sunrise in a small city

mary katherine goddard

freshest advices both foreign and domestic
progress of the enemy
intelligence from europe
details of naval engagements
received by last nights mail
and from vessels arrived
reported to the public of baltimore-town.
true stories
current prices
newly open, to be sold, lost, letters left
from the woman at the printing office on market street across from the coffee house
who also delivered the mail through insurrection and war.
only to be dismissed
brand new corrupt government.
with ingratitude incivility injustice beyond description

market place at sunrise — (baltimore town’s first newspaper, started in 1773 on market street, was co-edited by ms. goddard)

a place apart

not within a half mile
for the reception of poor
vagrants, beggars, vagabonds, and other offenders
idle dissolute disorderly loiterers
who follow no trade, labor, or occupation
as shall be committed by justice.
especially for poor incapacitated by illness, old age, physical handicap, mental deficiency, or insanity
beds, bedding, tools, utensils, cows, horses, a doctor and his medicines
to acquire a livelihood.
for the successful trials of vaccination first on nancy then on others.
for beams of light in the dark grandeur of the soul.
intemperate or opiated
religiously perplexed or fanatic
ill
grief stricken by loss of affection or property
masturbating
indulgent of passion or pride
domestically unhappy.
supposed

alms at sunrise — (in 1773 the colonial legislature enacted a law for the establishment of an alms and work house outside baltimore town—the site selected was near howard, eutaw, and biddle streets)

in steigers meadow

dispense justice
promote virtue
guarantee harmony
preserve the law
respect property and neighbors
replace ignorance and superstition with knowledge of right and wrong.
inspect flour
cull staves and shingles
measure grain
weigh hay and cord wood.
receive specified fees

courthouse at sunrise — (the baltimore county seat was moved from joppa to baltimore town in 1768 and a courthouse was commissioned to be built on a bluff overlooking jones falls)

pillar hall

in uruk or harrisons marsh
butchers meat and other commodities
grains
fish
horses and humans
sundry goods
on wednesdays and saturdays.
public assemblies and dances and travelling shows.
jugglery

traffic at sunrise — (in 1763 a lottery was started to fund the building of a public market house near baltimore and gay streets)

water lots

to the channel of the river
that penetrated a ledge
wharves of pine cord
one thousand feet.
named when it ran fast and cold
and the channel was glens and gorges
stretching from sunrise to sunset

old pier at sunrise — (in 1759 two landowners built wharves from gay and lombard streets to avoid the cost of buying a waterfront lot)

le grand dérangement

people are
the land
trees
and animals.
brooks and babin and alexander
denys and doiron and brown
glode and gauterot and oliver.
refugees scatter in place and time
from land claimed by princes.
who would not annihilate can help build an alliance

alley at sunrise — (in the mid-1750s acadians fleeing british persecution left nova scotia and re-settled in colonies to the south, many around what became known as french alley)

back inhabitants

horse, cart, and wagon
clatter over the public bridge
between meadow and marsh
over the stream.
from west and north and east
spinners and weavers, tanners, millers and brewers
barbers and tailors and shoemakers
coopers and wheelwrights and carpenters
butchers and bakers
laborers.
midwives

freeway at sunrise — (jones town and baltimore town, connected by a public bridge over jones falls near gay street, merged in 1745 and were becoming a center of activity for colonists in counties to the north and west)

to the lords of trade

people had plantations on the water
for the convenience of trade
until it pleased god to increase them
so they would build more close and live in towns.
sixty acres of john flemings farm
with respect to trade
might soon become a flourishing place

site of farmhouse at sunrise — (baltimore town, established in 1729, was surveyed in 1730 and divided into 60 lots around the fleming farmhouse near baltimore and lombard streets)

deep water

he found deep water
forests of white oak
a gently sloping shore.
roads and women and men to come
as ships
assemble from visions and dreams

from fells point at sunrise — (in 1730 william fell established a shipyard on a tract named copus harbor, near what is now lancaster street)

lot 19

whatsoever person or persons within this province
shall blaspheme god
shall be punished with death,
no person professing to believe in jesus christ shall be troubled.
we studied the glory of god in assurance of victory.
a choir sings at lot 19
that he comes with trumpets proclaiming
and every island and sea and mountain shall flee away.
iroquois say we return thanks to the sun

saint pauls at sunrise — (in 1702 the church of england was established in the colony, and would later, continuing to now, occupy one of the original lots of the town)