Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1900-12-13
VALLEY IvnuE
TO Be 4 PARK.
Patriotic Societies of Pennsylvania
Are Urging the State to Acquire
More of this Historic Land.

Historic old Valley Forge, the spot
that played such an important part in
the early history Of this country, is to
be made 2 pG1ii~ PAX. Already the
State of Pennsylvania has acquired
one-ffth of the field hat was once oc-
cupied by the Colonial troops under
Washington, and efforts are now be-
ing made to persuade the Legislature
to take possession of tn st of the
land. If this is done, ar lere is eV-
cry likelihood that it V e done be-
fore many months h e passed, the
fl " will soon become a public park.
by any chance, the Legislature
81 uld fail to grant the requests of the
pt ~itioners who are interested in this
pi ject, it is quite probable that the
pa oriotic societies Of the State will take
the matter in hand and will gain pos
session of property, purchasing it
with mon collected by popular SUB
s%cription. In otEer words, the mem
bers of the patriotic societies are de-
termined that Valley Forge, with all
its historic associations, shall cease to
be the property of private individuals,
and that, instead, it shall become a
historic park to which the public shall
have free access. Under the clrcum-
stances, therefore, it is more than prob
able that in some way the scheme will
The idea of taking this means of pre-
serving this relic of the revolutionary
War o~riS-2Gt@G W.c4 the members OF
the Philadelphia chapter of the Daugh-
I0I u - - a'4r L-A@ $500 N'S~J
thoroughly discussed and a committee
was appointed to ascertain the exact
condition of the old -encampment and
to take steps to have either the State
or the patriotic societies acquire the
property on which the Continental
army passed through such a heroic test
of patriotism.
A PUBLIC WORK.
Is the State had already obtained
possession or d portion of the field, in
GLIDING the old Washington headquar-
tiers, it was felt that Ile state was the
proper party to co nue. the Work. II,
however, the auth ties do not feel in
clined to take tn step the societies
stand ready to Sc, that the project is
properly carried Il 'ough in order that
the house and L shall become a
permanent and cared-for monument to
the tight for American Independence
The site OF fce patriot camp covers
nearly 1000 acres of rolling meadow
land, broken here and there with wood
ed hills. 1t is Just south of the Schuyl-
Kill and is within easy distance of Phil
~adelphia. The old stone mansion that
was occupied as headquarters by Gen.
Washington faces the railroad station,
While bout . quarter of a mile further
south is the pot where the first head
quarters stood. The building has now
been demolished. A few feet from
there is the ~bubbling spring from
Whicl ne troops obtained their water.
A ST below, on the farther side OF
the str, - is the site of the old forge,
built in 1857, from which the spot takes
its name, Near this spot, extending in
a zigzag lire north and south for a
quarter of a mile, are remains of the
old entertainments thrown up by the
troops. They are still easily distin-
guished by the irregular and scattered
heaps of stones and the uneven eleVa-
tion of the gfeenSWard.
To the right OF tAe old entrenchment
are the foundation stones and decayat
Jtimbers of Fort Washington, whist
once served as the eastern bulwark o.
the ANN A hOJIt a quarter of a n -
from this ~rot nav he seen the heac
quarters used by Knox, while on tn
other side of Valley Creek is the sit
of Lafayette's headquarters, where tn
original buildings still stand, littl
changed by the years.
w FAMOUS MOUNTS.
The new park would include near1
all the spots that have been made ia
NOUS by history. Mount Joy and Noun
Misery, two of the most interesting ele
vations on the place, would certainl
much to the ragged troops who tough
death by disease and starvation S
brave1y during the crucial winter c
1777 and ITS.
It was lust after the disastrous bat
ties of the Brandywine and G~ermantow
tina they went INTO camp and 81
months of terrible suffering foIowe'
In q recent address DR.. Paxton Gale
it the Rebellion of the Stomach
t+Never, ne saia, mas an. army gor
through such privations. 1t was mai
kinds great struggle Tor liberty ar
the grounds on which they fought tn
terrible light tell the story in a mu
but powerful way"
To describe the horrors of that vii
ter in detail would be almost unnece
sary. Every child who has read tt
history of the country knows of tt
.dreary huts in which the Continent
soldiers suffered. Ragged and hal
starved, and without shoes, blankets
proper clothing, they slept through tt
winter on the bare earth. In the da
time they left footprints of blood
the frozen ground Then came disea
to add it's terrors to those of fani
and cold, the fevers that burned t
body and the chills that racked t
bones, and then, as if this was n
enough to try any ordinary spirit
patriotism, the smallpox that all fear
and no one understood. Under su
circumstances it is not strange tn
Gen. Varnum should have written