The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-10-07
The Sainging Ground
SANG RUN, MARYLAND)
By CHARLES E. HOVE

1904, south of and adjoining his orig
inal survey.
At the same time John Friend, ST.,
and his sons, Gabriel and Joseph,
claimed as settlers four lots in the
Ginseng Run valley, two of which,
Nos. 1471 and 1472, were patented
in 1900 to Gabriel Friend.
The Saltpeter Cave
In the survey of the Military Lots
the third corner of No. 147O is noted
as "a Bounded White Oak marked 55O5
standing near John Friends Saltpeter
Cave and powder house." This white
oak was broken off by a storm about
five years ago, but it's stump still
stands near the cave entrance, north
of the Sang Run road on the farm of
John Friend of E. This limestone cave
can be followed about a quarter of a
mile and is supposed to end at the
Meshack Browning spring. Here the
pioneer Friends found material for
gun powder, which they made and
stored in powder house" at the cave
entrance. The saltpeter cave may be
entered by a descending ladder and is
well worth visit.
Permanent Settlement
In 1895 John Friend, Jr., called
young JOHN" married Elizabeth
Ward, and soon after the marriage
| they came to live on Friends De-
light" the first permanent settlers on
the "Sainging Ground" Here John and
Elizabeth raised a family. Leah and
Rachel, twins, their first born, died in
infancy: the first white born and prob
ably the first to be buried in the Sang
Run cemetery on the hill above the
old Friend home.
Following the Friends, the early
settlers of the Sainging Ground were
William Waller Hoye, who came from
Cumberland in 1899 and settled his
fathers "Crab Tree Bottom" tract,
now the Joseph Sebold farm.
Andrew House, a brother-in-law of
John Friend, Jr., in 1899, settled on
Friends Delight" near the Friends.
Henry Dewitt, another brother-in-
law of Friend, settled the same year
on what was later the Charles Friend
farm.
Meshack Browning, in 1907, moved
from the Bear Creek Glades to the
Sainging Grounds. In 1916, he bought
for $400 rs acres of Charles Friend
H., adjoining Friends Delight. u
Browning first lived in the Friend
house, but about 1925 he built a log
cabin south of the road. Part of the
stone chimney of this cabin still marks
the site on the Frank Browning farm.
1t was here that Browning and his
wife, Mary McMullen, resided in their
latter years, and here he wrote much
/ of his autobiography, "Forty-Four
! ears OF hunters Llfe.
Robinson T. Savage came rto the
Sainging Ground from the Blooming
Rose when a young man. He married
Sarah Friend and about 1920 bought
and settled the present Sherman Saw
age farm.
Major Henry Sines came with his
family from the Pine Swamp (Cranes-
ville) about 1920, and settled on "The
Gleanings," now the Clifford Dewitt
place.
Judge D. Harrison Friend wrote in
1909: "The spring and summer of the
year 1917 were colder and more frosty
than the citizens had ever known; il
is said there was more or less frost
every month of the year. There was
very little sound corn raised here
that season, and farmers had to go tt
the South Branch of the Potomac
River to buy corn. They had and could
obtain plenty of meat. Deer, turkey:
anu 1911 WC1C uuliOAOuSs OOuls
of the settlers moved away. Andrew
House, Henry Dewitt and John Wall.
went to Carroll county, Ohio, bu
others soon filled their places"
These were the early settlers of tn,
Sainging Ground and their descend
ants constitute 80 per cent of its pres
ent inhabitants.
John and Dominick Mattingly came
in 1881 and settled the farm Later
owned by Elijah Friend and the Will
liam H. Hoye farm, but they moved
away.
Roads and Bridges
A wagon road soon replaced the In
J dian trail to the Sainging Ground.
In 1928 the people of the neighbor
hood petitioned the Allegany Count.
. Commissioners for county road. Tw,
J years later Corbin West surveyed tn
, road from William w. Hoye's to tn
! Virginia State line at the Pine Swami
the present Sang Run road.
In 1888 the trail from Armstrong
(Oakland) to Meshack Browning
was surveyed and opened as a publ
road. This is the present River road
The ford across the Youghiogheny wa
fo1. r1oanv wears at the month of Gin