The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1869-08-14
Editorial Correspondence.
JORDAN SPRINGS, VIRGINIA, /
Aup 9th 1869

IN trip to the Shenandoah Valley. The Bal
,imore and Ohio Railroad Company had ten
Tered us free ride on the occasion, and DR..
Jordan, proprietor of the celebrated Sulphur
Springs bearing his name, had offered us the
Inequalities of his house. The Railroad Com
pany had offered US a special car for the ex-
cursion, but we found two in waiting, one fine
passenger coach, and the other arranged as an
eating car, with chairs, tables, lounges, &C.
The Company had also provided an excellent
for us on the cars, crabs, chick
ems, sandwiches, fruits, wines and liquors, CT
CARS, &C., and had sent with us Mr.. Edward
Potts, former newspaper man, but Who'll now
private secretary to President Garrett. This
gentleman remained with us all the time, and
had our cars removed to whatever point on the
road we named, and did everything in his pow
err to contribute to our comfort.
The following editors compose the party now
with us George w. Wilson, Marlboro Gazette;
George Cotton, Annapolis Republican Will II.
Lowdermilk Cumberland CiUilian I; VIM. W.
Busted, Centreville Observer; J.Henry John
son, Dorchester Neaos Charles Cole, Frederick
Union; John A. Murray and - Healey,
Cumberland Times J, Robert WATSON, Hagers-
town Mail; Elijah Wells, Port Tobacco Times
j. D. Waters, Hartford Democrat; E. e. Ewing,
Cecil Wing; Geo. W. Cruikshank, Cecil Demo-
crat j; DR.. Charles E. Tarr, Denton journal; G..
II. Keefer, Frederick Examiner; W. II. Van
derford, Westminster AdUocate; Chas. A. Con
ner Baltimore County Union VIM. H. Ruby.
MARYLAND Journal; B. Everett Smith, Worces-
ter Shield S. s. Mills, Maryland Farmer; -
Meaney, Baltimore american John W. Baugh-
man, Frederick Citizen, and Beale IL. Richard
son, formerly of the Baltimore Argus.
The party left Baltimore with the regular
train at SIS on Friday morning, Messrs. Thts.
Baldwin, Sheriff, and F. C. Fossitt and Benz.
Gorsuch, Commissioners Of Gus county, accom-
panying us as far as Marriottsvlle. At Har-
pers Ferry we determined to rest awhile, in
order to give our party an opportunity to tho
roughly view this far-famed locality. Somuch
has been said of this place, of its immense wa
ter power, of its towering hills and deep gor-
ges, that it is scarcely worth while to repeat
them here. The main point of attraction was
Jefferson's rock, an immense mass of granite,
which iuts far at over the hill on which it is
situated TIL is tradition that on this rock
Jefferson wrote his "Notes on Virginia" but if
he did he must have been fond of writing
while in an uncomfortable position. Through
the kindness of an acquaintance, portion of
our party was provided with a pair of fine
horses and carriage, and we started on tour
of observation, visiting Bolivar Heights, Hall
town and Charlestown, places noted as having
been the theatres of stirring events during the
late war. Many of the traces Of that contest,
particularly on Bolivar, have been obliterated,
but some of the breastworks and forts remain
as when we left them sixyears ago. At Charles
town we were kindly entertained BY the Mess.
Gallagher, proprietors Of the Free Press, and
by the editors of the Spirit of Jefferson. To
the young Messrs. Gallagher our thanks are
especially due for courtesies rendered; of their
father we may speak hereafter. We returned
to the Ferry, had an excellent dinner, and
about five o'clock left for Winchester, which
place we reached about eight o'clock and at
once proceeded to the Taylor House, where we
found excellent quarters awaiting us. On Sat-
urday morning, under the conduct of Maj or
Hunter and Mr.. Beall, of the Winchester Times
and Mr.. Gallagher, Senior, Of the Charlestown
Free Press, we visited the various objects of
interest in and around the town, and later in
the day Messrs. Smith, Ewing, Waters, Van
derford, Busted, johnson and ourself procured
a conveyance and rode ten miles up through
the Valley, on the Stras burg pike. This love-
ly valley shows prominently the marks of the
bosom of destruction which swept over it
Fences are the rare exception; barns are still
scarcer, and everywhere may be seen the sites
of houses destroyed by the demon of fire. But
yet there were pleasant sights to witness. The
people have gone to work, and the thousands
of stacks of wheat which met our gaze on every
side attested to the tremendous capacity of this
valley as grain producing region. The corn
is very much injured by drowth, and there
will not be half crop. Having no fences, the
people are compelled to herd their cattle, and
find the expense OF this far less than that of
keeping up fences. There were some fine pla-
ces, however, in our route, well fenced and i'm
proved, the residences Of yankees" who had
settled there. The serious need of this valley
is wood. The different armies that occupied it
during the war literally stripped it of timber
of every kind, rendering the building of fem
ces, &C., an exceedingly expensive operation.
The railroad to Winchester is now being con-
tinued to Strasburg, some eighty miles further
up the valley, and when this is done, building
material can be transported from a distance.
The people there should wait for this, and leave
The young timber, already growing finely, for
The use of future generation. We took many
notes of our observations in this valley, and
intended to include them as part of this let
ter, but SO many subsequent incidents are to be
noticed that we must leave them for future
occasion.
Returning to Winchester, we were met by
Rev. Mr.. Averitt, the proprietor of the Dunbar
Female Seminary, celebrated institution for
the education of females. He conducted us 70
his residence, where refreshments were fur
nished and an interesting con versation indLl
ged in. This entertainment was furnished in
the handsome grounds Of the institution, on an
old fort, which had been erected in 1852, under
the supervision of George Washington, as a de-
fence against the Indians. While standing on
this spot, eloquent with memories of the far
past, Mr.. Averitt gave us many interesting par
ticulars of the scenes around us, pointing out
" the Blue Ridge on our right, the North Noun
" tains on our left, and the Massanutten in the
" distance" We then accompanied Major
Hunter TO hi 'esidence, where another fine
entertainme awaited us.
Winchester is situated in the lower Shenan-
doah Valley, and is the present terminus of
the railroad from Harper's Ferry. Seven turn
pixies leave it in different directions. 1t con-
tains about fifteen thousand inhabitants, and
finest Masonic hall we ever saw. There are
three newspapers published there, the NeaOs,
Times and Journal, the latter being Republican
in politics and under the control of Mr.. Crane,
late Republican candidate at large for Con-
gresham. We found this gentleman engaged
vigorously at work, printing bills for gentle
man who wished to buy sumac. Weare indebted
to the proprietors of the above journals, to Mr..
Hironimus, of the Taylor House, to Mr.. Will
hanson, and other gentlemen for courtesies
rendered. Particularly are we under obliga-
tons to Major Hunter for his kindness, who
treated us like gentleman, Notwithstanding
his subsequent remark that 'the party was
cline one, although it did contain three or four
UscallaWaps" instancino "Conner Keefer and