mary
City, or Mattapony, Piscataway, OF
the Indian fort on Spencer's Island.
The old building which is the SUBJ
ject of our article is hard to find, al
though situated in a populous and
flourishing neighborhood, and the
enthusiast who starts on an eager
tramp across the country to search
for the old post needs patience and
perseverance. Hardly one person
out of five, or within radius of three
miles of its location, seems to be
aware of it's existence, and to every
question concerning it one will very
likely receive the stereotyped answer,
'Inever heard of it," Though nearly
every one in the neighborhood knows
of the location of Garrison Stock
Farm belonging to Mr.. Charles T.
Cockey, Sr., and Garrison Forest,
and the Garrison road, yet few of them
know why they are so called, or are
aware of the location of the Garrison,
from which these places derive their
respective names.
Any one wishing to visit this old
fort, can very easily find it by taking
the Old Court road through the
village of Pikesville, and following
the same until they reach the Green
Spring Valley road, that leads off
to the left from the Old Court road,
about 400 yards below the old Baptist
church. A walk or a drive along
this beautiful country road for about
a mile and half, brings one to the
estate of Mrs. Moore, lying south of
the road, and joining "Dumbarton, !"
the handsome estate of Mr.. John
Waters on the west. Here is stu
ated the venerable relic, the subject
of our sketch.
1t is a quaint stone structure, 20 by
so feet, its massive walls punctuated
by embrasures. Heavy oak posts
and beams or sills show the great
strength of the structure which served
its purpose well in the dim and
misty past. Its walls have been
color washed, and its interior is
coated with dark brown calcimine.
A gentleman who visited the old
structure about fifteen years ago
gives vivid description of it, and in
concluding, says: "A hen had made
her nest in an embrasure from which
many sturdy settler pointed his
gun at an Indian foe. In its gables
pigeons cooed, and a great shrub bush
by its door was fairly weighted down
with fragrant blossoms.
Thursday afternoon, July 8, 1855,
occurred the crushing defeat of Maj.
Gen. Edward Braddock, on the banks
of the Monongahela river, eight miles
from Fort Du Quesne, now the site OF
Pittsburg. Within three days swift
mounted messengers despatched from
the camp of Colonel Dunbar, second
in command of the British forces, and
where the mortally wounded COM
mander had fallen back with the rem
nant of his demoralized force, spread
the news far and wide through the
provinces of Pennsylvania, Maryland
and Virginia, causing terror and dis.
may to hundreds of frontier families.
An immediate advance of the French
foe and their redskinned allies was
now expected, especially by the
settlers of Maryland.
A report having spread that body
of French and Indians were within a
3O-mile march of Baltimore Town
having reached the site of what il
now the town of Westminster, Carol
county, the settlers of Garrison Forest
and Soldiers Delight caught the in
lection of alarm, and a body of the
county militia was quickly collected
and thrown into the old fort, under
the command of Capt. John Risteau
Sheriff of the county.
The parishioners of st. Thomas
church, about four miles north O.
the fort, FURNISHED up their arm'
and prepared their ammunition
carrying their guns with them OF
Sunday and placing them in thu
corners of their pews, not knowing
at what moment their devotion
would be interrupted by the wa
whoop of the savage enemy.
Such is brief review of this his
toric structure and the stirring event
that led to its erection. There ha
been some controversy as to whethe
the old stone edifce is the one tirs
erected, or whether it was erecte'
later to take the place of the Origina
building. Upon this point of dIsput
we will advance no argument, as
always dispels the romance OF an
historical subject, no matter ho'
interesting or conclusive in it's ev
dence. to make it the subject of cor
troversy.
A committee of the Maryland Hi'
torical Society, who 16 years ago pal
visit to the old fort for the purpos
of investigating its history, conclude
their report as follows: