Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1892-02-04
AT A SOUTHERN RESORT.
Leaving the Sacred Soil of the Old
Dominion.
ucts High Prices Visitors Old
Friend o.. to the South.
AIKEN, S. c., January 26, 1892.

| When on the 4th of January the mer
curry suddenly dropped from 50' above tC
26 at Richmond, We just as suddenly de
cided to leave, without further delay, the
"Old Dominion State that boasts
of the production of so many Presidents
whose ashes lie buried within her bor-
ders, together with many other great and
distinguished men who adorn the pages
of history, and whose names have been
household words ever since our school
boy days. What boy now is there, who
has passed through the higher grades in
school, that can't tell you all about Wash
ington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry and
John Randolph of Roanoke, and recite
extracts of their speeches, especially of
the two latter
The State is eminently historic, re-
nowned and distinguished, not only on
account of her great MEL who once were
important factors in her history, but also
on account of the many stirring scenes
enacted therein during her colonial days
her Indian wars, &c, and later the war
of the Revolution, and still later the
great War of the Rebellion. Then added
to these the grand and diversified scenery
along her two great mountain ranges
the beautiful, tanned and productive val
ley of the Shenandoah intervening, and
the great variety, both mineral and veg
etable, of her productions. Again, her
various places of renOwn and also of re-
sort. Mt. Vernon, of world wide fame,
the spot revered by the nation, the tomb
where rests the remains of the Father
of his Country Monticello, the old
home and last resting place of Thomas
Jefferson-the celebrated White Sulphur
and other springs-the Natural Bridge,
and you have combination that is, per
haps, not comprised in any other State of
the Union. In all this the F. F VS. are
not included. never did know just how
much of a factor they were, in making up
the Importance of the State, therefore
never took any stock in that kind of
thing. Will venture this, however, that
there are plenty of F. f. O's that will
compare favorably in point of intellect,
education, refinement, enterprise, moral
ity, and everything else which goes to
make good and useful citizenship, with
any of the F. F. VS. that ever adorned
the sacred soil of Old Virginia. Per-
chance should say, save and except, in
pride of birth, but that sayors so much
of old England, and besides that, it is
a phrase and sentiment which has be-
come about obsolete and useless in this
democratic country of ours. Or to put it
in other words, as our German friends
would say, and which is quite as express
sive, at vas played ouet.'
AS said in the outset, we left Rich
mond, and indicated that our departure
was hastened because it had gotten sud-
denly cold. In this respect our hasty
departure was somewhat like that of the
exit of jeff Davis on a certain occasion,
with this differenre-we left because it
was too cold for us in this latitude, he
left because it had gotten too hot for
him.
Dropping down South 46O miles into
South Carolina,we stopped at Aiken, COM
ing on the Richmond and Danville road,
or Piedmont air line-the route by which
we could get here the quickest. 1t didn't
prove so very quick, though, for "a hours
were consumed i'll making the quick
transit; but that is the way railroading
is mostly done in the SOuth-the speed
moderate and the connections often sub
ject to delay. The route runs by way of
Danville, Charlotte, Columbia, the capital
of South Carolina, and .on down to with
in twelve miles of Augusta, Ga, where
there is junction of the S. c. Railroad,
that runs through Aiken to Charleston.
Five miles Of run on this brought us
to our present destination.
This place is situated on level plain,
somewhat elevated above the region
round about, surrounded by pine forests.
The populatson is but $500, spread out
over nearly mile square. 1t has been
winter resort for Northern people for
years. The claim is made that Aiken is
a very healthful place, which is no doubt
true. There are no streams of large size,
lakes or ponds, fog producers, lying near.
The atmosphere is pure, and for the most
part dry, except when it rains. and rain
it does, as at other places in the South, in
regular downpours, as we have witness
ed. The climate is kind of medium
one; not far enough South to be below
the frost line, consequently sometimes
a little too cool, butin the main pleasant.
A good many visitors are here from the
North. l notice that here, as at other
places of resort in the South, most of the
Northern visitors are from the more ex-
treme Northern States-New England
States, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Northern Illinois and Iowa
Some also come here from the warmer
South. A lady and son of New Orleans, ARE
stopping at our quarters. l met at the
EOSt -UlllCc hlo. lDClty N1AudlusJ <ALCu, vi
Staunton, Va, whom many st. Clairsville
friends Will remember. She was looking
we'll. Her bright little boy and Miss
Allen were with her. She told me they
had been here since November.
To entertain visitors are several good
notes.-the Highland Park Hotel is the
most pretentious. 1t has $50 acres OF
land connected with it, most of which is
forest; but several acres Immediately
around the house are ornamented as a
park. The principal business in that line,
however, is done by private boarding
houses. The fact is, about half the fam
lilies who have good houses, keep board
ers, and many of them are kept very
nicely too. The country around is sparse
ly settled, the land is poor and unproduc
tive There is but about 10000 of a pop
ration in the entire county of Aiken,