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55-400: “The State of Maryland has cast her vote for the Union and Government by the largest majority ever known to this State… Charles County then stands before the Government and the world this day a loyal county. Charles County has ever been loyal; we challenge a disloyal act to be laid at her door - and yet what is her condition? As a loyal county and State, obedient to the recognized law, faithful to

110-531: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

165-410: A Port Tobacco hotel (Brawner Hotel) (conspirator George Atzerodt lived in town) established the assassin had fled with his companion Herold into Virginia, where they were ultimately located and Herold surrendered, but Booth died during the attempted capture. Port Tobacco started declining as erosion from excessive agricultural use and poor soil conservation caused significant siltation at the head of

220-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

275-466: A female householder with no husband present. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 2.80. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 13.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.4 males. The median income for

330-406: A household in the town was $ 100,992, and the median income for a family was $ 102,264. The per capita income for the town was $ 43,017. There were no families below the poverty line. County seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government , or capital city of a county or civil parish . The term is in use in five countries: Canada , China , Hungary , Romania , and

385-462: A lottery and ultimately financed a new brick structure, which was rededicated in 1827. Falling into disrepair after 60 years of use, it was demolished and replaced with a sandstone edifice in 1884. However, only the graveyard now remains of this church (and a relatively recently outline of the historic church's foundation), since it was disassembled in 1904 and reassembled in La Plata, which had become

440-647: A major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan,

495-454: Is developing a film based on this tale. The only state highway serving Port Tobacco is Maryland Route 6 . MD 6 connects westward to Nanjemoy , while to the east, it links with US 301 in La Plata . Port Tobacco Village is located in central Charles County near the intersection of Maryland Route 6 and Chapel Point Road, just southwest of the neighboring town of La Plata . It sits near

550-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of

605-464: Is taught in local schools and has been told in the county for more than 100 years. By most accounts, the spirit of a large blue dog protects the treasure of his murdered master, which is supposed to be buried somewhere along Rose Hill Road outside Port Tobacco. Charles Stuart was the owner of the Rose Hill property containing the fabled rock where Blue Dog and his master were killed. He has said that

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660-520: The American Revolutionary War . Henry Hanos of Port Tobacco purportedly killed Sims and his dog for Sims' gold and a deed to an estate. Hanos buried the gold and deed under a holly tree along Rose Hill Road. When Hanos returned to recover the treasure, he was scared away by the ghost of Blue Dog. Hanos fell ill and died suddenly. To this day, Blue Dog reportedly continues to watch over his slain master's treasure. Thuc Doan Nguyen

715-695: The Declaration of Independence . During the Civil War , Port Tobacco became known as a stronghold of Confederate sympathizers, although Union troops occupied the town. Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1814–1864), born here, became renowned as a Confederate spy operating in Washington, DC. Recruited by former US Army captain Thomas Jordan , later promoted to Confederate general, she took over his network in early 1861. Due to military plans she passed to

770-573: The English adapted the Potapoco name as Port Tobacco. Its name also referred to what became the colony's chief export commodity crop. The town grew as it became a major port for the tobacco trade, with exports transported by ocean-going sailing ships. During the late 17th century, Port Tobacco became the second-largest river port in Maryland. The early immigrants to Port Tobacco were products of

825-686: The Port Tobacco River , decreasing its navigability and ultimately cutting off the town from access to Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Larger merchant vessels were unable to use the former seaport; as a result, commercial activity at the port had dwindled by the time of the Civil War. The decline was exacerbated by the completion in 1873 of a nearby Baltimore and Potomac Railroad line to Pope's Creek which bypassed Port Tobacco and ran further south to another port directly on

880-649: The Port Tobacco River , which joins the Potomac River a short distance south. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 0.16 square miles (0.41 km ), all land. As of the census of 2010, there were 13 people, 7 households, and 5 families residing in the town. The population density was 81.3 inhabitants per square mile (31.4/km ). There were 7 housing units at an average density of 43.8 units per square mile (16.9 units/km ). The racial makeup of

935-587: The Port Tobacco Times was quite different from that of modern newspapers; it was filled with "essays, prayers, and verse" and often quoted British newspapers so that early colonists could keep up with news "from home." Local news was relegated to a short column buried in the middle of the paper. The Times often printed humorous short notices, such as the following notice from January 1, 1851: "GO IT BOOTS - A Mrs. Boots of Penna., has left her husband, Mr. Boots and strayed to parts unknown. We presume that

990-564: The Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government

1045-700: The Toleration Act of 1649 and feeling a need for spiritual guidance, some settlers gathered their first Anglican congregation in a log building at the head of the Port Tobacco Creek in 1683, nine years before the Establishment Act . Supported by the tobacco poll tax of 40 pounds per head from 1692 to 1776, Christ Church prospered. The community built a second structure in 1709. After the American Revolution , although

1100-466: The United States . An equivalent term, shire town , is used in the U.S. state of Vermont and in several other English-speaking jurisdictions, such as Venezuela . In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia

1155-496: The 17th century and is likely the oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish founded in the Thirteen Colonies . The complex at Chapel Point has scenic views overlooking the Potomac River . John Hanson , President of the U.S. Continental Congress , was born nearby. Areas along the waterways of present-day Maryland were inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of distinct indigenous peoples . At

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1210-533: The Anglican Church was disestablished in the US, parishioners rallied to contribute directly to Christ Church, and Lemuel Wilmer, of a distinguished family of Maryland Episcopalian clerics which included his brother William Holland Wilmer , uncle James Jones Wilmer , and father, grandfather and brother (all named Simon Wilmer) served as rector for 35 years. After a tornado destroyed the building in 1808, they held

1265-740: The Confederates that summer, she was credited with ensuring their victory at the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861. Local slaves were freed following Maryland's adoption of a new Constitution on November 1, 1864 (the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 did not apply to states which remained in the Union). During the hunt for John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln , intelligence gathered in

1320-773: The Constitution, the citizens of this State have a right, and undisputed right to protection in their person and property. Twenty thousand Federal troops are stationed upon the soil of Charles County, their camps extending from Mattawoman Creek to Liverpool Point. These troops are here ‘For our protection,’ we are told; ‘to protect us form the Rebels,’ and yet, in fact, we are exposed to more danger, to more losses and damage or at least as much as if these very Rebels were here. Our farmers are deprived of their provender to such extent that their cattle must die. Our citizens are deprived of homes almost; and fencers, farms, and field falls prey to

1375-517: The Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it

1430-483: The Potomac River. A small portion of the town's square incorporated in 1888 as Port Tobacco Village, a move that may have signaled an effort by the community to reverse its decline, but new communities eventually sprang up along the railway and prospered, including the town of La Plata which succeeded Port Tobacco as the county seat in 1895. The remains today are identified as Port Tobacco Village. Because of

1485-947: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

1540-654: The United States, the complex has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is part of the Religious Freedom Maryland Scenic Byways route. Catholic parish records identified Indian families through the decades, when civil records began to use only designations of free people of color , colored, or Negro for mixed-race persons, thus failing to record their cultural identification. The two state-recognized Piscataway -descendant tribes have used Catholic records in making their case for cultural continuity. Freed from restraints by

1595-521: The community, with an Internet blog and regular chances for volunteer participation at many levels. Visitors may see the reconstructed Port Tobacco Courthouse , furnished as it may have appeared in the 19th century, even as of the day of Booth's escape. The North wing has exhibits on tobacco culture, as well as archaeological finds which reveal early colonial and Native American life. Other notable nearby historic sites include: Halloween reminds local residents of Charles County's "Blue Dog" legend, which

1650-629: The county seat in 1895. For two centuries, Port Tobacco area residents assumed important roles in state and national history. John Hanson was elected first President by the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation before moving to Frederick . Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer was a signer of the United States Constitution ; and Thomas Stone was one of four of the Maryland delegation who signed

1705-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in

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1760-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

1815-533: The first written account of the Blue Dog legend dates back to 1897, when Olivia Floyd , a noted Confederate spy and owner of Rose Hill, told the Port Tobacco Times that she had seen the ghost of the Blue Dog. The legend says that Charles Thomas Sims, a soldier, and his dog were killed on February 8 in the 18th century on Rose Hill Road while returning from a Port Tobacco tavern. This was following

1870-619: The frontiers of the colony north and west toward the Potomac and Port Tobacco rivers. The English developed a small village about 1634 on the east side of the Port Tobacco tributary. It became the nucleus for trade and government. It was first called Chandlers Town. The town was one of the oldest English-speaking communities on the East Coast of the United States . In 1658, it was designated the first county seat of Charles County. Later

1925-518: The history of Native Americans and colonial Europeans and Africans . Because of its unique history, the area is "one of the richest archeological sites in Southern Maryland ." A few miles south, the St. Ignatius Church , manor house, and cemetery at St. Thomas Manor comprise a complex designated as a National Historic Landmark . It is notable as a Jesuit mission center established in

1980-625: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2035-488: The land were discovered a few yards from the fire, undamaged. In the wake of the destruction, a special election decided on moving the county seat to La Plata. This move ended up spelling disaster for the Port Tobacco Times , which ended up merging with La Plata's Crescent in 1898 to form the Times Crescent , which is still running to this day under the name The Charles County Times-Crescent . The appearance of

2090-551: The number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after

2145-469: The pair of boots are right and left. We cannot say, however, that Mrs. Boots is right, but there is no mistake that Mr. Boots is left." Port Tobacco Port Tobacco , officially Port Tobacco Village , is a town in Charles County , Maryland , United States . The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. This was historically

2200-681: The paper together until 1889, when Daley left Port Tobacco to pursue other opportunities. A competitor newspaper, the Maryland Independent , was begun in Port Tobacco in 1874, and its editor, Adrian Posey , narrowly averted a duel with Cox over comments published during the 1884 presidential election . The Pope's Creek Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad arrived in Charles County in 1873, leading to

2255-622: The religious turmoil in England. Their deeply felt convictions were powerful influences in Maryland's history. The area had both English Catholic and Church of England congregations. Father Andrew White of the Jesuits established a mission in 1641 and later a church at what became St. Thomas Manor at Chapel Point. The manor's chapel was expanded to what is called St. Ignatius Church, a center for local Native Americans converted to Christianity . The oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in

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2310-400: The rise of new commercial centers near Port Tobacco, such as La Plata . An 1890 proposal to move the county seat from Port Tobacco to La Plata became a subject of local controversy, particularly when Times editor F. Marcellus Cox led a petition against moving the courthouse. Many citizens agreed, until the courthouse burned down on August 3, 1892 in what was suspected to be arson; the deeds to

2365-428: The ruthless hands of those very friends who come here to protect us. “Our negroes, - ah, this is the point, - our negroes - are taken from us time and again, with no remuneration and the threats of violence if we seek to recover them.”” After Wells died in 1877, his son Samuel O. Wells ran the paper for a short time before handing it off to his cousin, Charles F. Daley, in 1880. Daley and his partner, F. Marcellus Cox, ran

2420-777: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

2475-723: The term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under

2530-534: The territory of Algonquian -speaking peoples, especially the Potapoco and the more dominant Piscataway . Settled by the English in the 17th century and established in 1727, the town on the Port Tobacco River soon became the second largest in Maryland. The first county seat of Charles County, it was a seaport with access to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. It declined rapidly after river traffic

2585-534: The time of European exploration, this coastal area along the Port Tobacco River was the territory of the Potapoco , an Algonquian -speaking tribe. They called their settlement Potapoco . Overall, the dominant tribe on the north side of the Potomac River was the Algonquian Piscataway tribe , which later absorbed some of the smaller tribes' survivors. Within a generation of the first Maryland settlers' landing at St. Clement's Island , they pushed

2640-444: The town was 84.6% White , 7.7% African American , and 7.7% from two or more races (each 7.7% of people included one person). There were 7 households, of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples living together, and 28.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2695-910: The town's abrupt decline and silting of the river, many archeological sites were preserved, making it one of the richest areas for studying the mixed history of Native and colonial cultures, including that of enslaved Africans. In 2007 the Port Tobacco Archeological Project began as a partnership among the Archaeological Society of Maryland, the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco, the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium, Preservation Maryland, and Preserve America . It has encouraged participation by

2750-473: The town. The population density was 94.0 inhabitants per square mile (36.3/km ). There were 6 housing units at an average density of 37.6 units per square mile (14.5 units/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 60.00% White , 26.67% Black or African American , 6.67% Asian , and 6.67% from two or more races. There were 5 households, out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 60.0% had

2805-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

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2860-544: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

2915-426: Was 1.86 and the average family size was 2.20. The median age in the town was 64.5 years. 7.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 15.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 0.0% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 46.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 46.2% male and 53.8% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 15 people, 5 households, and 5 families residing in

2970-528: Was cut off by silting and the town was bypassed by the railroad . The town incorporated in 1888, but in 1895 the county seat moved to nearby La Plata , which drew population away but left the town with its historic significance intact. Since the late 20th century, the former 1819 courthouse has been renovated for use as a historical museum. In 2007 a consortium started the Port Tobacco Archeology Project, devoted to revealing

3025-583: Was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been

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