Diary of a Georgetowner

Chapter five

Edited by David Roffman

MAY 2008

The war is over. Georgetown itself has escaped unscathed but has sent many fine men to distinguish themselves in the fighting. Now they were to concern themselves with their commerce and with the government of the new nation. John Hanson of Maryland was president of the Continental Congress, and Daniel Carroll would sign the Articles of Confederation on March 1781 (Maryland being the last to ratify). Col. George Beall had died and left his extensive holdings to Thomas Beall of Georgetown. Also in 1781 Henry Threlkeld died. He had farmed his estate of 1,000 acres, known as Berleith, running north along the Potomac, and this was passed on to his son John who was to become prominent in Georgetown’s business life. Francis Lowndes and John Laird added their names to those of prosperous warehouse owners, and Col. Charles Beatty ran his ferry between the Virginia shore and the foot of Frederick Street at Water Street (34th at K). The Columbian Academy, Georgetown’s first school, was established in 1780, and Georgetowners were able to purchase good food (except that tea was still scarce) and furnishings from merchants such as William Eaton who had “mahogany ware, chairs and tables, beds, etc., finished and unfinished.”

May 30, 1782. The Georgetown Commissioners met this day at John Beall”s tavern.

The Presbyterian congregation will build a church this summer on land donated by the late George Beall, at Bridge and Washington Streets (M and 30th). For the past two years services have been held in various buildings, most often in the schoolhouse on the corner of Falls Street and Duck Lane (M and 33rd).

July 1, 1782. Although it is almost a year since the surrender at Yorktown, we have as yet had no peace treaty, and there are still attacks on citizens living in isolated areas. In this section we have suffered from pirate raids on the Potomac. A few houses have been looted and burned, but none as far upriver as Georgetown. In the west, Torries have banded with Indians to attack defenseless settlers.

I have seen a representation of the Great Seal of the United States adopted by Congress last month. It bears an eagle grasping in its talons both an olive branch and a sheaf of arrows which, I suppose, shows the intention of this country to live in peace with others but to resist tyranny. There were those who proposed the wild turnkey as a more suitable symbol, being native to America, but the supporters of the more notable eagle won out.

November 15, 1782. John Beall has re-opened his establishment in the more commodious stone house near the square. Mr. Ignatius Simpson will now keep the tavern formerly owned by Mr. Beall.

December 25, 1782. Attended Christmas services at the new Presbyterian Church. Dr. Stephen Bloomer Balch, recently married to Elizabeth Beall, preached. Mr. Balch has just built a house on Duck Lane (33rd St.) and combines his duties as pastor of the Presbyterian Church with those of principal of the Columbian Academy.

March 30, 1783. We hear from the latest dispatches that our commission to negotiate peace with England, which includes Mr. John Jay, Mr. John Adams, and Dr. Franklin, is meeting regularly in Paris with its opposite number and that some little progress has been made. We have had no more Tory-inspired raids reported since General Clark burned the Shawnee villages on the Ohio last fall.

June 1, 1783. Great excitement as the first coach of the “Baltimore and Alexandria Stages” stopped in the square, a most welcome arrival. After it was ferried across the river, I understand that our neighbors on the Virginia side gave it an even more rousing reception. We are promised a regular schedule by the operators, Mr. Nathaniel Twining and Mr. Gabriel P. Van Horne, two enterprising young men who planned this venture upon laying down the arms, which they bore so nobly in the cause of Independence. Previous attempts to run stages south of Baltimore had ended in misfortune, and for this, the first to reach the Potomac, we wish the greatest success.

June 5, 1783. We have much reason to be thankful, both our sons now being returned to us in tolerable health after their ordeal. They have had no pay for their services for some months now, however, Congress having no funds at hand. They brought with them from the capital news that a peace treaty has been signed. The United States of America is now sovereign over all territory west to the Mississippi River, north to Canada, and south to Florida.

September 20, 1783. Tobacco continues to attract men of business acumen to Georgetown. An exporting company has recently been formed by Gen. Uriah Forrest, Col. Benjamin Stoddert, and Col. John Murdock. The last is the son of William Murdock who has been in business here for some time. The other two are newcomers and heroes of the war. Gen. Forrest was wounded at the battle of Germantown and lost a leg at Brandywine. Col. Stoddert also suffered wounds at Brandywine.

Earlier this year James Dunlop, a cousin of Robert Peter, settled here after being for several years in New York, where he first located upon his arrival from Glasgow. His tobacco interests are centered in Virginia at Dumfries, near Fredericksburg.

November 29, 1783. With friends yesterday at Georgetown”s newest tavern. Mr. John Suter, having been granted a license to keep a public house, opened his doors a few days ago. There I heard the sad news of the death of John Hanson at Oxon Hill. He had fallen ill during his tenure as President of the Congress. Thomas Stone and James McHenry are now representing Maryland in that body.

There is talk about the establishment of a new national capital. Congress is now sitting at Annapolis, and word from there is that some gentlemen have advanced a plan to situate the permanent capital “at or near the lower falls of the Potomac at Georgetown.” That would be a signal honor indeed.

To Be Continued