Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-07-09
letter from LoutIoun Co.

Correspondence of the Alexandria Gazette.
; LEEsBuRG, VA.,. July 6, tS72.-On the.
4th ,of;Jhly, with a party Of yonifg girls, we
made trip from Leesburg over good portion
Of southwest Toudoun Our first visit was
made to the'"0ld Dominion Cheese Factory.
at Hamilton, where we saw only the minellng
Eof the various imilkings as: they came from the
farmers. IT is all run through s,raluer lbto
an Immense box say Axis feet aud two feet
deep, where il is continually stirred until the
proper temperature is supplied by i boiler IN
an adjacent room, when the rehnet is applied
After the whey has been separated and drawn
off by spiggots the curds are removed to another
box, having Sits in the bottom, and into which
a cloth is placed covering the whole bottom.
Through this cloth the remaining whey drains
until the curds have assumed conSistencc to b:
Fremoved into the presses, whore they undergo
further squeezing: and, at the proper time,
are removed to an upper room where they are
dried until fit for market The excellence Of
this cheese is too we'll appreciated to make it
necessary to dilate upon it. 1t will drive out
of our market all other cheese. as it is made
entirely of milk as it comes from the cow re.
fined By straning! To solitary man like my
self the house and all the fxiUgs were painfully
clean. 4 farmer puts the mix in cans and
places them, early in the morning, on plat
form near his housr: neighbour comes along
with one horse wagon.puS the can in it, goes
on gets another can, until his load is complct-
ed, and after cmptying the can at the factory,
returns it to the PLATFORM.
| | must not omit to mention in terms ct high
praise the pretty village Of Hamilton. Situated
on the I4ce>bnrg and Sncker>ville Turnpike
six miles above LceSburs and three quarters OF
mile from Hamilton Station on the ". 4 q.
| r. r. with houses set back from the turnpike
forty or fifty feet. and say un from each
ether; it is one of the most delightful locking
places have ever seen. 1t is Il stirring place,
having good coach factory wagon maker 5
shops, blacksmith and turner's shops, and
those of other trades, with TWO or more stores.
As good as any, if not the best shoes in the
county are made here. Two trains day con-
meet with Alexandria and Washington. The
country around this village is very productive
and new industries are sprlnglng up from time
10 time. There age two mills within ml'e OF
rhe station and probably mile and hal! from
the village.
Continuing our journey to Taylor's Gross
| Read, We were scarcely ever out Of sight OF Il
neat dwelling, and school houses every now
and then Salutcl our ears With their pleasant
| hum.
omitted to mention the Loudoun Valley
Academy. very fine school, nuicr the care ot
an excellent qualified principal, }. *. Taylor.
with good assistants.
Turning off from the turnpike We wended
our way through Lincoln, where Is the Friends
Grove Greek meeting house near which ais" i
Springvale boarding house and T. ID. Taylor
4 Son s plough factory and iron foundry, and
what was in Iardlcy TayIors time the lou
doun Nursery, &c.
Towards Mount Gica,l: occasionally catching
glimpse of the Blue Ridge, and our eyes re-
ioicing at the unexpectedly fine size of the
growing corn. but rather diShcartcnca at the
DISTANCE between the shocks of wheat, some
fields presenting Il fair appearance and others
almost realizing the grim joke OF the Loud"un
boys. who were acting as guard to some prison
ers who were going to Richmond. They ban
tered SOME Stafford men for race Of l. ~ yards,
and having no convenient way ol measuring it.
| the Stafford men proposed to run trcm wheat
| shock to wheat shock, to which the Loudoun
men strennouSIy objected as TOO great a dis.
lance. The chivalrous blood of Stafford boiled
over at the insult. and was only cooled down
By the profer Of treats all round from the
Loudoun men.
From Mt Gilcad we viewed the landscape
o or. our eyes ranging over the country from
the Sugar Loaf Mountain in Frederick coun-
~, Ma, over the comparatively champaign
! country of east Loutiuun along the Negro
Mountain to the Bull Run Moun'aruS and
over the beautiful Fauquier country to The Big
the Blue Ridge to the Maryland Heights near
Harper Ferry. the view occasionally broken
| by the Short Hill mountain in Loudoun and
thence along the Catoctin range, in Maryland.
and over the rolling lands of Frederick county to
the beginning, the whole panorama being dl-
versiied with cleared land and open country.
rich in grass and Indian corn, and teenllng
under the recent rains with all the elements OF
rich abundance. We descended the mountain
about 400 feet in mile aud rested at Coc
mill during the noon tide heats. Here Har-
mon kephart and B. T. Boyn are thoroughly
repairing the mill for the purpose Of turning 1t
| into grist mill and a WOODEN factory. The wa
ter power THAT of Beaverdam) is good one,
the wheel being breast wheel. 1t is distant
from Lcesburg by Way Of Carriers mill and the
Leesburg and Aide turnpike, about miles
| The proprietors expect to get INTO 1t IN about
two months. Success attend this and all other
| industries tending TO make Us sef-supportng.
The characteristic OF our people Is to 10 safe
business, leaving the speculative sometimes
! most profitable and sometimes most uls:StrupSJ
work to Others From CoeS mill We proceed
ed on our way to the Louloun Marble Quarrles
which we found on the margin OF Goose Creek,
accessible to the Greek for water power in part
and for steam mills to any desirable extent, aud
with IA fine site for town The distance from
the Creek to the foot Of the mountain Is prob
ably 900 feet. and up aud down the Greek
for building sites much more. The marble has
been bored for and tested for 2,001 feet in dis
lance up and down the Greek, and promises to
be in large abundance aud of good aud, per
haps. very fine quality. There is consider
able quantity now waiting transportation by
wagon to Lcesburg. where it will be shipped to
a market That already quarIlcd Is: as | was
informed by the agent in charge of the works.
excellent material for windows and door caps,
and .,nges, from blue through flesh and rose
co!ored TO pure white. The last named is the
quality they are working for. The blocks vii!
vary from ten to forty cubic feet in bulk, and
| the largest is about six feet long. 1t was hoped
| to have had some OF this marble hauled to the
railroad, but our Loudoun farmers, with an eye
to the safe business named above, are waiting
n r.. nj.