Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-09
but the mill and the milldam have utterly
disappeared.

but the mill and the milldam have utterly
disappeared.
A BIG LAND OWNER.
Pierce Shoemaker, a favorite nephew and
the heir of Isaac Pierce, enjoys the honor Of
being the oldest inhabitant in this upper
section OF Rock Creek Valley. He has seen
wonderful changes in his life here. Once
his estate embraced 2, 500 acres, and be could
ride horseback halt day over his own land
and never use the same road twice. The
consuming tooth of progress has gnawed
acre after acre from the once large estate,
and the pretty villages of Brightwood and
Tennallytown have grown up upon 1t. Mr.
Shoemaker is now fortunately still the
largest land owner around Washington, his
holdings embracing about 900 acres.
With the exception of the damage in
ficted by the soldiers during the war, his
forests have besn kept as they were in their
primeyal wildpess and beauty. Nowhere
around the capital is there such a tract suit
able for vast park. Above Pierce's mill
is Blagden's mill, built early in the century
as paper mill, later turned into grist
mill, and now with its huge wheel fallen
into moss-eovered ruins, the delight OF
artists and amateur photographers.
COUNTRY SEAT OF A COUNT.
The left bank of the creek along here is q
high wooded bluff, belonging to the Blagden
estate. This was formerly the country seat
of Count Bodisco, long Russian Minister to
this country, who built fine mansion, a
conservatory, bowling alley and numerous
barns and outbuildings upon the plateau.
Mr. Blagdeu, brother of DIR. Blagdeu, who
for Sc years preached IN the Old South
Church in Boston, and brother-in-law of
Benjamin Silliman, of Yale, bought the
Bodisco estate, which embraces something
over 800 acres, soon to become part o! the
CITY proper.
Half mile above Blagden's mill is Rock
Creek Falls. the widest scene on the stream.
For hundred rods the stream tumbles,
white with spray and foam, over boulder
after boulder. The descent is 80 feet in as
many rods. The stream is no longer a SIM
pie pastoral traveller, tapping its banks soft
ly and gliding quietly on to the breast ofthe
majestic Potomac. 1t raves and storms in
its headlong fury The cold spray dashes
over you. The roar is deafening. You can
not hear what your comrade says. Your own
voice is thundered into silence.
MEMENToEs OF THE REBELLION.
Crossing Rock Creek at the falls is Mill
tary road, souvenir OF the Rebellion.
Here also crosses the Gordon of forts that
Iut ClIy. Ou each Slue VI tue u0ulo
through which the creek passes are long bat
teries commanding the valley. The en-
brasures for the guns are still to be seen.
The ramparts are well defined, but there are
piues and chestnuts as thick through as a
mans waist growing on them. A line Of
rife pits can be traced long distance from
these batteries.
Half mile to the west Is Fort De Russy,
one of the largest forts around the city.
Along the military road, half a mile up
hill, is Fort Stevens, where Jubal Early
was repulsed. II is hard to believe that
force of IL, 600 Coniederates could get within
four miles of the White House. But here
they lett 136 of their dead on the red hill
side above the fort. Here, too, it was that
President Lincoln drew rebels bullet as
he stood on the ramparts in his long linen
coat and dusty silk hat.
All this ground will be taken into the
park, which is to embrace 1000 acres.
Above Fort Stevens the valley is less wild
and picturesque. The Commissioners have
decided to hasten in the location OF the park
the extension of the streets of Washington,
and the eastern boundary of the park will
be on a line with Sixteenth street extended,
with a fine boulevard leading up from
Kalorama into winding forest roads the re-
turn can be made on grand boulevard
along Sixteenth street extended.
JULIUS A. TRUEsDELL.