Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-12-26
LOUDOUN COUNTY.

AOOOoO3S SooN1
Correspondence Richmond Industrial South.
From the west end of Alexandria there
runs a road along which ono nowadays may
travel for sixty miles or more without fall
ing in with fellow traveller who will bear
him company for more than a mile or
two. This Little River turnpike, lead
ing from Winchester to Alexandria was
in my school boy days link in
the great line of travel and of trade
from the western country to the nations
capital and to the markets of the world.
Half a dozen or more daily lines of stage
coaches then bore along it a heavy living
freight with swinging swiftness, while a
never ending procession of covered wagons
slowly transported to the marts of COM
merce the products of field and forest. The
little village in which | was born took its
name from its midway location between the
termini of this important highway, and as
with wide stretched eyes | witnessed the
dechargement of hungry passengers-mem.
bers of Congress amongst them-from the
crowded coach to the Big Tavern door, or
in vain attempted to number the bell teams
that daily filed through the village street, it
is not wonderful that should have con-
ceved the idea that the hub OF the universe
turned Just at this point:
"Our thoughts, our morals, our most fixed beliefs
Are consequences of our place of BIRTH.
But, alas what changes a half century
can make in mems fixed beliefs as we'll as in
the channels of traffic and of travel My
veneration for members of Congress is not
what it was in boyhood's days; and as for
old turnpike roads and wayside taverns,
Fumus is written on the mile-posts Of the
one and on the sign boards of the other.
Were I writing other than newspaper let
ter, I should, like to express the very decid-
ed preference for stage coach travel, to drop
good word for the old time tavern and to
argue at length the relative economy to the
farmer of wagon and railroad trausporta-
tion.
1t was not, however, to discuss such ques-
tions as these that / started my reader along
the Little River turnpike, but rather that |
might call his attention to a section of couu-
try now land-locked to the tide of travel,
and hence but little known to the outside
world. Two lines of railways diverging
from Alexandria have diverted travel from
the old turnpike and left this section high
and dry Oue-the Washington and Ohio
is q road of most ambitious projection, but it
seems, like certain snake we read of, to
have struck its horn in the Round Hill and
it's head is there held fast while its tail is
painfully wriggling between the cities of
Washington aud Alexandria; the other road
long ago exhausted its energies and wore out
its rolling stock in vain effort to drag along
its own name. In its charter it is known as
the Manassas Gap Branch of the Washing
ton City, Virginia Midland and Great South
ern railway. Now between these two roads
lies the country I write about; and what |
say l wish to have understood as the result
of my soberminded observation, and in no.
wise colored by any congenital prejudice on
nv part. From Canada to the Gulf and
from the Atlantic to the Mississippi III have
travelled this country oil over"-several
tmes-and think I may safely say that I
know 10 section of any State that can boast
of more advantages, viewed from the farm
ers standpoint, than the one extending from
Aldie. in Loudoun, to Paris, in Fauquier--
say from five to fifteen miles on either side
of the old turnpike. In natural beauty,
hugged in as it is by three ranges of noun
tains, it cannot be excelled while high cul-
ture and ong-continued grass husbandry
have lent additional touches to what nature
has done for it.
MS S6CllOu IL uuI ouiJ uote0 loI It's uu0
scenery, but may boast of q healthful clim-
ate, productive soil. and population that
you may tie to and swear by in peace and in
war AS to the salubrity of the climate
how better can illustrate this than by the
mention of the fact that here in O village
| containing less than thirty white families
three couples are living whose golden we'd
dings fell in tho last quarter of the current
year.