The first of Boonsboro’s 44 half-acre lots was sold in 1792.  By 1801 the Eagle Hotel (now Inn Boonsboro) was built and a post office established.  Peter Conn, the proprietor of the new hotel was also the Town’s first postmaster.   At first, the town grew slowly; in 1803, 11 years after Boonsboro was established, only 24 houses had been built.  But the all-weather turnpike connecting Baltimore and the western settlements facilitated travel and trade and the town became an important trade center.  The population had grown to 707 by 1830, already 20% of today’s population.

Photo – Henry Neiman’s lot No. 12 real estate tax receipt for 1805-1808 dated December 15, 1808 and signed by George Boone. Courtesy Boonsborough Museum of History.