Thus he played a prominent part in one of the historic events in history, and considering the present status of this republic, the most momentous campaign in history. The Irish merchants who contributed to this fund to buy cloth and make uniforms for Lafayette’s ragged army were Messrs. Purviance, William Patterson, John McLure, Daniel Bowly, Ridgely and Pringle, James Calhoun, James McHenry, Charles Carroll, Wm. Smith, Alex. Donaldson, Samuel Hughes, Russell & Hughes, William Neill, John Smith, William Smith, Hugh Young and Robert Patter Purviance. William Smith and William Patterson and other Irish merchants were also prominent in the committee work during the Revolution, and if it had failed, would have no doubt decorated the short end of a hangman’s rope for their love of liberty. The services of Charles Carroll of Carrollton and of his cousin, Charles Carroll, of Mount Clare, to the patriot cause and to the city and state, even the nation, it is needless to recount here, as they are well known.
They were Irish-Americans, however, and not ashamed of it, and their influence in the city and its environs were considerable along all lines. William Patterson gave Patterson Park to the city, and also contributed largely to the foundation of many public enterprises, some of which survive today as monuments to the activities of himself and his fellow Irishmen. Prime among those monuments is the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Isaac McKim, another Irishman, founded the first free school set up in Baltimore. It still stands at Baltimore and Aisquith streets a monument to him, and has been in its day a strong sphere of influence. John Oliver, another Gael, founded the Oliver Hibernian Free School, which has been for nearly a century a wide center of influence for good. It was the first school established in the United States for the exclusive education of Irish-Americans, and was established at a time when Americans of other races were without free schools of any kind. Prominent in the establishment of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and of the Northern Central Railroad were other Irish merchants and professional men, such as Robert Garrett, Alexander and George Brown, the latter of whom conceived the idea of building the road; Isaac McKim, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, John V. L. McMahon, the Irish American lawyer, who drew that first railroad charter ever drawn for the Baltimore and Ohio, which has served as a model ever since; Patrick McCauley, the Irish educator; Talbott Jones, Robert Oliver and others. These men gave not only their influence to these roads, but their money. How well they built, facts establish. John O’Donnell, the Irishman, was the man who named Canton, on the southeast side of the basin, because he thought it looked like Canton, China; and he was the first president of the Baltimore Gas Light Company. What that company has developed into the present shows. His son, Gen. Columbus O’Donnell, was for many years the honored president of the company.
Gen. Wm. McDonald was the first man to run packets on the Chesapeake Bay, and also the first to run steam vessels. And thus he was the founder of Baltimore’s great bay trade. That he was a man of influence the conditions of the present prove. He may have builded better than he knew, but he built greatly. Alexander Brown, Robert Garrett and Isaac McKim were practically the founders of the banking business of this city, and with others of the great Irish business men influenced the financial interests of Baltimore for many years. In fact, their descendants have a powerful influence in banking matters locally at this time. Every one is familiar with the tremendous influence exercised in railroad circles for many years by the Irish-American, John W. Garrett, and his son, Robert Garrett. There can be no question about those facts.
In the religious concerns of the city the Irish have ever played an important part. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic church in this country, the first bishop and archbishop of which was John Carroll, an Irish-American. Since his day the Irish have been in the forefront in Catholic affairs in Baltimore, and the pewholders and attendants at the Cathedral and other Catholic churches have included many of Baltimore’s leading citizens. St. Mary’s Seminary has educated hundreds of Catholic priests who have gone out and labored for the salvation of souls. Of these Levites the great and almost overwhelming majority have been Irish-Americans.
Many of these good men have spent their lives in this city and have proven great sources of influence for upliftment to their fellowmen. The Irish names of the priests and bishops who have labored here in Baltimore would make a respectable directory for information on the municipality’s work for the betterment of men. Many will recall the names of the saintly McColgan, Dolan, McManus, Coskery, Slattery, McCoy, Dougherty, Malloy, Dugan, Gaitley, McDevitt, and many others of equal note who have served prominently in this city and have been towers of strength to their co-religionists. The stature of Archbishop Carroll in his day was heroic, and he was regarded as one of the chief citizens of the republic, as his famous successor, Cardinal Gibbons, is today.
The similarity between Dr. Carroll and the cardinal on the lines of personal influence is remarkable. What Dr. Carroll was in his day a century ago, the cardinal is today, and the person who is familiar with the cardinal’s character knows what power and inspiration that is for good. Other prelates who were of Irish extraction and who labored here were Archbishops Neale and the illustrious Kenrick, the latter one of the greatest of church writers and a strong man of his day. In other denominations we have Dr. Patrick Allison, the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and a remarkable man in many ways, who was the friend of Dr. Carroll, and his contemporary. Rev. John Glendy, a native of Ireland, who was a rebel in 1798, and had to fly for his life to this country, was the first pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, and an orator of unusual ability. In their day they were strong men, and exercised an overmastering influence for good upon their flocks. Rev. John Healey was the first Baptist minister in Baltimore town, and founded the first Baptist chapel. He ministered here for many years and was without doubt an influential man. The congregations of the Presbyterian and Baptist churches included a number of prominent Irish business and professional men, in fact the cream of the business men of the town and city belonged to them. Hence they were widespread centers of influence and they have so remained.
Their descendants to this day include many of Baltimore’s leading citizens in all lines of activity. The first Methodist preacher that we know of who preached in the vicinity of this city was Robert Strawbridge, the Irishman. He preached about the countryside, it being as much a felony for a Methodist preacher to preach as it was for a Catholic priest to say mass in his day in Maryland. We know that there were several well-known Irishmen who were among the first members of the first M. E. church, old Light Street, now Mount Vernon Place Church; among them being Patrick Colvin and Patrick Bennett. This Colvin afterwards was buried from the old Light Street church, which caught fire during his funeral, and was burned to the ground. His daughter founded the old Colvin Institute in his honor, and Colvin Street is named after him. He was an influential merchant as well as a leading Methodist.
The first mayor of the city, James Calhoun, was an Irish-American. The first secretary of the navy from Maryland was an Irishman, James McHenry, after whom the fort is named. It is well to remark that Fort Carroll is also named after Charles Carroll, the Irish-American. The first secretary of state and attorney-general from Maryland was Robert Smith, son of John Smith, the Irishman. Gen. Samuel Smith, the Revolutionary hero, who served more years than any other from this state in the United States Senate, also commanded the forces at the battle of North Point and the defense of Fort McHenry. The first and only chief justice of the United States from Maryland was Roger Brooke Taney, the Irish-American, who was also an attorney-general of the United States. One of the two secretaries of the navy from this state was John Pendleton Kennedy, the Irish-American. All of these facts serve to show that the Irish have played some part in public affairs in this city and state.
Past and present, the Irish element has been so closely identified with the history of Baltimore that it has played an important part in influencing every detail of the life of the city. Deny it as some will, the influence is still apparent in the city’s spheres, probably not so prominently as in the long ago, but still markedly. Prosperity has somewhat dulled the ambition of the local Gael, but that he is still in evidence, commercially, religiously, professionally, socially and industrially, the shallowest of investigations will prove. The readiness of the Irishman to assimilate with other nationalities in our country may have had something to do with the disappearance from the prominent places which they formerly occupied of the leading families of the city who bear the names of the splendid men who at one time led in the city’s advance. But considerable of the wealth and the influence of the city is still held by the descendants of these old pioneers, and by those who have succeeded them in the life of the City of the Calverts.