s had springs or cisterns.

In 1803 the first fire engine was purchased. Every house owner was
obliged to have as many leather fire buckets kept in the house as there
were stories to his home, to contain not less than two and a half
gallons of water each. The little oval metal placques one sees now and
then affixed to houses in Georgetown were, in those days, put only on
the houses of the members of the volunteer companies to denote that
"here lives a fireman." Later, in 1817, _The Vigilant_, a new fire
engine, was bought. Its house is still on High Street, just below
Bridge. Set in the wall down near the pavement is a stone with this
inscription:

BUSH
THE OLD FIRE DOG
DIED OF POISON
JULY 5TH, 1869
R. I. P.

Someone who remembers him tells me that he was a collie, and that he
went to every fire along with the engine. I think the men whose
companion he was, and who evidently loved him when they inscribed the
"R. I. P.," must have believed, as I do, that like the Jim in the poem
of that name by Nancy Byrd Turner, he would meet them joyously "on the
other side."

Of course, the fire engines in those days--1817, I mean--were drawn by
hand, and the old bucket-passing system was in vogue.

Farther uptown, on the corner of Gay and Market Streets, was the home
of The Potomac Fire Engine Company. There was great jealousy between the
two. While the fire was raging, both worked together beautifully, but as
soon as it was over, there was usually a fight.

South of the canal on High Street stood the Debtors' Prison. This was
the only prison in the lower part of Montgomery County, although the
county court was held at Rockville, and there the cases were tried. At
one time the town clerk of George Town got tangled up in his money
matters and was placed in this prison where he languished until his
friends made good his debts. A report was made to the Town Council that
he could not perform his duties because he was in jail! Nothing now
remains but a part of the old stone wall.

Here is a description of some of the houses offered for sale:

Together or separate, 2 handsome dwelling houses, situated in George
Town on Potomack, they contain 5 rooms with fire place, four bed
chambers, two closets, and have two handsome piazzas. A kitchen near
the house, a bake house, two rooms for domestics, a stable, coach
house, a beautiful (falling) garden, ornamented with terraces, well