The Shawnee village at Oldtown , Md. was King Opessa's Town-- later renamed Skipton by Col. Thomas Cresap, but the Indian name stuck & was later shortened to Oldtown. Opessa was a lesser chief of the Shawnee. I live here in Oldtown, which was the first white settlement in Allegany County, Md. I have found numerous artifacts over the years, as the Indian village was next to where I live, & the burial grounds are surrounded by the Methodist cemetery. Many of the treasures are in the Michael Cresap Museum, which , by the way is open today & tomorrow. Stop in & see history right next door to Hampshire County! Becci macbd1 wrote: > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "R. Wayne McGahuey" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 8:21 PM > Subject: [WVHAMPSH-L] Cemeterying: Hampshire County 250 Update > > > So let's start a t(h)read on the Indian Mound and how to locate or > identify them. > > Wayne, > > These mounds built throughout the eastern-southern-midwestern areas of the > present United States interest me, too. But not much is apparently known, > except that some were built possibly as early as 7,000 years ago, or maybe > 2,000 years ago, or maybe a few as recently as 500 years ago (copies by > 'modern' American Indians?) I have seen small (8' dia. x 6' high) mounds > along the Natchez Trace in MS to much larger mounds in my home state of > Illinois (all earthen) -- also very large ones in Ohio where they take the > form of animals/reptiles.........or in VA-KY-TN where they take the form of > much more recent Civil War batteries. I have never seen a historic man-made > mound constructed of rock, only earthern, except for pyramidal structures of > apparently very different ancient cultures. > > The mound at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney, WV is a wonderment at the > following link: > http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:wVnlPibt_DAC:www.wv.nrcs.usda.gov/water > shed/water/millcreek.pdf+Romney+West+Virginia+Indian+Mounds+Cemetery&hl=en&i > e=UTF-8 > > Other WV 'Indian Mound' info may be found at: > http://www.ibsgwatch.imagedjinn.com/learn/westvirginia.htm > including info of the Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney. > > This isn't pertinent to Hamshire Co. WV genealogy for most of us but there > might be one or two listees who had a 'Mound Builder' ancestor living near > present Romney a couple of milleniums or so ago... > > More recently was the large Shawanoe Indian village that encompassed the > present South Branch village (early trading post?) just east of the mouth of > the South Branch River where it merges with the North Branch to form the > 'main' Potomac River, and across the Potomac at this point east of Oldtown, > MD. A large Shawanoe village was also located west of Cumberland, MD at the > base of the mountains along the west (north) bank of the river, per c1700 > maps. These villages were abandoned by the Shawanoe (Shawnee) about 1730 > per my readings. > > Neil McDonald

Good morning ! Re: Hampshire/Frederick Co Deed book Abstracts. Could someone tell me the name of the book and the author who abstracted the Hampshire/Frederick Co. Deed books ? Are the books still available ? I once had the information but can not find it ?? maybe the author was Gilith ?? Thanks Bill