Evening star., 1935-04-28

every house in the town vas
brilliantly Illuminated and bonfireS
burned at every street corner. He
remained for the night in Williams
port. probably stopping with Gen.
williams brother, Ellie williams, at
Springfield Farm, the homestead
near the village, and left the next
morning on his. way up the river as
far as Cumberland.
This was not, however, Washing
tons first visit to the locality. More
than 80 years before, during Brad
docks War. when the place was
wilderness, he had visited the spot.
He pointed out to his host, as they
stood at the fountain at Springtleld
farm, an old hut, which, ne SAID,
was the only improvement to be seen
on the face of the country 80 years
before. This hut had been the
dwelling Of the noted Col Cresap."
But. however exalted was Gen.
Washingtons opinion of Williams
port when he visited the site in 1888.
vet he did not deem it sufficiently
we'll located for the National Capital.
Washington really owes much to
this little town, for. back in the
early days, before and after the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was put
into operation. from here were shipped
to Georgetown large quantities OF
wheat and other products raised on
its fertile farms, in one of the garden
spots of the world.
Indeed, the writer has kindly feel
ings for this grief-stricken town, for
it was from here that his father left
for Washington, when young man
of about Is years. in canal boat
owned by his cousin, member OF
the Smith family, and when he ar
rived here he got job in the print
ing Office of Columbus Alexander, in
the first ward, and later made good
in other and more important fields,
and there are many other families in
Washington with strong ties for
Washington County, Md.
| The Col. Ellie williams Of Spring
field Farm. at whose house Washing
ton is said to have stopped when visit
ing Williamsport, later moved to
Georgetown, D. c., and died there in
| 1923, in his 18th year, leaving two
sons and three daughters. His daugh-
ter. Crudence Holland Williams, mar
ried Col. John 1. Stull, at one time
cashier of the Farmers g. Mechanics
Bank of that place.
Williamsport was named for Gen.
Otho Holland Williams Of the Con-
tinental Army, who laid out the town
in 1887, the act Of incorporation
reciting to the General Assembly OF
MARYLAND that Gen. Williams pos
sesses a tract of land called Ross
Purchase, and a tract adjoining thereto
called Leeds, contiguous to the mouth
of Conococheague Creek, and that
for the advantages Of navigation from
the head branches of the Potomac
River to the mouth of Conococheague,
and the great purport Of the naviga-
ton of the said river being extended
to tidewater," etc. The town was not
to exceed $50 acres and the commits
sioners created by the act were
Thomas Hart, Thomas Brooke. Moses
Rawlings, Richard Pindell and Alex
ander Clagett, and not many miles
away was John Clagett's mill on the
Antietam Greek.
DURING the Civil War Williams
- port was very lively place, and
upon more than one occasion the
Confederates availed themselves Of
the easy fording of the river at this
point to cross over into Virginia (now
West Virginia). When Gen. Lee Te-
tired from Gettysburg his army
crossed the Potomac at this point.
Gen. williams had four sons, VIII
liam Ellie, Edward Green, Henry Lee
and Otho Holland. William Ellie VIII
liams married Susan Cook. Edward
Green Williams married the daugh-
ter of william Gilmore. Henry Lee
williams and Otho Holland williams,
IT,, remained unmarried.
On one side Of the marble monu-
ment erected to Gen. williams at
Williamsport Is this inscription: He
died In 1894, aged IS years. beloved,
honored and deplored." What better
tribute could we pay him?