Soldiers Delight-Thomas Johnson Chapter, NSDAR

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded on October 11, 1890, by Mary Smith Lockwood, Ellen Hardin Walworth, Mary Desha, and Eugenia Washington, a great-grandniece of George Washington, not long after the centennial celebration of Washington's inauguration sparked a renewed interest in United States history. 

From this pioneering group of women to today's vibrant members, the Daughters of the American Revolution have carried the torch of patriotism. 

NSDAR is a non-profit, non-political, women's service organization that was founded on October 11, 1890, to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. To learn more about DAR, click here. 

DAR objectives are to.....

Preserve History - Helping to preserve America's cultural heritage for generations to come. 

Support Education - Securing America's future through education of today's youth. 

Promote Patriotism - For over 100 years, DAR has carried the torch of patriotism.

Soldiers Delight derives its name from Soldier Delight Hundred, of which records were found as early as 1660. It stretched from Elkridge Landing to Joppa and was patrolled by rangers from Fort Garrison. 

By 1794, the Soldiers Delight Hundred had been reduced to this western end of the county. The area we now call Soldiers Delight is the eroded serpentine barrens between the second and fourth election districts, and this is within the area of our chapter. 

In 1818, the world's first chrome was discovered here. These mines maintained the world's monopoly on chrome until 1850. Much of Soldiers Delight has now been purchased by the state as a park and is in existence today and continues in its natural state. 

Soldiers Delight, located in Owings Mills, Maryland, was used during the Revolutionary War by soldiers for rest. Today it is a 1900-acre nature area with a visitor center, hiking trails, and deer hunting areas. 

The above historical marker was erected in 1968 by Baltimore County Historical Society.

Thomas Johnson was a son of Thomas Johnson, Esq., and Dorcas Sedwick Johnson. He was born in Calvert County, Maryland, November 4, 1732. 

Johnson studied law in Annapolis, Maryland, and entered the provincial assembly in 1762. Opposed to British colonial policy, he was a member of several committees formed to draft memorials to the crown for redress of grievances and of the convention charged with organizing a colonial congress. He represented Maryland at the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia in September 1774. At the second congress it fell to him to nominate George Washington as commander in chief. Johnson supported conciliation with Great Britain but, once persuaded that the effort was fruitless, voted for the Declaration of Independence, helped frame the constitution of the state of Maryland, and, as the first brigadier general of the state militia, recruited 1,800 men to join Washington. 

He was elected the first governor of the state of Maryland in 1777 and was twice reelected, after which he served in the legislature. After the war, he and Washington formed a company to extend navigation of the Potomac River. He also served briefly in the Maryland ratification convention, where he supported ratification of the federal constitution, and then became chief judge of the General Court of Maryland. He was named by Washington to the U.S. Supreme Court and took his seat in 1792. Johnson wrote the first opinion of that court but, because of ill health, served only briefly. Appointed to the board of commissioners of Federal City, he was largely responsible for renaming it Washington in honor of his friend.