Charlestown in Cecil County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Lt. Col. Nathaniel Ramsay

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, July 14, 2007

1. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Ramsay Marker

Inscription. Member of Council of Safety and courageous officer of the Maryland Line in Revolutionary War, native of Pennsylvania, Princeton graduate (1767) and lawyer. He settled in brick house near this site after his marriage in 1771 to Margaret Jane Peale. In 1775 he and his brother-in-law, famed portrait painter and inventor Charles Willson Peale, conducted experiments here in manufacturing of gunpowder. Serving under Washington in 1778, Ramsay was wounded at Monmouth, N.J. [New Jersey], and taken prisoner by the British. After the war he served two terms in Congress.

Erected by Maryland Bicentennial Commission and Maryland Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Historical Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1771.

Location. 39° 34.401′ N, 75° 58.541′ W. Marker is in Charlestown, Maryland, in Cecil County. It is on Market Street 0.1 miles east of Bladen Street, on the left. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charlestown MD 21914, United States

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of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Wilmington, on the Eastern Shore,

and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

in the Tidewater,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Charlestown (within shouting distance of this marker); Charlestown's Civil War Veterans (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Geo Washington Traveled This Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); Susquehanna Manor (approx. 0.2 miles away); Capt. Michael Rudulph (approx. 0.2 miles away); Shrewd Decision (approx. ¼ mile away); Site of Charlestown Wharf (approx. ¼ mile away); 29th Infantry Division Memorial (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlestown.

Also see . . . Biography of Nathaniel Ramsey.

Photographed by Adam Margolis

2. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Ramsay Marker

Note spelling difference in last name. (Submitted on July 14, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

Additional commentary.
1. First United States Marshal for the District of Maryland
As a Deputy US Marshal with the District of Maryland I would like you to know that, in addition to the facts given on the marker, Nathaniel Ramsay was also appointed as the first US Marshal for the District of Maryland in 1798 and served until 1794. The US Marshal was the only local representative of the executive branch of the Federal Government during those times and enforced the laws and powers of the federal government. Marshal Ramsey would have had such duties as arresting federal fugitives and taking the first national census. The US Marshals Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency with the most complete jurisdiction.

— Submitted July 26, 2007, by David Lutz of Baltimore, Maryland.

2. Councils and Committees of Safety
“Committees of Safety, formed before and during the Revolutionary War, to keep watch of and act upon events pertaining to the public welfare, were really committees of vigilance.

Photographed by Adam Margolis

3. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Ramsay Marker

They were of incalculable service during that period in detecting conspiracies against the interests of the people and restraining evil disposed persons. They were sometimes possessed of almost supreme executive power, delegated to them by the people. Massachusetts took the lead in the appointment of a committee of safety so early as the autumn of 1774, of which John Hancock was chairman. It was given power to call out the militia, provide means of defense—in a word, provide many of the duties of a provisional government. Other colonies appointed committees of safety. One was appointed in the city of New York, composed of the leading citizens. These committees were in constant communication with the committees of correspondence.” —from the 1905 edition of Harper’s Encyclopædia of United States History.

— Submitted July 26, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

3. The Maryland Line
The Maryland Line was the name used by the Maryland Continental troops in the American Revolution. General Washington regarded them as some of his finest soldiers and referred to them as the “Old Line.” They

Site of Ramsay House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by John Miller, February 17, 2012

4. Site of Ramsay House

The Ramsay house burned down in 1834 but was located on the site of the brick Methodist Parsonage seen here (226 Market St.). Prior to purchase by Ramsay the original house belonged to John Ross Key, father of Francis Scott Key. (Town website)

fought valiantly on many battlefields, especially at Long Island, Camden, The Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse.

— Submitted July 26, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Additional keywords. Nathaniel Ramsey

Credits. This page was last revised on January 18, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,714 times since then and 65 times this year. Last updated on January 7, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on July 14, 2007, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 2, 3. submitted on January 9, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 4. submitted on February 17, 2012, by John Miller of Rising Sun, Maryland.