Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-08-18
EARLY VIRGINIA HISTORY.
COLCHESTER ON THE OCCoQUAN.
(Continued)
No. 81.


ment. 1t was named for an ancient
Coin in the county OF Essex, England,
| fify-one miles from London, and the
former home Of some Of the projectors,
notably Peter Wagner who was born
there in 17l7. his father being Rev
Peter Wagner, rector OF Listed
Parish. Peter the son, as already stated,
owned the land on which Colchester
was built. He was possessed cf large
tracts of land in the neighborhocd and
Tor forty-,hree years from 1852 ne was
! clerk of the county OF Fairfax. He
died in 1895, aged IS years. The fact
hat an order OF the court was given in
1852 for the removal of the county
records from Colchester to Spfi eli Iii
on the old Braddock road eighleeu
miles above Alexandria, gives pIaus-
hility, even certainly, TO The sup
position that the regular sessions
of The county were held there
for the first ten years of its hi. =
| tory; that is, official tenn OF clerks
Catesiy Cooke to 1746. and J h
Graham to 1852.
The new town on the OccC quan Eati
deep and uavigable waterway and
became in blief ume the center of
l"lge tobacco aud grain trade. TO is
spacious warehouses from every direc
| ion 10y the rolling roads came great
| quantities Of the Virginia staple in roll
ng hogsheads, and large square rigeed
AID other vessels went sailing away with
cargoes of it to the distant ports Of
London, Amsterdam, Madeira and Lis
bon. At one time, If we are to believe
traditiopaly accounts, there were
thirty stores and some Of them quite
extensive for the time 1t had bank
of exchange. tannery, several
cooperies, bakeries, smiths and
wagon shops, furnace AMI forge i,
h)ur mills, u rope walk, snuff factory,
aud other industries needed by au it,
creasing population. Burnaby in his
travels through "the middle parts OF
the colonies" in 1853 says: There are
iron works, furnaces and forges work
ed by cuts from the OccoQuan just
above Colchester, carried on by John
BAlandine, very ingenius gentleman,
which are of great public utility. The
trade of this port consists chiefly of to.
bacco and wheat and there is very
fine back country TO support it and a
considerable number Of ships are laden
here annually" A theatre was kept
up also for the numerous showmen and
mountebanks who then strolled the
opening country. The same traveller
alludes also to these strollers and de.
scribes one Of their theatrical perform
antes in an empty tobacco warehouse
ar.istically fitted up for the occasion.
For the through travel from and to
! Williamsburg, Fredericksburg, Dunn
fries, and other burroughs lying on the
great highway below, and also for that
of the travel between the ferry and
the mountains above, there we've IS
tabli3hed number of ordinate or
inns. The Essex House" and the
"Arms of Fairfax" have already been
mentioned. The name of only one
other has been handed down-the
"Cross KEYS" which stood somewhere
ia the neighborhood of the landing.
The market house as already noted was
on Essex street. Here were held also
the fairs and all public gatherings of a
secular nature. The fairs were author
| lied by law and often lasted for day7,
during which the rural population tor
miles around came in and there was
high carnival of good cheer and merry
making in which doubtless the roister-
ing element had its full share. Cider,
beer and other beverages OF a more po-
tential nature contributed to general
mirth, hilarity and abandon.
Pohick Church edi6ce, five miles dis
taut, accommodated all who were re-
liglously inclined. The services there
were of the established or royal church
of England. Every other rel gious ser.
vice was prohibited in the colony ty
the most oppressive penalties. Davis,
an English traveller, who passed much
of his time in this neighborhood about
1890 published book of his observa-
tions which he inscribed to Thomas
Jefferson. He Was a teacher in the
family of Thomas + ljcott, Quaker and
proprietor then Of the flour mills short
distance above the ferry. In his book
he thus describes visit to the ancient
parish church Il rode to Pohick on
Sunday ana 1olneu the conSiosaU'Uu
of parson Weems, q minister OF the
Enis scopal church, who was cheerful IN
his mien that ne might win men 10 re
ision. A Virginia church yard on a
Sunday resembles rather race course
than a sepulchrai ground. The ladies
come to it in carriages, and the men
after dismounting from their horses
make them fast to the trees. But the
steeples to the Virginia churches are
designed not for utility but for orIa
ment; for the bell is always suspended
to a tree few yards dis ant. was as
founded on entering the yard to hear
"steed threaten steed with high and boastful
neigh"
Nor was less stunned by the rafting
of carriage wheels, the cracking OF
whips and the vociferatioDs OF the gent,
" TO the negroes who accompanied
tnem. But The discourse OF Mr.