Maryland

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

one of the thirteen original states of the American Union. In outline the state is the most irregular on the map. The southern boundary reaches the Atlantic Ocean at 38 deg. N. latitude. The northern boundary of the state is Mason and Dixon's Line . The extreme western boundary is a north and south line running from the shores of the Potomac to the line mentioned. The eastern boundary between Delaware and Maryland is drawn through a point midway between the Atlantic and the Chesapeake. It is tangent to the circumference drawn with a radius of twelve miles about Newcastle, Delaware, as a center. The colony was named for Maria, the wife of Charles I of England, who granted the Baltimores the original charter. The total area of the state is 12,210 square miles. TOPOGRAPHY. About one-fifth of this area is covered by the waters of the Potomac and other rivers, and by the Chesapeake. A few miles at the extreme west are drained through the Youghiogheny (yo-ho-ga'n1) into the Ohio River. A few small creeks run into the Atlantic direct. The rest of the state drains into the Chesapeake. The tides run up the Potomac to a point about ten miles above the city of Washington. The chief rivers of the state are the Potomac, the Patuxent, and the Susquehanna. Annapolis is the capital, Baltimore, on the Patapsco, the metropolis. GEOLOGIC. The tides rise and fall throughout the entire region surrounding the Chesapeake. This tide-water region, as it is called, is, for the most part, level and sandy. Strata of sand and clay overspread deposits of marl. The western portion of the state rises into limestone and gneiss hills. The marble of Baltimore county is celebrated for its fine quality. The Washington monument in Washington, D. C., is built largely of this material. Iron ore is of superior quality. There are valuable seams of coal. The celebrated Big Vein of George Creek, in the vicinity of Cumberland, is fourteen feet in thickness. There is an abundance of clays suitable for brick and porcelain. INDUSTRIES. The tide-water region is devoted to raising fruit and vegetables for Eastern markets. Maryland peaches are celebrated for their flavor. Tobacco is an important crop. The fisheries of the state, including oysters and terrapin, are worth $10,000,000 a year. Iron, coal, and lumber are at hand. The facilities for transportation by rail and by water are unexcelled. Maryland takes high rank, therefore, as a manufacturing state. Almost every kind of merchandise that can be made of wood, paper, or metal is made within its borders. The chief contribution to the food supply of the world is in the form of canned fruits, vegetables, and oysters. Shipbuilding is an important industry. HISTORICAL. Maryland was settled by English Catholics under Lord Baltimore in 1634. The early government of the colony was noted for tolerant religious views. Lord Baltimore's Toleration Act of 1649 should be quoted: WHEREAS, The enforcing of the human conscience in matters of religion hath frequently fallen out to be of dangerous consequence in those commonwealths in which it hath been practiced, and for the more quiet and peaceable government of this Province and the better to preserve mutual love and amity amongst the inhabitants thereof; BE IT ENACTED, That no person or persons whatsoever within this Province, professing to believe in Christ Jesus, should, from henceforth, be in any ways troubled, molested or discountenanced for or on respect of his or her religion, nor in the free exercise thereof, nor in any way compelled to the belief or exercise of any other religion against his or her consent. Many French Catholics driven from their homes at the time of the French Revolution immigrated to Maryland. The Catholic church is still the leading religious body of the state. Baltimore is regarded as Catholic headquarters in the United States . When the Puritans got the upper hand in the colony they passed an act declaring Roman Catholics ineligible either to hold office or to vote. They even forbade the Catholics the privilege of educating their children in their own faith. Catholic parents were forced to send their children abroad or to educate them in secret. This state of things was put an end to in 1776. EDUCATION, ETC. The government of the state presents no peculiar features. A state system of common school education was established in 1867. There are two state agricultural colleges, one for whites and one for colored people. The secondary and college work of the state is largely in the hands of denominational institutions. The Jesuits maintain a number of colleges. The population in 1900 was 1,188,044, of which 235,064 were negroes. During the war for independence Maryland furnished her full quota of troops and contributed her full share of expenses. She refused, however, to ratify the present Constitution until Connecticut, Virginia, and other states had resigned all claims to territory west of the Alleghanies. Maryland was expected to join the Southern Confederacy, but was restrained by the presence of Northern troops. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 9.860 State revenue $4,500,000 Assessed valuation of property $765,000,000 Bonded indebtedness (1907) $978,926 Population 1,275,434 Baltimore 553,669 Cumberland 19,768 Hagerstown 15,673 Frederick 9,956 Annapolis 9,077 Number counties 24 Members of state senate 27 Representatives 101 Salary of governor $4,500 U. S. Representatives 6 Presidential electors 8 Agricultural Products- Corn, bushels 22,190,000 Wheat, bushels 12,500,000 Oats, bushels 4,000,000 Potatoes, bushels 2,000,000 Sweet potatoes, bushels 677,000 Tobacco, pounds 20,000,000 Butter, pounds 12,000,000 Eggs, dozens 12,500,000 Wool, pounds 687,000 Capital invested $202,000,000 Operatives 95,000 Raw material $150,000,000 Output of manufactured goods $243,000,000 Output of canned goods (1905) $7,000,000 Tons of coal mined 5,500,000 Tons of iron ore 411,000 Clay products $2,000,000 Domestic Animals- Horses 158,000 Mules 17,500 Milk cows 155,000 Other cattle 140,000 Sheep 163,000 Swine 293,000 Goats 1,179 Miles of railway 1,469 Teachers in public schools 5,290 Pupils enrolled 234,000 Percentage of male teachers 16.7 Average annual expenditure per pupil.$24.51 See Baltimore ; Chesapeake; Key Maryland! My Maryland! A song popular among the Confederates during the Civil War. It was written by J. R. Randall in 1861. The tune is that of Lauriger Horatius, a college song. 2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about race that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: BR 2026-07-22)