The Washington times., 1933-06-10
ROAD TORESOR7
| Of HISTORICAL
= INTEREST
Continued from Page 81

CONTINUED from Page 81
now under construction and is
hard driving, especially on hot
weekend when much traffic is
on the road. The road is being
repaved and Strengthened between
MT. Harmony and the beach, a
distance of about seven miles.
Route No. 416, which joins
Route No. 2 near Sunderland,
runs largely in the center of the
peninsula after crossing Lyons
Greek, northern county boundary.
This part of the trip is through
Solling country.
Between Plum Point and Dare's
Beach rise the Cliffs of Calvert,
containing a fossiliferous strata
from 10 to 20 feet in thickness.
Scientists have identified many
marine species, such as Scallops,
uuahogs, six.inch sharks teeth and
petrified whales vertebrae and
Tibs.
Old Family Home
On these cliffs, between Dare's
and Governors Run Wharves, is
quaint little house now called
White Cliffs, but believed from
records to be Cliffs, early home
of the Mackenzie family in Mary
land. The present home, prob.
ably on the site of the original
structure, is judged by it's archi'
lecture to be more than a cen
tury old.
Thomas Mackenzie was the
first of the family to reach Amer
Sca and settled at the Cliffs, Cal
vert county, in 1746. He was a
native of Inverness, Scotland. and
p lineal descendant of Kenneth
Mackenzie. first high chief of
Kintail.
Prince Frederick is the county
seat and contains many pretty
homes, all freshly painted and
banked by flowers and trees. To
those who have travelled in Mary
land, it stands out as one of the
prettiest county seats. all because
lDf it's homes. It's few business
buildings and its court house are
1ike those of other towns.
Calvert county had two begin
Eings. In November, 1850, "Old
Charles County" was organized
with Robert Brooks, commander. i"
This county contained the terri
tory which afterwards became
Calvert county. It's life was short.
In 1853 Robert Brooks was dis
charged and in July of the fol
lowing year it became known as
Calvert county.
It's original boundaries included
both sides of the Patuxent River,
being portions of the present
counties of st. Mary's, Charles,
Prince Georges and Anne .Arun-
del. It was in fact old Charles
county, the only change being in
the name.
Name Changed
The Puritans got possession of
the colony in 1854 and in Novem,
Der of that year changed the
name of the county to Patuxent
In 1858 the name Calvert was re-
stored.
Near the mouth of the Patux
ent is Point Patience, at one
time considered as a site for the
provincial capital. Nearby was
the home of the Preston family
Preston-on-the-Patuxent, in which
the provincial legislature held its
sessions during the Puritan con
troll of the colony.
The first county seat was at
Battel, named for a town in
England. and the county seat
moved to Williams Old Fields
tts present location, now called
Prince Frederick, in 1925.
Taney Place, birthplace OF
Roger Brooke fancy, former
Chief Justice of the United
States, stands on the peninsula
between the Patuxent and Battel
Greek, now spelled Battle on the
road maps. The chief justice
was born there in 1777, attended
the military academy at Char
lotte Hall, and later moved tc
FREDERICK county. He was chief
Justice from 1886 to his death
an 1864.
Taney Place was the scene OF
what is charitably called a duel
Miles Taney stabbed John Ma
gruder through the heart with q
pocket knife and made his way
across the Patuxent to St. Marys
The following day he crossed the
Potomac and took refuge in Vir
ginia, dying there years later
Ills body is buried at fancy
Place.
The version that is given most
credence in Calvert county has it
that Magruder and Taney both
were in love with Barbara Dorsey
a Southern Maryland belle. All
had attended a fox hunt at Taney
Place and later in the day gath
cred for big dinner at which the
wine flowed freely.
Firht Over Girl