Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-04
REMARKABLE INSCRIPTIONS.

again, and so far as is known nj TINS time
there will be no other candidates.
~~----~s~r---
REMARKABLE INSCRIPTIONS.
Ono Supposed to he That Of n Mariner,
tho other the Wife OF nm Architect.
Correspondence Of tho Richmond Dispatch.l
CoMoRN. KING GEORGE COUNTY, Va, May
%" Lambs creek" emptIes into the
Rappahannock river some fifteen Mules be-
low Fredericksburg. and near sacred and
historic grounds In this county. Inc
elevated peak on the point of land where
these two bodies of water ntersect ~ one
of the dreariest and most dismal spots IN
the great Rappahannock Valley. On TINS
dismal spot stand two ancient moss
covered tombstones which partly verify
traditional story told by gray-halred
grandfathers hundred years ago
and reiterated by subsequent gen.
erations MANY Iidewater families
are familiar with the unwrltten story
of the tragic drowning OF a distinguished
/ ENGLISH mariner here some time IN the
eighteenth century. and the old natives
love to tell that story 10 new coiners
and to oil who visit this fertile valley 70
feast their eyes on what remains OF sec
ton once second IN wealth and importance
u no other section of Virginia. Inc name
! of the mariner, the time OK ms drowning
and the exact location OF his tomb. how
ever. formed no part Of the old. old story,
for authentic data has beer lacking with
the long line of narTatOrs and their de-
/ lighted auditors.
TIE MISSING LINK.
But n recent visit TO the secluded spot.
where large lizards Turk and rusty adders
! hiss. and n careful tracing OF the letters on
the old ombstone ty the DISPATCH corre-
spondent reveals the following lnScrlp--
ton. which supplies the " missing Ink y
IN the history OF tho drowned English
mariner y:
"ilere lies the body Of Mr. Daniel Dick
| lnson. Mariner. Who died June W Ind,
I7lG: Aged ~ years, Who was born at Ney
II. Castle IN Dr-lngton. Near White Haven IN
/ Cumberland"
The pecu,Iar.shapcd tombstone bearing
/ this inscription ia feet high and nearly 3
+ feet wide, carved about the top, and very
firmly scr IL the ground. Is color Is near
I cr that of faded BRICK. Instead OF that
peculiar gray characteristic OF the wca-
! thcr-bcaten tOmb-tOnos OF more modern
/ times. and while the character Of work on
; II i not equal II that ON fine granite OF
/ orr times. n nevertheless bears many EVIL
/ dences of having been very costly
! monument, and was perhaps maze OF the
/ best material IN use ~ years ago. No
mark OF tine grave itself IS visible. the
I earth being perfectly level and occupied
l bv wild forest trees Of various kinds, with
} here and there an old walnut tree OF enor-
/ nous dimensions some measuring feet
| IN diameter OF the body. The position OF
! the tombstone indicates quite clearly III r
| the body was buried northwest anu SOUTH
! east
ANOTHER TOMBSTONE.
| Some five or = feet distant from this. /
Immediately a. the head. stands another
magnifcen, tombstone OF larger dlmen- +
sI0nS and even more costly proportions. .
( bearing the following inscription: In
memory Of Anne. the wife OF John Gals .
Kill. VINO died Dcce uber We 10TH, liiJ; AGED .
Il years. This stone j. erected.
Her mln1 was HiOrned with the Orna- p
mcnts of mcck and quiet SPIRIT And every
Virtue that could render the married state F
happy or Social life Agreeable Also. their 1
Daughter Sarah Aged Is months
This stone must have cost many hum /
died dollars. tor the carving and orna- ,
mental work upon ~ x not only unique /
and beautiful, Tut lar eXcels anything ot /.
the kind 10 be found IN tho country at tho /
present time Il Is feet high bv feet /
wide. and. like the otnei. ITS position .
proves beyonI question that the body .
whose memory It was designed 10 perpetu- /
ate was buried L1rthwest and southeast.
Co,IrLEIELY ISOLATED.
So obscure and difficult OF access is this ,
! long forgotten and neglected little ceme- /
terry by the RappanaunOcs that one NAV
stand amid It's sacred precincts hour after .
hour without catching the taintest sound .
Of any living thing save the hl1eous .
boot Of the odlous owl or tho hateful
hiss of the poisonous adder, whose abso-
Int right o. the gloomy premises has not .
been disputed or even questioned by /
mortal man for a hundred years. Simply
the two sturdy stones, wedther-beaten
and clothed III green moss and creeping
wild vines. stand solitary and alone and
silently verify the swlt,lcss OF time aud
tell their sad story TO an occasional rude
huntsman or trapper. who by accident
passes the tumble which veil them IRON
the wicked world busy eyes.
OLDEST OF IT'S KISD.
Less than one mile awaY stands Lambs
Creek church. an ancient edlhco built Of
colonial bricks. perhaps one OF the oldest
buildings of It's kind III the State. and ccr-
talnly the most neglected. While It's mas
sive walls are IN IA fine state OF preserya-
ton. the woodwork - yielding 10 the
ravages of corrOdlng time. and the
shingled roof. long covered with moss. IL
crumbhng with decay. This house - Sd
feet long by 80 feet WIDE has twelve huge
windows AMI two double or folding
doors-one midway the south side, one IN
the west end.
POPULAR GRAVEYARD.
RAAiN@ -A'At'A tn va htAN ~ 'H'N.lb WI
tury the grounds around this church
have been used as pr1mlscaous cemetery
Dv q vast class of families destitute OF
ground in which 10 bury their dead.
Almost every available spot IN tho old
churct yard contains a grave, the entire
yard being SO thickly dotted with these
uucared-icr receptaces Of the dead that a
vehicle cannot approach the church doors
without passing directly over gOOdlY
number. The property belongs 10 the
EplscOoaliaus, and. Notwithstanding its
dIlapIdated condition, services are held
here once a month during the sum
mer season. While this Is one of the most
historic church "a fees III Virginia, strange
70 relate. It Il without a line of r.cOrdet
history. for careful research proves that
the Lamb s-Creek" church described IN
Bishop Meade's history OF the Old colonial
churches was located near the Rappahan-
mock river, IN Stafford county some SIX
miles above this and nine miles below
Fredericksburg "A point now indicated by
some ancient tombstones and particles Of
the old chnrch foundation.
POSSIBLE CLUE.
Moro than nifty years ago church histo-
rians made an elaborate search for data
concerning the very early history of
Lam 's-CTeed" church, but all that
could then be learned was that it was
built by an English architect, whose raml-
ly died OF malarIal-fever and were buried
at some secluded spot on the banks
of the Rappahannock. 1t Is now con-
sldered certain that one OF the curious old ,
tombstODcs above described furnishes
IA clue TO the name OF the Lambs Creek"
church architect, and that the Anne Calls
kill and l5-months-old daughter de-
scribed III its inscription were his family,
for II appears from our most ancient re-
cords that no man or family by the name
Of Gallsklll ever resided here. ,
a Tuneful Note.
fTruih.l
There is music in the air when the way !
ward son requests his father 20 take up his {
note to the tune Of five hundred or SO.