Reliance in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Patty Cannon’s House

Nearby Stood Patty Cannon’s House

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2014

1. Neaby Stood
Patty Cannon's House Marker

The words "Nearby Stood" have been added to the marker to disabuse readers of the thought that the house behind the marker is Patty Cannon's house.

Inscription. Nearby stood Patty Cannon’s House at Johnson’s Cross Roads where the noted kidnapping group had headquarters as described in George Alfred Townsend’s novel The Entailed Hat. The house borders on Caroline and Dorchester Counties and the State of Delaware.

Erected 1939 by State Roads Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Historical Trust series list.

Location. 38° 38.122′ N, 75° 42.476′ W. Marker is in Reliance, Maryland, in Dorchester County. It is at the intersection of Finchville Reliance Road (Maryland Route 392) and Reliance Road ( Route 577), on the left when traveling east on Finchville Reliance Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rhodesdale MD 21659, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

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 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Cannon / Johnson Kidnapping Gang (within shouting distance of this marker in Delaware); Oak Grove Crownstone (approx. 2.9 miles away in Delaware); Woodland School (approx. 3.2

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miles away in Delaware); Bethel Church (approx. 3.4 miles away in Delaware); The Tina Fallon (approx. 3.6 miles away in Delaware); Woodland United Methodist Church (approx. 3.6 miles away in Delaware); Woodland Ferry (approx. 3.8 miles away in Delaware); Stein Highway (approx. 4.3 miles away in Delaware).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Cannon's Ferry (was approx. 3.6 miles away in Delaware but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

More about this marker. The location of the marker implies that the house behind it is the Patty Cannon house. However, a PBS TV Show "History Detectives" determined that this house was built some time after Patty Cannon's death in 1829, and that the real Cannon house was located maybe a few hundred yards away and demolished in 1948. According to Charles Adams "Roadside Markers in Maryland", 2002, the marker was erected by the State Roads Commission in 1939 at which time the real Patty Cannon house would have been standing nearby.

Regarding Patty Cannon’s House. The marker only hints at the sinister activities of Patty Cannon and her gang of kidnappers. She and her accomplices (and no

Originally worded Patty Cannon's House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by F. Robby, December 8, 2007

2. Originally worded Patty Cannon's House Marker

doubt many others) would kidnap slaves and free blacks and transport them to the deep south where they would be sold for a high profit. Cannon's prey were imprisoned, tortured, and occasionally killed at her home in the attic, basement, and hidden rooms. Cannon was eventually arrested and died in jail, supposedly by suicide.

An 1884 book, "The Entailed Hat" by George Alfred Townsend, describes the activities of Patty Cannon and her gang. For more information, see the Wikipedia and PBS pages on Patty Cannon.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Patty Cannon. (Submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.)
2. Transcript of PBS TV Show "History Detectives" on Patty Cannon's House. (Submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.)
3. The Entailed Hat or, Patty Cannon’s Times. 1884 book by George Alfred Townsend. This link is to the free Kindle edition on Amazon.com. Excerpt:

Often she had told him of old Patty Cannon and her kidnapper’s den, and her death in the jail of his native town. He found the legend of that dreaded woman had strengthened instead of having faded with time, and her haunts preserved, and eye-witnesses to her deeds to be still living.

Hence this [novel] has much local truth in it, and is not only the narration of an episode, but the story of a large region comprehending three state jurisdictions, and also of that period when modern life arose upon the ruins of old colonial caste.

(Submitted on December 28, 2024.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.

Nearby Stood<br>Patty Cannon's House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, February 9, 2014

3. Nearby Stood
Patty Cannon's House Marker

Additional keywords. Human trafficking

Not the Patty Cannon House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by F. Robby, December 8, 2007

4. Not the Patty Cannon House

The marker is located in front of this house, which is on property once owned by Patty Cannon. But a 2004 PBS TV Show "History Detectives" proved that this house was built after Patty Cannon's death in 1829, and that the Patty Cannon house was demolished in 1948.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 8,961 times since then and 145 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 11, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. 3. submitted on February 11, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 4. submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.