News
Articles
Mysteries
of the Magothy
by
Laura Willoughby, The Capital
Marianne
Taylor stands at the edge of a steep hill leading to the
waters of the Magothy River and points toward the mouth."That's
Gibson Point. That was the Indians' favorite place,"
she says. She should know.With eight years of research
and four years of writing behind her, her book on the history
of the Magothy River is hitting the shelves of local bookstores.
"My
River Speaks" is the first book written on the Magothy
River and follows its history from 8000 BC to the 1970's.
The book covers all aspects of its history, from the lifestyles
of the area's residents to industry, houses, ferry routes
and legends.
Her
lack of knowledge about the river prompted Mrs. Taylor to
start looking for answers more than two decades ago.
"There were too many unsolved mysteries about the Magothy,"
she said. "This was the secret river, the unspoken river."
Mrs.
Taylor's interest in the river began when she moved into
her 1908 farmhouse on Cape Sable in 1974. She was
interested in learning more about the history of the land
she owned but couldn't find much information about it. She
dropped the project until she stopped working in 1990.
As
an English teacher, first in Ohio and then in Maryland schools,
including Anne Arundel Community College, her love of books
and writing never stopped, but she couldn't find as much
time as she needed to write.
"When
I stopped teaching, I had this deep desire to write a book
and write a book about something I knew and loved," Mrs.
Taylor said.
Her
love of the river led to a search for its past. "I
notice its mood in the morning light, in the evening sunsets.
I love the river," she said. "I had this terrible
feeling that the river would be destroyed. I wanted
to catch it still. I wanted to preserve it, the language
and history that were fast disappearing."
Using
an old farmhouse on the property as her office, Mrs. Taylor
spent long days researching the area, many times finding
information no one knew about. "I was pretty disciplined.
Some days I would spend whole days in the library.
Whenever I found a lead, I had to go.," she said.
She
found surprises along the way. One of the most exciting
for her was the discovery of the Cape Sable Co. Located
right on the river, the plant was the first plant in the
United States to produce alum.
She
had heard when she and her husband first moved into the
house that a ferry used to cross the river from the property,
but she could find no written records when she first started
searching.
Old
ferry bricks even started washing up on the shore.
Finally, when she started researching years later, she found
that a ferry had left from the property, one of the many
along the Magothy that she mapped. "That was my big
satisfaction, to see that primary documentation could be
found, and it was backed up by oral history," she said.
She
also found out the farmhouse she used as her office was
a part of local legend. It was supposed to be haunted. According
to the story Mrs. Taylor heard, a woman had lived in the
house by herself. She was physically disabled and
had a male caretaker. No one knows for sure what happened,
but one day the caretaker disappeared. Rumor has it
that he fell down the stairs and was buried underneath the
house, she said.
Renters
who have lived there since have sworn to Mrs. Taylor that
the house is haunted. She said that she has not seen
or heard anything suspicious since she has worked there.
Perhaps
what meant most, though, were the people she met as she
researched. I really enjoyed the deep pride that people
took in the river," Mrs. Taylor said. "In my most
tired moments it was the people of the Magothy whom
I interviewed and were so enthusiastic that really kept
me going."
She
researched for eight years and wrote for four of those,
working almost each day. Along the way, she had only a little
help, when artist Joan Machinchick joined her to help illustrate
and create the maps for her book. "There were darker
moments," she said. Mrs. Taylor had to take a crash
course in computers and one day lost everything she had
written. She did find the file again, but not without
learning a lesson.
"I
learned about myself. I learned about my shortcomings
and I learned how to focus," she said."The most difficult
thing was to create a whole, unified book out of thousands
of pieces of information. The hard work paid off when she
saw the finished product. "There's a feeling of completeness.
I really feel I've contributed toward bay history," she
said.
Local
Writer Explores History of Magothy
by
Charlotte Smith, Severna Park Voice
"We
are a river people, a bay people, tidal and estuarine, whose
moods reflect its shores, inlets, coves and beaches.
We recognize in each other the draw of energy which
the water gives. At the water's edge we experience
a source of life, primal and complex, even mysterious."
So
begins Marianne Taylor's new book, My River Speaks.
Recently published by Bay Media, Inc., the book uncovers
the layers of history and lore of the Magothy River. With
deft precision and perspective, the local author chronicles
the Magothy, once called the "forgotten river" of the Chesapeake.
She travels from the ancient peoples of the Magothy to Indian
pathways and colonial expansion, concentrating on all the
historical points along the way, including the North Side
of the Magothy- Gibson Isle, Dobbin's Island, North Ferry
Point, etc. - to the Upper Magothy- Cypress Creek, Cattail
Creek, etc.- to the South Side- Mago Vista Beach, Cape Saint
Claire and Ulmstead Point.
"I
interviewed at least 125 people over the 91/2 years it took
to research and write it," said Mrs. Taylor. A retired
English teacher who lives on the banks of the Magothy in
Pasadena, her love of history led her to "traipse"
the old ferry route that used to run past her waterfront
home, thus laying the groundwork of research for the book.
Pieces
of information were obscure, to say the least. She
looked at original quadrants and land plats. She collated
the vegetation and produce and tobacco landings that used
to exist. She traced all the old mills and the system
of ferries, bugeyes and skip jacks.
Once
again, lumber rams and pungees ply the Magothy's waters
and the original farms and summer amusement camps spring
to life. Tracing the peoples of the river from pre-history
through today, the book's many maps identify historical
grist and lumber mills, as well as vegetable and tobacco
landings and old ferry routes. Archival photographs
capture life along small coves and creeks.
Local artist Joan Machinchick, of Lake Claire Design Studio,
illustrated the book. Her artwork depicts flora, fauna,
antique tools, maps and period scenes. Many of the
photographs came from her family's collection.
"The
maps required a special amount of research as well," said
Ms. Machinchick. "We found the old mills and Indian
sites as well." Her efforts with the research and
pen and ink line drawings took over 2 1/2 years of cooperation
with Ms. Taylor towards completion of the book.
Ms.
Taylor emphasizes that this small tributary of the Chesapeake
Bay is a treasure of natural resources. "One chief
reason I wrote the book was to evoke nostalgia. But
the other reason was to bring to light the ecology
of the river and help restore its beauty."
My
River Speaks is available through Bay Media, Inc., 550M
Ritchie Highway, #271, Severna Park and at outlets throughout
the Magothy watershed, such as Downs Park in Pasadena and
the Gibson Island Historical Society. For more information,
call (410) 647-8402.
| about
us | services | portfolio | clients | contact
us | home |
