Discover History this Weekend at Elk Landing

Defending Fort Hollingsworth

One hundred and ninety nine years ago musket and cannon fire erupted from Fort Hollingsworth at the confluence of the Big and Little Elk Creeks. That skirmish between members of the Cecil Militia and British Marines and sailors kept Elkton from being burned. The invading British and the Militia occupants of the fort are long gone, but what ever happened to Fort Hollingsworth? Does anything remain of that earthen fort? Members of the Northern Chesapeake Archaeological Society think they know and will attempt to locate Fort Hollingsworth and any artifacts its defenders may have left behind during this year’s archaeological field school to be held at Historic Elk Landing beginning on May 25th and running through June 4th. In addition to locating Fort Hollingsworth, the archaeologists will also look for evidence of Native American activity at the site which goes back as many as ten thousand years! The best part is you are invited to participate in this historic dig. Educators are especially encouraged to participate. Just go to the society’s web site at http://sites.google.com/site/northernchesapeake/ and complete a registration form. The Archaeological Society’s Dan Coates says “this represents a great opportunity for the northeast Maryland community to expand the discovery and preservation of local history.” In addition to the daily digs, Dan says guest speakers will discuss previous area digs as well as the history. “There will be lectures during the day and some evenings explaining the history of the area, what artifacts the archaeologists are looking for, and what is found.” Any and all artifacts found will be available to the Historic Elk Landing Foundation for future exhibits, research, and discussions. The documented results of the dig will be posted on the Foundation’s web site (www.elklanding.org) when they become available. Media outlets: For more information contact Historic Elk Landing Foundation President, Josh Brown through the foundation’s voice mail system at 410-620-6400.

A Breast Work was Thrown Up

When the archaeologists converge on Historic Elk Landing on May 25^th looking for Fort Hollingsworth, how do they know what they are looking for?  How do they know how big the fort was, who manned it, how many guns it had, and how the militia stationed there functioned?  Some of their knowledge comes from letters written by Judge Thomas Jefferson Sample to the Cecil Whig as many as 70 years after the War of 1812 battle that made the fort famous.  Other information comes from a newspaper article or two out of Baltimore.  And still additional information comes from other archaeological work done at other similar War of 1812 sites.  But a far greater amount of information comes from a booklet titled “Maryland Militia in the War of 1812; Volume 3: Cecil and Harford Counties” compiled by F. Edward Wright.  Wright is associated with Colonial Roots (www.colonialroots.com), based in Lewes, Delaware which specializes in researching the origins of families which colonized North America with an emphasis on Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.  Several years ago, Wright painstakingly reviewed the abstracts of muster, pay, receipt rolls, and Maryland Adjutant General papers for Cecil and Harford counties looking for the testimony of men who fought, or said that they fought, in the War of 1812.  Amongst the papers Wright reviewed was documentation of men who not only fought in the war, but were stationed at Fort Hollingsworth when, in April of 1813, the British attempted to burn Elkton.  For example, one Samuel Davis of Lee County, Iowa testified in 1860 that “for 18 days was stationed at a small fort erected at what is called Elk Landing, it being the head of boat navigation on the Chesapeake, went over to French Town with some 18 others with the expectation of saving Frenchtown… but it was all in flames when got in sight and the British soldiers were some distance from shore and endeavored to cut off our retreat.  We retreated immediately and reached our battery when the British gun boats came in sight. When they came within range our guns we opened a fire which was so well directed that after three or four shots, they put about and went down the Bay.” 

That short paragraph tells us several things: the general location of Fort Hollingsworth, this particular soldier was stationed at the fort for18 days, at least some of those men went to Frenchtown to prevent its burning, and when the British approached Fort Hollingsworth, the militia there fired “three or four shots,” to drive the British away.

From the testimony of John C. Hull of Union County, Ohio, we learn that the militia members were protecting more than just the county seat.  “When the British fleet came into the Chesapeake Bay, about twenty sail of bay craft (sloops and schooners) came up to Elk Landing.  A breast work was thrown up, one long nine pound gun and four six pound cannonades were mounted.”

Like Davis, Hull also attempted to give assistance to the defenders of Frenchtown as he “volunteered to leave the fortifications at Elk Landing to carry a supply of ammunition to French towne but the place was burned before the party could reach the breast work; the party was nearly cut off by the British, escaping capture by their knowledge of the nearest route to the fortifications of Elk Landing.  They reached Elk Landing in time to beat off the enemy.”  “The British,” Hull continues, “were computed at two hundred strong, in ten barges, armed with swivels in their bows.”

Swivels are small cannons that were easily mounted on boats, barges, or other vehicles, both marine and land based.

The April, 1813 battle that we at Elk Landing celebrate as Defenders Day, was not the only British attempt at burning Elkton.  Another militia member, one Jesse Ferguson, testified that a similar incident occurred one year later. It appears that engagement was larger than the previous one.

“The English came up with four barges, and attempted to pass up and burn the town…. As soon as they came in range, (we)opened a fire upon them from 4 or 5 pieces of artillery and after firing about 20 shots and keeping up a general discharge of musketry, the enemy retreated down the river and abandoned the undertaking.”

Ferguson’s report on Fort Hollingsworth’s armaments seem to agree with that of Hull, each claiming “4 or 5” artillery pieces.

The complete volume 3: “Maryland Militia in the War of 1812″ is posted on the Historic Elk Landing web site at www.elklanding.org, under the Research tab.  Our thanks to Mr. Wright for allowing us to post his work.

Fort Hollingsworth Found?

Historic Elk Landing board member, John Carpenter, surveys the area the GPR report indicates Fort Hollingsworth may have been in 1813.

A team of researchers and archaeologists may have located Fort Hollingsworth, the earthwork structure that successfully defended Elkton from the British torch during the War of 1812.

In mid March, the team, using ground penetrating radar (GPR), swept across the grounds to the south of the Hollingsworth House in tight formation, attempting to unlock the secrets buried beneath the earth for nearly 200 years.  The group’s report, titled Ground Penetrating Radar Survey at the Elk Landing Site, Elkton, MD, says the team found “a clear linear feature, running from the SE to the NE, with two ‘cut-outs’.”  Those “’cut-outs’ may represent an area at the edge of the earthwork where gun emplacements were located.” 

Testimony from those who fought at Fort Hollingsworth in 1813, indicates that there were several cannons at the fort.  When applying for War of 1812 pension benefits, Private Jesse Ferguson testified that he and his comrades “opened a fire upon them (the British) from 4 or 5 pieces of artillery….”  Private John Hull’s testimony at his pension hearing collaborates Ferguson’s memory.   “A breast work was thrown up, one long nine pound gun and four six pound cannonades were mounted.”

In the conclusion to the GPR report, researchers noted that “the (radar) reflection profiles proved to be valuable for identifying the shape and depth of reflections related to the possible earthwork.  It is important to remember,” the report points out, “that while the reflection features support the above interpretations, they should be confirmed with some type of excavation.”

That excavation will occur later this month when the Archaeological Society of the Northern Chesapeake, Inc., and the Archaeological Society of Maryland team up with the Maryland Historic Trust to hold a Field School at Historic Elk Landing.  This school, which is free to Historic Elk Landing Foundation members, and open to the public for a fee, will begin on Friday May 25^th and run through June 4th.  During the dig, participants will have the opportunity to have hands on experience with archaeological work as well as hearing lectures from archaeologists and historians who have done work in the area and who can help interpret exactly what is found in this year’s dig.

The full GPR report will be posted on the Historic Elk Landing web site under the Research tab.

For more information on the field school including how to register, go to the Archaeological Society’s web site: http://www.marylandarcheology.org/2012_FS.php

Welcome!

For more than a decade the Historic Elk Landing Foundation has been preserving and presenting over fifty acres of land and two centuries old houses for their historical significance. And why not, there is so much history to be preserved and presented: Swedish settlers, British, Continental, and French Revolutionary War soldiers, a War of 1812 battle, even ship building; and let’s not forget the lives of the people: those who purchased the land, worked it, raised their children there, and the enslaved Americans. It’s not hard to get lost in it all! However, one aspect of Elk Landing has been largely overlooked during our ten year stewardship and that is the land itself. Purchased with state open space grants, over 60 acres surround the Stone Structure and Hollingsworth House stretching north to the correctional facility road, eastward to the Big Elk Creek, south to the confluence of the Big and Little Elk Creeks, and westward to the Little Elk Creek itself. It’s a lot of land and it is some of the most picturesque ground in the Elkton area. Last spring we offered our first nature tours of the land with the help of a state Naturalist. We will offer a similar tour this coming September which we hope you will check out because there is lots to see, especially in the fall as the leaves turn, the gentle breezes off the creek slowly turn toward the northwest, and a chill hits the air.
But what about now? Spring is here and summer is quick on its heals. Well, fear not. The Historic Elk Landing Foundation is proud and pleased to announce that going forward, our grounds, will be open from sun up to sun down, 7 days per week, 365 days per year! While the gate will remain locked to protect our young and old walkers and hikers, the grounds are now open to foot traffic. Parking is provided just to the east of the gate where the wooden fence breaks, creating an entrance to Elk Landing. In addition to the 60 plus acres of land that we have for your enjoyment, soon we will offer a pamphlet containing a self-guided tour of the grounds, available at or near our bulletin board next to the gate. We also have picnic tables under a huge shade tree for your use. We only ask that you remember to pick up and take out any trash you create during your visit. Unfortunately, neither the Stone Structure nor the Hollingsworth House will be open for tours, but we will continue to host special events when they will be. Our first special event this year will be our second annual British Invasion Car Show on Saturday, April 21st from 10 until 3 in the afternoon. That event will be followed quickly by our Defenders Day on April 28th when you are invited to help us celebrate the 199th anniversary of the successful defense of Elkton from the British during the War of 1812. See our web site at www.elklanding.org and our Facebook site for more information and updates on these and other activities at Elk Landing. So come and enjoy a piece of history and a piece of nature. Welcome!

Escape from Elkton…an update

The recently publish account of the escape of James Williams from the William Hollingsworth plantation in Elkton had a glaring error!  The work was NOT a story told to Underground Railroad conductor, William Still.  It was a separately published work by James Williams himself.  It appears at the following internet address ( http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/williams/menu.html).  Some of the language in the work may be offensive to some readers, however, it is what former slave James Williams wrote about a particularly troubled time in our nation’s and Cecil County’s history.  Please read it in that spirit. 

Thank You.

Escape from Elkton

The Historic Elk Landing Foundation is committed to telling the story of The Landing and the members of the Hollingsworth family who lived there.  Some of that story is quite exciting and colorful, especially the British invasion of 1777, the Washington/Rochambeau march to Yorktown in 1781, and, of course, the successful defense of Elkton by the members of the Cecil Militia who occupied Fort Hollingsworth during the War of 1812.  But some of that history is dark and troubling. When we read, for example, the last wills and testaments of the various Hollingsworths who not only owned African American slaves, but willed them to their descendants like cattle or household goods, well, it’s not very pretty.  We know from his will that Zebulon Hollingsworth Sr. owned at least 2 slaves because he willed them to his wife.  We even know their names: “Gin” and “Pegg.”  According to the 1810 census, Zebulon Hollingsworth Jr. owned 14 slaves.  One of them, “Jane,” he indentured to his daughter until “Jane” turned 28 years old, after which she would have been free.  In 1830, the U.S. Census shows that William Hollingsworth, Zebulon Jr.’s son, owned 13 slaves; two of them were under ten years old.  The 1840 census shows William owned no slaves, however he did have five persons of color living on his property.  It looks like the picture and the history is improving for the Hollingsworths.  However, there is yet another side of the story and it’s an African American story.

Prior to the Civil War and the end of slavery, the Underground Railroad operated throughout the northeast and southern states, conducting escaped slaves from bondage to freedom.  A major station on the Underground Railroad was in Philadelphia. The secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society of Philadelphia, and a conductor on the Underground Railroad, was William Still.  In 1872, Still wrote a book, documenting the efforts of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia and many of the slaves who passed through there.

Still writes that at least 32 runaway slaves from Cecil County, Maryland escaped through Philadelphia.  According to Still, one of them escaped from William Hollingsworth, possibly the William Hollingsworth of Elk Landing in 1838.  The escaped slave was named James Williams, aged about 13.  This is Williams’ story as told by Williams to Still.  It is quite the adventure.

“I remained with him (William Hollingsworth of Elkton) until I was thirteen years of age, when I took one of his blooded mares and made my escape. Whilst riding, I met a number of men, one of whom said to me: ‘Little boy, where are you going?’ ‘I am going to Mr. Cuche’s mill.’ ‘Who do you belong to?’ ‘I belong to Mr. William Hollingsworth.’ I, at the time, had on two pairs of pants, with leather suspenders over my coat. A man asked me, ‘Why do you wear your suspenders over your coat?’ ‘These are my overalls, to keep my pants clean.’ Ere I arrived at Mr. Cuche’s mill, I met a little boy. I said to him, ‘Little boy, what is the name of the next town beyond Mr. Cuche’s mill?’ He told me, ‘New London Cross Roads.’ Ere I arrived there I met a white man. He accosted me thus: ‘Boy, who do you belong to?’ I told him that I belonged to Mr. William Hollingsworth. ‘Where are you going to now?’ ‘I am going to New London.’”

The story continues with great detail for a few more paragraphs until Williams reached the village of Somerset, Pennsylvania where he met one William Jourden.

“This Jourden was my stepfather; he married my mother, who had runaway years before, and the way that I knew where she lived was through a man by the name of Jim Ham, who was driving a team in Lancaster City, whose home was in Elkton.”

“She was sold by Tom Moore to Mr. Hollingsworth, for a term of two years, for the sum of one hundred dollars, and at the expiration of that time, she was to go back to Tom Moore’s. One morning Mr. Hollingsworth said, ‘Abby, it is hard enough to serve two masters, and worse to serve three. You have got three months to serve me yet, but, here is twenty-five dollars; I won’t tell you to run away. You can do as you like.’”

Only a few years later, Williams went to work for the Underground Railroad, returning the favor of assistance that was afforded to him.

About 15 years later, Williams moved to California where he remained until the end of the Civil War.  Still writes that Williams came east to visit. “Williams returned to Maryland and his master’s home in 1869 and found a very different place than the one he escaped from. The trip home ended with a short ride to Philadelphia to commemorate the passing of the fifteenth amendment.”

“Very different”, indeed; the Hollingsworth house from which Williams escaped in 1838 burned ten years later and was replaced by William Hollingsworth’s wife, Mary to the structure we can still see and visit today.  Soon you will be able to visit our website at www.elklanding.org for the unabridged  version of James Williams escape from Elkton on the Underground Railroad. You may also view our 2012 events schedule on line and follow us on Facebook.

Iron Balls and a Spear Point

 

Two archaeological teams descended on Historic Elk Landing this week in anticipation of this spring’s archaeological field session in May.  After just two days, the teams are making some discoveries.  Dan Coates, of the Archaeological Society of the Northern Chesapeake, says both teams used ground penetrating radar as part of a preliminary review of what’s lurking under the ground’s surface.

“The ground penetrating radar covered about half of the lawn area south of the Hollingsworth House, that was surveyed by magnetometer, last July. The metal hits were largely farm tool and building residue, with the exception of two small iron balls that could possibly be 1813 military materiel.”  Dan says all the finds, including the “iron balls,” were removed for further study and analysis.

At least one War of 1812 era canon ball has been found at Elk Landing in recent years.  One of them is on display on a fireplace mantel in the Hollingsworth House.  It’s a 3 pounder that was located under the lane that runs through The Landing grounds.

Also found this week was a “spear point” which was apparently lying on or near the surface.  It too deserves and will receive further analysis to determine its origin and age.  In fact, Dan reports that study began yesterday, Thursday, when more archaeological experts arrived on scene.

“Dr Charles Hall (State Terrestrial Archeologist) and Dr Bob Wall (field session co-investigator and Towson University professor) visited the site, to develop a strategy for the prehistoric component of the field session.”

The teams will take a break next week, but will return to do some physical digging the week of April first. Dan says, that’s when soil core-sampling will start. The goal is to locate buried clay that might reveal soil displacement that occurred when Fort Hollingsworth was constructed just to the east of the Stone Structure in 1813. 

We will continue to review the preparation for the archaeological field session and update all the activities.