The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-17


ing the parts beyond to the advance Oh
improvements. II was along 'his Valiey
that the great wagons, win thelt siA,
horse teams, decorated win Dels anu
bear skins. came from the far.oh upper
country and mountains Their arrival
was hailed with pleasure by house-keep,,
ers. who bought butter and eggs ana
yenison from their owners, While the
Young people preferred their maple
sugar.
II was An interesting spectacle to see
them. -iN or eight al a time, with their
hirh white canvass tops, large tat horses,
aud sturdy men in red shirts, slowly
vending their way 20 the nearest camp
ing ground As soon a. they arrived they
biyCuacked In some neighbOring field ana
prcnarel to make themselves and their
teams comfortable. The boys OF the
neighborhoed took special pleasure IN
listening TO the accounts given by the
men Of the bears, wolves, and painters
or panihers, in the country where theN
lived. At night the rudy glare OF thell
camp fires lii up the neighborhood ana
sky. which was a relief to the bacSness
of darkness generally prevailing. lhere
was no gas at that time, and the Occas'
sional fitting about of lanterns Ike hre-
dies in the gloom was the only visible
evidence of pedestrians moving about Al
NIGHT. Other examples of such changes
might be given If space allowed. We might
point ont how Governor street beSal as
country road winding down that steep
and dangerous hill towards Coutts
Ferry. afterwards TO Mayo's Bridge
how. on this account at later date the
wife of one of the most prominent pro-
fessional men in the town, and one Oh
the most attractive of women, was kilied
the horses 20 her carriage becoming I'M
manageable here and running violently
down throw the vehicle against the Oh
iron gun that has 40 long stood at The cor
ner Of Main and Thirteenth streets IN
reader would he surprised also, 10 learn
that the space now occupied by 81
/ Luke's HOSPITAL and the adjacent build
ings was then high cliff nearly on a
level with the Governor grounds oppo-
lite. The eastern end of Broad street,
who're il descends % the Chesapeake ana
+ Ohio depot, about the same time dropped
+ 50 suddenly oil into a vast chasm oeio"
4 that il could only be descended on loo''
and with great care, and as laie as the
year 1916, the beautiful park in when
/ the Capitol stands was a waste OF graVei
and gullies. covered in part with pine
bushes and broom-sedge. The iron rail-
inr which now incloses il was then In
course Of construction.
All the old homes SO well known foi
their peculiar characteristics have ceased
10 exist in Richmond. With the aboli
ton of slavery they passed away Tor
ever. Some OF the old houses are sill
left in their desOlation, like widows
silently brOoding over the ineXoraOle
In their dav they were places Of import
ance: but now. berett of their attractive
surroundings, they cannot compare WiIn
their more modern rivals.
Whereas there was time when the,
could boast of annie grounds and garden
and orchards. and all other accessions tf
.,yle and dignity and comfort, these
have given way before the incroachment.
of q more meretricious taste and the de
mands of newly developed manner c
living. 1t will not be long boforo no
one of them will be left % remind rs OF
a civilization peculiar In It's Characters
ticS. and of which we can now know
nothing. unless recalled by the few who
live 10 remember IT,
The young people Of this genera
ton are almost as ignorant OF the
manners and customs OF thell
immediate progcnitors as II they
had been born and reared IN foreign
land This is not surprising when II ID
remembered how sudden and how thor
ough has been the Encouragement OF
social life within the past twenty years
Its not. however, our purpose 10 say
much here on so suggestive a subject We
leave this 20 the pen of the historian
when he shall come 70 give an account
Of the sudden destruction Of our socia
fabric before it fell under the stroke OF
the late war.
We have Just been referring 10 The
primitive timos in Richmond and the
e ,nditiOu Of its highways and hy-way
Let US now inspect some OF the oid
houses Of which mention has Just been
made IL should be remembered that
what was then known as an establish
ment was much more than the mere
Idwelllng-house. Il involved all that
went 10 make up the household. The
family. white and black, the master and
The mistress their children, guests and
slaves and even animals, composed AT
that time social autonomy that may in
some degree be described 10, but can
never be entirely appreciated by a new
generation of people.
The best Of the city dwellings were
built of brick, but few OF them were OF
wood. and OF style OF architecture o.
he best understood by being seen y
single specimen Of this now remains on
ShockOe Hill, the picturesque building Oh
Tenth between Marshall and Clay streets
Some Of Ms can recall another that once
occupied the square on which the bricA
residences of the late Mr. Thomas Brancl
and Mr.. Isaac Davenport now stand
This was d typical specimen OF the will.
of that day II was built Of the bes
seasoned timber. its centre was :
tall. tWO-stOried structure with col
umns In front and connected with
corridor on each side 20 wings, will
pOrticos. Ii occupied the entire front o.
. the SQUARE and back from the stree
about twenty-five yards. The rear prem
.
corner of which was an office IN which
the proprietor attended to his law bust
ness. The venerable author Of Rich
mond in By-gone Days" gives accoun
of this beautiful old residence. He di,
, not know, however, that the boys OF {
succeeding generation remembered th
/ office in which Mr.. Writ practced law
: as in their day the best cake aud cand,
shop in the town.
; Most of the large brick houses were
, massively built with two stories, with al
attic and two tall chimneys on each side
The windows were disprOp0rtlonatel,
small In most cases they had pOrche'
or porticos in front and rear The step
in front were generally Of stone, an'
protected on each side by iron ratings
I decorated with brass ornaments, an'
kept bright and clean, while at the bot
, tom on one side was a "scraper," a con
r yenient arrangement of iron and brass
/ which gave hint 10 the visitor that tn
r mud on his boots was not wanted inside
. the house. This implement wa
81