The Washington times., 1895-06-30
One Of th0 Legends
OF Old Potomac
How Farmer Mayo Taught the Devil to Dance, and
How Satan Rewarded Him--The Origin
Of the Name Dancing Point"

few miles down the Potomac. near
picturesque Occoquan Creek. a favorite
stamping ground for Washington excursion
and picuic parties, there is d small point OF
land which juts into the river, forming a
pretty peninsula in the miniature. Con
nected with this little peninsula, which is
known as Dancing Point, there is u wierd
anduncanny legend, which the superstitious
natives only recite in whispers and with
bated breath.
Old Potomac river steamboat men are
familiar with the legend of Dancing Point
Their negro deck hands have heard its har-
rowing details, while the average colored
farm lab0rer in the Occoquau district
would rather submit to a sound chastise-
ment than pass near the point after the
shades Of night have beeu draw down by
the day"
Consequently during the candle light
hours, the stiffness of that particular To-
cality is only disturbed by the coarse croak-
ing of iunumerable bulfrogs, the shrin
cry Of the night bird or the splashing Of
the wayelets as they go nppling by 10 the
moonlight or starlight, in their journey
to the sea
MOSS COVERED RUINS.
There is nothing about Dancing Point
that is al all suggestive OF anything out
or the ordinary, except, perhaps, it is the
old moss covered ruins OF a once p.os-
porous farmhouse. These are Of bluestone
and are located about 200 yards inland
from the little peniEsular The point IT.
self rises gracefully from the tumbling Po-
tomac 10 height Of about twelve feet
This TACT cuts an important figure in the
strange legend. raG R-fg.-s-f-
day TO The Times. A bowed and gnarlcd
river willow, which bends and cranes IN
the gale like some Old night hag, is another
feature of the unearthly lc.cend which mas
been passed down from sire TO son tor
Well nigh 100 years
The interesting legend of Dancing Point
was related 10 the reporter 10y venerable
Capt. Dan Spalding, veteran Potomac
waterman and farmer, who formerly owned
the famous old Hurlburt farm, a few miles
from the peninsula with its terpsichoTean
appellation.
Away back in 1902, think that was
the year." he commenced, that bunch
Of stones and mortar in rear of Dancing
Point was a substantial old farmhouse
IL was occupied 10y an old virginia gentle
man named Mayo whose fame as q hos
pitable host was widespread. His acres
along the river front, so the story goes, We're
low and marshy, and at ebb tide were sub
merged by the waters OF the Potomac. The
only crop Mayo could raise on them, there
fore, was combination of wiggliHg tad
poles, cr0allnC frogs, and phosphOrescent
will-0 '-the-wisps Mayo also Stood greatly
in need OF a wharf, for in those days the
Potomac was an important waterway, al
though tBe passing craft We're all sailing
vessels, as il was long before the era OF
steam.
"On thairwayup To tie port Of Alexandria,
these ships would stop at the " harves to buy
fresh meat, chickens, vegetables, and other
wise replcnish their larders. The old
farmer realized that with his low. marshy
water front, inaccessible alike TO the ships
that passed in the night as well as those
which went along in the day, he was losing
many q good dollar
Consequently it was his wish in the day
would occur TO elevate his peninsula, which
was only discenible at low tide and was
known as 'Mayo's Pint
MAYO'S MYSTERIOUS VISITOR.
In those days the stately farmers and
their comely wives, with the younger men
and women, gave frequent cotIlions or
dances and the participants tTod the pro-
Vincial minuet or dignified round dances
OF our daddies until the early cock gave
notice that day was breaking
Dancing in the county was popular
then III fact. il was the rage, and a young
man in those days who could not trip the
light fantastic" was back number, as