The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-08-05
HORSE AND
BUGGY DAYS
by
Ida 10 Martin

adjoining, in the heart of the great
wilderness then covering the Cum
berland Valley. At no place on any
of these streets could be found q
sign saying ZONE WAY-DO NOT
ENTER"
It is interesting to note that all
the streets so marked in Hagerstown
today were in Jonathan Hager's or
iginal sketch and layout except
two, Locust and Mulberry. And
Prospect Street was labeled as an
alley in the early town plat.
1t was in 1861 that Jonathan
Hager laid out the town on one of
his latest land grants, called New
York and containing TIA acres. He
had received a total of eight grants
since his arrival sometime before
1899, and now owned 2,488 acres of
magnificent land" He was liv-
ing in a house described in the 1889
grant.
The founder of Hagerstown was
interested in seeing the valley de-
veloped, and so he laid his plans to
encourage settlers to this beautiful
section. The new town he laid out
included Potomac ST., Jonathan ST.,
Prospect St. Gas an alley) and Wal
nut ST., as far north as North St.
and south little beyond Antietam
st. And in the other direction it
included Washington St., Antietam
ST, Church ST., Bethel ST., and
North st. from Walnut St. to a little
east of Locust st.
Along these streets were over five
hundred lots, much larger than the
lots of today. The lots were two
hundred and forty feet in length,
and probably the only evidence of
these original lots remaining today
are some of the homes on North
Potomac Street
Since the new community was
almost entirely isolated from the
outside world, local trade was en-
couraged The original town plan
allowed for the opening in the CEN
ter known as ''The Square" and for
a market house in the center of the
street crossing. This first market
house stood until Independence
was gained, and Washington County
was established, in 1776, then it
was removed to make room for
combined market house, courthouse
and whipping post.
These early lots were easily and
quickly sold, and the streets began
to take on permanent form. In ten
years time there were over hun
dred homes built. These early peo-
pies were happy and prosperous.
Soon trade with the surrounding
rural sections took the usual form,
those in the town turning to manu-
featuring such articles as shoes,
clothing and utensils, and giving
them in trade for food products from
the farms.
Fifty years after the Revolution
found Hagerstown a f1ourishing town
of $3.50 inhabitants. Many build
ings had been constructed, including
number of beautiful churches.
But the streets of the town had |
been neglected till they were a
shame to all. Someone complained |
that only two short sections of street |
in the town were cared for and |
paved, and that these places were
In front of the commissioners
houses. I recently heard a returned
missionary tell how the people in
some of the more backward places /
throw their leftovers and garbage
into the streets. And now we read
that this practice had sprung up in
Hagerstown around 1922. Someone
even urged that swine should be left
to run over the streets to act as
scavengers.
Of course this led to sickness; and
in one dry summer so many became
i'll that newspapers of neighboring
towns actually warned travellers to
avoid Hagerstown as a pest ridden
place.
The newspapers and all public
spirited persons waged war against
these conditions, and petitions were
sent to the legislature. But the
needed reforms seemed impossible
until radical change could be won
in the towns form of government.
The moderator and commissioners
had practically no power.
In 1927 swine were prohibited
from running at large on the streets.
BY this time a few streets had been
paved. Traffic was heavy, especially
on the through streets connecting
to the much used National Pike, as
well as to other roads leading out
of town. The unpaved streets were
described in referring to the need