The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-10-13
HISTORICAL SCENES IN VIR-
GINA,


The Earliest English Settle
mems i'm America.
Extremely Interesting Accounts
A correspondent of the Cincinnati
Commercial, on visiting the sites of
jamestown and Hampton, Virginia,
wrote the following descriptions of
those spots of intense historical inter-
est: r... l-
I rode to the center of the most re-
markable relics on the continent.
i ST. JOHN s CHURCH.
I" Ais structure, venerable with its
tys a.Esndred and more of years, i'm
poses on our American moderness with
the weight of twenty European CEN
tur1es.
1t was reared in the days of Charles
II, jus, after Cromwell. The plan of
it is supposed to have been given by
Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of
William and Mary's College. The
bricks composing the walls were i'm
ported from Holland, and are harder
and handsomer still than those of the
houses erected on your streets yester-
day. They are fairly petrified by aye.
The mortar between them is so hard
that you scarcely flake it with pointed
steel. The church is built cruciform
in the softened Gothic style, its princi-
pal nave being more than hundred
feet in length the slope of its gables,
the rounded arch of its windows, and
the spacious circular apertures in the
wall above its doorways giving the
structure chastened beauty of arts
unknown in modern cities.
Place this piece of antiquity, built
two centuries ago by the poor but re-
weren't colonists of Hampton, any,
where along the streets of Cincinnati,
and it, though not large, would be the
most observable still for architectural
comeliness in your metropolis. Twice
have its altar and roof been swept
away by fire, and its walls have stood
rs firmly as they were made, surround
ed by ruined grave stones, and heavy,
dropping willows, the place impresses
you like an abbey 81 the most ancient
tune. J chould say that there was
hardly architectural relic in the UNI
ted States so imposing as this church
of St. John, in the town of Hampton.
Here in the earliest days of American
history, in the twilight of our civiliza-
ton. gathered for worship within its
walls, the naughty DANES and bold
cavaliers of Colonial Virginia.
All that was beautiful, or refined,
or noble of that early State, passed
under its Gothic doorways. For a
century before the Revolution, the
solemn ritual of the English Church
was repeated at its altars-and from
thence, for Charles or James, their
King were lifted for its worshipers 6
thousand prayers of royalty.
When the spirit of the Revolution
stirred the congregations of the ancient
church, they stood, after the Sunday
service, here under the stately trees
shadowing the enterance. pointing
significantly to the last English shiI
arrived in Hampton Roads with fresi
news of English tyranny, and whisper
ed rebellion against the throne. A
| century more, and their followers
pronounced it again in the same place
against the Republic, and looked b'
hind them to see the ancient walls hol
lowed out with fire. But from tn,
t Commonwealth under Cromwell to tn,
Commonwealth under Candy, tn,
walls have stood, spanning the arch o
50 many changes.
The church-yard cemetery is vii
derness Of weeds and broken tomb
stones. 1t is surrounded with hea
Wy ancient brick wall, and was occupi
s ed at one time during the war by
!, Butler and his troops. using the wal
4 rs defense and the lofty church tow
e er as signal station. The soldier
/ made ruinous havoc among the grave
4 stones. The oldest date recorded up
: on them is 1701, but doubtless many
: earlier ones have been dragged away
1 1 was told that in certain portion o
: this cemetery, up till the time of tn
: Revolution, when the republican spir
, it grew strong, the tombstones of tn
wealthier folks were habitually blazon
S ed with their family coat of arms. l
$ was supposed that every vestige o
these graves had disappeared, bu
: searching among the weeds in the de
$ signated place, I discovered severa
t of these records of the old time aristoc
&. racy. On one of them was homel
e motto of mixed Latin and French
Both just and true.
A circular addressed to the mont
: of June last, by the vestrymon of ST
d Johns Church, of Hampton, to tn
e Episcopal churches of the country, ap
: pealing for aid to restore the ediice t.
c its condition before the war, has me
). with partial success. A new roof ha
a gone over the old walls. and the build
e ing, amid all its desolation, promise
S to serve encther two centuries its ori
ginal purpose.
9 From the church-yard I went to tn
v Clerks Office of Hampton Court to eS
, anime the ancient register of the town
. which learned was kept there. Turn
: ing the leaves of a parchment-boun
+ book to the date of 1719, three hal
! centuries ago, there appeared 9Th
n presentment of the grand jury agains
q David Mallory and sundry citizens @
Hampton town, for not coming
+ church," with the record that "the.
q not appearing and excusing then
q selves" were fined each ''fifty pound
y of tobacco for the good of the cour