The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-06-30


Lloyd HILL" near Oakland, part of
the "Small Meadows" tract, was
named for Edward Lloyd. 1t is now
more generally known as "Shaffer
HILL"
IN CONCLUSION
Among the land spectators of 1774
were also Judge Richard Potts, of
Frederick; James Brooks, Thomas and
Brooke Beall, Thomas Johns, Robert
Smith an dPaul Hoye-some twenty
five in all-bent, as Boucher wrote, on
"the augmentation" of their fortunes
among the hills and valleys "west-
ward of Fort Cumberland"
Lord Baltimore collected the "cau-
ton money" five pounds sterling per
100 acres, but he did not issue the
patents because of the unsettled con-
dition of the Province preceding the
Revolution. Then Maryland set itself
up do Oil llluCpSlldSHI SIelICJ COlllloSoI-
ed His Lordship's lands and reserved
the lands westward of Fort Cumber-
land" for it's Revolutionary soldiers.
1t was long in doubt whether the war
rants issued by Lord Baltimore in
1774 would be honored by the State,
but soon after the War patents were
issued for all the. tracts in this part
of the country which had been sur
veyed under these warrants.
And what were the effects of these
speculations in the lands of what is
now Garrett county?
We note first that none of the spec
ulators of 1774 settled on the lands
they selected and only the families of
two of them-Johnson and Hoyes-
actually settled permanently on their
lands in this county. Further the
Swans and Johnsons derived consid-
cradle revenue from their vast hold
ings, part of which they kept for a
century, but the others realized little
or no return above taxes and expen-
ses. Their early investments did not
produce the anticipated fortunes be-
cause of the Revolutionary War, the
opening up of all the State land III
1888, and the opening up of vast
tracts of better farm land in the
West, all at low prices. The market
for land was glutted. The early spec
ulators made no fortunes in Garrett
county lands, but after the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad was built across
the county in 1851, men like Henry
G. Davis, who purchased land, cut
the timber and mined the coal, did
amass fortunes.
And what was the effect of specu-
lation on the actual settler? AS we
have noted, the large areas for sale
kept the price of land low; never
theless the speculator usually man.
aged to squeeze something out of the
settler.
1t is true that the big land holders
encouraged farmers to come and often
sold land "on time" and sometimes
otherwise aided the poor settler. Ten
ant farming was tried by the Swans
and some others, but it was never long
successful in this county.
Would it not have been a better
policy had the State sold its agri-
cultural lands direct to actual settlers
and retained the timber and coal
lands? Our mining communities to-
day are not prosperous and our for
ests have been terribly abused by axe
and fire, due in part to speculation
grasping for unearned dollars. In re-
cent years the State Of Maryland has
been buying up for State forests cut
over forest land at around $500 pei
acre, which it sold years ago heavily
forested with virgin timber, for 10
to Is cents per acre.
CHARLES E. HOVE.
Oakland, Md. March %, 1888.
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