The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1938-02-10

began in June or July and was COM
pleted in about three months. The sur
veyors worked a total of IT'S days and
were paid ten shilling ($1.35) per day.
Deakins himself was paid 200 pounds
sterling for his services.
Each lot was given number from
l to 4165. Lot No. 1 began cat d
Bounded white oak marked l, stand
ing on the Bank of Potowmack River
and about one hundred and thirty
perches above the Mouth of Savage
River and running with the Meanders
of said Potowmack River E. . Contain
ing fifty acres" The lot numbers usu-
ally run in groups or blocks but the
numbers do not follow any particular
arrangements or order. The few
grants made in this area by Lord Bal
timore were, of course, omitted from
the survey, as were also the surveys
of 1774. Of the vast area remaining
the surveyors left out the rougher
mountain land and laid off into lots
the glades and valleys which they
thought could be made into farms.
However, much rocky and steep land
was included in the lots surveyed. The
shape of the lots varies somewhat to
suit the terrain and to conform to pre-
vious surveys, but they are generally
oblong.
The Deakins Line-State Boundaries
The Mason and Dixon line between
Maryland and Pennsylvania had been
surveyed and well marked before 1877
but the western boundary of Maryland
had not been surveyed, nor did Deak-
ms attempt to survey it. When the
surveys of 1774 were made the loca-
ton of the western State boundary
was not yet surveyed and several of
the Maryland surveys extended over
into Virginia. In order not to repeat
these errors in locating the Military
lots, Col. Deakins surveyed line
north from Fairfax stone about one
mile. Here he established the begin
ming corner of Lot 1101. Proceeding
with the survey of the lots northward
to the Pennsylvania line, he based the
lots approximately on an extension of
this line from the Fairfax Stone with
out making an actual survey of the
State boundary.
This line-the western boundary of
the lots-became known as the "Deak-
ms Line" and it is of interest to note
that, after years of dispute, in 1910
the boundary line between Maryland
and West Virginia, surveyed by
order of and approved by the Supreme
Court, follows with little variation the
line of Deakins' survey Of the Military
Lots-the Deakins' line Of 1887.
Disposition of The Military Lots
An Act of the General Assembly
of 1888 appointed Captain David
Lynn, Captain Daniel Cresap and Ben
iamin Brookes to allot the land to
Revolutionary soldiers and to settlers
and to fix the price Of lots to settlers
and to settle disputes. This commits
sion awarded free to each officer OF
the Maryland Line four lots and to
each soldier one lot. Also to each &C
tual settler on the land surveyed one
or more lots were awarded-a total OF
PAS settlers. The following notice was
published July 3, 1889, in the Mary
land Journal:
"Notice is hereby given to the Off
GERS and soldiers of the Maryland
Line that a distribution of land will be
made to them at Upper Marlborough,
in Prince Georges county, on the LIST
and End of August next, agreeably to
Act of Assembly, and at the same
time and place will be offered for sale
about one thousand lots of land, OF
fifty acres each, for ready money, or
specie certificates of the State Of
Maryland. This land lies westward Of
Fort Cumberland. For particular de-
scription thereof apply to Captain
Daniel Cresap or Mr.. John Tomlinson,
who lives near the same.
DAVID LYNN,
DANIEL CRESAP,
"BENJAMIN BROOKES,
Commissioners"
Col. Deakins and his surveyors sur
veyed 4165 lots of fifty acres each,
about one-third of which are now in
the western part of Allegany county
and about two-thirds in Garrett coun-
ty. He reported 1923 families settled as
"squatters" on 636 of the lots sur
veyed. An Act of Assembly of 1888
provided that these settlers should be
given an opportunity to purchase the
lots on which they had settled for not
less than five or more than twenty
shilling CSC 2-3 to $2.67) per acre, to
be paid in three installments. This was
rather high price for uncultivated
land here at that time. Many of the
settlers did not make their payments,
so, in 1871, the Assembly provided