Evening star., 1896-08-22

toward the bygone and the picturesque
may find much to interest him. 1t smacks
decidedly of the past and is one of the sew
eral landmarks around Washington which
civilization has passed by and left on one
side in it's march.
"A place for Idle eyes and ears,
A cobwebbed nook of dreams:
Left by the stream whose waves are years,
The stranded village seems
Departed Glory.
Apparently it has lived its day. Founded
before Alexandria or Georgetown 1t was
once destined for a great city, and in the
latter part of the last century it really
vas place of Importance. The Anacostia
river, which now can only be traversed in
row beat, was then larger stream, and
sizeable tobacco boats ascended 1t as far
as Bladensburg. The town began Its ex-
istence properly in 17i2. although there was
a settlement there known as Garrison's
LANDING before that 1t Is supposed also
that Capt. John Smith visited the SPOT In
lGoe in his exploring voyage.
The people Of the town fall chiefly iato
three classes: The original white inhab-
tants, VINO nave grown up there and cling
with natural affection to their r.ative vii
lage; people from Washington, who. at
tracted by the picturesqucness of the
town. have bought Up some of the old
places and now occupy them in summer, If
not all the year around and. lastly, good
ly quota OF colored people, who live there
mainly because they haven't anywhere else
10 1--we. The old settlers. it must be said
Know very little about their home One
man tells you one thing, the next man an
other, while the larger number Of them
simply reply that they don't know There
Is kind of advantage in this, however.
Inere are no official guides in Bladensburg
and you are not constrained to learn the
exact number of bricks in the Stephens
rouse nor carry in your head the total
humper or schooners that have crossed the
I,
the Declaration of Independence Ard after
all, the old Bladensburgians are yery ma
trlot;c. and love the old hamlet where tf,ev
1--WE aMsii, nave moved away three times,'
each time I have come oack. You cant
coax coax ne to leave here again as long az I
ivs. II 1 can find roof to put INV head
The Oldest Inhnbitnnt.
Mr.. Benjamin Lowndes is the ..o,ao.. t.,
habtant," and probably the on,v na.,,,o
resident, since the death of Mr. Rorro,
who Is well posted on Its history. He h.s
lived there all his life, and his home ,,,,o.
is little way out from the village oconi
pies, perhaps, the finest site a6out the
str,ctra sGwm 's mouse s is an Old rambling frame
overlooking the valley, and his place III. 10
wen Kept up In old-fashioned comfort and
convenience. Mr.: Lowndes was born in
b,s htaoensouIg, E1s and there he has lived all
merely merely replied: I'm above eighty" But
later he admitted that he recollected the
battle of Bladensburg Il was abomt tbrae
years old at that time, I believe" he said
10 me i remember that 1 was lying on
.ne lounge. and was awakened by the
SOUND OF hrins. The battle being in 1914
tnis would make him about eighty-fiye
G. the oldest house in Bladensburz is the
S. SuepneEs mouse: 1t stands just under the
prov prov OF the Sand street hilI, well bs.k
from the road. and is reached from q
cross street. The old place is now occ,i-
pied by Mr Dieudonne. the Washington
donne being daughter of Judge Etenhan.
On the huge chimney at the south end
one could formerly read the date 1748 The
figure g has recently dropped off, but it
is just like the one at Mount Vernon. On
Ire vest door is huge tnocker q foot in