The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-05-29


Has Garrett County a Historical
Society or is there any custodian of
records or are there any records of
the early history of this part of the
country to hold in custody?
| much doubt if there has been any
organized effort made to embody in
permanent form the customs and ira
ditions of the early annals of the AL
leghanies in this end Of the country.
In another generation, who will
know anything of the history of the
n w. turnpike and the old stage
houses along the way or the tragedy
Of Frozen Camp?
Who will be able to point out the
site of the house where Geo. Wash
ington spent the night and gave the
little child a biscuit which it used so
long for ball, never having seen
anything before but buckwheat cakes
and not knowing it's present was eat
able?
How many are now living who have
heard the anecdotes of Patrick Ham
ills first sermon or William Ashbey's
ghost story and his adventure with
the panther or Ralph Thayers bear
hunt?
Who can tell anything to-day about
the founder of McHenry, or who built
the first grist mill which stood near
the present town of Oakland on a lit
tie stream running through the Brad
ley farm and fed by the Boiling
Spring on the banks of which was
written "Stonewall Jackson's Way?
1t is from the recoilections of the
long ago enshrined in the minds of
the "oldest inhabitants" those dating
back to the first decade of the past
century are pitably few and getting
fewer every year. met one of them a
couple days ago and although several
years past 80 found his mind clear
and his memory vigorous in the re-
markable degree.
Rowan White is one of the most in
teresting figures to be seen on the
streets of the mountain city. He is
one of the few remaining links be-
tween the old regime and the new,
between the stage coach era and the
iron horse.
Away back in the '30's he held the
reins over six fine horses and trans
ported dry goods and groceries from
Baltimore to Cincinnati-a great
wagon load of nine and ten thousand
pounds weigh. The trip occupied from
Is to 20 days and he got $500 per
hundred or $500 for each load of
10000 pounds.
On the return trip the load was
usually salt or iron and farm produce
Early in the '40's he left the old
National road and located on the
Northwestern pike eight miles from
where Oakland now stands.
He married the daughter of a far
mer named Waltz, who had settled at
the foot of Backbone Mountain, in
1875, and went to live on the 1000
acre farm which William Hoye the
1st had given to his niece, who was
Miss Hoye, later Mrs. Phillips. 1t
is now known as the Geo. Ward farm
and is owned by the Preston Lumber
Company.
There he used to raise six and sew
en- thousand bushels of oats which he
sold to the long lines of drivers who
filed past, following thousands of
head of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs
to the eastern markets.
He had stalls for upwards of so
extra horses and they were always
full of nags stabbed for the night by
wayfarers passing to and fro over
that great western artery Of COM
merce and travel leading from Win
chester to Parkersburg.
He told of how his little girl sick
ened with something the matter with
ler tongue" purified sore throat so