The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-09-24
PART 2.


On the top of Fairview Mountain is
a stone house in which you can get
the inevitable chicken dinner which is
so persistently advertised along
American roads. If 1 ever start a
roadside inn (Which might be tempt
ed to do after 1 get too useless to do
anything else) am going to adver-
tise lamb stew or Hungarian goulash
or something else that will appeal to
the chicken-weary tourist. For me,
chicken is just chicken. Hereafter, if
the vendor of roadside meals wishes
to tempt me with fowl, it will be nee
essary to plaster the front gate with
signs proclaiming that ostrich, casso-
wary or emu may be had inside.
On the East side of Fairview you
pass through country associated with
the War Between the States. On the
West side of that same mountain you
enter country associated with a much
earlier struggle, the French and In
dian War, which took place in 1855.
AS you descend the western slope,
watch for log cabin at the bottom,
in the village of Indian Springs, near
which is dirt road. If you fail to
turn off on the dirt road-it leads
out of the village toward Big Pool
you'll be missing one of the most in
teresting things on the whole trip.
That road will bring you to Fort
Frederick, one of the few before-the-
Revolution forts left in the country.
You can also reach this fort by turn
ing in on dirt road at Clear Spring,
before crossing the mountain. The
road winds around the base and avoids
the steep grades.
Fort Frederick was built by the
colonial government of Maryland in
1856, in order to protect the colonists
from the Indian raids that followed
Braddock's defeat. 1t was then on
the frontier, as the fringe of settle
ments along the Atlantic reached not
farther inland than 100 miles from the
coast. The valley which the fort was
erected to protect had received its
first settlers only 20 years before and
was cut off from the rest of Maryland
by a range of mountains.
The fort was maintained by the
government of the Maryland colony
for time but, as most of the legisla-
tors came from the more populous
counties along the seaboard and were
not greatly concerned about the set
tiers on the frontier, appropriations
were so scant that the government
was unable to maintain constantly a
garrison at the fort even during the
period of the Indian Wars, which
lasted ten years.
After the Indian Wars the fort was
entirely abandoned until the Revolu-
ton, when it was used as military
prison. At the close of the Revolu-
tion, the legislature, never looking
with favor upon its maintenance, Of
fered it for sale, and in 1890 the fort
and $50 acres surrounding it became
private property.
During the War Between the States
the old fort was occupied from time
to time by passing troops. In the
south wall there is big hole made
by General Henley, who mounted a
cannon inside and took a few shots
through the opening at the Confeder-
ates on the other side of the river.
The various private owners made no
attempt to preserve the old fort. In
deed, some of them partly demolished
it in order to get stone for the cree
ton Of farm buildings.
In 1922, the fort and 100 acres sur
rounding it were acquired by the
Maryland State Department of For
estry. Those portions of the fort
that have been carried away for other
uses will be restored, the grounds will
be beautifed, the roads will be i'm
proved and the whole property made
into an attractive recreation ground
The fort is in the form of a square
and encloses an area of an acre and
a half. The walls are 20 feet high
and are five feet thick at the base and
three at the top, all solidly construct,
ed of stone.
You go back to Indian Springs tt
get on the highway again and ther
you travel on roller coaster roads ii
the Potomac Valley right down to the
level of the river at Hancock, where
river, road, railroad and canal are al
side by side, and where the Potomac
reaches fartherst north. If you will
look at your map of Maryland yor
will see why the early settlers were
justified in calling this place Big
Bend. The journey from West Vir
ginia (that is, after you cross the Pc
tomac) to Pennsylvania, crossing thu
State of Maryland, can be made here
in five minutes or less, depending
on the kind of car you drive.
Hancock is strung ont between tn,