The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-06-04
WHERE THE TIDE ROLLS
IND WHERE THE BoIsTsxoUs BAr
KNOCKS At yIRGISIA's DOOR.
. sss,ch Of Gloucester County BY One Who
Knows Of the Glory ofTha Section
OF the Old Dominion.

colonial county he is overcome by
,eel,ns OF heiplessness. few early
racords. a legend or two, stand like silen
uatch-towers, around which he mus
weave his own suggestions, the hearsay'
of his childhood and warrantabie en-
duction from existing facts.
welI-meaning letters TO newspapers arr
sometimes like sparks to kesfui OF po"
der. therefore I would like to say ina
this letter applies only TO Gloucester anc
its dear people, who from one oorder nh'
20 the other are my brethren.
To them oil without exception-to th'
roadside farmer who hoes his stufhps
corn field; 10 the Jolly fisherman, whose
conch shell trumpet heralds fish along the
highway, TO the Judge upon his Deneh ahu
the parson In his pulpit, and TO 'tlouces'
ter. sons and daughters scattered Var
and near-I dedicate this sketch.
Chesapeake bay, In boisterous frlendn'
ness. knocks at Gloucesters southeastern
door: the capricious Mock Jack hugs
ITS eastern border, sending Inland the
iand-locked North, the broad-sweeplhs
Ware and the beautiful Severn, whlle the
York, but lesser bay, born OF the
Chesapeake. washes IL souRwesternly,
cutting II apart from York county ana
James City. -, 81.
In the year 1854 the vast territory OF
Virginia Is divided into eight shires; one
of these shires is Pamaunkee
ont Of this Pamaunkeeshire Gloucester
was carved. ,,
In the year 1862 twelve counties sent
thlrty-flve members to the House OF Bur
yesses. One Of these counties was uIou-
cester. The date Of It's birth apd christ
sring Is not known; probably the denaht
old royalist, Sir William Berkeley ealled
q for the sake Of his native Gloucester
shire, in England. -,
Nirginias Gloucester once held kins,
grim old Powhatan dwelt upon reno OF
the York. the lovely Werowocomoco'
whose curved shores are gay with notous
INA oraDevines and glossy bamboo.
Tbe great stone chimney of this kingly
u,ie,oam deded cold and heat for over
two hundred years. A short time ago 1t
fell. ,,,-,.
There was shame In its fall. Virginia
sbould have preserved it. The history OF
fhe mightiest nations upon earth huhs
about It.
sin II was left to cTumble ignomi-
rcuslv IN a rude Seld, while the
multitude who floated up the YORK, in
call OF It's solitude. scarce knew 1t was
there.
This nile OF mangled rock. the dismal
vestige of n monarch's home, bears vast
speculation on its face. In this age or
tuning ancient relics into gold there
seems to be immense possibility In
ruin where every square inch tells
story.
A stones throw from the chimney Is a
rock. We are told that to this rock an
Indian princess ran to save white mans
life. We hope the tale is true, but If 1t
Is not, the daily baptism In "Werowo-
comocos" tide is weak to wash the tradi-
tion from the stone.
Now. stretches Of level roadbeds bor-
dered with blooming dogwood. swept by
the perfume Of wood honeysuckle, and
the CLINT of the creepy rhododendron,
hardly recalls a phalsnx Of primeyal
forest, with the agile Indian, casting a
silent arrow. darting through.
The Chiskoyackes, who, in 1868, paid
tribute of one hundred and forty-1ve
wolves heads, were the last tribe TO fold
the wigwam.
In 1867 the British built fort on the
stretch Of land viv-a-vis to Yorktown.
Thence sprang a beautiful incorpora-
ton, known as Gloucester towne.'
1t had its Main street striking the coun-
" thoroughfare, its Broad street, its
Botetourt street. which held the Red
House and the British Fort"
Gloucester towne had a finger In the
revolutionary pie, for Dundas and Tarle-
toms troops were quartered here, and
IL fell when Yorktown did.
AS late as 1861 an old brick house bore
solitary witness of its colonial neghbors
at Gloucester towne. An elm, wide
spreading and magnificent, was It's body
guard.
Union soldiers set fire to this old-fash-
toned mansion, big with bygone grandeur
and a noble pedigree, for no reason, that
/ can see, except TO destroy landmark
from Virginia's shores.
The blazes blasted the proud elm, the
friendly table tree" whose arms held
a welcome for incoming ships.
An old man. seventy-odd. was telling
me the story: What sacrilege," he
added: This was n twig. In ante-revo-
lutionary days my grandmother planted
It,"
This anecdote betrays the feeling Of
the Gloucester people. They accept the
new, but treasure reverently each an
nal Of the old.
in 1876, when the Philadelphia centen-
nal was about TO open, and the fever
for relics OF the Revolution was hlgh'
u part OF the wreck OF the English fri
6ate Sharon, which brought CORVALLIS
20 Yorktown, and was afterwards sunk or
Gloucester towne, was blown up Win
IowG@.
Embedded IN the wreck were found
articles of immense inter est, and the date
l772, the year In which the vessel was
built.
The glory of Gloucester town has de-
parted.
broad sweep OF level land broken with
grass grown Notifications.
They breathe to us sacred story.
They were the bulwarks Of our own
untried heroes.
Their hope persisted. The memory Of
their deeds is as fresh as the turf which
gives an air OF peace 10 this grim work
OF war.
AS early as 1919 Gloucester gave
speaker to the House OF Burgc0ses. and
the portrait Of Augustine Warner, kindly
visaged and periwigged hangs at Belle
farm, one of the many homes OF his
descendants IN Gloucester.
From Gloucester 20 Sir William Berks-
lev in the midst Of his worries with
Nathaniel Bacon, came a "kingsman."
inviting him to this rich domain fun Of
loyal planters"
He came, and his heart sank, for
Bacon element tainted his following.
Nathaniel Bacon, fearless and head
strong. at the close of his stormy career
led his rash rebels across the York TO
Gloucester. He went to Warner Hall 10
spend the night with old Augustine.
Death overlook him with his helmet
on.
Some say his body lies at the foot OF
a beech tree, in sound Of busy brook.