Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-08-03
PAPER TOWNS.
Two Cities which. Like Hundreds o.
Others, We're Never Built.

Two Cities Which, Like Hundreds o
Others, We're Never Built.
In coming from Washin gton City t.
Richmond the traveller passes the site
of two proposed cities whose protector
were once sanguine that they would
grow and attain National Importance
in population and trade, but which
stubbornly refused to thrive in spite OF
all that was done to push them for
ward, and whose existence rs cities is
confined to paper alone.
The first of them is Jackson City, on
the Virginia side of the Potomac jus.
opposite to Washington. The idea OF
building this city as rival of the Ma
tional capital was conceived by som"
of "Old Hickory's" admirers durins.
his Presidential term, and such ialti
did they have in the name that they
did not think failure was possible II
they called it Jackson City. Accord
inrIy, they bought of Mr. George
Mason. for $100,0 900, a large part OF
which was paid in bonds of the com.
pany, a tract of land that was laid Oh
in lots, streets and avcnucs on mag
nificcnt scale. Then, to give ectat to
the scheme, they determined upon
public demonstration ON the occasion
OF the laying of the cornerstone OF the
new city. Accordingly, on the day APP
pointed, large crowd assembled on
the spot, among which was President
Jackson and members of his Cabinet
and many other distinguished persons,
and after an Grafton had been
delivered by George Washington
Parkc Custis. the adopted son
of George Washington, the corner
stone of jackson City WAS laid with
imposing ceremonies. But strange To
say, that was about all that ever was
laid, Notwithstanding the magnificent
send-olf with which it had been inau-
gurated. The traveller who passes the
SITE to-day and sees only one or two
dilapidatcd frame houses to mark the
spot would never imagine that 1t hal
been the scene of such gathering as
once assembled there, or that such
high hopes and saugulne expectations
were once INDUCED in concerning its
future.
The other dead city is Quantico, on
the Potomac, some twenty miles north
of Fredericksburg. Soon after the
close of the late war, when the Rich
mond, fredericksburg & Potomac rail
road was extended TO that point, this
city was laid out on an extensive scale.
and such confidence did its projectors
have in is future that they wont to
work and built large and handsome
four-story hotel, at a cost OF many
Thousand dollars. They also obtained
a charter comforting upon the COM
pany extensive powers, such as To
| build railroads, do banking business,
engage in manufacturing projects, ETC.,
but, contrary TO their sanguine expecta,
tons, the enterprise never thrived and
the city was never built. The hotel is
now unoccupied, save by a tenant tC
take care of the property, and somt
months ago one end OF the building
fell out, and has been closed up will
wooden boards. Instead Of bustling
busy city, Quantico is quiet countr,
railroad station, and is not likely eye
to be any thing else. The failure o
the two cities to ''mat9r.alize, il
spite Of all the "coddling" they re
ceived from their projectors and found
ers, if such term is appropriate +
the subject, goes 30 show that some
thing else is necessary in order to bull
city than the selection Of the site, tn
laying off of lots and streets, and eve
the building of the first houses. Their
are hundreds of paper cities scattcre
all over the United States whose hil
tory is similar to that of jackson Cit
and Quantico. -RichnIO,m (Pd.) Wig