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Community Corner

Carroll County Celebrates its Own History on the Fourth of July

The real meaning of Independence Day in Carroll County is steeped in history.

Today, the 4th of July is accepted in modern history as the annual holiday commemorating the Continental Congress' formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia.

However, the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August 1776. The holiday was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, at which time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud, city bells rang, and bands played.

On July 9, 1777, The Pennsylvania Gazette wrote, “[…] Friday, the 4th of July inst. being the Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America, was celebrated in this city with demonstrations of joy and festivity.

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“[…] The evening was closed with the ringing of bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks (which began and concluded with thirteen rockets) on the Commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated. Every thing was conducted with the greatest order and decorum, and the face of joy and gladness was universal.”

Independence Day—the 4th of July—was not declared a legal holiday until 1941.

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Nevertheless, in many respects, the celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 “had a profound impact on the lives of the settlers who lived the area that was to become Carroll County,” observed local historian Jay Graybeal in an article he wrote for the Historical Society of Carroll County many years ago.

Indeed, for colonial Carroll County, 1776 was the beginning of the end of an era that had lasted for more than half a century, in which Carroll County was not a safe place to live. Perhaps that is why even today, Carroll places an important emphasis on public safety.

However, to discover why, historically and culturally, the Fourth of July is so deeply ingrained as an important holiday in Carroll County, one must go back to the roots of the county, decades before what we know as Carroll County even existed.

To find a starting point, one must go to present-day Linwood, and back to the year 1715, when it is accepted by most historians that the first structure was built in Carroll County. It was a log cabin trading post built by John Steelman, who, along with Christopher Gist, followed Indian trails in search of furs, according to Legacy of the Land by Carol Lee.

By 1744, there were about 65 families living in what is now Carroll County. Before 1744, the predominant government in what we now know as Carroll County was that of the Native American Haudenosaunee Nation—the “Six Nations.”

It was not until after the Treaty of the Six Nations was signed on July 4, 1744 with the Haudenosaunee Nation, and the dispute over the Mason-Dixon Line was settled in 1767, that settlers started to come here in greater numbers.

According to Graybeal, “The signing of the Declaration of Independence had some immediate and lasting impacts (on Carroll County).

“During the nineteenth century, July 4th was a popular community holiday filled with parades, patriotic speeches, dinners, and seemingly endless toasts.”

The June 30, 1922 edition of the former Westminster newspaper American Sentinel observed, “Two or three generations ago, judging by old newspapers, people took much more interest in the real meaning of July Fourth.

“Banquets and oratorical gatherings were held everywhere, with expression of fervent Americanism. The glorious achievements of our country were celebrated, while the powers of Europe were spoken of as effete nations whose sun had set.”

On Monday in Carroll County, the Fourth of July holiday will be celebrated throughout the county with cookouts, picnics, family get-togethers, social events, and of course, fireworks. Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, potato salad, fresh vegetables, and iced tea will be the order of the day.

And in Carroll County, the Fourth is celebrated historically—with “the face of joy and gladness.”

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