Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-10-20
IRON CHEST PRESENTED
FOR STATE RELIC ROOM
Imposing Patriotic Ceremonies in
Old Senate Chamber at State
House.
PEGGY STEWART DAY CELEBRATED

rdmiiy---WIs. WelSn AuoreSS
MRS. Ridout's Remarks---
"Tench TIlghman's Ride"
Recited
Beneath the Stars and Stripes and
the beautiful State flag Of Maryland.
at whose left hang the portrait Of the
author of Maryland, My Maryland. =
sat the officials the Governor of Mary
lanl the Regents of two Chapters of
the Daughters of American Revolution.
aud ohters who conducted and partio-
! ipated i'm the ceremonies of Peggy
Stewart Day, The room was beautiful
ly decorated with palms. through the
thoughtful coutesy of Mir. DeReeves.
Superintendent of Public buildings.
The exercises were held at o'clock
yesterday afternoon in the historic
Old Senate Chamber, where General
| Washington laid down his sword as
cmmander-in-chief of the American
Army. and retired to the life OF pri-
vate citizen. crowned with the nations
honors and gratitude
The room was fragrant with remi-
| niscences of the past and it's antique
architecture and furnishings lent an
air of other days. those yesterdays
| aud the great men who lived them
whom the ID. A. r.. are striving TO emu
| late and to whose heroes il does honor
| The exercises were opened with the
ID. A. r. ritoal, Mrs William n. Burns.
acting as Chaplain.
The exercises being declared open
| the special object for which the cele-
bration was held,the presentation of an
| iron chest, the property of the late
Hammond fam.ly.to be given the State
for the Relic Room. was in order
Mrs Robert A. Welch, ex-State Vice
| Regent, and first Regent of the Anne
Arundel Chapter, presented the chest
to the Regent of the Peggy Stewart
| Tea Party Chapter, who in turn pre-
seDtod il to Governor Goldsborough
| for the State of Maryland.
The Governor of Maryland, accom-
panied by Mr.. De Reeves, was escorted
to and from the old Senate Chamber by
a guard of honor. consisting of Mas
ter Horatio Ridout and Master William
Magruder. sons. respectively. pf the
Regent and of Mrs. James Magruder,
another member of the Chapter.
Address OF Mrs. Welsh.
The Regent of The Ann Arundel
| Chapter. d. A. r., Mrs. Rober A.
| Welsh. in presenting the chest, read a
| highly interesting paper 'storic Of the
Hammond family from whom the old
relic had descended. Mrs. Wclch pref
aced her remarks with saying that
"iust outside of ST. Anne's Church. in
the old grounds. lies a marble slab,
"Here lieth inferred the body Of Major
| General John Hammond, who depart.
cd this life the 2ith day of NOvem-
| her. 1907, i'm the siXty-fourth year ol
| his age"
| Let us see" continued Mrs. Welch.
what maner of man this was VITO die'
over two hundred years ago"
| She then gave a brief historic sketch
of Major General John Hammond.
which was in part as follows.
Honorable John Hammond, Es-
| quire, was John Hammond of the
Severn, Anne Arundel county. In
1859, so history tells us, he was mem
| ber of the Provincial Court of Anne
Arundel and one of the quorum"
| I'm 1892 he was elected a delegate
| to the Lower House. with Colonel
| Henry Ridgely and the Honorable John
Dorsey. Still later. he was appointed
| by the Royal Administration, with
whom he was in favor, Judge of the
| High Court of the Admiralty.
"A concise history of his career is
recorded in the annals of st. Anne's
! Church as an obituary notice. He was
one of the Vestry of the Church at the
| time of his death, and was an ardent
| member of the Church of England. He
| gave. in 1865. deed for a church site
| upon Severn Heights to his friends.
| members of Westminster Parish The
only consideration was the love he
| bore his neighbors.'
1 "He acquired large estate in both
| the City of Annapolis and on the Sew
ern. 1t has frequently been written
| that his English progenitors were men
of eminence in botn medicine and pol
| itics. From the st. Annes Church
records, upon his death in 1907. we
read:
Honorable John Hammond. Es-
quire, Major-General of the Western
Shore Of Maryland, one OF Her Majes-
| ty's mcst Honorable Council, and
Judge of the High Court of Admiralty.
in he Province OF Maryland, was bur
led the 29th of November
In ST. Annes grounds his tomb
stone now rests. Long after all vest
iges of mis- old homestead upon tho
Severn had disappeared. this memo
rial was found and removed to the
church grounds of his devotion.
The old chest of Major General
Hammond. which weare presenting to-
day. was owned by Col. Charles Ham
mond. treasurer. who married the
widow OF Colonel Charles Greenbervy.
and with her. until her death. lived at
White Hall. which then passed to the
Vestry OF st. Margarets Church. At
! forwards II was sold To Governor