Documentary History of American Water-works

Port Tobacco

Port Tobacco, Maryland

Port Tobacco was established in 1727.

The Hydrant Company of Port Tobacco was incorporated in 1819 by John B. Wills, Jr. John Ferguson, William Vincent, Basil Spalding, Nicholas Stonestreet, Samuel Chapman, Edward Pye, Ignatius Semmes, William Penn, Gustavus Brown and John Meredith "to establish and raise reservoirs or hydrants for the distribution of said water in the public square of said town, or in such parts of the streets as they may think proper."

A lottery was authorized in 1840 to raise $5,000 "to introduce a supply of wholesome water in the Town of Port Tobacco," with John Ferguson, John Barnes, Gustavus Brown, John R. Ferguson, William B. Stone, Elijah W. Day, Francis R. Willis, Lynn Shackelford and William M. Hodges appointed lottery commissioners. No information has been found about the outcome of the lottery.

Another Hydrant Company of Port Tobacco was incorporated in 1856 by Jonathan Padgett, John Hamilton, John G. Chapman, William Boswell, Joseph H. Cooksey, Robert S. Reeder, Peregrine Davis, William B. Mathews, Joseph Hutton, John R. Bateman, Elijah Wells Jr.

There does not appear to be public water system currently operating in the town or village of Port Tobacco.

References
1819 An act to incorporate a Company under the name of The Hydrant Company of Port Tobacco. January 23, 1819.

1820 A Supplement to an act, entitled, An act to incorporate a Company under the name of The Hydrant Company of Port-Tobacco. February 14, 1820.

1837 A further supplement to an act, entitled, An act to incorporate a company under the name of the Hydrant Company of Port Tobacco. March 16, 1837.

1841 An act to authorise the drawing of a Lottery, to introduce a supply of wholesome Water into the Town of Port Tobacco, in Charles County. February 27, 1841.

1843 A supplement to the act to authorise the drawing of a Lottery, to introduce a supply of wholesome Water into the Town of Port Tobacco, in Charles County. March 7, 1843.

1856 An act to incorporate a company under the name of the Hydrant Company of Port Tobacco. March 10, 1856.

1945 "Port Tobacco, Lost Town of Maryland," by Ethel Roby Hayden, Maryland Historical Magazine, 40(4):261-276 (December, 1945). Page 265 has a map showing the location of the hydrant.
Page 273: Cool springs in the hill to the east furnished the town with water, piped into hydrants.

1989 Port Tobacco Historic District, Maryland's National Register Properties, Inventory No.: CH-372, Date Listed: 8/4/1989
Other buildings include several private residences built after 1940, and a brick wellhouse that was erected in 1958 over a 19th century hydrant to commemorate the county's tercentenary.