What secrets do these walls hold? Right here stands the Port Tobacco Courthouse. It is a reconstructed building with a rich history.
The Port Tobacco Courthouse stands on its original site. It now serves as a museum of local history. The original courthouse was destroyed in a fire in 1892. The reconstructed courthouse opened in 1973.
Port Tobacco itself is one of Maryland’s oldest settlements. It was the second-largest port town in Maryland. This was during the mid-18th century. Only Annapolis was larger. The birth of the railroad doomed the old town. The county seat moved to La Plata.
The Port Tobacco Courthouse you see today is not the original. The original courthouse from 1821 stood until 1892. It was lost in a destructive fire. The current building is a reconstruction. It was rebuilt in 1972. It opened as a museum in 1973.
Historical architects faced a challenge recreating the Port Tobacco Courthouse. Very few photographs of the original building existed. They found an artist’s rendering of a double hanging at the courthouse. This rendering revealed the look of the windows.
Linda Barnes-Robinson displayed the key to the reconstructed Port Tobacco Courthouse. This shows the importance of the building.
Port Tobacco has a deep history. Father Andrew White befriended the Piscataway Indians. This happened in the colony’s early years. He sailed with the Maryland colonists in 1633-34. His account of the voyage of the Ark and Dove is very detailed.
After the Revolutionary War, Port Tobacco was a town of merchants. Most goods were Scottish or British. People did not want to buy British goods. Merchants wanted to bring suit. This turned into a riot.
William Smallwood warned the rioters. He declared the penalties for such offenses. Smallwood’s men saved George Washington at the Battle of Long Island.
The Port Tobacco Times was the county’s first newspaper. Elijah Wells published it in the 1840s. The newspaper moved to La Plata. This happened when the county seat relocated.
Archaeologists are unearthing the remains of the former town jail. Field surveys revealed the location. Julie Simpson hopes it will be ready for the public soon.
Touring Stagg Hall, you learn about a room. It was dismantled piece by piece. The room was reassembled at the Chicago Art Institute in the 1930s.
There is a small cemetery near the Port Tobacco Courthouse. A Baptist church used one of the wings. The fire spared this wing.
The Port Tobacco Archeological Project began in 2007. It is a partnership among several groups. They study the history of Native Americans and colonial cultures.
Visitors can see exhibits on tobacco culture. Archaeological finds reveal early colonial and Native American life.
The Blue Dog legend is a local tale. The spirit of a blue dog protects his master’s treasure. The treasure is buried along Rose Hill Road. Charles Stuart owned the Rose Hill property. The first written account of the legend dates back to 1897.
As you leave the Port Tobacco Courthouse, consider its place in history. From a bustling port to a quiet village, Port Tobacco has seen it all.