The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-05-09
ABOUT THE CHURCH IN WHICH
WARRINGTON WORSHIPPED.


The following correspondence from
the Washington Star was handed us
for publication. In it the reader will
get view of the church in Virginia in
which George Washington worshipped
and of which he was a vestryman. 1t
will be seen. that it did not escape the
rayages of war. The Colonel Daniel
Mccarthy mentioned below as YES
tryman, was an ancestor of our re-
spected townsman, w. T. McCarty:
FAIRFAX COUNTY. Sept. Is, 1886.
POHICK CHURCH.-After delight
full drive through a finely wooded and
well cultivated country | arrived at
Pohick church, regarded with so much
reverence by Americans, as 1t was
here for many years that General
| Washington wOrshipped. The sex
ton unlocked the large gate of the
enclosure. The site of. the church
was selected by Washington on account
/ of its central position, aud its proXim-
| ity TO Mount Vernon. The contractor
| was Mr.. Daniel French. 1t was begun
| in 1869 and finished in 1772- The bricks
were made in the county and the stone
was brought from the Isle of Wight.
The building is 664 feet in length by 45
feet in width. and the walls are IS feet
| in height The entire cost was S77
pounds sterling. The money for the
payment was raised by taxation. The
walls appear to have been broken, as
the repairs have been made with newer
bricks. The church has an ancient ap-
pearance, and is very much larger than
is Usually seen in the country. There
are two large doors on the western
side and one on the south side and twen-
ty-six windows. The steps are eight
in number. built of the same stone as
the trimmings and easements OF the
doors. The church has been thorough
ly renovated. There are two alsles
and four rows of substantial pews and
beautiful chancel inclOsed with a
semi-circular railing. During the
civil war the regiments stationed
at Alexandria quarGered their pIckets
in this church, and the Pennsylvania
and Iowa union soldiers stabbed their
horses in it. The stone tagging of
the aisles was torn up and thrown
out, the pulpit and pews broken up
| and the pieces sent as mementoeS or
relics to different states to relatives
and friends. WaShingtOn's pew met
with the same treatement. The spot
on which it stood, on the north side,
is pointed out to visitors. The roof
of the church was pierced with bull
lets; all the plastering fell down;
holes were chiseled out in the corners
: of the church, which had stone
n facings, to find the money supposed
. to be in the corner stone, and some
members of an Iowa regiment carved
their names in the west corner on the
: stone facings near the door.
! The list of the names of the origi-
nal vestrymen of Pohick church was
, kindly furnished me by a Virginia
gentleman of Accotink, who Is quite
an antiquarian, and had copied them
J from the VeStTy book OF 1772, which
has been found during the last three
months in the state of New York.
, where it had been treasured and hlC
away by Virginia family. The first
Vestryman's name on the list was that
!. of George Washington, and then fol
5 lowed the names of George Mason OF
= GunsUon, who wrote the bill of rights
, of the state of Virginia; George w
, kings customs for the Potomac; Alex
4 ander Henderson. Martin COckbuTn
> Colonel Daniel McCarty, General vii
liam Payne. Thomas Wither Golfer
and Mr.. Ellzer.
Near the church is a small grove
2 There are also many graves. read thu
+ following inscription on tombstone
! over hundred years old:
To the memory of Mrs. Susanna Mills Wit
3 of John Mills (Merchantl. who departed thi
. Hf(yJune I2, 1754, aged 80 years
Whate'er she WAS forbeaF TO say.
- Twill best be known on that great day.
When you and all and every one
e Must give an account of what was done
So say no more, she lived approved,
1 Died lamented and beloved
AS 1 turned away to return home
|. wards. my mind was filed will
thoughts of the different scenes which
had been enacted on and around thi
historic spot during peace and wal
e under the same soft blue sky, with it
Q feathery clouds, and the same beauti
q full surroundings of emerald greer
= meadows, yellow tinted grain fields
u and distant hills flooded with waves o
= light, catching CLEANS of the SUM-
! gIory.-Cor. Washington Star.