Crisp family papers

In the mid 19th century, the Crisp family owned a large portion of land on what is now Wagner’s Point, just east of Fairfield, Maryland. In 1849, following the death of the family patriarch, Richard O. Crisp (?-1849), the estate was divided amongst his widow, Mary Ann, and their four sons, Richard Owen (1828-1881), Nicholas Ian (1828-?), Frederick Grafton (1836-?), and Robert Owen (1840-?). This property included the family farm outside of Fairfield, three town houses in Baltimore on the southwest corner of Broadway and Lombard St., and twenty-five slaves. According to the 1850 census, the Crisp farm was estimated at $16,000. In 1857, Richard Owen Crisp II was credited with funding and building the ‘Long Bridge’ over the mouth of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River.

Son of Frederick Grafton Crisp, Rear Admiral Richard Owen Crisp (1861- 1951) served for 40 years in the Coast Guard. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American War where he saw action as an ensign aboard the Wisdom. He also received national merit for his actions saving the members of the shipwrecked U.S. Tacoma in 1914.