The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-06-25
THE EARLY SETTLERS
IN GARRETT COUNTY
By MRS. T. C. HINEBAUGH

AAdIQulSS L lelulHS ana our george De-
Gaines, who some time before 1900
bought the point of land opposite
Cumberland, where Ridgeley now
stands, and built his home. This is the
historic site of the Ohio Company's
warehouse, built in 1894, as a depot
for trade with the Ohio Valley.
George DeCalmes came into pos
session of the tract Of land, "Peace
and Plenty" near Deer Park, contain
ing 1900 acres, which at his death
was inherited by the Perry heirs of
Cumberland. Here lie the old iron an
chors of Commodore Perry's ship of
Lake Erie fame.
The marriage in 1878 of Mary De-
Gaines to John Hoye, of Cumberland,
illustrates the fact that the Potomac
River belongs to Maryland. Upon Sc
curing his marriage license the pros
pective groom crossed the river to the
DeCalmes home. When the minister
saw the Maryland license that could
not be used in Virginia, the wedding
party went to the river, stepped into
a boat tied to the Virginia shore, and
here the ceremony was performed.
The Beverly Road started at "Sum-
mer Retreat" George DeCalmes' sum-
mer home, crossed Malott's Glade and
traversing what is now Mountain Lake
Park, crossed the Yough at Ruckel's
Ford, now the Weber greenhouse
property, then on to Thompson's and
Chisholm's Mill, interesting the ole
Northwestern Turnpike at the Rec
| House.
1t was near Thompson's that Upton
Bruce, scion of a time honored race
seeking seclusion from marital troI.
bles, settled and lived the life of 6
hermit until death claimed him. The
writer saw him once standing before
his one-room shack, which was scarcely
higher than his head, strikingly
handsome man with hair and beard as
white as snow.
In 1900, with the exception of the
Boyle settlement, Oakland retained
its primitive setting of swamp, alder
thickets and oak forest.
Lord Baltimore's Lands
! While William Armstrong was the
first permanent settler in the Oakland
community, a man named Boyle hat
lived at the crossing some sixteer
years before. The entire region was
known to the Proprietor of Maryland
and his agents and was included il
Lord Baltimore's Manor, surveyed ii
1765 by Francis Deakins, who TO,
thirty-fve years was closely identified
with the land history and western
boundary of Maryland. His lordship's
manor began at the junction of the
Little Yough River and extended east
to the foot of Savage Mountain anG
south to the Red House, an area Of
17,750 acres of the beautiful glade
country which Baltimore had planned
on reserving for himself.
His agent wanted representative
on the new manor to keep off squatters
until regular tenants could be Sc
cured. But seven years after this sur.
vey had been made the Revolutionary
War began. Lord Baltimore's land;
were confscated by the State, and II
1887 his great manor was included il
the survey of fifty-acre lots for the
Maryland soldiers of that war.
An Indian Massacre
At this time the Indians were com
planning to the State authorities about
the white people settling on the west
side of the mountains, although rela
tions between the few settlers and the
natives were friendly. A private quar-
rel caused the determination of thu
first settlers of Oakland. After thu
French and Indian War the Malot
family settled on the Nathan Castee
farm east of Oakland. There was a,