The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1948-09-16

Who cut the gorge through the
hill? And who built the first dam?
and who put up the original forge
and foundry?
Great Rocks" apparently the
same tract to this day, was land
grant to Daniel Dulaney in 1850,
consisting of fifty acres. His execu-
tors sold the tract to Lawrence
O'Neal in 1869, who few years la
ter sold it to Daniel Hughes. Here
seems to begin its real history.
Colonel Hughes was man of
FORCES and the iron industry. We
can not find just when he built this
forge, but we have an early news
paper notice about it. The Mary
land Journal for March 81, 1786,a
Baltimore paper, contains this adj
vertisement:
"To be rented: The Mt. Aetne
Furnace.
"The Great Rock Forge is also to
be rented; it stands on Antietam
Creek, within eight miles of the
above furnace, has two hammers
and four fires, a substantial dam,
and considerable head of water. A
lease may be given for three years
or seven years. For terms, apply
to Daniel Hughes in Hagerstown.
March %, 1876 Daniel and Samuel
Hughes"
1t is certain that no one today re-
members the old forge. 1t stood, ac-
cording to historian Bell of about
1900, on the east side of the Ante
tam, opposite the location of the
building remembered by many
people today as the distillery. Bell
says it was "a substantial stone
building, one story high, with two
stone chimneys as high as the high
est trees in the vicinity" He report
ed that in a small meadow on this
SIOG VI IIlG ClGGh JllClG ID HULL 1G-
fuse, and that the soil here is prac-
tically all ashes. These ashes re
main to this day.
An interesting side light on the
Hughes can be found in the records
of the Provincial Convention for the
day of July 1,1776, when this resolu-
ton was passed: Resolved, that for
the encouragement of Daniel and
Samuel Hughes to prosecute their
cannon-foundry with spirit and di-
ligence, the council of safety be en-
powered, on their application, to
lend and advance to them any sum
not exceeding two thousand pounds
common money out of the public
treasury, they giving bond with
good security to interest, and apply
the same to prosecuting the said
cannon-foundry. :"
1t is known that the Hughes
made cannon at the other FORCES, and
Bell records that both cannon and
cannon-balls were found in the
debris in the little meadow east of
the stream, at the site of the Rock
Forge.
Eventually the Hughes abandoned
the forge, and removed the machin-
cry. The building and dam soon fell
into ruins. In 1910 Holker Hughes
sold it to Samuel Lyday.
Lyday put in new dam and a
saw mill and began to make walnut
gunstocks. In 1851 the property
was sold to Samuel Etneyer; in the
following year to Jacob Tritle, and
in 1857 to John S. Dayhoff. Day
hoff built a machine shop, foundry,
and blacksmith shop, and began
manufacturing grain separators,
horse-powers, hay rakes, farm wag-
ons, corn shelters, and other nipple
ments. This business was success
lively owned and operated by Samuel
Martin and George M. D. Bell, and
Carver, Foltz and Company, and in
1882 it was converted into distill-
cry. In its last days the site was
used for a mill and feed grinding
business until it was burned.
Another odd side light; the rocky
land that gave this tract its name,
encircled by the old stream bed, was
for a time known as ''Tory- Island"
in spite of the fact that Colonel
Hughes was an "active and in
fuential patriot"