Evening star., 1922-01-22


was in the main north-and-south street
Of the old town. There are two main
streets That which runs north and
south Is the Washington and Baltimore
boulevard, and that which runs east and
west Is Sand street. The latter, now an
automobile way. leads over Lowndes hill
and eastward. About three miles out of
Bladensburg this road. which is one Of
the old Highways Of Maryland. branches,
the right fork crossing the Baltimore
and Potomac railroad at Ardwick and
the left fork going on another mile and
crossing the railroad at Lanhan:, Two
or three hundred yards west on Sand
street a road strikes to the right, or to
the south. skirts the base of tae first
hill east Of the boulevard and up which
part of the village Of Bladensburg has
climbed. This road leads south for q
short distance. turns east and then
forks. The left fork leads on to Land
over, where it crosses the BALTIMORE
and Potomac and continues to Bright-
seat. where 1t enters Sheriff road The
right fork leads south to Chesapeake
Junction. Benning and Twining to Ana
costa. At Bladensburg there Is another
road which leads north along the base
Of the majestic ridge which from the
east overlooks the wide valley of the
upper Eastern branch. These are not
all the roads leading out Of Bladens-
burg and they were built before the
city of Washington was planned on
paper. And they were not built to lead
out Of Bladensburg. but to lead into 1t.
for Bladensburg was an important place
and town Of ripe age when the United
States was born. It was the "metrop-
oils" to use an overworked word. for the
western part Of Prince Georges county
and the eastern part Of Frederick coun-
ty. which at the time Of the breaking
out of the American revolution. was
erected as a county of the name Mont
gomery.
At Bladensburg were wharves. and
1t was not many years ago that
one might see relics Of them in the
hack lots and meadows bordering the
Eastern branch. which at Bladens-
burg Is a small stream. comparable in
water volume. with Rock creek. Per-
haps some Of the rotting and nearly
buried timbers Of these old wharves
may be found at Bladensburg today.
I 60 not know. Seagcing vessels
came up TO the wharves of Bladens-
burg, but you should bear in mind
that two hundred years ago there
were many vessels. principally brigs
and brigantines, Of small tonnage and
shallow draft. sailing between Europe
and America and the North Ameri-
can colonies and the West Indies.
When one speaks today of "seagoing
vessels" one is apt to envisage full
rugged ships with spars as high up
as royal and top royal. gallant and
topgallant and skysail yards on the
fore. main and mizzen: bowsprit. jib-
boom and flying jib-boom and jibs
flying from the stays as far out as
the skysail stay. Perhaps also when
one speaks Of "seagoing vessels you
think Of big barks and barkentines
and great schooners with four to six
or even seven masts. Some OF you
may conjure up the image of giant
steamship. But these were not the
classes of "seagoing vessels that
came up the creeks and estuaries of
the Potomac three hundred. two hum
dred and a hundred and fifty years
ago.
The good ship Arke. which
brought to Maryland the first COM
pany Of gentlemen adventurers and
servants "to the number Of neere
200 people," was a craft Of only 300
tons, and this craft was attended by
his lordship's pinnace. called the
Dove, tf about so tunne." Whether
placement I do not know. but when
tell you that those old Potomac
steamboats,, the George Law and
the Mattano, were Of about 800
tons displacement and the Jane
Moseley and the George Leary of
seven or eight hundred tons you
will understand how small were the
''seagoing vessels in which the
Maryland colonists made the voyage.
It is true that the Eastern branch
and all the other tidal estuaries Of
the Potomac have greatly shoaled
since "seagoing vessels" came up
our creeks to old towns. such as
Bladensburg. Piscataway and Dunn
fries. The wash from the hills has
been filing in the waterways for
thousands Of years, and this has been
going on at a great pace since white
men came and cut the timber from
the hfllsides and plowed the slopes
and floors Of the valleys.
There were water mills at Bladens-
burg and a number Of them along
Northwest branch, which joins the
Eastern branch at the old town. There
were inns at Bladensburg and also
the stores Of merchants who were
rich and influential and whose names
were familiar to your ancestors-that
is, If your ancestors lived in Mary
land: and 1t is familiar fact that a
large percentage Of our District pop
ulation is of southern Maryland de-
scent.
The town OF Bladensburg was laid
out some time about 1742. That is
guess. have not found the act Of
the Maryland legislature creating this
town and naming the commissioners
who had authority to lay out streets,
sell lots and do many other things.
But Bladensburg was named after
Thomas Bladen, and the probabilities
"a afrnnx that IL Suaa 40 named when