Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1953-02-12
"THE ISLANDS
OF THE POTOMACo

liz AoLAANDEO
OF THE POTOMAC"
1t is a sad commentary on map
makers and early historians that
only very few of the hundreds Of
islands of the Potomac River have
been designated by name.
At Point of Rocks, Maryland, we
find an immense island (probably
the largest in the lower Potomac)
Familiarity known as Heaters
Island, so named because of the
Heater family who first occupied it.
Midway on this island is to be found
as complete farm as any on the
mainland.
Needless to say, this island has
always been highly productive agri-
culturally. Yearly it produces yell
low corn, comparable land of times
exceeding in size) the corn grown
in Iowa-the state "where the tall
corn grows" In fact, all of Poto-
macs farmed islands (there are
many as well as all of it's low
lying mainland, both in Maryland
and Virginia, have the reputation
of growing the largest and tallest
corn in the East, corn twice as tall
as the average person, each stalk,
as rule, bearing not one but TWO
ears. Of course, the farmer who
plants corn in these low lands takes
g sporting chance "a flood would
play havoc with it)-but, it is
maintained (and l believe it) that
| if farmer can gather one good
crop, he will, at least, break even,
even though he should lose the next
three paintings.
Heaters Island is we'll known to
well-informed archaeologiSts as the
home of the puny Conoy Indians
classified by ethnologists as part
of the once powerful Algonquins,
who were, incidentally, an integral
and potent part of the mammouth
"Six Nations" However, few In
dian relics have ever been found
en- Heaters because of the eighteen
inch layer of silt from continual
floods which has irrevocably cover
ed all vestiges of any Indian settle
ment. No Indian burials have ever
been found there either although
it can be reasonably assumed that
there must be some on this yarge
island-somewhere.
East of Healer's-some three
miles away, we find a maize of
islands, mostly small, extending all
he way to and at Nolan's Ferry
sometimes called "Tuscarora," said
Islands appearing here and there
almost all the way to the mouth
of the "Monockessy" (Monocacy).
On the Maryland side of the river
opposite these islands, dwelt the
sanguinary Tuscaroras; a creek
bearing the tribes name empties
into the Potomac short distance
below the ferry.
No islands dot the Potomac for
the next three miles-the river has
clean sweep-but at Woods Lock
Mason's Island begins. This is,
like Heaters, a very large island,
and was, like Heaters, named after
the Mason family who first settled
on it. While not nearly as wide
as its sister island, it is consider
ably longer. It's lineal length is
easily two miles-its end only a
mile above historic Whites Ferry.
Mason's Island, as far as l have
been able to learn, is the only place
in Western Maryland that can boast
of an American eagles nest. This
huge, stick and mud nest is located
on the islands western tip, high
in majestic river bottom syca-
more. 1t has been perennially
located here in this very same tree
to my own personal knowledge, for
at least 81 years. Go there when
the leaves are off the trees and see
ii. 1t will be we'll worth your
while.
Three-fourths of Mason's Island
is farmed, corn being the principal
product raised. All crops are tran
sported to the Maryland mainland
on large scow, pole propelled.
The next island down-river is
famous Harrison's Island, one-half
nile below Whites Ferry. The
Harrisons of nearby Leesburg, Vir-
ginia, one of Virginia's first and
finest families, own thence it's
name. About midway of this
island, Union troops, 1900 strong,
eager for battle, crossed the river,
40 men a trip, in three mud scows,
landing at what is today Balls
Bluff. They thought everything
was propitious for the capturing
the nearby town of Leesburg, which
was, at that time, the most i'm
portant northern outpost of the
Confederacy. Aware of the North's
plans, the Confederates, night after
night doused most of their bivouac
fires, theraby leading the North's
night sentries to believe they were
very small in numbers. Actually
8 large force of the Confederates
waited patiently in ambuscade in
heavy copse thickets until all of
the union forces had landed, then
proceeded to mercilessly cut them