Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25

compare favorably with colonial mansions
IN any part OF our country. 1t has fallen
into hl-repair, but the walls and partitions
l noors and WINDOWS, remain as In early days
and speak volumes for the architects and
builders who wrought before the days OF
modern competition. The building could al
comparatively small expense, be put in q
| condition equaling that of the days when
within Its walls the state of Virginia gave
| to Lafayette splendid reception and ban
qret upon the occasion Of his second visit
to our shores.
The present owner a PENNSYLVANIA ex.
hibits with pride the room in which the re.
ception was held, and just across the spa
cious hall the room in which the banquet
was served This house of splendid history
| and solid colonial architecture should be an
object of care by some Of our many his.
torical societies.
Although Yorktown Is so rich in historical
associations, there is no attempt upon the
part OF its citizens to make merchandise
OF its past. Souvenirs and photographs are
not for sale. Indeed, the photographer
| seems to have given the place a wide berth.
The Village of Today.
The village of Yorktown has, by accident
or design, assumed the form of the letter
l., the short part Of the letter running
pack straight from the river for distance
Of three hundred yards, while the street
representing the stem runs south and par
allel with the river until it degenerates
into a cattle path in the distance.
About twenty houses, old and new, big
and little, comprise the village of today.
One hotel and one residence, where we
iearn from a small sign private enter
talnment may be had, accommodate the
travelling public, and the capacity of these
nostelrles is at no time overtaxed
One little church of the Episcopal faith
Win a history running back to the days of
Church of England establishment, answers
the requirements of such of the white pop
ulation as are religiously inclined. De-
nomlnational clashing cannot exist in
iorktoWn. The colored people had a mod
ern frame church building, but it was re-
Gently destroyed by fire, and they are.
even In these chill autumn days, Worship
ing IN a brush arbor. However, they are
low correcting funds for the new building
ana visitors to Yorktown are importuned
70 assist In erecting place of worship for
the descendants of the servants of Wash
ington and Corvallis
one or the most interesting objects in
connection with this locality is the small
req sandstone shaft erected by the state Of
virginia on the site of the surrender of
the British army. AS one stands on this
spot, the marshalcd forces seem almost to
pc present, and this eliminating scene liz
tne drama of war to be re-enacted We
are just little disappointed that Lord
CORVALLIS should have shouldered off
upon a subordinate the somewhat unpal-
atabie function of that October day Ont
OF respect for posterity, he might have
consented to surrender in person But
this may be but the exacting and ungra-
clous requirement Of too insistent Amer
lcahlsm. Nevertheless We have never
been fully convinced that CORVALLIS sick
ness on this occasion was entirely genuine
Where the British Surrendered.
The scene Of the surrender is about a
mile southwest Of the town and inme-
diately adjacent to the National cemetery,
in which lie buried over two thousand SOL
Giers and sailors who lost their lives in the
peninsula campaign of our late war. The
government bestows praiseworthy care
upon this resting place of its dead, and the
cemetery is kept in perfect condition.
AT Yorktown one naturally looks for the
llnes OF the British breastworks, and these
heavy defenses are still plainly discern
1ble IN certain directions. The heaped-up
SOIL has become overrun with wild grape
and Virginia creeper which have nobly
aided in preserving these most interesting
landmarks. Very heavy breastworks We're
erected just back of the village during our
late war, but these are more clearly de-
hned and manifestly more recent of con-
struct1on, and will not be COMPOUNDED with
the original and more interesting lines
Yorktown and vicinity is the home of typ
zeal Virginia country negroes. Fat, lazy rag
sed, but uniformly polite, they are every
thronS the stores, whittier they come to
dispose of some small farm product in ex-
change for tobacco, coffee, sugar calico or
similar commodity. If they kept fewer
dogs they might be more prosperous, but
scarcely more happy. The sleepy atmos-
phere of Yorktown seems to enthrall its
negro population, and they are as repre-
sentative of a hundred years ago as Of to-
day. Circumstances seem to favor the re-
tention of Yorktown the repository of
the spirit of a past age. There is no rail-
road within seven miles, and the telegraph
and telephone are equally remote. The tri-
weekly visits of a steamboat and the
ubiquitous mail carrier alone serve to keep
the community in touch with the outer
and, apparently, remote world of activity
and progress. The true historic atmos-
phere seems to battle this quaint little
town, and one almost expects the ghosts
of the past to appear on its cliffs and
haunt Its ravtnes. Around the base of
Bunker Hill the busy tide of modern travel
has surged and near at hand are the
sights and sounds of a great city, and we
seem held in the embrace of the present.
But what a difference at Yorktown One
can scarcely help living in the past while
here, and the very air, hanging lazy and
soft over the river and shore, seems to
breathe to our senses the story Of the
early days and their deeds of daring and
renown.