Communicator or Internet Explorer 4.0 or Higher.
LITTLE HEISKELL'S HOME TOWN
(And Mine)
"A BICENTENNIAL SALUTE
TO
HAGERSTOWN’S OWN ...
LITTLE HEISKELL"
1769 - 1976
"I am little Heiskell, the beloved
weathervane that has been standing guard over Hagerstown since 1769.
In
1768 Jonathan Hager authorized a tinsmith, Benjamin Heiskell, to design a
weathervane to stand atop the new markethouse built in the square of Elizabeth
Town, later named Hagerstown.
Ben Heiskell constructed me from two
sheets of 'Welch wrought iron', riveted together to form the silhouette of a Hessian
soldier.
During those early years Elizabeth Town was so small I could easily
see all parts from my vantage point, even the tinsmith shop on Washington Street
where I was born.
I can still hear the citizens talking about King George’s
taxes, the Redcoats, and news of General George’s Revolutionary
Army.
When I was only seven, news came from the City of Brotherly Love
about the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
What a thrill it was
to see President George Washington when he came through Hagerstown on his way
to Williamsport, to find a site for the new capital.
As the new nation grew
and settlers moved westward, I saw many Conestoga wagons rumble up the old
National Pike (now [**U.S.]Route 40), pulled by teams of horses and oxen.
When a
new market house and city hall was built in 1823, the Masonic Order that shared
the building replaced me with their own symbol. The citizens stirred up such a fuss
that I was soon returned to my rightful place.
During the civil War I saw
much bloody fighting at nearby Antietam [** The Battle of Antietam or the Battle of Sharpsburg, September 27, 1862]. Even I was wounded by a shot from a
Confederate sharpshooter who stood with his buddies on the corner of Washington
Street and East Avenue [**In retreat to Virginia from the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, July, 1863]and bet which one could hit my heart. Today you can still
see the hole in my side.
In 1889 another story was added to the municipal
building and I sat out the years 1890-1908. Again my place was in jeopardy, but the
townspeople came to my rescue.
In 1916, a severe hail storm almost did me
in, but I was able to hold together until the City Fathers decided in 1935 to retire me
after 166 years of service.
During those years I saw many changes in my
little Elizabeth Town: it became a bustling railroad center, second only to Baltimore
in population in the state of Maryland.
Since my retirement I have been
given a place of honor in the Hager House Museum in the City Park, where anyone
can visit me. The Mayor and Council saw that the city was not left unguarded, by
having a copper replica of me put back on top of the new City Hall.
Over the years I have become more than
just another weathervane. With the aid of a children’s book, Little Heiskell,
written by Isabelle Hurlbutt, former librarian at the Washington County Free
Library, I have taken on charm and a personality that all of Hagerstown’s children
love.
Each day I have the honor of waving in the breeze over the new
Hagerstown Square, beside Old Glory and the Maryland State Flag. I stand in a
white field on the Flag of Hagerstown [** The flag was designed
in the early 1960’s by the wife of Hagerstown's former mayor, Winslow F.
Burhans].
I or one of my many offspring
can be seen all over town these days on doors of all city vehicles and on some
business signs. I even guard the entrance of North High, and the school’s yearbook
has been named for me [**THE HEISKELLITE].
I am all excited with the plans and preparation
for the nation’s 200th birthday (1776-1976). I
also hear rumblings of another westward movement,
only this time it is not settlers but the Band,
Orchestra, and madrigal Singers of North High getting
ready to travel to Oklahoma.They will be representing
their school, their city, and their state in a national
music festival
I march behind the band members (on their uniforms), giving them
support and courage to do their best in all situations...and each time you look at me, remember the proud history of Hagerstown
and the Bicentennial of this great nation."
Jonathan Hager was the force behind the settlement of Western Maryland and Washington
County, in particular. Hagerstown was the last vestige of the civilized world
standing between the settlements of Frederick and Indian territory, Northern
Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky of today. Washington County, Maryland and
Hagerstown itself was situated in the perfect position to be the trading center
between the East and the wild, unsettled West. For trade, travel, commerce and
industry, Hagerstown stood apart as the valley’s “hub city”, sending out spoke-like
trails and roads to all the surrounding settlements and towns.
"The city of Hagerstown had its start well before the surrounding county was incorporated. History credits Jonathan Hager, a German immigrant who arrived in
Philadelphia in 1736, with the first settlement in the Cumberland Valley, which was
at that time named "Conococheague Settlement" after the small creek that runs
nearby the town to the west. Hager set up his camp at what is now Hagerstown's
City Park, and his house is a popular historical attraction, a living illustration of
what life was like during the 1700's in the western frontier. The 22-inch walls helped
protect the house from Indian attack and doubled as a fort. The house was opened
to the public in 1962.
Hager is known as 'the father of Washington
County' because he laid the groundwork for its succession from Frederick County
in 1776. Historical records show that Hager purchased 200 acres of land and created
what was then called 'Hager's Fancy' in 1739. He was married in 1740 to Elizabeth
Kershner, who gave her name to the first name of the town: Elizabeth's Town. The
settlement was then renamed Hagerstown shortly thereafter.
The city was
officially founded in 1762. Hager sold the land in 1745, but the Washington County
Historical Society repurchased the land in 1944 and sold it to the city in 1955. Hager
went on to represent his town in Annapolis at the Maryland General Assembly, but
he was killed while supervising the constriction of the Zion Reformed Church in
Hagerstown where his grave, and that of his wife, now exists to this day."
[**] signifies an added note by the Editor and Compiler of this page.
The original text, "A BICENTENNIAL SALUTE TO HAGERSTOWN'S OWN LITTLE HEISKELL" was copied from a publication produced by the North Hagerstown High School band and accompanied a bronze replica of Little Heiskell.
The remaining quoted section came from the Hagerstown, Maryland web page;
The Interactive Atlas of Western Maryland: Washington County and Hagerstown
You will find this and a wealth of valuable information on the North Hagerstown High School web site, as well.
I hope you will visit their sites and e-mail your encouragement to the students who built that wonderful web site facility.
MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND TUNE: "MARYLAND, MY MARYLAND"
(The State Song)
Written by James Ryder Randall
The despot's heel is on thy shore, Maryland! My Maryland!
His torch is at thy temple door, Maryland! My Maryland!
Avenge the patriotic gore That flecked the streets of Baltimore,
And be the battle queen of yore, Maryland! My Maryland!
Hark to an exiled son's appeal, Maryland! My Maryland!
My mother State! to thee I kneel, Maryland! My Maryland!
For life and death, for woe and weal, Thy peerless chivalry reveal,
And gird they beauteous limbs with steel, Maryland! My Maryland!
Thou wilt not cower in the dust, Maryland! My Maryland!
Thy beaming sword shall never rust, Maryland! My Maryland!
Remember Carroll's sacred trust, Remember Howard's warlike thrust,-
And all thy slumberers with the just, Maryland! My Maryland!
Come! 'tis the red dawn of the day, Maryland! My Maryland!
Come with thy panoplied array, Maryland! My Maryland!
With Ringgold's spirit for the fray, With Watson's blood at Monterey,
With fearless Lowe and dashing May, Maryland! My Maryland!
Come! for thy shield is bright and strong, Maryland! My Maryland!
Come! for thy dalliance does thee wrong, Maryland! My Maryland!
Come to thine own heroic throng, Stalking with Liberty along,
And chant thy dauntless slogan song, Maryland! My Maryland!
Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain, Maryland! My Maryland!
Virginia should not call in vain, Maryland! My Maryland!
She meets her sisters on the plain- "Sic semper!" 'tis the proud refrain
That baffles minions back again, Maryland! My Maryland!
I see the blush upon thy cheek, Maryland! My Maryland!
For thou wast ever bravely meek, Maryland! My Maryland!
But lo! there surges forth a shriek From hill to hill, from creek to creek-
Potomac calls to Chesapeake, Maryland! My Maryland!
Thou wilt not yield the vandal toll, Maryland! My Maryland!
Thou wilt not crook to his control, Maryland! My Maryland!
Better the fire upon thee roll, Better the blade, the shot, the bowl,
Than crucifixion of the soul, Maryland! My Maryland!
I hear the distant thunder-hum, Maryland! My Maryland!
The Old Line's bugle, fife, and drum, Maryland! My Maryland!
She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb- Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum!
She breathes! she burns! she'll come! she'll come! Maryland! My Maryland!
I remember having to learn this song, or, at least the first few verses of it in the fourth grade [Miss Ebersole's class] at Washington Street School [which no longer exists]. That was over forty years ago, but I still remember the first verse by heart. This is not the whole song, as many other verses came into being during the course of the American Civil War (seventeen, by one account), having been immensely popular among Confederate troops.
The tune is playing in the background, so, if you are a proud Marylander, or you just want to give it a try, go for it.
(Alternate Name: "Thou Wilt Not Crook To His Control")