Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-09-04
Alexandria and Vicinity.

There Is charm in these Southern towns, |
old time a. they are, that Is very attractive to
those accustomed to the progress and change OF |
the ever advancing North and the wealth OF
ivy climbing up the Old walls 10 the @;..ics and |
steer, roof, where the duIGlul Wlud4wS have |
an outlook gives 4 rustic beauty aud iaS:iua- |
ton TO structures humble il themselves and |
seemingly belonging to ages long gone By. Aud |
yet, time has changed uauy spots whose asso-
Citations with war days are rapidly passing into |
history, aud IL lew years history aUut vii
recall them. The Marshall House, tic scene
OF ElI>worth's tragi death, has been modern |
ICED, and the old slave pen which StC0d souc
years after the war c!5>c;I, has disappeared. |
remember this as y large, los builiiug, with
white washed walls aud several rooms Earg"
and small La some Of these, the evidence vi
the arrangements i3r the punishment vi re-
iractury ''chaltles' st'.! rcuialncd, over which
the visitor wondered and c0unln"nlod eXi;c<s-
ing belief i uub2tici IN their actual use.
Not far a.lyy Is the Soldiers Cemetery. Oh
pretty spot, with we'll kept walks + wereG
bordc aud >hru5bcry. beautliyiu@ tie stst
ing place OF many oi those whose death gave
lite.
In another part Of the town s!anIS the OiG-
est church. where Washington responded 10
served, and is net unlike the more ;DoIcrn
Episcopal cdiice, and, like the old fashioned
village church, mas its yart! III which there are
humber o. gray slabs bearing dates. marking
.hcu over century in age. These I,cad stones
have ioug since ccas1l 10 stand upright, but
lean, as II ready AT any moment 10 bow do.h
and he hidden in the long grass winch takes
dai kcr richer green from ;hc shades ut the ili!c
old trees above Il your aiu!'ltlpu leads yuu ~
stand where " asniugtUl stood. you nay enter
the pew still CALEB is, aud often occupied by As
pring visitors during tho s":yice, Wno iii tai,
way may increase or rcncw Their vcncratlpu 10:
this great aud good mau, whose greatness an,!
guuaucSs would. lear, soUa aucclmD ~ me
emergencies OF the prcscat DAY. but II l. on
the exterior OF this church where one must
look for its antiquity, hold Gy the bricks 81
which it Is bult. and brought IRON j. gland
before our venerable aLc"stnrS had gotten INTO
brick making here. Impnrting building maze
rla!S by our TT steamers now would ,e low,
but what was IT thea by ,ai!tag vessels lAakln@
voyage oi several mJuth>.
Alexandria has lis resident arlStocracy and
COUNTS macy whose family prit" wlth the
family name has cone down lhrou1i, long
liur, which under h4 Cl! regime possessed
muct wealth and influence. fncrc i Il wide
step between atiiucHc,. aii'i moderate cicnnl
stances, but seine of the pfcttic>t residences
here are Owned and ,stcul i:'i ny he old talrii
les reduced in but ouc rc>p:cE, trat u money:
their refinement and old title gcntl!!ty l"lnaln.
The horse cars have rec ntly made III lnno-
Walton on the former mole OF street travel
here, and the tldk!c ct the car bcii has a mod
crn ci:E1d souGd, wee l.cd by tn" AcX"s!-
drau, who liz Inugrr c..tuula;,llns HI owa car
rage, columand> this cheap i0cJu.vtlon, land
! 6td> il Il ready u"nvcnlcucc
Coiliuewood. Virginia, th. Sit OF iu:urc
city perhaps, as II has already necn iiuc'U Oh
paper, is a part OF the NJ aunt Vernon estate,
ana will doubtless bycpmc the suuu,cr resi-
dcnce ui many who prefer the country lit rlta;
season. Capt. Suowdan also one ii he owners
Of the nrw steamer, has 4 ne place there, aud
is a enthusiastic over the Iurtunc 81 the 'O.d
Doniniou, =, he is on >trainb0"tS.
| asked him Why ,h: ncH boat was not nam
ed Martha Washington. "Martha Washing
ton" he repil~d. Mary was greater than
Martha. George Washington owcd All h WAS
worth to hl> uloi'i>r, ana not 10 his wil". |!
the people tl,u know it. or knew w>o Nary
Washington was, il Is time Tney we're told.
There was sound reasoning IN his rruarGs,
and thought Mary, the mother Of George
will be better knnwn after We tui!d to her
memory the monument at fredericksburg,
where she is buried, and where III. corner stuDc
was la years ago rs President jackson.
b: twacu Colingwnad AMI GuH,op on the
river bank stands long, low wooden building
called White House Though the main iui,u-
ing is not really low, the wings give it thar ap.
pearanc6. It's present un ccupcd dl.apldalcd
condition does n1l re,ain ii trace Of turm"r
splynlor aud romance, but it has its history
beginning with the crurtsillp OF George Wash
ng,uf, aud the hands me y0nHg Esldjw Mar
tina Gusts. | believe all, or most all wldoHS,
are handsome, and they never fail to VIZ When
they set about II in cuuTlug. rs ,lr>. MARINA
proved THIS Is !. romantic si,ot, 10 fking uui
upOu the smooth blue water, AID the back
ground ri forest gives Sllt wild beauty 20 il'':
picture, lovely aud more pcricci Tor liz RAINING
Of surrounding hills. One could easily fancy
The y0uns Revolutionary leader, III the dress
of his day, and the Virginia widow. III r. s,aic-
ly with high ruff and hair powdered, making
love in the best room Of the mansion, saying
the pretty nothingS that always mean >uinc-
thing; fer ove-uiakng has survived all chang
cs aud is very mici! now what II VS. then,
with lust Is muci sentiment, poetry, sincerity
and sense.
At Guusou. few miles below, the bluffs
Here we ran 50 close upon the shore, that the
gang plank was thrown ou;, aud formed the
iaadlng. ga the highest biult, Col Le'rls has
:. handsome residence with extensive grouud>,
called Belle Eue aud certainly the view is one
Of the finest On the iirsiuia shore. This is
trrul the Mason estate now owned by Colonel
Dauiels, wan rctaiued eight hundred acres. 10
clu.iing the family ua:slou, profanity The Oldest
in the State. Ii Is still called Grn-ton Hail,
and was paata in its day, bu!it over one hun-
bred and thirty years :so. alter th4 fashion 81
the English the brick, luaGc III Holland, with
rows o! doruer windows OH both sld.s OF the
steep roota great ROOM porlc' back AMI trout;
the latter Of an ocagon turu. These are >Iii,,s-
ed bv graceful trailing vines. aud the Virginia
crccpcr with It's bright be!l->haped b'o>>oln~,
clubs up at one end OF The hous1, where lis
scarlet and green fails over The quaint old
chimneys built on the outside.
\ broad hall extends through the width Of
the mau>ion and on either side are large >Qune