MEMORANDUM
April 16, 2003
FOR:
Mayor James Hoover, Emmitsburg
FROM:
Stephen Whitman, Associate Professor
RE:
Early History, Town of Emmitsburg
Greetings. Mr. Michael Hillman
recently told me about the debate over
when the town of Emmitsburg was
founded. For what they are worth, here
are my thoughts, as a teacher of early
American history here at the Mount. We
know that Euro-American people began
settling in today's northwestern
Frederick County in the 1730s. A town
was "founded" by William Emmitt in
1785, in the sense that town lots were
laid out and sold, contingent on
houses being built on them. What's in
dispute is whether there was a
pre-existing settlement that could be
dated to 1757.
Mr.
Hillman's work with the county land
records points to the later date as
the moment at which a town began to
exist, as argued by him at the
emmitsburg.net website. That case
looks persuasive to me. There
certainly were people living in this
part of the county in 1757, but no
strong evidence of a town. Scharf's
history of Western Maryland, for
example, is silent on the subject.
Williams' work on Frederick County
says that Emmitsburg changed its name
from Poplar Fields in 1786, but offers
no dates or specifics on the nature of
Poplar Fields.
If
one looks at the 1757 date in
historical context, the idea of a town
having been founded then is
problematic. That year was the third
year of substantial hostilities
between Indians and settlers in the
French and Indian War. After
Braddock's defeat in southwestern
Pennsylvania in 1755, persistent
Indian raids had caused a great many
people to retreat from settlements in
the Upper Potomac valley and its
tributaries, a process that did not
end until after 1758. Hardly a
propitious time to start a new town,
even here in Frederick County.
All
things considered, the 1785 founding
date for the town looks to be the most
plausible on the evidence in hand.
Naturally, it's the citizens of
Emmitsburg who make the call; I hope
these thoughts are of some use in the
process. Thanks for taking the time to
consider these thoughts.
Additional
readings:
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