[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 145 (Monday, September 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13744-S13745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______


          THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOWN OF INDIAN HEAD, MD

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I would like to call to the 
attention of our colleagues celebrations that are underway to celebrate 
the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the town of Indian Head, 
MD. The mayor of Indian Head, Warren Bowie, along with the entire 
community, has planned several significant events to commemorate this 
propitious milestone.
  One of two incorporated townships in Charles County, Indian Head's 
history goes back much further than its date of incorporation in 1920. 
The territory now known as Indian Head was given to Lord Baltimore, and 
then to Gen. Charles Cornwallis, as part of a land grant made by the 
English King in 1736. Records later reveal that Cornwallis titled the 
land to George Washington in 1761.
  Older charts and maps dating from 1776 through 1866 indicate that 
Indian Head has had several names including Indian Point, Indian 
Headlands, and Indian Head Point. All of these names reflect the more 
popular tale of how the name Indian Head was bestowed upon the town. As 
the story is told, there was an Algonquin chief who had promised his 
daughter in marriage to the son of the chief of the neighboring 
Piscataway Tribe. Before the two children were united, the young woman 
met an Indian hunter who was traveling up the Potomac River from the 
Virginia Colony. The two immediately fell in love. The Algonquin chief, 
enraged at the disruption of the wedding plans, ordered the hunter to 
leave and never to return to the region again. The hunter vowed that he 
would come back for his love. His plans to return were discovered and 
foiled. The night he returned, he was ambushed by Algonquin warriors 
and beheaded. His head was placed on a spear and set in the sand as a 
warning to other trespassers. The very next day, the first white 
settlers came and discovered this monument. Hence the name Indian Head.
  Indian Head was slow to populate itself, largely due to the fact that 
the area was mainly marshland. But in 1890 the U.S. Navy decided to 
move its proving ground to Indian Head, primarily because of its 
location between the naval shipyards in Norfolk and the Washington Navy 
Yard on the Anacostia. As the installation at Indian Head grew, so did 
the town. When it became inevitable that the United States would become 
deeply engaged in World War I, Indian Head was given a large 
appropriation to expand its facilities to produce smokeless powder. The 
naval powder factory, which is now the naval ordnance station, provided 
the stimulus for the expansion of Indian Head.

[[Page S 13745]]

  Indian Head is a model of community spirit and cooperation. The 
activities that have been sponsored to commemorate this auspicious 
occasion exemplify the deep devotion of Indian Head's residents to the 
community. The spirit and enthusiasm of Indian Head's citizens have 
been the foundation of its success. These celebrations provide the 
opportunity to renew the dedication that has supported Indian Head 
throughout its history and helped it to develop into one of Maryland's 
most attractive communities.
  We in Maryland are fortunate to have an area as community-oriented as 
Indian Head. I join the citizens of Charles County in sharing their 
pride in Indian Head's past and optimism for continued success in the 
years to come.

                          ____________________