The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-01-07
"REMINISCENCES.
Incidents OF By-6one Days of
interest To the Present Resi-
dents Of Rising Sun and
Vicinity.
BY "6RANDpop.'

Do you remember the old Stone Hotel
that stood Oh the corner, where Messrs.
Alice & Shepherds house now stands,
and was kept by John Dawson !? The
property later was bought by DR.. s. B.
Stubbs, who built fine residence there
and occupied it for several years. Do you
remember the beautiful sign John Dawson
had up for his Hotel, with a beautiful
sky blue back ground with the morning
sun Just rising, and what became of that
sign or what was done with it
Who remembers aunt Jenny Dawson
and her Ginger Cakes At all public
gatherings, elections and vendues, with
her little stand, and the home made beer
and ginger cakes. And never were sweet
er cakes made by mortal hand
Does any one remember the great Wing
political meeting, held in Basil Haines'
woods. at what was then called the stone
School house, in the year 1874, when
hundreds, yes, thousands of people, were
at that meeting? They had band OF
music from Baltimore, the first that was
ever in that vicinity, and scores OF folks
heard Brass Band discourse music for
the first time in their lives.
There were delegations from all parts
of the county, from Port Deposit in the
lead of the procession with a large boat
on wheels with sailors on it who wore
white pants and red shirts Rowlandville
had large delegation with sheet iron
banners. Harrisville with still larger
crowd, with wagon with a large platform
for speaking purposes, drawn by twenty
six yoke of oxen, to represent each state
in the Union, as at that time there were
twenty-six states. The writer of this was
one Of the OK drivers, and perhaps the
only living one now. Barclay Reynolds
was the Chief Marshal of the parades.
Tohn Kirk, son of Daddy Allen Kirk, as
he was we'll known by this title in those
days, rode horseback, bare-footed as mill
boy, with bag of corn across an old
gray mares back, and many OF the prom
inent men and boys of that day rode on
horse back, gaily trimmed OH with
steamers and banners and wreaths, etc.
Many of the home industries and me-
chaaical devices were represented in the
l line On one wagon large round ball,
six feet IN diameter, was made to revolve
as the wagon moved on, with the in
scription 1--WE are rolling on to clear the
way for Harry Clay" On the front OF
this were three men who sang Clay songs,
James Mccullough, Peter Atkinson and
Hiram Hindman On one platform Ellis
Phillips and Frank Linton were black
smithing. On another Lewis Russell as
shoemaker. On another was James z.
Egan, of Colora, skutching flax. he was
called in those days little Jim Egan, and
suppose now the only one left to tell the
story.
Some may remember Mr.. Hoskins
and his beautiful young wife, who for one
wear kept the old Ellis Reynolds Hotel,
that stood where the Rising Sun Bank
now stands. This was Mr.. Hoskins'
second wife and like so many other men,
who get handsome young ladies' Tor the
second wife, he was extremely fond of her
and her good looks, and kept the bad
boys away from seeing much of her-and
there were some bad boys around the Sun
in those times. To make Mr.. Hoskins
think they were anxious to see her they
fixed up fine suit of clothes and stuffed
them as nice and natural as they could.
The figure was then put up tree that
stood in front of the Hotel, as though
looking in the window, and boy went in
and told Mr.. Hoskins ga man up the tree
lookingw The reply was, ''Yes, and a
man will come down the tree !" He took
a double shot gun and shot the image
down, and took possession of it, then told
them the owner could have his clothes if
he came for them himself, but the owner
was afraid of that old gun, and did not
ask for them, so Mr.. Hoskins next morn
ing took them out and set fire to them and
one young man was short good suit of
clothes.