Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1885-09-17

0N.tN NtN- N-" -.tN ----
,i.i, .ua Col R. +. McNalou Of Che 2nd
Comptrolle'. office. l. s. Treasury, the
.. Charles selby whose entertaining letters
now and then appear in the Wheeling Reg
i,t,r. Mr.. McMahon's better half Is
daughter of the late Jerome b. Young, OF
Harper's Ferry,-au old friend ofTHE FREE
PEGS, In a letter from Harper's Ferry
" Charles Selbv gives interesting facts and
makes some personal mention. He recalls
To miud that ali the towns in this Valley
were established in the months Of October
and ovemher-tbereior none Of them
are spring chickeos--Charlestown IN DC
tober 1886. so that il Is about time our peo-
ole were thinking of how to Centennially
celebrate it. This town is built upon land
given by Charles Washington, brother oil
Gen. Washington. Eighty acres were sur
viewed and divided in lots and streets. The
trustees were Col. Charles Washington, MS
brother. John Augustine Washington, Viii
liam Drake. Robert Rutherford, James
Crane. Cato Moore, 1Iagnus Tate, Benjamin
Rankin. Thornton Washington, William
Little Alexander White and Richard Ran
SON. stanton was established in 1861;
Mooreheld in October l777; Martinsburg
l71S. Shepherdstown was originally called
Mecklenburg and is noted as the place where
the dr,t steamboat was built. OF Charles
town OF the present day Charles selby
writes;
The population of Charlestown is about
two thousand. The oldest newspaper IN the
state is printed there, and edited by Mr..
Wuia Gallaher. 81 clever genial man who
gave zoe some interesting "reminiscences OF
Observation-Disclosures
We didn't forget TO tell him that John
Brown, first victim at Harper's Ferry was
an industrious. iuoiIersive colored man.
.I wanted 10 find the date of incorpora-
ton of Harper's Ferry, and Hon. Daniel Is.
Iucas turned % Hening's Statues al Large
but tine volume WAS missing. Mr.. Lucas,
who is man of letters and fond of books,
told mC that he lost a valuable library dur
inc the war. Ii struck me that his library
was the best | had seen, except Congress
man Wilson :, perhaps. Both are men OF
taste lcauine % love OF books, fond OF his
tory and the classics.
Harpers Ferry, at the time OF the Brown
raid had upwards OF three thousand people
To-day n generous &c. sus will give 1t four
Teen hundred. &c is wreck of It's former
self SD tar as the haudiwork of man has
zone t0 decay It's natural grandeur and the
unrivaied scenery around about II viii re-
main forever. Ii IS q historic spot, this lit
tie town. Here was the L. :. Armory To-
Gated iu 1894, during the administration OF
Washington The water power was the
best iu the world. Three hundred mechan-
ic, were employed in the armory. SIX or
seven thousand mus6cts were made annual
lv. besides two or three thousand rifles, an
immense number OF swords, pistols and 9TH
er side arms.
Here worked T. Willis Wilson, remem-
bered 81, am earnest, industrious young man
bv his ueighbors aud colleagues. said Mr..
Edward rcruev. one OF Jetlerson'> best cit-
liens. II have known Willis Wilson since
DE va, q boy. an his life. / may say. and /
always thought him Co he worthy oi every
good that could come Oh nina straight
well-meaniug and undaunted As a worker
Few Of this generation that saw Harper's
Ferry In Eos splendid thrift and industry
have survived TO witness the sad havoc made
by the fate of war. DR. John d. Starry,
golden hearted man, now of CharleSJown,
pracriccd and lived here at the breaking out
ot the war lie was, think, the first per
son who saw John Brown the morning of
the raid. Starry is full OF history and
should write. With hisaccomplishmenl and
knowledge he could make such history OF
Jefferson county as would make the State
largely his debtor Se,by sizes Or. Starry
correctly Ed L. L.
An excellent pamphlet, with much Of in
terest about Che town, the armory and the
Brown raid, las been written by Joseph
Barry.
took INV wife up 90 Jeilerson's Rock.
As child she had PLAYED around about it,
thi, being her birthplace. The view is such
as to hold YOU forever. Looking down upon
the valley beneath | could not but eXclaim:
How beautiful are thy camps, o Jacob I.
and thv tents. O Israel -