Havre de Grace’s Bicentennial Bash
Appears in the May 2013 edition of SpinSheet magazine
Like tall ships? Battle reenactments? Outdoor orchestras? Fireworks on the water? How about the idea of a whole town letting loose in celebration of two centuries of pent-up pride in staving off the world’s most powerful navy? Then why not take an early season cruise up north this year? North to Havre de Grace, MD, that is.
Boning up on her past, historic Havre de Grace recalls a harrowing event at the hands of the British Navy 200 years ago this month during the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812.
The Concord Lighthouse, built in 1827, anchors one end of the waterfront promenade where the Susquehanna River meets the Bay in Havre de Grace.
The town is justly proud to be chosen by the Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission to kick off the Maryland Chesapeake Campaign celebration in 2013. A big May 3-5 festival is
just the beginning.
Flying the 15-star flag from all public buildings was a brilliant way to get the buzz going among the locals. But what the good burghers of this town have in store starting this spring will surprise and delight everybody—a three-day bash with the tall ships Sultana and Pride of Baltimore II, a full dress reenactment of the siege replete with 100 British reenactors, and the Columbia Orchestra’s rendition of the 1812 Overture followed by fireworks over the Susquehanna River off the Concord Point Lighthouse. There will be camps of American and British reenactors and a period church service to honor the hero of the day, John O’Neill.
With its beginnings during the Revolutionary War, Havre de Grace was the largest and most important town on the Upper Bay aside from Baltimore—so important that it was considered in the running as the nation’s capital if not for the lack of a deepwater channel. So important also that the British fleet sailed all the way from Norfolk to sack it. Though overshadowed
by the 1814 Siege of Washington and the subsequent Battle of Baltimore, Havre de Grace isn’t about to be overlooked. Not now, not then.
British strategy on the Chesapeake focused on pillage and plunder to scare the populace. With the Bay effectively sealed off at Norfolk, there wasn’t much the young nation could do to put a stop to this from a naval perspective. Under the command of Admiral George Cockburn, the British Navy arrived on May 3 amid attacks or threats toward Frenchtown, Bell’s Ferry,
Elkton, Charlestown, Port Deposit, Georgetown and Fredericktown. Spesutie (pronounced speSUEsha) Island, just off Havre de Grace, was also captured. Although many of these remain small villages today, they were important settlements and ports back then.
Too shallow for ships the size of the Sultana to maneuver, Cockburn landed several barges of troops at what is now David Craig Park. Using a combination of fire, chaos, and Congreve rockets, the British ran from house to house burning and pillaging, as was common military practice of the day. St. John’s Church, being a vestige of the Church of England, became a mustering point for the invaders, and although the interior was destroyed, the exterior was spared. Across the river, Perryville didn’t escape harm either. Rodgers Tavern was burned repeatedly, and the Principio Iron Furnace suffered damage as well.
Havre de Grace War of 1812 historical marker (Havre de Grace, Harford County, MD)
Lafayette Street at Concord Street (in park)
As with Havre de Grace, many of these places are marking the occasion with plans of their own. All of this bodes well for the head of the Bay to emerge as an especially interesting cruising destination this year. The Bay narrows here, but the Elk, Sassafras, and Bohemia Rivers are deep and well-buoyed, and even the North East River can be traversed by boats of moderate draft. The C and D Canal carries ocean-going traffic through it and up and down the Elk that requires constant vigilance in tight quarters.
Brigitte Peters, the town’s tourism and marketing manager, justifiably excited about the three-day Festival Weekend, is also pumped about the town being a jumping off spot to explore the rest of what the Upper Bay has to offer. The long entrance channel has been dredged to 17 feet to allow the Sultana and the Pride II to take part in the festival. It takes an hour for a sailboat to motor from the Bay into port, but it’s more than worth the time. After the tall ships have gone, there is still much to seduce and delight the mariner here, including an excellent maritime museum, sumptuous dining, a plethora of shops, and the skipjack Martha Lewis. Come on up and see for yourself!
May 2013
About the author: Steve Allan, AICP is a regional planning in the Maryland Department of Planning’s Local Government Assistance unit. He is an upper Bay sailor and describes himself as “a recovering Canadian, remains quite conflicted about the War of 1812.” Steve is a frequent contributor to SpinSheet.
Related articles
- War of 1812 honored in Havre-de-Grace (abc2news.com)
- Havre de Grace celebrates 200 years since attack (wbaltv.com)
- War of 1812 Reenactment Draws Gov. O’Malley Visit, Gun Rights Rally to Havre de Grace on Saturday May 4 (daggerpress.com)
Jun 06, 2013 @ 13:33:59
Were there any representatives from the UK to commemorate the Battle of Havre de Grace or was this an historical naval incident that the British Crown and Parliament would like to forget?