Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-07-24
wa.hInelon,a nltlhpInoe 10 1s,s.


Efom its associations, aud from its natural
beauties as we'll. the place was doubly Interest,"
ing. Standing half mile from the junction OF
Pope's Creek with the Potomac River, it COM
manded view OF the Maryland shore and Of
the course of the Potomac for mauy miles. The
house was q low-pitched, single-storied fran o
dwelling, with four rooms on the first floor and
huge chimney at each end on the outsids-the
style OF the better class of houses OF those days.
A stone, placed here to mark it's site by G.. W.
p. Custis, bore the simple inscription
+" Here on The 11m Of Febug,y 60. 81, 1882,
George WdStatgtOI Uds DO. n"
SHch was its appearance in 1891 or 1885, when
Howe visited it. It's present condition may be
gathered from what the writer of the letter in
responce to the London querist has to say
about the site ITSELF aud being all that is left OF
place 80 memorable aud 80 deserving OF per-
petnation.
II have had no opportunity to obtain the
lch promised you Indeed, there is virtu-
all no material to make sketch of. The BIRTH
p,1ee ls now an old field lying waste, with indis-
iinct vestlges of human habitation. An old
chimney stands which belonged to an out house
(kitchen or laundry. some remains -of cellar,
AMI the foundation tf r honse in which tradition
states Washington was born There is a stone
slab, with a simple inscription, placed on the
spot some sixty years ago by G W. P. Oustis, to
mote the place, but it was long ago removed
fr m its original position. mutilated and broken,
so that ! fragment rem4ins"
That place of Huch int lrest-one might call
it sacred-should be left to decay and obtera-
tion is no new thing in Virginia. Enemies might
well declare that neglect Of her mighty dead is
characteristic OF the old commonwealth The
truth is, she has great many dead to care for,
aud of late years all her time has been absorbed
in the care of her living. But something has
b zen done, or attempted to be done, to rescue
Washington's birthplace from oblivion. As Il r
back as 1858 an act was passed by the General
Assembly OF Virginia. accepting from Lewis
Washington grant of the 'site of the birthplace
of George Washington. and the home and graves
OF his progenitors IN America" and appropriat-
ing five thousand dollars ito incose the same
in an iron fence" etc Hon Henry A. Wise,
Governor OF Virginia at the time this act was
lassed entered with zeal and alacrity upon the
work, the execution of which was entrusted to
him by the legislatuTe-went in person to West
moreland, examined carefully the sites, negota-
ted with th0 owner of the adjacent farm for
right Of way adopted plan for the Enclosures
aud tablets, aud began a correspondence with
mechanics and artisans at the North with view
to the speedy compilation Of the work, and-just
then his term expired, the war soon followed,
and the matter was OF course dropped.
The money appropriated, together with the
accrued interest, is now in the treasury of NIr-
ginia, and although Governor Walker in bis late
message did not bring the subject to the stten-
tion OF the Legislature, the long.deayed work
will be oonsummated sooner or later, and "a
neat iron fence" with few plain slabs will be
erected on the hallowed spot. But it strikes
rhe present writer that five thousand dollars
or even ten thousand dollars, form rather a
small sum for such an object and that "a neat
iron fence" is not exactly the thing that the
place and its memories demand. But not a dol
lar more may be expected OF Virginia at this
time. She owes too much, and has too little. II
one OF the many Northern gentlemen who are
lavIsbing their hundreds OF thousands on col
leges aud other charities would come to West
moreland and put something little better than
a meat iron fence" around the birthplace OF
Washington. he would do q noble deed for
himself and for both sections OF his lately es-
trauged couutIy.-FrOm "Our Monthly Gossip, -
ia Lippincotts Magazine for August.