WELCOME TO THE TOWN OF RISING SUN
From its crossroads genesis in the 1720s until the Mason-Dixon
Line was established in 1765, the town now known as Rising Sun was
actually located in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The taxes were
paid in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and all the early deeds and
records are still recorded there. The town occupied part of what
were the controversial “Nottingham Lots” claimed by William Penn
and given to his Quaker friends in 1702 over the vigorous objection
of Maryland’s Calverts. Messrs. Mason and Dixon settled the dispute
by determining that the area in question was indeed a part of
Maryland.
Records show that, around 1720, Henry Reynolds established a
stone tavern on Nottingham Lot No. 17 to serve as a stage stop.
Over the entrance was a swinging sign depicting the rays of the sun
at dawn and the lettering THE RISING SUN. It was around this busy
tavern that the village of Summer Hill began to grow.
Located along the direct route between Baltimore and
Philadelphia, the tavern enjoyed growth in its popularity as a
meeting place for business deals, political maneuvering, elections,
and sundry other activities. Travelers and locals alike adopted the
habit of saying “We’ll meet at The Rising Sun.” The phrase was so
entrenched by the time the town’s first post office was established
around 1815, that Summer Hill yielded to Rising Sun as the official
name of the place. It is likely that the post office was actually
located in the tavern.
Soon after the town’s incorporation in 1860, the commissioners
constructed slate sidewalks, erected coal-oil street lamps, and
hired a lamplighter, who doubled as bailiff and street maintenance
man. Six years later, the Baltimore Central Railroad began to serve
Rising Sun, and the pace of growth accelerated. Most of the town’s
current structure has been built since then. Today, Rising Sun is
the business hub of a large area of farmland and rolling
countryside encompassing most of the northwest corner of Cecil
County. While the population of the town itself is only about
1,600, that of the surrounding rural area is more than 25,000.
Small in size but big in heart, Rising Sun truly is, as the town
seal declares, a Small Town Extaordinaire.
Thanks to CodyHollowFarm for helping with this hide!
