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The Prince George's County Historical Society
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- PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGES DAY, APR I L 23, 1696
- NEWS AND NOTES FROM The Prince Georges, County Historical Society
- NEWS AND NOTES FROM
The Prince George's County Historical Society Vol. VIII, no. 2 February 1980 Meetings Resume in March The Prince George's County Historical Society's meeting program will resume in March. The first meeting for 1980 will be on Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m. at Riversdale. Speaker and topic will be announced in the next issue of News and Notes. St. George’s Day Awards The Society will present the annual St. George's Day Awards again this year at the St. George's Day Dinner on April 23. The awards, which were instituted by the Society in 1974, honor individuals and organizations who have contributed significantly to the preservation of our county's heritage. Nominations should be submitted to the Society by March 7th at P.O. Box 14, Riverdale, Maryland 20840 or to any of the officers. Contribution to the Magruder House Prince George's Heritage, Inc., which is restoring the Magruder House in Bladensburg, has been awarded a grant of $1,000 by the Metropolitan Life Foundation. Each year the foundation provides an annual grant of $1,000 in each of the company's ten territories, and in 1979 the leader and award recipient in the Southeastern Territory was the Prince George's District. The check was presented by Sales Manager George D. Stanton on behalf of District Sales Manager W.C. Craven. Receiving the check for Prince George's Heritage, Inc., were Mayor Cristofane of Bladensburg, Sara R. Walton, and Mary Sue Couser The Magruder House, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the only 18th century stone gambrel‑roofed house in Prince George's County. Recognizing the architectural and historical significance and the urgency for its preservation the State of Maryland, which owned the house, conveyed it to Prince George's Heritage, Inc., in March 1979. Plans are underway for its restoration. Contributions will be gratefully accepted and are tax deductible. Interested parties may call 868‑5298 or 927‑8151 ‑‑From a news release PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGE'S DAY, APR I L 23, 1696 New Historic Marker Another historic marker will soon be in place in Prince George's County, this one at Fort Lincoln Cemetery. The site of Commodore Barney's gallant but unsuccessful stand during the Battle of Bladensburg in the War of 1812, and the site of Battery Jameson* a Civil War fortification which helped defend nearby Fort Lincoln and the city of Washington, the cemetery was chartered by Act of the General Assembly of Maryland in 1912. The historical marker will be on the cemetery grounds near the Administrative Offices. New Members of the Society: We welcome the following individuals to membership in the Prince George's County Historical Society: Sponsor Mr. & Mrs. S. Chester Ward College Park Mrs. Seidenspinner Leslie and Gloria Davies Bryan's Road Mr. DeMarr Erva R. Lewis Hyattsville Mr. Cuff Louis and Lucille Lushine Greenbelt, Mr. Virta Mr. & Mrs. Holton R. Small Hyattsville Mrs. Tatspaugh Mr. & Mrs. F.C. Whitmore, Jr. silver Spring Mr. DeMarr Dr. John K. Whitmore Ann Arbor, Mich. Mr. DeMarr John P. Lautz Hyattsville Mr. Virta We also welcome a new institutional member, the National Colonial Farm at Accokeek, sponsored by Treasurer Herb Embrey. The Morsell family Ted Bissell, a member of the Society, is doing research on the Morsell family of Prince George's County, and submits the following query: Kidd Morsell (1755‑1815) took Oath of Fidelity in Harford County in 1776. Assuming there was just one man of this name, he married (1) Tabitha Clayton in St. Johns Parish, Joppa, Baltimore County, in 1779 (2) Jemima Isaac in Prince George's County, year unknown, and (3) Margaret Buchan, Prince George's County, in 1803. From the first union was born Elizabeth in 1780; from 2nd was born Caroline in 1796. Kidd Morsell died in 1815 and was buried in Beltsville. Desire Kidd's other children and his relationship to Samuel and Benjamin Kidd Morsell who lived south of Beltsville, according to Martenet's 1861 map of Prince George's County. Contact Ted Bissell at 277‑4723. St. George's Day Dinner‑‑Wednesday, April 23, 1980‑‑The 7th Annual Boxing in Prince George's County In the December 1979 issue of News and Notes we asked for memories of boxing in Prince George's County. Don Skarda, of Berwyn Heights, sent in this information on an old boxing arena named “Sportland”, once located in Berwyn Heights. “It was known as Sportland and was located in an area bounded by Berwyn Road, Edmonston Road, Osage Street, and 60th Avenue. “It is interesting that the Ordinance Number 1 of the fledgling Commissioners of Berwyn Heights granted a license to J.O. Waters to operate a boxing arena on his property at a fee of $50.00 per performance That was in the spring of 1924; the arena was later declared a public nuisance, and on March 29, 1926 the license was rescinded and further exhibitions were prohibited. "J.0. 'Ned' Waters was himself reputed to be a competent amateur boxer and participated in some of the bouts. "The foregoing information is the result of research for the Bicentennial history of Berwyn Heights." -- Don Skarda Mr. Skarda was presented one of the Society's St. George’s Day Awards in 1979, in recognition of his long research into the history of Berwyn Heights and particularly in recognition of his history of the town which was published in 1976. Just Arrived... JUST ARRIVED in the Britannia, Capt. William Scott, from Port Glasgow, About One Hundred Servants, Men, Women, and Children, the Men and Women are under Indenture for Four Years, and their Children by Agreement, are to serve till they are Twenty‑one Years old: Those that are married will be sold together; There are some Tradesmen amongst them, but the greatest Part are Farmers; These are Part of the People who were compelled to leave their Native Country by the Oppression of the Land Holders, they are orderly and well behaved, and will be disposed of at Bladensburg, for ready Cash, or bills, of Exchange, by Christopher Lowndes. ‑‑An advertisement in the Maryland Gazette, October 25, 1772, quoted from Prince George's County: Past and Present, by James Douglas Watson (1962). Economic conditions, including "the Oppression of the Land Holders, were chief among the causes that led Scots to leave their native land in large numbers during the later years of the 18th century. Rising land rents drove many Highland farmers to America, as did practice of enclosure. During these years, the market for British meat and wool increased dramatically. The large landowners found it more profitable to enclose their large tracts of land (with fences, ditches, hedges etc.) and turn the land into sheep pasture than to subdivide it among tenants or allow it to remain as common pasture, or common fields for the small tenant farmers. Enclosure had been going on for centuries, fluctuating with economic conditions and the times, but during the years 1750 ‑1800 it was particularly intense. Forced off their lands they had rented for generations and deprived of their livelihoods, the Scots saw in America the opportunity to own their own land, even if it meant several years of labor for another as the price of the passage over. Despite the hardships imposed on these small farmers, however, by the enclosure process, it contributed greatly to the efficiency and production of British agriculture. Without the greater amounts of food, the great industrial cities could not have grown, and the Industrial Revolution would certainly have been slowed. ‑‑‑‑Alan Virta Maryland House and Garden Tour Prince George's County will be on the Maryland House and Garden Tour this Spring for the first time in several years. The date is Saturday, April 19, 1980. The places on, the tour are the Surratt House, His Lordship's Kindness, Woodstock, Mattaponi, Mount Calvert, St. Thomas' Church (Croome), Trinity Church in Upper Marlboro (where lunch will be served), Content, Weston, the Marlborough Hunt Club, St. Barnabas Church (Leeland), and Drumsheugh. The local sponsor and coordinator group is the Forest Garden Club. The Prince George's County Historical Society Annual dues of $5.00 include a subscription to this monthly newsletter. For a membership application, contact the Society at P.O. Box 14, Riverdale, Maryland 20840 or any of the officers listed below. President: Mr. Frederick S. DeMarr 277‑0711 4010 Hamilton Street, Hyattsville 20781 Corresponding Secretary: Mrs. Edith Bagot 927‑3632. 3510 Longfellow Street, Hyattsville 20782 Newsletter editor‑.; Alan Virta 474‑7524 8244 Canning Terrace, Greenbelt 20770 Treasurer: Herb Embrey 434‑2958 10414 Tullymore Drive, Adelphi 20783  NEWS AND NOTES FROM
The Prince George's, County Historical Society, Vol. VIII, no. 3 March 1980 The March Meeting The first meeting of the year of the Prince George's County, Historical Society will be held on Saturday, March 8, at 2 p.m. in the music room of Riversdale, the Calvert mansion in Riverdale. Our guest speaker will be Susan Pearl of Bowie, who will discuss the history of the mansion. Susan Pearl is project coordinator for the Prince George's County Inventory of Historic Sites, undertaken by the Prince George's County Historical and Cultural Trust, and is a research assistant for John Walton, county historian. It has been in that latter capacity that she has been doing extensive research on the Calverts and the house itself. Her talk will concentrate on 19th century family life at the mansion and on the decorative features of the house. Most of the rooms will be open for visiting after her presentation. As always, guests are always welcome, and refreshments will be served. The Society has met so often at Riversdale, that it is high time we had a presentation on the history of the house. Now that winter is about over and the cold has let up, come on out and join us at this first meeting of the year. Riversdale is located at 4811 Riverdale Road in Riverdale. For directions, call Fred DeMarr at 277‑0711 or Alan Virta at 474‑7524. New Members of the Society We welcome the following individuals to membership in the Prince George's County Historical Society: Sponsor Frances and Franklin Rafter Riverdale Mr. K. Embrey, Dott Wingfield Greenbelt Mr. & Mrs. G. Myers Anita and Spencer Hines Hyattsville Mr. A. Virta Mrs. Helen M. Wells Upper Marlboro Mrs. L. Tatspaugh Ann and Phil Vogel Takoma Park Mr. F. DeMarr We are also very pleased to announce another Life Member, Mr. C. Harold Hutcheson, of Laurel, the Society's Recording Secretary. PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGE'S DAY, APR I L 23, 1696 The Princeton Tragedy On February 28, 1844, in the Potomac River waters of Prince George's County, there occurred a violent tragedy that shook the entire nation. One of the guns of the U.S. ship Princeton, carrying the President of the United States and 350 other guests, exploded upon firing, killing the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, and other officers of the ship and the civil government. The City of Washington was plunged into mourning, and memorial services were held in cities and towns across the country. This was not the first time tragedy had struck the strife plagued administration. Just one month after the inauguration, President William Henry Harrison died. Five months later, the entire Cabinet resigned‑‑save one‑‑in protest of the policies of the new President Tyler. Tyler was hanged in effigy across the country, and many claimed he was not entitled to call himself President at all, but only Acting President. The next year President Tyler's wife died. When the Princeton tragedy of 1844 occurred, then, many asked "Why?" Was the United States being punished by a wrathful God? Sermon after sermon that Sunday following the tragedy was devoted to that theme, and Americans must certainly have been wondering why the nation had to endure such shocks to its national government. Below we reprint an account of the Princeton explosion taken from Niles' National Register for March 2, 1844. Published in Baltimore, Niles' National Register was one of the nation's leading weekly news magazines. We follow Niles' report with an account of the experiences of a young woman from Prince George's County who was on board the Princeton when the tragedy occurred. MOST AWFUL CATASTROPHE The exhibition of the tremendous apparatus for war which Captain Stockton has been occupied in the preparation of, and which it was supposed had been so far perfected as to render it safe to invite the members of government and their families to witness its effects, has resulted in one of the deepest and most heart rending tragedies that we have ever been called upon to record. Thursday morning's National Intelligencer thus announces the dreadful news. "In the whole course of our lives it has never fallen to our lot to announce to our readers a more shocking calamity‑‑shocking in all its circumstances and concomitants‑‑than that which occurred on board the United States ship Princeton, yesterday afternoon, whilst under way, in the river Potomac, fourteen or fifteen miles below this city. Yesterday was a day appointed, by the courtesy and hospitality of Capt. Stockton, commander of the Princeton, for receiving as visitors to his fine ship (lying off Alexandria) a great number of guests, with their families, liberally and numerously invited to spend the day on board. The day was most favorable, and the company was large and brilliant, of both sexes, not less probably in number than four hundred, among whom were the President of the United States, the heads of the several departments, and their families. At a proper hour, after the arrival of the expected guests, the vessel got under way and proceeded down the river, to some distance below Fort Washington. During the passage down, one of the large guns on board (carrying a ball of 22‑5 pounds) was fired more than once, exhibiting the great power and capacity of that formidable weapon of war. The ladies had partaken of a sumptuous repast; the gentlemen had succeeded them at the table, and some of them had left it; the vessel was on her return up the river, opposite to the fort, where Captain Stockton consented to fire another shot from the same gun, around and near which, to observe its effects, many persons had gathered, though by no means so many as on similar discharges in the morning, the ladies who then thronged the deck being on this fatal occasion almost all between decks, and out of reach of harm. The gun was fired. The explosion was followed, before the smoke cleared away so as to observe its effects, by shrieks of wo [sic] which announced a dire calamity. The gun had burst, at a point three or four feet from the breech, and scattered death and desolation around. Mr. [Abel] Upshur, secretary of state, Mr. [Thomas] Gilmer, so recently placed at the head of the navy, Commodore Kennon, one of its gallant officers, Virgil Maxcy [a Marylander], lately returned from a diplomatic residence at the Hague, Mr. Gardiner of New York, (formerly a member of the senate of that state) were among the slain. Besides these, seventeen seamen were wounded, several of them badly and probably mortally. Among those stunned by the concussion, we learn, not all seriously injured, were Capt. Stockton himself; Col. Benton, of the senate; Lieut. Hunt, of the Princeton; W.D Robinson, of Georgetown. Other persons also were perhaps more or less injured, of whom, in the horror and confusion of the moment, no certain account could be obtained. The above are believed, however, to comprise the whole of the persons known to the public who were killed or dangerously or seriously hurt. The scene upon the deck may more easily be imagined than described. Nor can the imagination picture to itself the half of its horrors. Wives, widowed in an instant by the murderous blast! Daughters smitten with the heart‑rending sight of their father’s lifeless corpse! The wailings of agonized females! The piteous grief of the unhurt, but heart‑stricken spectators! The wounded seamen borne down below! The silent tears and quivering lips of their brave and honest comrades, who tried in vain to subdue or to conceal their feelings! What words can adequately depict a scene like this? The bodies of the killed remained on board the ship last night. They will be brought to the city this morning." The news of this distressing incident threw a deep gloom over our community; every avenue of information from the scene was sought for with intense interest. Flag's were hoisted half mast on all the flag staffs and shipping in harbor and the usual testimonies of respect were expressed by public authorities. From Annapolis where the Legislature of the state, and the Court of Appeals are in session we learn that very feeling announcements of the melancholy news were made in each hall, and they severally adjourned, as a mark of respect. The Washington papers and letters of Friday brought us additional details. The Globe says: "Capt. Stockton having, on successive days, extended invitations to visit his ship to the executive and committees of congress, and then to both houses‑‑invited the ladies of the city to an entertainment on this, which was meant as the gala day of his beautiful ship. It opened brightly, but; has closed in the most dreadful gloom over our community. The only circumstance calculated to relieve the all‑pervading distress is that of the multitude of ladies who were on board the ship, not one was injured. The happy exemption of such a multitude of the tender sex, who witnessed the havoc made in the midst of them of the most distinguished and beloved of their countrymen, while it brings some solace to the circle of their immediate friends, cannot but deepen the sympathies which they, and the whole community, feel for the bereaved of families of those who have fallen.” Other accounts state the party, one entirely of pleasure, embarked about 12 o'clock, and that President Tyler and family, and a large number of ladies and gentlemen in the cabin, were in the act of leaving the dinner table, to proceed to the deck when the movement was arrested for a moment by a gentleman announcing that one of the ladies would give a toast, and but for which it is probable most of the party would have been exposed to the deadly missiles. Some of the ladies were upon deck, and near enough to be dashed with the blood and mangled remains of the victims. One of those was the wife of Gov. Gilmer [just appointed Secretary of the Navy], at whose request (the gov.) the gun on this occasion was fired, in order that he might observe its quality in some peculiar way. This gun had been named “The Peace Maker." The other of the same size on board called "The Oregon”. “The Peace Maker" was placed in the bow of the ship, on a revolving carriage, so that it might be fired from either side. An ordinary charge of powder for it was thirty pounds. It carried a ball weighing two hundred and twenty-five pounds; and such was the precision with which it could be‑fired; as ascertained from actual experiments, that an object the size of a hogshead, could be hit nine times in ten, at a distance of half a mile. The gun being loaded, the first thing was to ascertain the precise distance of the object to be fired at. This is done by means of an instrument, constructed upon trigonometrical principles, the scale on which indicates the distance at a glance. The next thing was to give the gun the proper elevation. This was done by means of a self‑acting lock, on an arm of which was a scale which indicated the precise elevation necessary to reach a given distance with the ball. A spring on the top of the lock is then brought up to the point indicated, the hammer pulled back, and at the very point of time when the ship's motion the gun reaches that point, and never before nor afterward, the gun is of itself discharged. The precise means by which this is effected, are known only to the navy department and the inventor. Some writer gives he following account of the same gun a few days before. “All the preparation for firing, with the exception simply of putting the powder and the ball into the gun, was made by Captain Stockton personally. By means of a tackle fixed to the, breech, a motion was given to the gun similar to that imparted by a heavy swell, and when it reached the point indicated it was discharged. The ball in this case traveled about two miles before it hit the water, and then bounded several times. The Princeton went down the river as far as Mount Vernon. In going down, the "peacemaker" was discharged three times and in returning twice. "On the fourth fire the ball struck on the land, and its effect was lost sight of by those on board‑‑so the party demanded another fire, and respectfully requested the Captain to put in a little more powder this time. Before firing for the fifth and last time, the captain said he should take the sense of the company. 'All those in favor of another fire will say aye.' The air resounded with "aye!' ‘All those opposed to another fire will say, no.' Not a solitary voice. "'The ayes have it” said the captain; 'I have the assent of congress, and I'll go ahead.' Probably fifty pounds of powder went into the 'peacemaker' this time. As before, the gun was fired by the captain himself. The ball went probably four miles before it struck. It bounded fifteen times on the ice, in the course of which it performed a half circle. "One of these guns, the 'Oregon,' was manufactured in England. The other ‘peace‑maker,' was made in New York, and is by far the better piece of workmanship of the two. "The captain told me that when he applied to the manufacturer to do the job, he (the manufacturer) declared that it could not be done and it was not until Captain Stockton had promised him that he would pay all the expense of an attempt out of his own pocket that the manufacturer would consent to make a trial. Before a month had elapsed after this, however, the manufacturer seeing that it was perfectly practicable, became as great an enthusiast in the matter as the captain himself was.” The bodies of the killed, shockingly mangled, were left on board the Princeton until morning, and then removed in six hours to the president's house, from which the funeral will take place at 11 o'clock this day. The latest accounts we have of the wounded, state that Captain Stockton is not dangerously wounded, and will recover from the injury he has received. His anguish is intense. Mr. Benton [Senator Thomas Hart Benton], who was at the breech of the gun taking her range, was prostrated upon the deck and stunned, but not touched. A servant of the president, a colored lad of about fifteen years of age) was amongst the slain. Eleven of the crew, wounded, were landed at the naval hospital; two of them, it is supposed, cannot survive. The other nine will probably recover. Mr. Seaton, mayor of the city of Washington, with eight of his family, was on board of the Princeton, and was invited by Mr. Gilmer, and would have accompanied him to the deck to witness the discharge, but for a difficulty in finding his cloak and hat at the moment. A lady, standing upon the deck between two gentlemen, one of whom had his hat, and the other the breast of his coat taken off, escaped unhurt. The daughter of Mr. Upshur, several of the family of Com. Kennon, and the daughter of Mr. Gardiner [engaged to President Tyler] were on board the steamer; but none of them, except Mrs. Gilmer, were apprised of the death of those most dear to them, until after their return to the city. Mr. Upshur has left a wife and daughter. Mr. Gilmer a wife and eight children‑‑the eldest but fifteen. Com. Kennon has left a young wife, and children by his first wife. Mr. Maxcy has also left a wife and children and Col. Gardiner two daughters, who have been the belles of the city. One of the guests on board the Princeton was a young woman from Prince George's County. An account of her experience on that fatal day is found in a letter written a few days after the catastrophe by Congressman George Sykes of New Jersey, who was also one of the party. Sykes' letter, written to his sister Ann Sykes, was published in the July 1937 issue of Pennsylvania History in an article by St. George L. Sioussat entitled "The Accident on Board the U.S.S. 'Princeton,' February 28, 1844: A Contemporary News‑Letter." Congressman Sykes' letter was long and detailed, and we print below the three separate references to the young woman'. '"Amongst the visitors in Washington was a lady from Mississippi and another a Miss Sommerville from Prince George's County Maryland who were staying at a Mr. Beales‑‑on Capitol hill, and both of whom I had frequently met at Levees‑‑and parties,, These ladies‑‑S.S. Phelps the Senator from Vermont and myself were to take under escort on the occasion‑‑and as we called upon them in the morning before the excursion‑‑Beale kindly ordered his coachman to put the horses to his carriage and take us from his house down to the steamboat wharf.” "S.S. Phelps taking Miss Sommerville by the arm jocularly remarked to her 'you must shew your courage and firmness by standing close to the gun with me and see it fired without even winking' to which she replied with a smile in a bantering manner‑‑I dare go anywhere that you dare."" "The young lady who was under the escort of Phelps was standing between him and Thos. H. Benton [the Senator from Missouri], both of these gentlemen are perhaps a little over the ordinary size. Both of them were knocked down by the concussion‑‑while she stood firm and erect although her bonnet as well as their hats was blown overboard‑‑her bonnet strings were tied in the usual manner under her chin‑‑the concussion was so great that her bonnet was blown off in the river‑‑leaving the strings still tied under her chin they being torn off from her bonnet where they were sewed to it‑‑her face considerably burnt though in other respects she was less injured than either of them." Congressman Sykes does not tell us Miss Sommerville's first name. A number of Somervells lived in the Woodville‑‑Aquasco area, so perhaps she was a member of that family. Anyone who knows, please let us know. ‑‑Alan Virta The Prince George's County Historical Society Annual dues of $5‑00 include a subscription to this monthly newsletter. Our address: P.O. Box 14, Riverdale, Maryland 20840 President: Frederick S. DeMarr; Corr. Secretary: Edith Bagot; Newsletter editor: Alan Virta; Treasurer: Herb Embrey, 434‑2958  NEWS AND NOTES FROM
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