The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-08-04
For The Cecil Wing.
Quilp's Diary. that He Kept as a Bohemian.
HE sOJOURNs AWHILE AMONG THE WHITE
CLAY CREEK HILLS AND VISITS WEST
GROVE AND THE BIG NURSERY.

HE SOJOURNS AWHILE AMONG THE WHITE
CLAY CREEK HILLS AND VISITS WEST
GROVE AND THE BIG NURSERY.
w tramped around among the Octoraro
hills till we became tired-not tired of the
hills nor of the lovely valleys at their bases,
for we could have spent the rest of our life
amongst them and loved them better every
time we looked upon their beauties. Yes,
yes, the beautiful landscapes of the Octo-
raro hills were to us like the landscapes of
old England to the poet Gray, we believe
it was. At any rate we mean the poet that
sung
" Ever charming, ever new;
When will the landscape tire the view"
But our body became tired and so we
sought change of occupation and hied us
away to the hills along the White Clay
Creek, few miles north Of Newark, Della
ware, to rusticate awhile upon the farm
of friend of ours. The country above
Newark is nothing like so handsome or
romantic as the country along the Octoraro,
yet we found four artists three of them from
Pittsburg) stopping at an adjoining farm,
where they intended to remain for few
weeks and sketch the more handsome views
of the picturesque scenery along White Clay
Creek-generally called Whiteley Creek,
why, we never could learn.
1t may be matter of interest to your
readers to know that we were stopping in
what was originally Quaker settlement
One of the families yet reside upon the
farm that their ancestor purchased from
the great apostle of peace-the meek and
gentle Penn-one hundred and seventy
five years ago, and have yet, in their pos
session, the original deed from Penn to
their ancestor. We once had the pleasure
of looking at it-a queer, quaint old docu-
ment it is, commencing know All Chris
tian People, &C." We don't know whether
this was the usual form of deeds in Eng
land at that time or not, but suppose that,
inasmuch as the Pilgrim Fathers of New
England regarded land rightly so too, we
think the Indians as heathens, the Quak-
ers took the same view of the matter and
J thought it made no difference whether the
Indians knew or did not know of the sale
and conveyance of land by Penn or any
body else.
After stopping on the farm few weeks,
the Bohemian instinct became so strong
within us that we could stand the pressure
no longer. Indeed, the other and better
instincts of our nature had much difficulty
in keeping our body quietly in one place SO
long, and only succeeded in doing so by
promising the Bohemian part an indul
gence if it would keep quiet for little
while. So we quietly walked down to
Thompson" station on the Pomeroy Il
Delaware City railroad better known as
the Pa. 4 Del. railroad, or the Pa. Railraod,
Del. Division) and went up the valley of
the White Clay creek to Avondale. This
is pretty little town on the Phila. & Bait.
Central railroad, in the Toughkenamon
valley.
The road from Newark to Avondale goes
through highly improved and picturesque
country and quite near the old Baptist
church of 90 London Tract" where George
Alfred Townsend said the queer Dutchman
that swallowed the queer, miniature watch
that yet could be heard ticking beneath
his tombstone after the lapse of many,
many years, lies buried. We had not time
to stop and explore the old graveyard, and
listen with our ear close to the old moss
covered slab for the ticking of the watch,
for this little railroad, unlike the little
roads farther down the Peninsula, does not
do business in so accommodating a manner.
Had we been on the junction & Breakwater
railroad, we would have stopped for an
hour or two and tried to find the grave and
listened to the ticking of the watch, and
told your readers all about it's music.
In a few minutes after passing the old
church we came to Landenburgh, formerly
Charlottesville. This is the terminus of the
Wilmington & Western railroad, and some
time in the future, probably in about a
century from this time, will be a place of
Importance. 1t has good water power,
improved country. We were sorry to hear
some one say that the principal business of
the two railroads that are there now, is to
aid in circulating the Landen6urgh Iraceler,
miniature monthly newspaper published
there. 1t looked SO dwartish and sickly
year ago, the only time we ever saw it,
that we were much surprised to learn that
it was still alive.
We did not care to wait at AvOndale for
the arrival of the train for West Grove,
and SO we started up the valley with the
ancient Indian name to West Grove. This
village is not very old, having been built
since the Philadelphia and Baltimore Cen
trail Railroad was constructed, which was
about fifteen or sixteen years ago. 1t con-
tains nice ball. not quite as large as the
hall in Elkton, but amply sufficient to
accommodate quite large assemblage of
people, and Catholic Church in charge
of Father Kelley, nice two story public
school house and Friends school and meet
ing house. The site of the village was once
covered with forest trees, and with much
good sense and good taste the villagers let
many of them remain for shade trees, and
where they were too scarce to afford shade
enough, they have planted Norway frs and
other evergreen trees that add much to
the beauty and cheerfulness of the village.
South of West Grove is the extensive
nursery of the Dingee & Conard Co., the
most extensive growers of roses in the
United States, probably in the world. This
nursery started about thirty years ago on
the old Jackson farm, which is near by in
the "Toughkenamon valley. The founder
of the Jackson family came from Ireland
one hundred and fifty years ago.
Tradition saith that he had vision or
dream before he left the " ould countre,"
and in his dream he distinctly saw SPLEEN
did landscape, in which a lonely valley,
along whose grassy slopes there quietly
| flowed n beautiful stream fed by spring