This 1739 petition was signed by many journeymen of the steel mill. Guards were necessary to protect the Conococheague Settlement, in particular Peter Studebaker's forging mill.
The steel produced there was worth its weight in gold. This was the only forging mill that existed to provide steel locally and to Baltimore. Guards transported gold and silver to pay for steel and protected the steel going back to Baltimore.
This 1739 petition caused Prince George County to become Frederick County in 1750 with an organized courthouse and sheriffs system. In 1776 it became Washington County.
Petition for Hagerstown government and court house was signed by Peter Studebaker in 1739 which established Peter Studebaker as instrumental in the establishment of the early government of what is today known as Washington County, Maryland.
This petition also establishes Peter Studebaker relocated to the Washington County area by 1739.
