Existing comment:
Stewardship and Change:
"The Canal or Rail Road, will ... produce a saving of 70 cents per barrel in the price of transportation to market, which will be about $90,000 upon the whole crop, making that addition to the income of the county."
-- Editorial in Hagerstown Newspaper, 1831
Ferry Hill's fate depended partly on the success of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Construction of the canal began on July 4, 1828 -- the same day the first rails were laid for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In the decades that followed, the canal faced relentless challenges from land disputes, labor shortages, and competition from the railroad. Destructive floods, including those in 1889 and 1924, eventually contributed to the canal's demise.
Despite these obstacles, a progression of owners sustained Ferry Hill's character. Agriculture continued at Ferry Hill in the 1900s when Robert and Helena Douglas' daughter, Nannie Beckenbaugh, operated an orchard and pig farm with her son's family. A cholera epidemic decimated the pig farm in 1924 and an economic decline ended the enterprise in 1928. Subsequent Beckenbaugh family members replaced farming with a restaurant operation in the 1940s, adding a kitchen and barroom to the rear of the mansion.
Rail Power:
The completion of the B&O Railroad contributed to the industrialization of America. The first year the B&O carried freight, it averaged 26 tons a day. By 1858, the B&O moved 224,000 tons of freight per day.
1924 Flood:
The 1924 flood destroyed the iron truss bridge built in 1889 that replaced the frame bridge burned in the Civil War. For more than 10 years the old ferry crossing was revived. Another truss bridge built in 1939 was finally replaced in 2004 by the present Rumsey Bridge.
Ferry Hill Inn Menu:
Diners enjoyed the plantation atmosphere when Ferry Hill housed a restaurant beginning in the 1940s. |