Taneytown, Maryland

Taneytown is now a city in Carroll County, MD. ¹⁾ Until Carroll County was formed in 1837, however, Taneytown was in Frederick County, MD

It was part of land originally purchased in 1754 by John Digges, who lived in St. Mary's County, MD. He then passed along a tract of ~7,900 acres to his son, Edward Digges, and his son-in-law, Raphael Taney. In the patent granting title, the parcel was designated “Re-survey of Brothers Agreement.” ²⁾ Prior to the American Revolution, certain colonies solved the problem of land distribution and settlement by transferring large tracts of land to an individual or entity who would then make arrangements for survey and division into smaller tracts, followed by sale or rental of lots, leading to settlement and productive land use. In the early stages of settlement, smaller parcels were often leased or sold on generous terms in hopes that the presence and improvements of the initial settlers would lead to increasingly profitable land sales. Taneytown is the result of such a process.

Most of the land was sold in farm-size parcels (e.g. 100 acres) to German-speaking immigrants and their descendants, many coming from Pennsylvania. ³⁾ The first of these arrived after leasing lots in 1761 under terms requiring the construction of a house containing at least 480 feet, with a brick or stone chimney, after which land ownership would be conveyed. Meanwhile, Taney helped lay out a plan for a town, which was along the main road from Frederick, MD to York, PA. ⁴⁾ It is thought that Taney himself continued to live in St. Mary's County, which is not surprising. More often than not, land “speculators” (as they were called) were not themselves settlers, but rather land brokers and developers. However, it is from Taney that the town got its name.

Until 1767, Taneytown was in an area that was claimed by both Maryland and Pennsylvania. This may explain why land sales and settlement didn't really take off until after that dispute was ended with a boundary line mapped by surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. ⁵⁾ After that, the town grew to include the Adam Good Tavern, which provided overnight lodging to President George Washington in 1791. In the 1830's the town passed an ordinance for fire company regulation, and Taneytown was incorporated in 1836.