Ironsides, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Ironsides is an unincorporated community
or "post village" in Charles County
, Maryland
, United States
with zip code 20643. The Post Office was established in 1897 and remained open until at least 1976. Today Ironsides area residents have Indian Head
or Nanjemoy
addresses. The nearby historic post offices of Nanjemoy and Doncaster, dating from 1800 and 1855, are often associated with historical records of Ironsides. The elevation is 126 feet (38.4 m). The origin of the name of the town is unclear; it's either a reference to the Frigate USS Constitution
, known as "Old Ironsides", or to iron siding on a house renovated there in 1886. Nearby, Old Durham Church (est. 1692) is a local landmark; originally a log structure, it was replaced with brick in 1732 and renovated in 1791. Revolutionary War General William Smallwood
and colonial Governor William Stone are buried there. Smallwood was elected vestryman at Old Durham Church in 1788, and built a road from his home at Mattawoman Plantation in modern Rison, to the church. "Smallwood Church Road" today is a paved two-lane road running from Rison to Ironsides. During the colonial period, the Ironsides area was divided up into small farms with colorful names: Ward's Delight, Ward's Addition, Wards Trouble, Ingerthorpe/ Ingerstone/ Angerstone/ Ingolthorpe (variously spelt), Charlestowne, Ragged Chance, Randolphs Addition, Senas Delight, Dembar Addition, the Land Resurveyed, Franklins Beginning, Expectation, and Moles Adventure.
The most prominent public buildings in Ironsides today are the tiny Ironsides Store, the Ironsides Volunteer Rescue Squad Company 58, and the historical Church of the Lord Jesus Christ
. In 1966 the Ironsides Rescue Squad Inc. was declared by the State of Maryland to be in forfeiture for payment of taxes or filing an annual report. The town is at the crossroads of Maryland Route 6
(Port Tobacco Road) and Maryland Route 425
. Route 425 is called Ironsides Road south of Ironsides, and Mason Springs Road to the north. This latter section of road, running to Pisgah, was known as the "Johnnie Cake Road" in 1918. The concrete arch bridge on Route 6 over nearby Wards Run was built in 1929 and rehabilitated in 1987. The town is along Maryland Scenic Byways Number 16, the Religious Freedom Byway, on the way to Durham Church. The Charles County Genealogical Society Cemetery Transcription Project has inventoried the Gray family cemetery at Mansion Hall in Ironsides, which is a ruin dating from 1700 at a site called "The Mistake", which consisted of 227 acre (0.91863722 km²) in 1732.
In 1914, a wealthy retired stockbroker, Thomas W. Poole, made the news when he committed suicide at his estate in Ironsides.
In 1948, Maryland became the twentv-first state to join the "American Tree Farm" movement, with the dedication of a 1,278-acre tract of forest owned by the Glatfelter Pulpwood Company
, still a major landholder in the Ironsides area.
In 1953, a 27-year-old volcanologist who grew up in Ironsides, Dr. Rolf Werner Juhle, vanished in the "Valley of 10,000 Smokes", Katmai National Monument, Alaska. His body was never found. His family owned a tobacco and cattle farm in Ironsides.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
or "post village" in Charles County
Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with zip code 20643. The Post Office was established in 1897 and remained open until at least 1976. Today Ironsides area residents have Indian Head
Indian Head, Maryland
Indian Head is a town in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 3,422 at the 2000 census. It has been the site of a naval base specializing in gun and rocket propellants since 1890. Production of nitrocellulose and smokeless powder began at the Indian Head Powder Factory in 1900...
or Nanjemoy
Nanjemoy, Maryland
Nanjemoy is a settlement along Maryland Route 6 in southwestern Charles County, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding large rural area more or less bounded by Nanjemoy Creek to the east and north, and the Potomac River to the south and west. It and the creek draw their names from a Native...
addresses. The nearby historic post offices of Nanjemoy and Doncaster, dating from 1800 and 1855, are often associated with historical records of Ironsides. The elevation is 126 feet (38.4 m). The origin of the name of the town is unclear; it's either a reference to the Frigate USS Constitution
USS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
, known as "Old Ironsides", or to iron siding on a house renovated there in 1886. Nearby, Old Durham Church (est. 1692) is a local landmark; originally a log structure, it was replaced with brick in 1732 and renovated in 1791. Revolutionary War General William Smallwood
William Smallwood
William Smallwood was an American planter, soldier and politician from Charles County, Maryland. He served in the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of major general...
and colonial Governor William Stone are buried there. Smallwood was elected vestryman at Old Durham Church in 1788, and built a road from his home at Mattawoman Plantation in modern Rison, to the church. "Smallwood Church Road" today is a paved two-lane road running from Rison to Ironsides. During the colonial period, the Ironsides area was divided up into small farms with colorful names: Ward's Delight, Ward's Addition, Wards Trouble, Ingerthorpe/ Ingerstone/ Angerstone/ Ingolthorpe (variously spelt), Charlestowne, Ragged Chance, Randolphs Addition, Senas Delight, Dembar Addition, the Land Resurveyed, Franklins Beginning, Expectation, and Moles Adventure.
The most prominent public buildings in Ironsides today are the tiny Ironsides Store, the Ironsides Volunteer Rescue Squad Company 58, and the historical Church of the Lord Jesus Christ
Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith
The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith is a Oneness Pentecostal church organized in 1919.The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as it is most commonly known, was organized by Robert C. Lawson. Lawson, a protégé of G.T...
. In 1966 the Ironsides Rescue Squad Inc. was declared by the State of Maryland to be in forfeiture for payment of taxes or filing an annual report. The town is at the crossroads of Maryland Route 6
Maryland Route 6
Maryland Route 6 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from a dead end at the Potomac River in Riverside east to MD 235 in Oraville. MD 6 connects several small communities in southern Charles County and northern St. Mary's County with U.S. Route 301 in La...
(Port Tobacco Road) and Maryland Route 425
Maryland Route 425
Maryland Route 425 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 6 near Nanjemoy north to MD 224 in Mason Springs. MD 425 connects Nanjemoy and Ironsides with Pisgah and Mason Springs in western Charles County...
. Route 425 is called Ironsides Road south of Ironsides, and Mason Springs Road to the north. This latter section of road, running to Pisgah, was known as the "Johnnie Cake Road" in 1918. The concrete arch bridge on Route 6 over nearby Wards Run was built in 1929 and rehabilitated in 1987. The town is along Maryland Scenic Byways Number 16, the Religious Freedom Byway, on the way to Durham Church. The Charles County Genealogical Society Cemetery Transcription Project has inventoried the Gray family cemetery at Mansion Hall in Ironsides, which is a ruin dating from 1700 at a site called "The Mistake", which consisted of 227 acre (0.91863722 km²) in 1732.
In 1914, a wealthy retired stockbroker, Thomas W. Poole, made the news when he committed suicide at his estate in Ironsides.
In 1948, Maryland became the twentv-first state to join the "American Tree Farm" movement, with the dedication of a 1,278-acre tract of forest owned by the Glatfelter Pulpwood Company
Glatfelter
Glatfelter is a global manufacturer of specialty papers and engineered products, headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. U.S. operations include papermaking facilities in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, and Chillicothe and Fremont, Ohio...
, still a major landholder in the Ironsides area.
In 1953, a 27-year-old volcanologist who grew up in Ironsides, Dr. Rolf Werner Juhle, vanished in the "Valley of 10,000 Smokes", Katmai National Monument, Alaska. His body was never found. His family owned a tobacco and cattle farm in Ironsides.