Page 6 - June 2022 Issue.indd

First Courthouse Historians tell us plans for the new In the first place, there was already
courthouse were prepared by William available a suitable building at
was Replica of Buckland, distinguished for his work Bridgetown, the old Dorchester County

Independence Hall at Gunston Hall in Virginia and the alms house; and secondly, they held that
Hammond-Harwood House in neither name – Pig Point or Edentown –
Caroline County was formed in 1773 Annapolis. was suitable; the last because of the taint
by an Act of Assembly, carving the land of the late royal government.
But before any action could be taken
from Dorchester and Queen Anne’s
on the permanent seat of government, Both sides proved able and resourceful
Counties.
the war intervened, and the warehouse antagonists. Sessions of the court were
But the seat of government became a remained as the courthouse until 1778. held at Bridgetown during 1778, 1779
bone of contention among the residents and 1780, while from 1780 to 1790 the
According to Charles E. Clark of
for many years so much so that it sessions of the court were again held at
Washington College, in his work, Melvill’s Warehouse, while the battle
wasn’t until 24 years later that the fi rst
“Eastern Shore of Maryland and continued to rage.
courthouse was finally completed in Pig Virginia,” done in 1950, there was

Point, later re-christened Edentown, but little doubt that jealousy between the It was finally agreed to put the issue to

even later as a gesture of independence,
upper and lower portions of the county a referendum and so it was submitted
it was called Denton.
was the prime motivating factor in at the the election for delegates to the
the controversy over location of the General Assembly in 1790.

The General Assembly ordered court to

be held for the first time on March 15-17 courthouse. When the ballots were finally
in 1774 at Melvill’s Warehouse, which The proponents for locating the county counted, Pig Point had won by a 2

lies between Denton and Greensboro
seat at Bridgetown (now Greensboro) to 1 margin. Plans were immediately
(then Bridgetown), and provided for
had two telling arguments – both made and executed whereby the seat

the raising of sufficient funds for the created by the Revolution. of government was moved to a rented

erection of buildings.
JIM PHELPS
Re-Elect

REGISTER OF WILLS

• 12 years experience as Caroline County Register of Wills.
• Member of Maryland Association of Registers.
• Member of Caroline County Chamber of Commerce.
• Charter Member of Idlewild Ruritan Club. (past President)
• Senior Member of Grace Baptist Church.
• Member of Caroline County Farm Bureau.
• 2011 Caroline County Republican of the Year.

In God We Trust
Paid for by the Citizens for Jim Phelps - Jill Phelps, Treasurer

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