If it weren’t for the Paca (pronounced: pay’-kuh) family, Harford County would have been a different place. The United States might not have even been the same. This family personified the American Dream long before the term existed.
When Robert Paca arrived in Anne Arundel County from England in the 1600’s, he came as an indentured servant. When the man to whom Robert was indentured died, he married the wealthy widow. His son Aquila and his grandson John would both go on to marry well. Great-grandson William married not one, but two moneyed women.
Little could Robert have imagined that his great-grandson would one day become the governor of the state of Maryland, in the United States of America. He died before the dawn of the 18th century.
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John Paca was the architect of the town of Abingdon. It was laid out in 1779 on a portion of the 630-acre property he owned, called Paca’s Park. It was two miles from the county seat at the time, located at , thus it enjoyed a convenient location.
Not only did Abingdon have a silversmith, a gunsmith, three cabinetmakers, a potter and an undertaker, they also boasted a maker of silk hats. Plus, goods from the West Indies were available. It was later the home of the first newspaper in the county, Abingdon Patriot, which began printing in 1805.
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William Paca was born into a life of privilege just outside of Abingdon, in 1740. He was schooled at home until he was 15, and then he was sent to study for a degree at what we now know as the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating in 1759, he began to study law. Five years later, he was practicing in Annapolis. Anne Arundel and later Queen Anne’s Counties would be his home. His estate was called Wye Hall.
This background afforded Paca not only the education but the intellect to use it, as well. This combined with social and political connections would serve him well—and in turn, the state and the country.
Paca’s political career began in 1766 as a councilman in Annapolis. He was later elected to the House of Burgesses in 1771, where he served as the voice of the people. In 1774, he was a member of the First Continental Congress that convened and was there decided, “To effect one general plan of conduct, operating on the commercial connections to the colonies with the mother country, for the relief of Boston, and the preservation of American liberty.”
The following year, the American Revolution began in earnest. Surprisingly, in 1776, Maryland was not in favor of the Declaration of Independence. Many here still felt some sort of loyalty to England. However, on June 28, the Maryland convention decided to allow the delegates to cast their votes as they saw fit.
Paca signed, along with three others from Maryland one of whom was Samuel Chase, a long-time political ally and Annapolis colleague.
From 1777 to 1779, Paca served in the Senate, as well as being appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Maryland in 1778. In 1780, he was named the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals.
In 1782, he became Maryland’s third governor elected under the Constitution of 1776. He served three one-year terms, which was the mandatory maximum number allowed at the time.
Although he was elected, Paca refused to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787. However, he did attend the Ratification Convention as a representative from Harford County the following year, where he proposed 28 amendments in an attempt to secure personal freedoms. The Federalist Party majority denied his proposals.
Paca continued his life of public service and, in 1789, was appointed by the brand-new President George Washington as Judge of the District Court of the United States for Maryland, a position which he held until his death in 1799, at the not-so-ripe-old-age of 60.
Harford County’s own native son is honored locally through a National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Gov. William Paca Chapter.
This sign is located on Route 7, across from William Paca Elementary School, on the grounds of the William Paca Business Park. It was erected by The Governor William Paca Chapter D.A.R. Harford County, Maryland in 1930, which is when the Historic Markers project began in Harford County.
Coming next week: Cokesbury College. It was the first of its kind in the world.
Do any Paca relatives still live in the area? Tell us in the comments.