OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND.
 

191
 

CHAPTER Xlll
 

^HE condition of Hagerstown began to attract
public attention about the beginning of
the year 1828. During the preceding
year swine had been prohibited from
running at large in the streets. Some of
the streets yvere macadamized by this time, but
many of them were not and the condition of
these latter, in wet seasons, after 'they had_ been
cut up by heavy hauling, can well be imagined.
Through this deep mud, the citizen whom busi¬
ness, misfortune or pleasure carried abroad at
nights, had to struggle in darkness. There were
ho street lamps and no crossings to find, if there
had been light to show the way. It is true that
the flickering rays of a feeble lamp might be seen
before each tavern, but these did little to dispel
the universal gloom of night in the town. A
writer in the newspapers suggested a public sub¬
scription to raise funds to light the streets and
also to provide crossings at the street corners.
Men, he said, could work their way through the
mud and mire, but it was too great a task for
women and children. The Moderator urged per¬
sons living along the streets which yvere macad¬
amized to scrape the mud in front of their prem¬
ises into piles, and if it was not convenient for
them to have it carted away, that work would be
done at the public expense. Williamsport at this
time contained one hundred houses, some of them
new and described at the time as very flue. The
population was placed at 900, who, it was said,
yvere generally plain and respectable peeople.
There were three churches and during the next
summer the corner-stone of a Lutheran Church
was laid by the friends of the Lodge of Masons;
 

there were flve stores, four taverns and among
the people were representatives of many different
trades. The Washington C'ounty Bank was incor¬
porated February 19, 1828, to take the place of the
Conococheague Bank. During the months of
April and May there was a considerable trade down
the river to Georgetown. Cargoes of logs, planks,
lumber, stone coal, wheat, whiskey and flour were
boated down the river, and each year about a
thousand barrels of flour found their way to mar¬
ket in the curious canvas covered boats of the
Potomac Navigation C'ompany. The people con¬
fidently expected the town to develop rapidly
into a most important point. The yvork on the
canal would begin that summer, the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad would surely jiass through it,
and it would be the terminus of a railroad from
Chambersburg and possibly be on the main route
by this hne from Philadelphia to the West. In
the immediate vicinity of the town, upon a splen¬
did estate, resided Edward Greene "Williams, in
the house in which his father, General Otho H.
Williams had entertained General Washington.
This was the Springfield farm, now owned by the
heirs of the late Charles W. Humrichouse; the
house is still standing, but has been greatl3' enlarg¬
ed. It is one of the finest estates in Washington
County. The next year after this, in February
1829 Major Edward Greene Williams died. He
was the third son of Gen. 0. H. Williams, and
was born in March. 1789; he graduated at Prince¬
ton. He served with credit as a captain of horse
in the war of 1812, and was twice elected to the
Legislature. He lies buried beside his distin¬
guished father in the cemetery at Williamsport.