Candlestick #1, Garret County:

The loop-holed cabin (located in Shawanese Old Town) depicted on this candlestick was built by Thomas Cresap in 1740 and, at one time, was the furthest westward point of British control. Cresap’s cabin was well known to travelers and was even visited by Colonel George Wasshington and General Braddock. Colonel Thomas Cresap (c.1694-1787) was a trader, frontiersman, soldier, and pivotal figure in Colonial Maryland.

He emigrated to Maryland around age 15 from Yorkshire, England. In the 1730s, he worked as a land agent for Charles Calvert, the 5thLord Baltimore, and settled in a disputed area of land claimed by both the proprietary colonies of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The height of this border dispute, known as Cresap’s War, culminated when Cresap was accused of murder, arrested and had his home burned by the Pennsylvania authorities.

The dispute was eventually resolved when the borders were defined by the surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in 1767. The stone mile markers of the Mason Dixon line are depicted on the handles of the ladles for the pieces from Baltimore City & Baltimore County, and Somerset and Wicomico counties.

The Johnson-Hatfield House was a two-story structure and was considered one of the most famous taverns along the National Road (present day U.S. 40) near New Salem, Pennsylvania. This stone building was constructed in 1817 and served as a tavern until 1855, when it became a private residence. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.