by Dr. Edward C. Papenfuse
State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents
Remarks at the Queen Anne's County Historical Society's
Independence Day Celebrations, The Aspen Institute, Queenstown, Maryland
July 4, 1998
Last night, we lost a good friend and a consummate public servant in
Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein. All of the newspaper accounts stress
his long service to the state, his devotion to fiscal affairs, his integrity,
and the pride with which he shepherded Maryland's finances towards the
millennium with the highest of credit ratings. What all the accounts
missed, however, was Louis's first love, after his family, Maryland history.
He was Mr. Maryland History. He always linked the present with Maryland's
past in every speech he gave. We were honored to publish his weekly
radio broadcasts on the history of each of the counties which he prepared
for the state's 350th Anniversary, in 1984. He is here with us in spirit
today. One of his heroes was William Paca and the fight that William
Paca led for the Bill of Rights was a theme of the many tours of the State
House he personally led. My remarks this morning are dedicated to
Comptroller Goldstein, who, more than anyone I have ever known, understood
what was in a name and why we should remember.
This morning, let us turn to places and people in Queen Anne's County
that arouse our interest in the past and tease us to explore further the
significance of what we find. Such an expedition, if conducted with
care and exactitude, might take us years instead of the minutes allotted
to me, and so, with your permission, I would like to arbitrarily limit
our journey to a select number of places that evoke memories of the
times and the political heritage of William Paca, one of the signers of
that Declaration of Independence we honor today:
In doing so, we not only pay homage to William Paca's world, but also
to Arthur Amory Houghton, Jr. who, through his generosity, ensured that
we would not forget. In part, Mr. Houghton's legacy surrounds us
here this morning, but we also find it in the mystery of the earliest known
manuscript in English of the Maryland Charter that he gave to the Maryland
State Archives and in the on-going research he stimulated with the biography
of Paca which he conceived and underwrote. And, finally, we find his legacy
in the serenity of the courthouse square in Centreville where his gift
of the statue of Queen Anne sits below the spot where an ever vigilant
American eagle once reigned before being removed for conservation and restoration.
You might ask how a 17th century copy of the Maryland Charter could
have anything to do with William Paca, a native of Harford County who was
born in 1740 and who died at his estate on Wye Island in Queen Anne's County
in 1799. The answer lies in the importance of that document to all
that William Paca stood for in his political life. The Charter was
the basis of representative government in Maryland, specifying that the
laws of the province had to be "of and with the advise, assent, and approbation
of the free-men of the said Province, or the greater part of them, or of
their delegates or deputies." It provided the grounds upon which
Paca, as one of the leading lawyers of the day, developed his belief that
fundamental rights needed to be written down and explained to ensure that
each successive generation would benefit from them.
In late April and early May of 1788, Paca acted on those principles and submitted a series of propositions, many of which ultimately were incorporated into the first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Indeed, his 22 draft amendments to the Constitution and those of his pro-amendment colleagues form the first fully articulated and detailed printed agenda for a bill of rights and deserves much more attention than scholars have hitherto credited it.
Lost until 1984, when the manuscript was purchased by the state Archives,
the proposed amendments begin with a ringing declaration drawn from the
Maryland Declaration of Rights which Paca helped draft in 1776. This language
is still embedded in Maryland's Constitution but was never carried to the
federal level:
That it be declared, That all persons instrusted with the legislative or Executive powers of Government are the Trustees and Servants of the Public and as such accountable for their Conduct. Wherefore whenever the Ends of Government are perverted and public Liberty manifestly endangered and all other means of Redress are ineffectual the People may, and of right ought object to, [or] reform the old, or establish a new Government, the Doctrine of Non Resistance against arbitrary power and Oppression is absurd Slavish and destructive of the Good and Happiness of Mankind.Paca's amendments include the provision (11) "that there be no national Religion established by Law but that all Persons be equally entitled to protection in their Religious Liberty" and conclude with requirements for freedom of speech and (21) that "Congress shall exercise no power but that what is expressly delegated by this Constitution."
As with many historical documents, the Houghton copy of Maryland's Charter proved both less and more than what it was initially thought to be. With a research trip funded by Mr. Houghton, I tried valiantly to prove that it was contemporary with the founding of the colony in 1632, but the watermarks in the paper revealed another more tantalizing tale. After years of searching, I can now say almost categorically (historians ought never to speak categorically) that the Houghton Charter was created between 1660 and 1670 as an official reference copy for the archives in St. Mary's City. Apart from the administrative significance of the document, what continues to prove fascinating are the watermarks of the paper on which it is written. Of the two present, the most uncommon consists of a cross, a crown, the letters IHS, and the word MARINAUD. If I am right, these will be shown to be the marks of a Jesuit paper that provide a trail of the efforts to maintain the Catholic Church during a time of persecution in England and toleration in Maryland. To date, I have found this very same paper in many of the major cathedral archives in England and among the county records here, all dating from the same period, 1660-1670. It is at the end of that period that the largest Catholic church in English-speaking America was begun in St. Mary's City. Thus, we have a document that, on the surface, stands testimony to the political liberties for which William Paca fought so hard and to which, on signing the Declaration of Independence, he committed his life and his fortune, while, within the paper upon which the Charter is written, the watermarks hint to us of a struggle for religious toleration and freedom which Paca's Bill of Rights in time secured.
In his 59 years, William Paca served in the Maryland General Assembly, as a delegate to Congress, as Governor for two terms, during which he also conducted law classes in the Governor's Mansion, as a delegate to the Maryland ratifying convention, and as a federal judge. In examining the physical remains of William Paca's presence in Maryland, I could have started with Wye Island and the potential archaeological treasures that may exist there. Beginning in about 1790, with the help of the architect of the dome of the Maryland State House, Joseph Clark, Paca constructed what some historians feel was, at the time, the most splendid home in America, an architectural treasure that would perish in flames in 1879. Or, I might have taken you on a journey to Annapolis in April of 1788, where under that newly completed State House dome, William Paca presented the long list of rights he found lacking in the newly drafted U.S. Constitution.
Instead, let me take you to Centreville and the political world of the 1790s where there is yet much to be learned about one of the most formative periods in American History. 1789 to 1799, the last decade of William Paca's life, was a time of radical and fundamental political change on both sides of the Atlantic. How sad it is that most of his papers were lost in the fire at Wye Hall. What we would not give to eavesdrop on Paca's view of the French Revolution and its impact on American politics.
From his seat on the federal bench, Paca saw his proposed amendments incorporated with those from Virginia into the first ten amendments of a constitutional form of government for the nation, the implementation of which led to discord and party politics mirrored in the lives of his neighbors. By the time he began building his mansion on Wye Island in 1790, Queen Anne's County, after considerable delay, had decided on a new county seat with a new courthouse to be built along the main road halfway between Queenstown and Church Hill and had already begun to fall into at least two fiercely competitive political camps.
By 1794, when the new courthouse was ready and the lots surrounding
it laid out as the new town of Centreville, the impact of the conflict
between Britain and France on national and local politics, with the supporters
of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists on one side and the Democratic-Republicans,
beginning to form under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson on the other,
was becoming all too clear. It is no wonder that someone decided
to place a militant eagle in the pediment of the courthouse. Facing
in the wrong heraldic direction towards war, it provides a dramatic rendition
of the nature of the political battles that raged beneath it at election
time. For example, from the Congressional election returns we find
that in, 1792, William Hindman handily defeated his anti-Federalist opponent,
James Tilghman, by 318 votes. By 1794, with the eagle firmly in place,
Hindman only narrowly defeated George Jackson, one of the original commissioners
that built the Courthouse, by 24 votes. In 1798, however, Hindman lost
his seat to Democratic-Republican Joshua Seney by 304 votes, in part, perhaps,
because Seney accused him of falling asleep in Congress, but, more importantly,
because Hindman had supported such Federalist measures as the Jay Treaty
with England and the Alien and Sedition Acts, which had become most unpopular
in the county. Seney died before he could take his seat, and a special
election was held in which Joseph Hopper Nicholson defeated his Federalist
opponent by 234 votes. That election proved to be significant for
more than local reasons. Two years later, a very ill Nicholson persisted
in voting for Thomas Jefferson for President through 35 [36 total] ballots
until the Federalist members of the Maryland delegation gave up their fight
for Aaron Burr. If Nicholson had been prevented by illness from voting
in an equally divided Maryland Congressional delegation, Burr would have
been elected President on the first ballot and the whole course of American
history might have turned out quite differently.
That the eagle on the courthouse in Centreville bears mute witness
to a long and colorful history of county politics is not in dispute.
That it is heraldically incorrect cannot be argued either. An article
in U. S. News and World Report brought to my attention by Queen
Anne's County Clerk, Scott MacGlashan, relates a story about President
Truman and Winston Churchill on their way to Fulton, Missouri where Churchill
was to deliver his now famous 'iron curtain' speech. The President
called Churchill's attention to the presidential seal on the wall of his
train car. Truman explained that, with World War II over, he had
ordered the eagle's head turned to face the olive branches it clutched
in one claw, away from the arrows in the other. Churchill replied
that the eagle's head should be on a swivel. I doubted the story and thought
it, at best, apocryphal. I wrote the author, Stephen Budiansky, asking
for his sources. He replied promptly, explaining that it came
from the diaries of one of Truman's aides, but had no other confirming
source. Still doubtful, I checked a number of other sources, including
the new electronic American Memory Project of the Library of Congress.
What I discovered did not fully confirm the story but made it eminently
plausible. Harry S Truman was the first president to have an officially
designated and designed, heraldically correct presidential seal, the one
in use today. He created it by executive order upon taking office
in 1945. At the time, there were other examples of what were labeled
the presidential seal, one of which was imbedded in the floor of the White
House. They had the eagle's head turned towards the cluster of arrows
and war, while Truman's seal had its head turned towards the olive branches
and peace.
It will never be known if the head of the courthouse eagle in Centreville was turned towards war intentionally, but there is one further speculation that might be made as to the sentiments it was intended to represent. In 1794, the Democratic-Republicans were most enamored with the Revolution in France and there was a French Republican military hero of the day who carried an eagle on his standard that also defied the rules of heraldry. Perhaps the carver of the Queen Anne's county Courthouse eagle was a Democratic-Republican who was also paying tribute to Citizen Bonaparte, now better known as Napoleon?
If we remember the past in large measure through the gifts of manuscripts and the support of scholarly endeavors, we also celebrate it through sculpture appropriate to the spaces it fills. In 1977, in large measure due to the generosity of Arthur Houghton, the namesake of the county, Queen Anne, came, regal and seated, to the courthouse square. Queen Anne's County was created by act of the General Assembly in 1706, during her reign. Some 270 years later, Arthur Houghton wanted to appropriately remind visitors to Centreville of the county's royal origins. He launched an invitational competition based upon the advice of the National Sculpture Society in New York City. Each of the six sculptors recommended by the Society was sent a letter or called and asked to send "sketches for a Statue of Queen Anne with the Crown on her head and holding the Orb and Scepter." They were told that the statue was to be placed in front of Queen Anne's County Courthouse in Centreville, Maryland. No other information was supplied.
The winner of the competition was Elisabeth Gordon Chandler, whose recent
account of the process by which she created the statue exemplifies how
an artist attempts to assist our memory of the past through a careful assessment
of time and place, both in historical terms and the present:
Having been primarily a Portrait Sculptor, I was very interested in the project. I always like to design my work for the site in which it is to go. So as soon as I could I drove down to Maryland from my studio in Connecticut.It may only be coincidence, but when I was reviewing the clipping file relating to the dedication of the statue, I ran across a photograph in the News American with Queen Anne in the foreground and Princess Anne demure and smiling just behind. There was a remarkable resemblance between the two. I wonder if it was intentional ....When I reached the Square in Centreville, what I saw was an architectural gem of an 18th Century Courthouse that was long and low with a balcony above the central entrance doorway. I could not envision a statue of Queen Anne standing, Crown on head holding the Orb and Scepter, as requested. It would have been too stiff and too tall for that building. Also she would have had her back facing the main entrance.
When I visit a site I usually see in my mind's eye what I would like to create for it. In this case, with the old Courthouse for background, I wanted to give the feeling of the whole century in which she lived. I took photographs of the site and returned home very excited about the project because the 18th Century was one of my very favorite periods in history.
I decided that a seated figure would present a broader and lower composition much more in keeping with the building and the Square. By having her looking toward the side street and the Town Hall instead of toward the one-way street that leads to the Square, the statue would be of greater interest all around and even people leaving the Courthouse would be able to see Queen Anne in profile.
To give the flavor of the 18th Century I had her seated in a chair of the period. In order to follow Mr. Houghton's instructions as much as possible, I had the Crown and Scepter on an Eighteenth Century Candle Stand with her right hand resting on the Scepter.
I tried several ways of incorporating the Orb. It could have been held in the other hand resting in her lap but I felt that would not be as successful a composition as having her holding the parchment scroll of the Grant. I envisioned her as having just returned from Parliament after the signing of that Grant.
Instead of sending a sketch, I made a small maquette in plastelene and called Mr. Houghton for an appointment to bring it down to show him. (I prefer the maquette to a drawing as the prospective client can then see the whole composition and what the work will look like all around.)
Mr. Houghton received me most graciously. He always had a very gracious manner with everyone. I explained why I had not followed his instructions and why I felt that a seated figure was preferable for the site. He seemed favorably impressed and said he would let me know when he had received all the other entries.
As soon as I knew the commission was mine I began my research. I read biographies and decided to show her in the early part of her short but eventful reign. I knew her as the last of the Stuart Monarchs, of course, but needed to learn more of her life, the kind of person she was, so that I could depict her better. To create posthumous portraits you must always get to know the subject so well that you can almost hear them speak. This I tried to do with Queen Anne.
I spent most the time I was not working in the studio, steeped in the history and the people who were so much a part of her short but important reign.
A lot of other research was required concerning the furniture of the period and the Regalia, (Crown, Scepter, the Order of the Garter and ceremonial robes that she wore). Fortunately I had a sister living in London and enlisted her help in getting the photographs of the Regalia from the Tower of London, and chairs of the period from the Victoria and Albert Museum.
For instance there are three Scepters used by different Monarchs at different times throughout British history. I had to determine which one she carried. The Pendant, which hangs from the Order of the Garter, showing St. George slaying the Dragon, also required research, as different versions were used during different reigns. This pendant, called "The George" is shown in many of the paintings of Queen Anne but not always too distinctly. I was finally able to obtain a clear photograph of it from a painting of her when my research took me back to Maryland.
With the research behind me, I began the half size "Working Model." When this was finished I drove it down to Mr. Houghton's Plantation where the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough happened to be visiting at that time. As you no doubt know the Duke's ancestor, the First Duke of Marlborough, was Queen Anne's "right hand man" as the head of her Armed Forces. So the Duke's visit was certainly very fortuitous, if indeed it was not arranged on purpose. They all saw the model and were very complimentary about my work. I was given a year in which to complete the full size bronze.
When the final plastelene model was finished Mr. Houghton arranged for an expert on the 18th Century to come to my studio to approve it. I was glad that I had taken such pains to research each item of historical importance as I received immediate approval of the work. The piece was then cast in plaster and delivered to Modern Art Foundry in Long Island City, N. Y.
It was while I was working on the so-called "Lost Wax" cast of the piece at the foundry, that I decided something was needed to add more interest in the area under the back of the chair. The graceful lines of the chair were not enough in the full size piece. I added a Blenheim Spaniel puppy, curled up asleep on the folds of the Queen's robe under her chair. The Blenheim Spaniel is a smaller version of the King Charles, bred by Marlborough especially as a ladies dog and named for his famous battle. I felt it gave more interest to the back of the piece for people leaving the Courthouse or just walking around the statue. There is no history of Queen Anne being partial to dogs. She loved horses and despite her large size - she weighed over 300 pounds at the time of her death - she was an avid horse-woman. However I felt it was quite possible that one of the Court lady's dogs might have found a nice warm comfortable place to sleep in the folds of the Queen's robe as she sits, having just returned from signing the Charter . . . .
Having lived in New York City, I was concerned about someone cutting off the end of the scepter for a souvenir, so I had the bronze wired inside so that it could be attached to an alarm system.... I believe it is the only bronze statue with ... that protection.
When the bronze was finally cast, I personally chased the portrait head and some of the more intricate parts, such as the order of the Garter with "The George." I also supervised the patina.
When the bronze ws ready Mr. Houghton sent a cattle truck to the foundry to get it. The base, which is a special type of granite that Mr. Houghton and I selected, had been installed and was ready when the bronze arrived in a teaming rain. The crane was waiting and lifted the Queen gently down onto her pedestal in time for the unveiling by H.R.H. Princess Anne on June 10th 1977.
While Queen Anne died 26 years before William Paca was born, her presence and the politics of her reign had a profound impact on Paca's politics and his political career. The party battles and the political writings of her day formed the basis of the political philosophy of resistance and the constitution writing of his. The statue of Queen Anne in Centreville is more than a reminder of the royal origins of the county. It is a link to the vibrant political world of the 18th century which so dramatically influenced the action and thought of the founding fathers who are honored across the nation today.
History comes alive to us in many ways, through reading, through research
and writing, through visiting historical sites and through being intrigued
and inspired by what we find. Our quest for understanding of ourselves
and our past cries out like George Eliot in her poem "O May I Join the
Choir Invisible," from which I borrow a slightly altered closing:
©1998 Edward C. Papenfuse Not to be copied
or printed without the author's permission
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