Unionville, Talbot County, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Unionville is an unincorporated community in Talbot County
, Maryland
, United States
. Unionville is located on Maryland Route 370
4.5 miles (7.2 km) northwest of Easton
.
In Unionville, an historic marker reads: “Unionville: Historic African-American community settled by ex-slaves and free blacks. Many were in [the] Union Army in [the] Civil War; [the] village's name honors [these] local soldiers. Unionville grew after the war to nearly 40 buildings with [a] church and school. In [the] cemetery are 18 black soldiers who fought for the Union 1863-66.”
What the historic marker fails to mention is the courageous and progressive white men who made this village possible. Ezekiel and his son James M. Cowgill – Quakers who owned nearby Lombardy Plantation from 1856 – carved out a parcel of land for these veterans. Another of Ezekiel's sons, John Cowgill, also a Quaker, served as Captain in Company A, 108th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry, Army of the Cumberland. This is somewhat unusual for a Quaker, but demonstrates that sometimes even pacifists must fight for a just cause.
The Cowgills offered each of the eighteen veterans a plot of land for a dollar a year for thirty years. The land records show that the Cowgills intended not only to offer land for families but land to build a town. The Cowgills stipulated in their leases that the plot of land was offered to free blacks provided that they would build a church and a school house in their community. Starting in 1867, the first leases variously state that the land was at “Lombardy” or sometimes “Cowgillstown,” but from 1870 the leases read “the Village of Unionville.”
Thus the village today is known as “Unionville” in honor of the Union Army that the blacks credited with winning their freedom. “Cowgillstown” stands also as a tribute to Quakers Ezekiel, John and James M. Cowgill, who championed the cause for justice, freedom, dignity, better living conditions and community for blacks - during the Civil War and after Emancipation.
Talbot County, Maryland
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*81.4% White*12.8% Black*0.2% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.6% Two or more races*2.7% Other races*5.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, 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...
. Unionville is located on Maryland Route 370
Maryland Route 370
Maryland Route 370 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Unionville Road, the state highway runs from MD 33 near Easton to Miles River Road near Unionville. MD 370 connects Easton with the northwestern Talbot County villages of Unionville and Tunis Mills, which are...
4.5 miles (7.2 km) northwest of Easton
Easton, Maryland
Easton, founded 1710, is a town within the Easton District of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,708 at the 2000 census, and 14,677 according to current July 2008 census estimates. It is the county seat of Talbot County. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the...
.
In Unionville, an historic marker reads: “Unionville: Historic African-American community settled by ex-slaves and free blacks. Many were in [the] Union Army in [the] Civil War; [the] village's name honors [these] local soldiers. Unionville grew after the war to nearly 40 buildings with [a] church and school. In [the] cemetery are 18 black soldiers who fought for the Union 1863-66.”
What the historic marker fails to mention is the courageous and progressive white men who made this village possible. Ezekiel and his son James M. Cowgill – Quakers who owned nearby Lombardy Plantation from 1856 – carved out a parcel of land for these veterans. Another of Ezekiel's sons, John Cowgill, also a Quaker, served as Captain in Company A, 108th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry, Army of the Cumberland. This is somewhat unusual for a Quaker, but demonstrates that sometimes even pacifists must fight for a just cause.
The Cowgills offered each of the eighteen veterans a plot of land for a dollar a year for thirty years. The land records show that the Cowgills intended not only to offer land for families but land to build a town. The Cowgills stipulated in their leases that the plot of land was offered to free blacks provided that they would build a church and a school house in their community. Starting in 1867, the first leases variously state that the land was at “Lombardy” or sometimes “Cowgillstown,” but from 1870 the leases read “the Village of Unionville.”
Thus the village today is known as “Unionville” in honor of the Union Army that the blacks credited with winning their freedom. “Cowgillstown” stands also as a tribute to Quakers Ezekiel, John and James M. Cowgill, who championed the cause for justice, freedom, dignity, better living conditions and community for blacks - during the Civil War and after Emancipation.