Evening star., 1915-11-21

velopment has been carried on. and
generally with the result of opening
up veins or ore bodies that show assay
values so high that many rosy or gold
en- en- hopes were built on them. Various
kinds of plants and mills. roasting fur
naces, stamp mills, concentration plants
and the like have been installed at
some OF these mines, but after a time
doned. One can find number of these
abandoned mines and at some of them
are the ruins of the plants"
The gold is in the earth and the
quantities. but in the years that have
elapsed since the gold fever struck
Montgomery county few persons have
succeeded in getting out gold with
proht. and In several instances men
with money and with ore deposits that
made an excellent showing under as
says have lost large sums To speak of
Montgomery county gold mines is to
bring smile to most persons. but per-
haps some day great treasure will be
brought forth. There are people in the
Great Falls region of Montgomery
county who believe that jthe mother
lode of the Appalachian gold bearing
belt Is somewhere near the falls. The
Appalachian gold belt is no fiction, for
gold has been washed and mined for
considerably more than a century in
that great range. and gold-bearing
rocks are found in it from Newfound-
land to Georgia.
That part of Maryland now divided
into the counties of Montgomery, Ale
gany. Washington. Garrett, Frederick
and Carroll was. prior to the American
revolution and up to the year 1875, a
single territorial division called Fred
erick county. That part of Maryland
was erected into the county of Fred
erick in 174S out of portions of Prince
Georges. Anne Arundel and Baltimore
counties, and included the whole terri
tory north and west of those counties
montgomery county was one of the re-
suits of the famous MARYLAND conven-
tlon OF 1776. The revolution was in
progress, and Maryland troops had al
ready distinguished themselves in the
natties for the independence of the
United States. For a glimpse of this
period of Maryland history it may be
Wen to quote couple of paragraphs of
McSherrys History of Maryland" TAX
ing them from his chapter on THE New
Constitution and State Government
The paragraph follows:
In the meanwhile, in compliance with the
feluisltlons OF the late convention elections
We're held throughout the state on the first
convention to adopt constitution and form
Of state government. The numJer of delegates.
Their Their qualifications All and the qualifications Of the
proceeding were fixed by the resolutions which
directed lire the holding of the elections On the
organized by unanimously eiecting Matthew
rilghman president. After having devoted sew
which had accumulated since the adjournment
OF the late convention and having completed
by ballot the president and Messrs Carroll.
Paca, Carroll OF Carrollton. Platter, Chase and
'GoldsborOugh to prepare and report declaration
of rights and form of government.
While this committee, composed of the best
and most most, DISTINGUISHED patriots of Maryland
convention was directing the whole energies OF
the state to a vigorous prosecution of fhe
legislative and executive branches of the gov
ernment. On the 9th of September they divided
of it two new counties Washington and Moat-
gomery. the former named In compliment TO the
OF the gallant Irishman who eight months be-
fore under the walls of Quebec, had laid down
his life battling for American liberty.
AS everybody should know and as
probably nearly everybody does know,
land was st. Marys. which was estab-
lished in 1884. The next counties in the
matter of age are Kent and Anne Arun-
del. which were established in 1850. Cal
vert county came into existence in 1854,
Charles in 1858, Baltimore in 1859 and
Talbot in 1660-61. Somerset county
was erected by proclamation of the
governor in 1866, Dorchester came into
being by act of the legislature in 1863.
Cecil was proclaimed a county in 1874
by Gov. Charles Calvert, Prince Georges
county was created by act of the as
bly, in 1895, Queen Anne was Great
ed in 1906 and Worcester county was
esta ablished in 1742. though in 1872
county of that name had been estab-
lished. but the whole of it's territory
was lost to Delaware when the bound
ary between Maryland and Delaware
was adjusted.
When it had been determined by the
of 1875 that there should be
a new county called Montgomery, the
organization of the county was intrust-
ed to the following men who were
named as commissioners: Nathan Ma
gruder, John Murdock, Henry Griffith,
Thomas Cramphin, jr.; Zadock Magru-
der, Allen Bowie and John Wilson.
The commissioners were invested with
to purchase in fee simple
at such place as a majority of the vot-
ers in the new county should select, for
the purpose Of building a courthouse
and jail. The organization of the coun-
ty seems to have proceeded smoothly
enough, for there is a record that on
April 21, 1777, the following named men
were commissioned as justices of the :
county court: Charles
Lynn, Edward Burgess, Enos Campbell,
William Deakins, Henry Griffith. Elisha !,
Joseph Wilson, Samuel Wade ,
Magruder,- Robert Owen. Francis Dea-