The morning times., 1896-04-12

along the river front The house in which
George Washington was born stood on
point bet tWeen Two creeks which ran In from
the river, and made 4 long, narrow penin-
sula The spot wa selected with nice dis
crimation, for 1t commands an excellent
view OF the river, bOth north and south and
a vista in between the hills shows the roll
ing upland TO the west Bridges Greek, on
the north, aud Popc's Creek, on the south.
wind aud twiRe their glistening lengt rs
along the meadows an! almost shut in the
promOntory.
4 mile TO the north OF where the house
stood is the long wharf. butt few years
ago by the government but for just what
purpose no one seems to know. The wharf
is 300 yards long. and the rows of iron
piles stand as straight and firm as the day
they were sunk. The wooden flooring.
however, has begun TO show evidences of
neglect aud is fast rntting way. 1t is said
that $50 900 was appr priated for the pur-
pose Of constructing a suitable wharf and
landing place at Wakefield, Va. but the
present structure gives no evidence of hav-
ing cost that sum. nor, in fact, half Of IT.
1t was 10 this wharf that The monument was
brolght from the navy yard. and then
dragged for Il mile and Il half across the
meadow toi its site.
If The. Sightscer visits Wakefield by way
of the water ne must either walk-the dis
tance or make arrangements to have Il team
in waiting From Colonial Beach. the
nearest stopping place of the river steamers,
the trip is made easiest and best by boat
IT is much shorter. and one avoids the back
breaking roads of the land journey. To the
visitor the country about Wakefield al this
season of the year presents particularly
monotonous aspect. The departing winter
has left behind il a country without the
-. Iii yp1, to a a
Everything is brown, brown, brown. The
fields the trees. the grass, the birds, the
very sky and air seem to take on the same
monotonous tint. The people are brown.
They live brown, look brown and eat brown
food. They wear brown clothes, brown
hats and boards, their complexions are
brown. and they chew great quantities OF
sweet brown tobacco. Their very conver-
sation is brown with the samcness OF
thought, action and surroundings.
They arc very hospitable, kind-hearted,
obliging, courteous people, and will go out
of their way to accommodate you.
Their lives are so quiet and uneventful
that they welcome the sight OF a stranger
and will go TO any reasonable length IN
order that they may enjoy his society ana
learn of the doings of the outside world.
In n country where a mans nearest nelgh-
Dor lives two miles away, and the paper
comes sometimes once WEEK, NhSie
strange faces are at premium and the
secrets of every household are as an open
book, it is not strange that men grow 10
know each other and grow tired.
OLD WASHINGTON GRAVES.
In a plowed field beside the road from the
wharf TO Wakefield are the graves OF Two
members of the Washington family.
The gray, moss-coyered headstones lie
crumbIng among the burrows, and were IL
not for the fact that two tall trees stand
guard. over these desecrated graves they
would have long since been plowed over and
obliterated Time and the moss have al
most removed the inscriptions, and one
stone is half covered with earth and grass.
Enough can be deciphered, however, TO
show that John Washington, eldest son OF
Cant. Lawrence Washington, was buried
there. and the year, cut roughly at the head
of the stone is 1890, The inscription
states that John died in his tenth year in the
month of January. He was probably named
after the brother of Capt. Lawrence WASH
ington, who came to this country about the
middle of the seventeenth century.
The second stone contains the simple
statement that Here lies the body of
James Augustine Washington OF Pope's
Creek, Va, who died in 1929 Then fol-
lows a long list of the people to whom the
dead man was related and the names Of
places some of which he probably owned,
but the sand has done its work too wei,
and they are almost undectpherable.
The road from the wharf TO 1.-THE birth
place. as the natives call 1t, was pur-
chased by the government from Mr.. John
E. Wilson, the present owner of that part