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NEWS
June 1, 2021
Established in 1762 by Jonathan Hager, Hagerstown has a far more interesting history than you might realize. Starting with the early settlement period, this article will explore Hagerstown’s development as a crossroads of history and commerce. Read on to learn more. The land on which Hagerstown currently stands was originally settled by various East Coast Native American tribes, including the Susquehannock, Piscataway, Catawba, and Lenni Lenape. The first known non-Native American visitors to the Hagerstown area included land surveyors and fur traders. By 1739, the area’s cheap, fertile land and plentiful natural resources had attracted farmers and craftsmen like the German-born Jonathan Hager, who patented a tract of land in the vicinity of present-day Hagerstown City Park called “Hager’s Fancy” from Charles Calvert, the 5th Lord Baltimore. It was here that Hager built a house that would double as a fort and trading post. In 1762, Jonathan Hager, by now a leading citizen and French and Indian War veteran, laid out and established Elizabethtowne, named for his beloved wife, Anna Elizabeth Kirschner Hager. Elizabethtowne would be formally renamed Hagerstown in 1814. By the mid-to-late 1760s, Jonathan Hager had acquired several thousand acres of land in the city, which he proceeded […]
April 15, 2021
In honor of Baseball Opening Day 2021, this article will focus on Washington County’s rich baseball history through the lens of Hagerstown. The alluring aroma of concession stand popcorn. The taste of a perfectly cooked ballpark hot dog. The indescribable, yet intimately familiar sound of bat hitting ball. There is some dispute as to when, where and how the game of baseball began. One popular myth credits Civil War hero Abner Doubleday with its invention in the summer of 1839. Meanwhile, scholars attest that as early as the mid-18th century, some early variations of the game were being played in colonial Philadelphia and Massachusetts, having developed from early British folk games. Modern baseball can be traced all the way back to September 1845, when Alexander Joy Cartwright, a volunteer firefighter and bank clerk created a new set of rules that formed the contemporary basis for the sport. Among these rules? A standardized, diamond-shaped field, foul-ball lines, and the three-strike rule. With these new rules, the popularity of the sport began to grow, and many amateur, semi-professional, and professional leagues were formed all across the United States beginning in the late 1840s through the 1860s and 70s. Baseball in Washington County […]
March 30, 2021
We have some exciting news! We’re pleased to announce that we’ve recently acquired a signed red-ware crock made by celebrated Hagerstown potter Peter Bell! Born in Hagerstown, MD on June 1st, 1775, Peter Bell was the fifth of six children born to Captain Peter Bell, a German immigrant, and Elizabeth Leiter Bell. Due to the high concentration of good soil and water sources in the area, Hagerstown was a central hub for earthenware production, specifically red-ware. It was here that Peter Bell trained as a potter from a young age. In 1802, Peter Bell purchased a half lot of land in Hagerstown (lot 91) from John Grumbaugh for the sum of three hundred pounds. Coincidentally, lot 91 is the present location of the Miller House, which was built in 1825. Upon acquiring the half lot, Bell constructed a two-story building. On the lower level, he operated his pottery business, where he sold handsome red-ware pitchers, jugs, pipe bowls, dishes, pots, mugs, and canning jars. The second floor was a living quarters for his family. Despite running a profitable business, Peter Bell went bankrupt in 1823. This was partly due to the fact that he owed his brother Frederick a large […]
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