Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-03-23
YE OLDEN Tines.

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v1Ra1N1A's COLONIAL CAPITAL NOW AM
THEN.
| CORES pondence of the Stanton VINDIt,AToR
| WILLIAMSBURG, VA, March 16, '94-Stop
ping here day or two and looking aroun(
this interesting and historical old city, wa.
soon reminded Of some notes made here ant
sent you thirteen years ago, Oil my frs
visit to the place. Old William and Mar,
College was then closed and almost in ruins
L walked up there to-day and found it in goot
condition, enlivened by 1865 students, and oc
cupying something of its long ago position a.
an educational centre of Virginia.
The first object that attracts the visitor
attention is the
STATUE OF SIR NoRBoRNE BERKELEY
The familiar Staunton name makes me stol
at once and take second look The statu,
in white marble, much discolored by time
| stands i'll front of the notable old building
On the front is the inscription, s"rhe Righ
Honorable Norborne Berkeley, Baron u,
| Botetourt, His Maiesty's late Lieutenan
and Governor General OF the Colony of Vir
ginia" On another face Of the pedestal is al
inscription recording that in III, the Genera
Assembly of the Colony of Virginia had b,
unanimous vote, ordered the erection of thu
monument as a token of gratitude for til,
prudent and wise administration of the gov
ornor, and one year later it was, as thu
artists Inscription shows, made in London
viz, in 1772. | suppose this old baron was
the ancestor of the Staunton Berkeleys. an6
that Capt. Frank, DR.. Carter and the Others
| l,x, .;~rl,t
| ing the college and passing down the broad
avenue, now the Main Street, and almost as
wide as Pennsylvania Avenue, flanked by
characteristic old buildings, some of them
more than century old, come to
HISTORIC OLD CHRIsT's CHURCH,
of Bruton Parish where the lords and ladies
of the colony used to worship. The building
is in good preservation, and the graveyard
around the church chershes the remains of
many titled colonists. Though all the mon
uments are interesting, will only tell you of
three The first is that of Edward Mott.
governor of Virginia two hundred years ago,
His tomb is large and pretentious one, and
the inscription which l copy ger6atina ct t5ter0-
tim, with no punctuation. is characteristic OF
those times. 1t reads sUnder this Marble
Rests ye Ashes of His Excellency Edward
Mott Late Governor of this Colony who in his
Private Character was A good Christian and
in his Public A good Governor. He was A
Lover OF Mankind And Bountiful to his
Friends BY ye Sanctity of his Morals and We
Mildness. Prudence and justice of his Ad-
ministration he was Deservedly Esteemed A
Public Blessing while he Livd & when He
nIod A puhliO (Io1a mil nv, 1,o III
Life the 23d Day of August 1905 Aged 49years
In Gratful Remembrance of whose many
Dutyes the General Assembly of this Colony
have Erected this Monument"
The oldest stone is that of Roland Jones,
who died in 1858. His epitaph begins, 'Hic ia
Get Rolandus Jones' and is all in Latin. He
was the son of the first pastor Of Bruton Par
sh church.
In corner stands the highly ornamented
and consequential looking tomb of Edward
Barradall, the first law reporter in America
whose manuscripts were used by Thomas
jefferson In his reports. 1t would seem we'll
for the Virginia Law Association to make
some record of this monument, and the talen-
ted young lawyer who first hewed the path
which SO many distinguished legal minds
have since followed.
This old city, low containing
ABOUT 1000 INHABITANTS,
is interesting at every turn, and is as different
from Staunton and our other Valley towns as
though it were on another continent. Through
the whole length of its straight wide central
avenue, there is no sign of paved sidewalk,
except now and then patch of brick Or stone
in, Of
mess house. The centre of the street is a we'll
trodden, sand road, but the cross and side
streets are covered with a heavy grass sod,
upon which stock Craze at will, and neither
wheel OF hoof can make an impression. Null
berry trees with great trunks, strangely
gnarled and distorted and bearing evidence
Of great age. line the streets and shade the
yards. Nearly all the houses are old. the
frames, painted a long ago white, with
green shutters, and the brick ones checke.ed
with alternate red and dark brick brought
from England in auld lang Syne, look like
great checker boards set up here and there
through the town; but there are few as pref
ty modern houses, both frame aud brick, as
one cares to see.
Tie
NEGRO POPULATION
would seem to predominate; most of them
look poor and shiftless, but there are a good
many exceptions, and the largest store in the
place, (and there are not few good ones)
is owned by negro, one, Harris, who keeps
everything, deals honestly and is very popu-
lar with the drummers. There are a number
of other negro merchants and tradesmen
and
ONE OF THE MOST NOTED NEGROES
in Virginia, Rev. Jno. NJ. Da wson, lives here
Thirteen years ago when he was a candidate
for congressman at large, running against
Parson Massey and johnnie Wise, interview
cd him. He is. now treasurer of the county,
and his white neighbors say, makes good
one. lie still breaches, too, and his white
fellow-citizens say, has done much to elevate
and make good citizens of those of his color
in Williamsburg.
Well, Notwithstanding all the disadvant-
ages and hindranceS in this boomle5s and I'M
boomable old town, it is a nice place to visit
and good place to live in. There is a Guilt
waited and high toned society here, we'll dress
ed, nice looking people, pretty. refined ladies
who hold their heads as high. and are just as
proud of Williamsburg, its history and an
tiquities, and their pedigree, as any people of
any city in this land, and it must be confess
ed they have some reason to be.
L. g. NJ.