Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1951-04-12
Montgomery Side|ights
By Elsie White Haines


Georgetown which once sought
the honor of becoming the county
seat of Montgomery County
(1783) today begins a celebration
to mark its 200th year. In an
effort to recapture it's past glory
and show off its present charm
there will be a festive weekend
with speeches, key presentations
and concerts eliminating in a ball
on Saturday night.
Scharf's History of Western
Maryland has this to say: George
town, originally included within
the limits of Frederick land after
wards in Montgomery, was laid
out in response to a petition of
the people of Frederick County to
the General Assembly, setting
forth that there was a convenient
site for town at the mouth Of
Rock Greek on "Patowmack"
River, adjacent to the Inspection
House, called George Gordon's
Rolling House. In accordance
with their desire the Legislature,
by act of May Is, 1851, author
lied Henry Wright Crabb, John
Needham, John Claggett, James
Perry, and David Lynn, commits
sioners, to lay out and erect a
town on the Potomac River above
the mouth of Rock Greek, in Fred
erick County, and empowered
them to purchase sixty acres, part
of the tracts of land belonging to
George Gordon and George Beall,
at the place aforesaid, where it
shall appear to them to be most
convenient, and to survey the same
into eighty lots, to be erected into
a town, and to be called George
Town"
For the advantage of the town
and for the encouragement of the
back inhabitants, the commits
sioners were authorized to hold
two fairs annually for three sue
cessive days, during which every
one attending the same should be
free from arrest, except for felony
or breach of the peace.
The first meeting of the COM
missioners was held on the 18th of
September, 1851, when they APP
pointed Alexander Beall clerk and
surveyor, and Josiah Beall coroner.
The owners of the site of the
projected town, however, declined
to sell, and they were accordingly
compelled to summon a jury and
condemn the property for the pub
lie uses for which it was intended.
The jury, which consisted, of Will
liam Pritchett, NinianJ Magruder,
Nicholas Baker, James Beall, Ma
thaniel Magruder, Charles Clagett,
Thomas Clagett, James Holman,
Charles noJones, Zachariah Ma
gruder, James Wallace. Basil
Beall, William Williams, Alexand-
err ,Magruder, William Wallace,
and John Magruder, son of Alex
ander, appraised the land, award
ing two = hundred and eighty
pounds currency TO the, owners,
and the survey and plat were COM
pleted on the 9th of February,
1852, when the commissioners
numbered the lots and named the
streets and lanes. Messl's. Cor
don and Beall were allowed the
first choice in the selection of lots
in the new town, and Mr.. Gordon
chose lots 48 and 50. Mr.. Beall
at first refused to recognize the
authority of the commissioners,
but finally selected lots No. IL and
70 under protest.
The land upon which George
town is situated was first patent
ed by the proprietary of Mary
land to Ninian Beall on Nov. 18,
1703. The original tract contain
ed seven hundred and ninetv-fve
acres, and was named the Rock
of Dunbarton." The patent re-
cites that itwas made in consider
alton of there being due to Beall