Carroll County - The Heart of American History
So you think that you know all about Carrollton.
We will see. Carroll county takes its name from
Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III.
He was born at Annapolis, Maryland, on September
19, 1737 and died in Baltimore Maryland on November
14th, 1832. He took the name Charles Carroll
of Carrollton to separate himself from relatives
who had similar names. He was a wealthy planter.
Did you know that he was an early supporter of
independence from Great Britain? He served as a
delegate to the Continental Congress, Confederation
Congress, and later U.S. Senator for Maryland.
Were you aware that he was the only Roman Catholic
signer of the Declaration of Independence?
Carroll was known as the “First Citizen” of the
American colonies because of his editorials in the
Maryland Gazette. Carroll was the richest, longest
lived, and had the highest degree of formal education
of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Did you know that he spoke 5 languages
burning of the Peggy Stewart, a ship carrying tea to
Maryland. Today this is celebrated as a state holiday
in Maryland as Peggy Stewart Day on October 19th.
When the American Revolution started in
1775 he had inherited an agricultural estate valued
at $465 million dollars in today’s money. He owned
over 10,000 acres and 1,000 slaves whom he later
freed. Carroll introduced a bill for the gradual abolition
of slavery in Maryland, but it did not pass. Did
in Maryland due to his religion? He was a delegate
to the Annapolis Convention and also to the Continental
Congress in 1776. He, along with Benjamin
Franklin, Samuel Chase and his cousin John Carroll
were sent on a failed mission to seek support from
French Canadians against the British. As you can
see, Charles Carroll had a lot to lose if the rebellion
was not successful. He boldly signed the Declaration
with his name Charles Carroll of Carrollton
to let the King know that he was the one who was
challenging the King’s authority and none other.
Did you know that after retiring from public
service, Carroll helped establish the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad? After the deaths of Thomas Jefferson
and John Adams on July 4th 1826, Carroll became
the last living signatory of The Declaration of
Independence. In 1828 he commissioned the Phoenix
Shot Tower and laid its corner-stone. The shot
tower was the tallest building in the United States
until the Washington Monument was constructed.
Carroll donated Homewood House, which he
built for his son Charles, to John’s Hopkins University.
It became the main campus. Homewood House
today is a museum on the campus of John’s Hopkins.
(continued on page 5)
‘Charles Carroll of Carrollton’
Editorial by William E. Walker, M.Ed.
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