Evening journal., 1922-07-11
CENTREVILLE IS
FRENCH TRIBUTE
Eastern Shore Town Laid
Out by Order of Legisla-
ture in 1894
REMAINS TODAY
AS SURVEYED

cENTREvILLE, Nd, July H.
This, the county seat OF Queen Anne
county. is a made-to-or order town.
town was surveyed. plated. and ther
built to specification.
True il is in the modern day hurry
towns are built to plan over night
but It was back in 1894. about 20
years after the land was decided. the
General Assembly OF Maryland ap-
propriated 20 pounds for the survey
of a MiddIe-Town, TO be the seat OF
county government. and to be a
tribute TO the debt OF gratitude OF
she new nation TO France. When the
construction Of the town began the
etreets-to-be were plainly marked
with stone monuments, and the CEN
ter reserved for the courthouse and
{ prison.
The lots were laid out TO be
s'erected into town to be called
"Centre-ville." the act of the Assem-
biy said. "CentreVille," the original,
Is ''Middietown" translated into
French. AIiddletown would have
DtEn LHt udillt VI NlAt AAAAA1 wv "a ~"
day had no sentiment and the fact
that Middietown. Del, had already
been named. prevailed. Il was a
close vote, afterward that made
unanimous. that named the village
tcentre-V Vile"
These two bits of the towns his
tory are not generally known TO its
citizens. and were obtained from
Edwin H. Brown, Jr., who has a
complete record of the towns affairs.
These original records are inter-
esting.
IN 1917 the order was issued that
there should be no fireworks, under
penalty Of $40 fine. or II the Offend
er be a slave. 10 stripes across the
bare back. II chimney caught fire
Il was held there was reason. and
Il the owner did not know the rea-
son he was taken before the court
and fined or flogged.
Then, in the early part Of the 1900
period, there was built fine court
house. and 10 the lover Of Colonial
architecture IL Is today a thing of
10Y. One OF the first rules ior thel
care OF the building was an edict of
the town government prohibiting the
"playng Of ball against the court
house" Evidently. Mr.. Brown
thinks, in those days they played
"sockie-up", that good old game I'M
which the "out' was stood up'
against the stone wall and the in
fred good. hard ball at the out"
until he missed. when the "in" OBJ
tAined his revenge.
At another session OF the town
government at was ordered that the
tailor must stop the pernicious prac-
tice OF entertaining prisoners. and
further, that he must stop the sale
of Intoxicating liquors on the prem
Uses. These are but the lighter In
cidents of the history OF the town. |
The minnie tell the serious story OF
how. IN the second war with Eng
land the people OF Centre-Cille hur-
ried TO the aid Of Baltimore and the
creation OF defenses on the Eastern
Shore after Havre de Grace and 9TH
er towns had been burned.
The book tells the story Of those
who fought in the Civil War, the
Spanish War. and finally of the men
who fought in the World War. To
these later men of Centreville who
paid their debt to France there Is
erected in the Courthouse Square as
memorial a handsome base. sur
mounted by a high flagstaff with
the flag flying in the wind.
Strangers comment upon the
straight streets. laid at right angles
TO each other. The width of the |
streets, and their regularity make /
them a splendid foreground for the |
hornelike houses. set back upon lawns |
shaded by trees OF every description |
and age. make Centreville one Of the |
prettiest little towns on the Eastern |
Shore Two streets, parallslirg each !
other are given up 10 homes exclu- |
sively. and each lot still carries the |
virgin growth Of trees that were
there when the erection of Centre
vile was begun.
Her business houses show the care |
and attention that seem to be the |
dominating factor OF her peoples |
lives.
All these years centreville has
been a place OF comfort and con-
tentment. She has no very rich,
nor yet any very poor people. She
has followed all her days the lines
OF the community spirit. Today the
younger men OF the town are en-
deavoring TO start something in the
way Of an industrial boom. They,
through their Chamber OF Commerce,
have succeeded in bringing into the
community an undergarment manu-
featuring plant that is Just starting
operation with $50 employees. and
they have the promise Of one or
more similar industries in the near
future.
Still all. this latter-day spirit while
commendAbie, can never overshadow
the beauty and comfort giving Cen
tre-Ville," built-to-order upon the
z0o-acre tract known as Chester
field" and decided to william Hem
sciey for that purpose fifteen years
before America won her freedom.
My son, "an empty house Is bet /
ter than a bad tenant" but thou |
canst secure good tenant through |