Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1926-01-09
Where American
History Was Made
Chesapeake Bay Country, The Birthplace Of
Seven Presidents OF The U.S.
By w. c. POOLE

,. EOOAE
points on the Eastern Shore of Vir-
GINA, one sails up the river past Re-
hoboth where yet stands the first
Presbyterian Church built in Ameri-
ca in 1852 by Francis Mackenzie, "The
Presbyterian Apostle to America"
Not far away was fought naval bat
tie between the Maryland authori-
ties of st. Mary's and those of Kent
Island in early colonial days. On
each side of the Pocomoke river are
historic landings between cypress and
pine trees which sometimes almost
brush the boats. At the head of navi-
cation is Snow Hill, one of Maryland's
Oldest towns. 1t disputes with the Re-
hoboth in Somerset the claim of hav-
ing the first Presbyterian church in
America. The old Episcopal church
in this town is said to be more than
two hundred years old.
Baltimore had the first steam pas
senger railroad in America built
chiefly by Baltimoreans. For three
decades prior to the Civil War, it led
the way in progress. It was the CEN
ter of the first telegraph line and the
center of commerce and shipping.
1t is only a little way down the Bay
from Baltimore to Annapolis reached
by steam and trolley line. In the old
State house at Annapolis, Washing
ton stood and surrendered his COM
mission. The old buildings still ttand-
ing make this city worth a day of
sightseeing even if it did not con-
tain the Naval Academy where the
admirals who have made the Ameri-
can Navy respected around the world
were trained. The Patuxent river line
of steamers carries one up the historic
Patuxent with it's colonial homes on
each bank.
The Potomac river line of steam
ers carries one from a full day and
night from Baltimore to Washington,
over the old sailing vessel route,
while Washington can be reached in
one hour on the B. G. o. or Penna. r.
r. or by auto.
Two hundred years ago the Po-
tomac river was one of the most i'm
portant waterways of colonial days.
Washington was born near its banks.
He traced its stream to it's ource in
his march to Fort DuQuesne, now
Pittsburgh. In 1907 on my first trip
over it, just after trip up the Hud-
son, / said: "In one hundred more
years it will be the greatest river in
America for homes Of millionaires."
Already this prediction is coming
true.
Near its mouth on the right is st.
Mary's city where Maryland was of
ficially settled. Westmoreland coun-
ty on the left gave America two Of it's
early presidents-George Washing
ton and James Monroe, while the
third, James Madison, was born close
by at Port Conway across the line in
King Georges county. Charles coun-
ty had larger population at the first
census of 1890 than it had in 1920.
Old Fort Washington on the Mary
land shore looks not unlike an old En-
glish castle. Mount Vemon--thc
home of Westinghouse on it's Vir-
ginia bank a few miles below Wash
ington. The ancient city of Alexan-
dria is only few miles by trolley
from the heart of Washington; and
Arlington, theshrine of American SOL
diers, where lie thousands of dead,
known an unknown, was the home
of Robert +. Lee.
If one will here take the train to
Fredericksburg, he enters the heart
of our greatest battlefields.
This quaint old city-the home of
IWashington's boyhood, where he is
said to have been the only boy able to
throw she'll across the Rappahan-
mock river-was supposed to have
been visited by John Smith about
1908 in his efforts to find a waterway
to the Pacific Ocean. Around it, the
soldiers of the North and South surg
ed and fought for four years of Civil
War. Within circle of 100 miles of
lit, more lives were lost than in all the
other territory of Civil War strife. A
few of the soldiers yet remain.
Fredericksburg battlefield, Chancel-
louisville, where Stonewall Jackson
was shot, Spottsylvania, and many
other battlefields are close by, while
the bloody fighting around Richmond
Is not far away-less than a hundred
miles to the South. Fredericksburg
was the halfway place in the direct
line getween Washington and Rich
mond. AS the Confederates pressed
northward the Federals withdrew, the