The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-05-29
PAPER TOWNS.
Two Cities Which, Like Hundreds of
Others, Were Never Built.

Others, Were Never Built.
In coming from Washington City 20
Richmond the traveller passes the sites
of two proposed cities whose projectors
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 as cities is
confined to paper alone.
The first of them is Jackson City, on
the Virginia side of the Potomac, just
opposite to Washington. The idea of
building this city as rival of the Ma
tiOnal capital was conceived by some
of ''Old Hickory's'' admirers during
his Presidential term, and such faith
did they have in the name that they
did not think failure was possible if
they called it Jackson City. Accord
ingly, they bought of Mr.. George
Mason, for 100000 large part of
which was paid in bonds of the COM
pany, tract of land that was laid off
in lots, streets and avenues on a mag
nifcent scale. Then, to give ecldt to
the scheme, they determined upon u
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
Parke 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-off with which it had been inau-
gurated. The traveller who passes the
site to-day and sees only one or two
dilapidated frame houses to mark the
| spot would never imagine that it had
been the scene of such gathering as
once assembled there, or that such
high hopes and sanguine 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 pont, this
city was laid out on an extensive scale,
and such confidence did its projectors
have in its future that they went to
work and built q large and handsome
| four-story hotel, at cost of many
thousand dollars. They also obtained
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 Il tenant to
take care of the property, and some
months ago one end of the building
fell out, and has been closed up with
wooden boards. Instead of busting,
busy city, Quantico is quiet country
railroad station, and is not likely ever
to be any thing else. The failure of
the two cities to ''matar, alize," in
spite of all the ''coddling" they re-
ceived from their projectors and found
ers, if such a term is appropriate to
the subject, goes to show that some
thing else is necessary in order to build
a city than the selection of the site, the
laying off of lots and streets, and even
the building of the first houses. There
are hundreds of paper cities scattered
all over the United States whose his
tory is similar to that of Jackson City
and Quantico. Richmond (Va.) Wing.