The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1939-12-14
MARYLAND LOST MUCH
TERRITORY In EARLY DAYS

A special writer in the Sunday edi-
ton of the Cumberland Times called
attention to the fact that Maryland,
during Colonial days, lost much OF her
rightful territory by reason of faulty
surveys, or no surveys at all, IN the
following article:
MARYLAND sustained a serious loss OF
territory during Colonial days for
which no Colonial Marylander was re-
sponsible.
As history records, the Charter
grant issued by Charles l to Sir
George Calvert in 1851, provided that
the Potomac river from its mouth
to its farthest handspring was to be
the boundary between the Colonies OF
Virginia and Maryland.
When the first Maryland Colonists
landed from the ark" and the Dove"
at Saint Mary's in 1884, nothing was
known, of course, about the correct
source of the Potomac, other than
vague idea that the river probably
headed in the far off mountain coun-
trv. a great distance to the westward
from the Chesapeake Bay. Many years
thereafter. it was learned that the far
thermost handspring of the Potomac
river is at Hightown, in Highland
county, Virginia, at which place the
main tributary, now known as the
South Branch, finds its source. I'm
fortunately for Maryland, the head
spring of the North Branch was Sc
lected as the principal head water af-
fluent of the Potomac system by Sir
William Fairfax, who located the Fair
fax Stone there about the year 174O,
when he surveyed the Northern
Neck" of Virginia for his cousin, Sir
Thomas Fairfax, the Sixth Baron
Fairfax, who claimed the region.
Makes Il Counties
This immense boundary, consisting
of more than 100000 acres, (about
5000 square miles, located between
the Rappahannock and Potomac riv-
ers, in twenty-one counties of the pres
ent time, was inherited by Sir Thomas
Fairfax, through his mother, from his
grandfather, Lord Thomas Culpeper,
Colonial Governor Of Virginia. The
survey was made necessary on ac-
count of legal action instituted in a
dispute over the title, but Sir Thomas
ownership was confirmed by King
George II in 1745. Following the
American Revolution, however, these
large land holdings were confiscated
and reverted to the newly created
State of Virginia. At the time Fair
fax made the survey it was of course
to his advantage to place the source
of the Potomac river as far to the
north as possible, thereby increasing
his holdings; and in permitting the
Fairfax Stone to be recognized as
marking the farthermost handspring
of the river, Maryland neglected to
protect her rights. No doubt the
Colonial authorities were ignorant as
to the true farthermost handspring,
and it was probably not until long
after the Revolution that the discovery
was made that the South Branch is
more than fifty miles longer than the
North Branch from the point where
the two come together about fifteen
miles east Of the city Of Cumberland,
Maryland.
Numerous Counties Lost
1t was thus that Maryland lost a
section Of about 1000 square miles of
mountainous country, which is now
part Of the State Of West Virginia,
taking in all of Mineral county, to-
gether with large parts Of the coun-
ties of Hampshire, Hardy, Grant,
Pendleton, Tucker, Preston, and Ran
dolph. 1t also takes in small wedge
shaped part of Highland county, Vir-
ginia, Keyser, Piedmont, Davis, Thorn
as, and many other towns are within
the forfeited section. With Hightown,
Va, as the correct pointer for the
farthermost handspring of the Po-
tomac river, it will be seen that the
true west boundary line of Maryland
should be about 712 miles farther to
the west than its present day accepted
location specifies.
Present state of Maryland, square
miles, 1927; estimated population
for 1889, 100000.
Present state of Delaware, square
miles, 2,370; estimated population,
100000.
Area lost between the 10th degree
N L and the Mason and Dixon Line
square miles, 1900, estimated; esti-
mated population for 1889, 100000.
Area lost in the Upper Potomac re-
gion by Incorrect location Of the Fair
fax Stone in 1740, square miles, 1000
estimated; estimated population for
1889, 100000.
Maryland should now have, accord
ing to her charter rights, 81 ,297 esti-
mated square miles; 4,710,000 estimat-
ed population for 1889.