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The Scriveners were in Friendship before the town even existed. Richard Scrivener's three sons--John, William, and Richard--are recorded in the Register of St. James Parish, which encompassed the area that would become the town of Friendship, in 1709, 1711 and 1713 respectively.
John Scrivener purchased two tracts in the area--Trent and Gowry Banks--in 1746, the earliest record of Scrivener land holdings. As the modern map shows, the properties abut the current town of Friendship.
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John's son Francis purchased several more tracts in the area including almost 600 acres of Carter Bennett (See Plat). In 1811, Francis's son John Scrivener purchased even more of the tract, which bordered on Herring Bay about a mile east of Friendship, from the estate of William Wood.
In 1856, John's son William Boswell Scrivener purchased Holly Hill, just outside the village (marked on the map above) and raised his twelve children there. This 1856 sale of John Scrivener's property mentions Friendship and also the adjoining property of John's sons Samuel and William Scrivener.
The village of Friendship was officially founded in 1804. According to an account by Isaac Simmons, the founder of the town, in the late 18th century, the area was used for public sporting events and had no buildings. Simmons attributes the founding of the town to religious fervor. About 1785 David Weems collected money to build a gathering place called "Weems Preaching House." In 1804, Isaac Simmons purchased property near the Preaching House and built some small cottages, adding to his holdings in the next two years. As Simmons noted, "the place bid fair to prosper," and "much ado was made in naming this fair place."
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In 1890, Robert S.D. Jones (grandson of the founder Isaac Simmons) wrote an account of his years in Friendship, spanning the years from 1825 to 1862. Jones came from Baltimore via packet boat (the only available transportation) to work in his uncle George Simmons' store. He describes a lively village with a number of residences and stores, a blacksmith shop, a wheelwright, tailor, shoemaker, saddler and harness maker.
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Friendship today covers about 1.79 square miles and has a population of 447. No Scriveners live there any more (although many live in Anne Arundel County), but the Scriveners are remembered by a road opposite the town named Scrivener Drive.
Anne Arundel County has recently recognized Friendship's significance as an early community gathering place with a new historic marker.
Historic Friendship Crossroads . Est. ca 1800
This commercial cross roads in southern Anne Arundel County has been an important gathering place since the late 17th century. It is located near to the fleeting 17th century port of "Herrington", and near one of the County's most significant historic homes and plantations, Holly Hill.
Friendship was well-established by the 18th century, populated mostly by those of the Quaker faith, whereby the town got its name. Quakers were referred to as "Friends." By the Civil War, the town was a thriving commercial hub. Though quieter today, as the main Route 2 thoroughfare bypassed the town in the 1970s, the charming town still boasts many historic homes, and several commercial and religious buildings. One of the oldest is the Friendship parsonage, built ca 1804 and now lovingly restored to house a local antique shop.
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