The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-05-30
VIRGINIA ANTIQUITIES
AND THE ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR
FUTURE PREsERVA TIOy.
Its Work. its Main and Branch OfYices
Throughout the state-Some,hing
of the VAIN able Purchases.

The Association for the Preservation Of
Virginia antiquities Is In the seventh
year OF its existence, having been in
stituted at Williamsburg, the Colonial
CAPITAL. January sth, 1883
Its princfpal Office il In Richmond.
where. on April 90 of that same year. IL
was formally organized in the Executive
Mansion with Mrs. 'Fitzhugh Lee, the
wife OF the then Governor, as President
Branch associations were organized in
| Williamsburg and Norfolk, and the socie-
| ty entered at once upon It's work.
| The association in Williamsburg was in
| charge of Mrs. Charles Washington Cole
| man. at whose home the first meeting had
| been held, while the association IN Nor
| folk was directed by Miss Mary J. Gait.
| 1t was due to the efforts of these two
| noble women that the Association for the
Preservation OF Virginia Antiquities
| came into existence. y charter was soon
| obtained with fourteen women as cor
porators, and the objects Of the society
were stated to be the requirement by
/ gift or purchase OF the old historic build
| ings and tombs in.Nirginia.
THE POWDER HORN At WILLIAMSBURG.
Their first purchase was the old maya
zine at Williamsburg known as THE
| Powder Horn" II was eminently proper
| that this valuable relic should have been
| one Of the first acquired by the associa-
ton. for II is most intimately connected
with the history OF the colony. and with
| the revolution.
1t was built IN the reign Of George J.,
I'm 17l4. by order OF Governor Spotswood.
| the Council and the House of Burgcsses,
| as a receptacle for the arms and ammunl-
( ton which the good Queen Anne hal
| been pleased TO bestow upon her faithful
| subjects for their protection from the
Indians.
In l775. when Lord Dunmore caused the
| powder 10 be removed. In order TO pre-
vent its use by the revolutionary patriots
then resisting the expressions OF England,
| Patrick Henry. at the head OF the Han
| over Volunteers. marched upon the town
| IN order TO force the Governor TO re-
| store it. This he promised TO do, but
| instead. caused spring guns TO be placed
I'm the building and a number of persons
were badly hurt by this explosion. Such
was the excitement that Dunmore fled
from Virginia, and thus ended her royal
government
The fast-crlimblng walls OF this neg
| lccted building were rebuilt with the adj
| dition of brick dug from the foundation
OF the Capitol and Dunmore's palace IL
| is 10 be used as a museum for a collection
/ Of relics.
| MARY BALLS HOMI.
The next purchase was the home OF
Mary Ball. the mother Of Washington.
| I'm Fredericksburg. The old house with
| the garden where Lafayette met her on
his visit after the war, is beautifully kept,
and the association hopes TO rehabitate
| IL I'm its new dress. This is under the
care Of the Fredericksburg branch. Of
which Mrs Carmichael is the efficient di-
rector.
CHURCH AND GRAVE YARD.
The third possession. and to acquire
I which was their chief object. was the
ruins Of the old church at jamestown.
| This was the munihcent gift to the assoc
citation Of Mr.. and Mrs. Edward f.. Bar
| ney. jamestown Island was the settle
ment Of the first colonists in 1851. There
in 1919 Virginia was making laws through
free assembly. year before the land
| ing Of the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock.
1t was that assembly I'm the old church
al jamestown, and not the covenant
aboard the Mayfower, which constituted
the germ from which has developed our
| form Of representative Republican
government. Slowly but surely the
! river unconscious OF the sacre-
f, lege, has been advancing upon these
| historic shores. and cutting away the
| ground near the site Of the old church
| I
site Of the church built later whose ruin
ed towers now stand. and Jamestown's
ruins would have been washed away.
An APPROPRIATION.
Through the efforts Of Mrs. j. l.. VI.
| Curry the United States Government APP
| propriated $1,000 for the preservation Of
the water front, and engineers are now
| busy protecting the coast from further
/ ravages The government has also given
an old unused light house on Cape Henry
upon the side Of which the association
will place n brass tablet with the names
of those who first landed.
MRS. GIoGGK WASHINGTON BALLS GIFT.
! A second gift to the association is the
| old Ball graveyard at Leesburg. ana
was presented by Mrs. George Washing
ton BAH. This is enclosed by a wall, and
| is in an excellent state OF preservation.
! Its last purchase Is the old Nelson house,
at Yorktown. William Nelson. the pres-
dent OF the Council was the first owner
OF the house. and he left 1t to his Oldest
| son. Thomas. the signer of the Declara-
ton Of Independence and the Governor
Of Virginia II is "A square defiant, time
| worn. old brick mansion, fun OF his
/ tory and OF interest. II was the head
quarters OF CORVALLIS during his stay at
! Yorktown and or its front are balls
! fired DY the AMERICANS. IL mas lti-FrN
| from Nelson 10 Nelson, until the asso-
citation purchased IT from its last owner.
| Besides the purchase OF these build
ines the association has contributed to
the copying Of the York county records,
To the restoration Of the old brick church
at Smithheld. the oldest Protestant
church in America, being built in 1872;
TO the purchase OF the silver crown
given by King Charles TO queen Ann,
of the Pamunkeys; and TO many other
objects Of historic interest This winter
the association gave 10 the public
course of lectures on Virginia History,
which were much enjoyed and which
have created a renewed interest in its
! objects.
Virginia owes n debt of gratitude 10
those pious women who have taken upon
themselves the long-neglectcd duty OF
rescuing from destruction these perish
ing memorials Of Ler past.
u.NsGEwrNr or THs ASSOCIATION.
The affairs Of the association are man.
aged BY a board of ladies who meet
once a month, or oftener AZ the call OF
the president. There are branch associa-
lions in many of the important towns
I'm Virginia. The president is Mrs Jo-
seph Bryan; the corresponding secretary,
Mrs. George W. Bagby: recording secre-
tary: Mrs. James Lyons. and treasurer,
Mis-. John b. Lightfoot.