Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-08-05
Van Buren,, Pa, judy rs.

uli lGLuluS llCAU W GUN,
Van Buren,, Pa. , July 26.
Courier;-Sitting in my study
listening to the raindrops son the
roof and window pane" l find
myself with a spare half hour and
thinking some of your readers
may be interested in a brief his
torical review, | venture to write
you a few lines.
Washington County, Penn, is
indeed historic ground, having
been settled by white people
nearly $50 years ago and having
back of that an interesting Indian
history. In this county and very
near to where / live, Alexander
Campbell preached his first ser.
mon on July 10, 1910, from Mat
thew Z; 2l-27, and here he and
his wife, his father and mother,
his brother-in-law and his wife and
an unmarried sister were baptiz.
ed in North Buffalo June 1912,
they having organized the Christ
ian church the year before.
Several battles were fought in
this county in the early history of
the county, among them, Bush
Run, Great Meadows and Point
Pleasant, and, by the way, the
people call every stream u "run'
that is not a river. One little
creek halfa mile away from my
study window, has the eUphonius
title of "Buttermilll Rum Worse
to me than "Bull Run" There
are also in this county sites os
several old forts, among which are
Forts Du Quesne, Pitt, Necessity,
etc, and it was in this county that
BTaddock of Revolutionary fame
died and was buried, and left-if
not unwept, at least unhOnored
and unsung. Since his burial the
exact spot Of his repose has not
been known, but in 1872 a hnman
skeleton was eXhumed near Brad
docks Run supposed to be his re-
mains and these now rest in an in.
closure known as Braddock's
Grave.
General Braddocll was at one
time Washington's superior officer
and though some histories tell u3
that he treated the young hero Of
hatchet fame with contempt, the
father ofhis country said ofhim:
Gle was one of the most honest
and best men Of the British Of
fcers Of the British army with
whom ] was acquainted" George
Washington himself was often in
this county and actually owned
property in "Washingtou,n our
county seat. The story that on
one occasion when Washington
was here looking after some real
estate, that he became so angry
that he swore in the presence OF
some gentlemen, for which Squire
Reed fined him FIVE shillings, ID
told and believed. A member OF
my congregation is the daughter
of man who served in the army
with General Washington and she
remembers n great many things
her father said Of his army life
though she is now over eighty
years old.
This county is also the old home
Of the Blaine family, and within q
few miles of my place stands the
house in which James &. Blaine
was born in 1880, and it was here
in Washington and Jefferson Col
lege that he received his educa
ton.
There is on record here q doet
from Mary Peters and William
Peters, dated March 3, 1884, ant
conveying to Neil Gillespie a Ger
, tain tract Of land at forty-Gy'
shillings per "Aoker,' first pay
} mont to be made in two tons 0
; pig iron at "teen pence per pounc
a ana one negro at Preaaement 0
! two men" Eeil Gillespie was TIN
i father of James Gillespie, Blaine
mother.
i Tho idea Of incineration frs
! took root here and the first ere
= matOry was built here by DR.. l.
- Mayne, whose remains were after
wards reduced to ashes in IT,
great many bodies have been sen
hprn from other UlaCes for CTCmo