Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-05-25
bhe Annals ofAIexandria- lii Series.


Tho Behavcn warehouse 'at the branch
above Hunting Creek. YVES evidently the prop.
CT place for the ho!di6g Of the new County
Court OF Fairfax, and the county seat of the
community VAS doubtless established there at
au carly diy. The public landing and the
county wharf at Point West, built by the public
while D.lhaven was still portion Of Prince
william county, aud the warehouse lot on the
hill With the Court House lot (now occupied
by The market square) and church lot With a
frame chapel on the hill north OF Oranoko Greek,
| tthc GUT we're 10 public use and occupancy
at this period. The Jail, frame court house,
and school house were built Oh the court
house lot. The warehouse continued to be the
centre of trade, and the religion of the time
found what ever public expression it had on
the ucrLhcrn bill. Such was the hamlet of
BeIhavcn when The boy George Washington first
saw it.
The Justices of the new county obeyed the
law which required that in every county the
court cause TO be set up plllory,a pair of stocks
and whipping post ncere the court house, and
duckDg stoolc," and they also made arrange
ments to procure, as required by - Henry, VII,
"a scaled lights OF halle hundred, quarternes,
| bali qualternes seaTen pounds Tower pounds.
two pounds, one pound, measures of ell and
yard, Of bushcl, half bushel, peek and gallon OF
| Winchester measure, gallon, pottlc, quart, plnt,
halle pint Of wine measure, out of England. -
Most Of the weights and measures compared
with the standard at the lover of London are
sill 10 the Office of the Clerk OF the Market,
not twenty yards from the spot in which they
were deposited 1873 years ago. They are OF
copper aud bear the inscription, "Falrfax ooun.
ty, Virginia, l744," and the town weights
and measures will doubtless continue the stand
ard OF Alexandria weights and measures until
the decimal system OF weights succeeds the
pounds and quarternes, IS the decimal system
of money has succeeded the pounds and shll.
lpgs. The ducking stool, however, Is no
longer the terror Of termagants. the stocks and
the piIlory have been abolished, and the whip
ping post long ago removed from "neere the
court house" to the Jail yard, has never been
renewed but near its old location one OF the
barred gates of the new police station serves q:
an effective substitute.
A sketch which adorDs the title to "A Map
Of the Nest Inhabited part Of Virginia, of Fry
and Jefferson" gives lively picture OF a vlr-
gpia tobacco WachCu;c in those days Had
sun then been taught to paint pictures this
might BE- believed to be photograph Of scene
at Uuntpg Creek warehouse 10 lI44.
The warehouse stored with hogshcads that
can be seen through the windows, and one Of
which is open 10 the doorway, makes up tht
back ground. On the right Dutch barque
wilh Eigh poop deck lies nloorcd beside the
wharf, upon which stands tripod with huge
scales aui So, "(such as IL ght have been seer
CD Caz2un9e wharf as late as 1862 A tobacco
cask is % the scales. Two negroes clothed only
-, nfhnr oaskq
A tobacco inspector, 10 cooked hat, stands
By the scales and is noting down the tare and
lrctt Of the cask On wharf a short distance
of is pile Of lumber and warehouse with q
tickle ard fail, ard men arc dim'y seen thtrt
storing barrels of good Hollands This is the
business aspect. Nearer the warehouse, evil
deotiy 10 the shade of the east Wall sits VIZ
cisiau, with cooked hat, ruttl IS aud knee breech
es, rests both hands on his cane, and enjoys q
pipe, not a modern Turkish, iDtdcl pipe, colIed
like the old serpent that raded Eden, but
good Christian, Indian pipe, straight as an
arrow. Near him standa another Vrglnian
similarly attircd, who talks, aud whc eniOrces
his speech with the forcGoger OF one hand,
but keeps tho other hand 10 his pocket. Be.
tween the Two the Dutch skipper listens and
laughs, and gives sdo glance at q young negro
(aso in breech ciout) who Is bringing up a
cin cocktail. There is ooly ono goblet, and
there are three men, but on looking closer VIC
sec that the negro has gourd bottle 10 his left
hand, ADD all anxiety Tor the group terminates.
Among tho pupils Of the old field school oil
BclLaven ncighbolhood was Lee Massey alter
wards one CT the pastors Of Christ Church.
The only resident hereabouts at that time,
who has left record Of the aspect Of the coun-
try is this lad. When he was an old man he
gave his deposition ia pending suit, stating
bis recollection Of this neighborhood in his
youth. ] have transcribed such portions as re-
late to the geography of the streams now known
az "lIooff's Run" aud "Tan House Drain. y
Lee Massey, aged ftty-two years, being sworn
deposcth and saith that in the year 1889,
when be Has about seven years Of age, he came
with his mother into Fairfax county (then
Prince WilIialu) and continued 10 live with her
except at short intervals till tho year 1859, on
q tract Of land Of hers, about one hundred
mics from Alexandria and part OF HoWsen' s
patient that fer many years Of bis infancy be
ia coming from school had occasion to cross
and rccross Two small runs or branches which
cross the main road from Alexandria to Came
ron aud empty into Great Hunting Greek, tho
most castcrIy of which runs quite through
the land he lives on; that be is we'll acquainted
~
with any part Of his own estate; that when be
first came with his mother into Fairfax and all
the time be resided with her the run or branch
next to Alexandria was called and known by
the nanc Of White Oak Swamp, and the other
is about half mile more westerly, was called
and known by the name Of Timber Branch.
Q. Was Jonses' Point, otherwise Piper
Point, ever an island?
A. Ia high tides the water followed around
it and 10 low tides it did not?
@. What do you mean by high tides ?
A. | do rot mean spring tides but common
high tides.
@. Was there any firm land on the Point
over which the high tides did not flow?
a. There was about ten acres when l first
saw it.
G. What divided the firm land on the Point
from the main land |?
a. A wet pocosoD grown With yellow, small
ash.
@. Were there any CUTS that surrounded the
land Of the Point?