The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-05-10

"Hagerstown, Md, is situated in
the midst of the great and fertile
valley lying at the foot of the AL
leghany Mountains and extending
from the Susquehanna River at Har-
risburg, Pa, to the northern limits
of Alabama. This valley is known
in Pennsylvania and Maryland as
the Cumberland Valley and in Vir-
GINA as the Valley of the Shenan-
doah. But it is one continuous and
homogeneous valley-well watered
by numerous and beautiful streams,
fed by great springs which gush out
Of the limestone rocks. The soil is
most fertile limestone, carefully and
skillfully titled, and the surface is
beautifully undulating, presenting
a varied scene of hills and dale and
plain, with the blue mountains limit
ing the view to the east and the
west. The agricultural productions
embrace everything belonging to
the latitude and everything is pro-
duced in great perfection"
Thus a description of Hagerstown,
written in a booklet published in
1887, begins. The scene from the
Dry Bridge on South Prospect Street,
from the vicinity of st. Johns Epis-
copal Church, depicted by the writ
er 81 years ago, remains the same.
Other things which the writer saw
then are still intact. There is still
the same old Black Rock, on the
side of South Mountain, tumbled
there by nature many ages ago, a
favorite lookout in years past. To
the left is the gap through which
the Western Maryland crosses the
mountain to Baltimore.
Hagerstown was laid out by JON
athan Hager in 1852, the writer re-
calls, and covers several hills which
secure it a good drainage and a
thorough washing out after each
rain. 1t is built upon a solid founda-
ton of blue limestone rock" South
Prospect Street is on the summit of
a high ridge. Nathaniel Rochester,
the founder of Rochester New York
and prominent man connected with
Hagerstown's early history, lived in
a house on this street. The lower
sections of the town range over 500
feet above the level of tide water
The streets, it was said, were
made of limestone, broken and laid
down to great depth and topped
with stone crushed very fine, and
then rolled with a heavy iron road
roller weighing 30 tons, packing the
streets into a solid and smooth mass
of stones, very durable and as
smooth as asphalt. The side walks
were well paved, generally, and
varied in width from to IL feet"
Ten thousand dollars had been vot-
ed by the people to perfect system
of drainage by sewers. About SO
passenger trains, at that time, ar
rived or departed from Hagerstown
every day. No town could boast of
finer livery stables. The town was
supplied with water from the breast
of South Mountain, the water soft
and pure and the water rents re-
markably low. The water was con-
Quoted through large iron pipes of
great capacity, equal to nearly So
600 gallons per hour, the reservoir
being 249 feet above the town. The
Water Company was private con-
Germ, regulated to some extent by
the town, which controlled its rates
and contributed $1,000 a year to it
for the use of water for fire pur-
poses.
The fact was mentioned that the
city had five we'll organized and
thoroughly equipped volunteer fire
companies.
AS to taxes and financial condl-
ton, the following was quoted: "We
have the handsome cash surplus OF
$40, 04047 to the credit of the town.
in addition to the levy and such
other licenses and market rents as
may be forthcoming" In the same
report it was shown the bonded
debt of the town was $4,000 and ST.
900 accrued interest thereon. The
annual report of the city treasurer
made on December 81, 1886, showed
cash balance on hand of $9,735.7s
and the total bonded debt $4,000.
Hagerstown's fine churches anc
schools are given special mention
and there was mention also of ar
excellent public library.