The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-05-08
"TH1s MEMENTo OF JEREMIAH EATON,

OF MosT WORTHY MEMORY,
who departed this life about the year 1876
Being actuated by pure benevOlence, he devised
in perpetuity to the Rector of ST. Johns Parish
and his successors, in Baltimore county, a val
liable donation of land, five hundred and fifty
acres and which generous fund has since ad
ministered.' (The rest OF the sentence is ille-
gible) 4, 90
the donor but warm admirer of his merit,
humhly trusts that his virtuous piety may be
often Initiated, never forgotten, in the awful
day of Retribution."
s'This important event is recorded upon the
walls of St. Johns new stone Episcopal Church
by its founder: as slight tribute of respect, on
the first day of January, in the year of Our Lord
Christ, one thousand eight hundred and seven
teen." ,o.,
ter, 9th verse;"
There seems to have been a mis-
take as to the number of acres COM
prising Mr.. Eaton's bequest. In the
memorial just quoted it is said to be
five hundred and fifty acres, but from
a record of vestry meeting, held on
the 10th day of July, 1882, when it
was decided to dispose of the Glebe,
it was reported that the tract had been
recently surveyed, and that it was
found to contain three hundred and
forty acres. 1t was purchased by the
late Thomas White Hall, of Hartford
county, and it is still in the posses
sion of his descendants The pro-
ceeds of this sale were invested, and
the parish still has the benefit of the
investment.
1t is said that the first church in
this parish was located at Elk Neck,
on the Gunpowder river. Of this
building nothing definite is known,
and it is doubtful if the site could be
accurately determined.
In the year 1924 the town of Joppa
was founded, and here the second
church was built. In its day Joppa
was a place of considerable impor-
tance. There is an old proverb which
says that Cali roads lead to Rome,
and one could not travel very far in
this section without realizing the fact
that all roads lead to Joppa, for no
matter in what direction he might
travel, sooner or later he will come to
a "Joppa road," so named, because in
old times it led to Joppa. But when
Baltimore was founded the glory de-
parted from Joppa, and it was not
very long before it ceased to be. Its
site is now part of farm, and the
farm house, substantial building of
brick, is all that is left to mark the
location of what someone has very
appropriately termed ga lost town.
Not vestige of the church is left,
and it is doubtful if its site could be
located. There is a graveyard, and
in it is tombstone erected to the
memory of
"DAvID McCULLoH,
A merchant in Joppa, who died
September II, 1866,
Aged 46 years.
It is a very substantial stone and
stands as firmly now as it did when it
was erected nearly two centuries ago.
There are other stones in the yard,
but all of them are of more modern
date, for it was used by some of the
old families as a place of interment
Up to the middle of the last century.
In connection with the church at
Joppa the following item from the
Journal of the great evangelist, Geo.
White6eld, the fellow laborer of John
Wesley, is of interest December
sd, 1899. After travelling about fif-
teen miles on horseback, having slept
the night before near the Susque-
hanna Ferry, we baited at Joppa,
where 1 gave a word of exhortatioD
to about forty people in the church.
Thou most Adorable Head of the
Church give Thy Blessing"
I have said that there was not a
vestige of the old church left, but it
must have been standing as late as
1926, for at a vestry meeting held in
that year committee was appointed
to sell the material of the old church
and the vestry house" F."
In the year 1915, as already stated,