The Washington times., 1901-09-01
THE OLD POHICK CHURCH
A Project TO Restore Historic
Edifice in Virginia.
Plans Drawn by Washington, Who
Was Vestryman for Twenty
Years A Pulpit With n sound
ing Bonrd-Once Used rs n Stable.

Among the score of colonial churches
in the State of Virginia none is more
| interesting than Pohick, or Mount Yer
non, Church. 1t is situated in Truro
parish Fairfax county This parish
| formerly covered Fairfax, Alexandria,
and Loudoun counties. Pohick Church
has an interest for all lovers of history
because of It's connection with the great
| men of the colonial period.
1t has passed through two wars and
suffered in each. Its vestry book, which
is also the record book of Truro parish,
| covers period of about fifty years
1132-S5 This book was lost for fifty
years, and recovered about twenty
years ago by the historiographer of the
diocese of Virginia, the late Rev. DR..
Philip Slaughter. 1t is now kept, by
order of the vestry, in the safe at
Mount Vernon. under the care Of the
superintendent, II. H. Dodge.
The present church building was COM
! pleted in 1772. 1t is built of brick burn
ed in the yard near by, with walls eight
cen inches thick, covered with ivy and
surrounded by tall old trees. The orig
inal building was a wooden one, two
| miles south of the present site. and on
the other side of Pohick Run, from
which the church took its name. The
former edifice fell into decay about 1863,
| and the present loca tion was chosen.
| History relates that when the change
| of site was made, George Mason used
| his eloquence in favor of the old one,
and George Washington answered him
with carefully drawn map, showing
| that the new place was the centre of
| population. This argument won, and
| the present location was chosen. 1t is
| just here. according to tradition that
| Washington divided his army on the
way to Yorktown in 1871, Pohick Church
| being at the forks OF the road He
| took part of his army by yof Col
| chester and part by Occoquan village,
both lying on Occoquan Run. The
| building committee, appointed in 1863.
| included George Washington. George
Mason, and George William Fairfax.
Washington drew the ground plan
and front elevation, the plans for the
pews and the placing of the pulpit
When the church was finished in 1772-73
the pews were sold. George Mason buy
ing two and George Washington buying
first one and afterward another from
Lund Washington. The pews were all
marked in raised letters with the names
of the owners. One pew, that to the
north of the pulpit, was given by the
vestry to the parson, Lee Massey, then
rector. and his successors forever. The
high pulpit on the north wall, with it's
sounding board overhead, both firmly
bolted to beam let into the wall, was
marked feature of this church. It
also had a reredos back of the COM
munion table on the east wall, on which
were inscribed in letters of gold the
Apostles Greed, the Lords Prayer, and
the Ten Commandments. The font. cut
from the granite of the neighbortood.
was large enough to "discreetly dip
the children. according to the rubric in
the Prayer Book.
Washington was a vestryman for
twenty years of Truro parish. was ac-
tive in the building of four churches in
Fairfax and Alexandria counties, and
was also warden for several years.
of God on the Lords Day. Truro par
ish had several ministers prior to the
Revolution, of whom the Rev. Charles
Green and the Rev. Lee Massey were
the most prominent Parson Massey
was rector at the time Pohick Church
was built and continued with it up to
17s5.
After the Revolution the services at
Pohick Church were held irregularly,
and Washington became an attendant
at Christ Church, Alexandria, which
church he had also been Instrumental
in building and in which he had bought
a pew as soon as 1t was completed.
During the period Parson Weems. that
queer genius who wrote the first his
tory of Washington and the history of
Marion, preached occasionally, though
he was never settled as its rector.
In 1887 the Bishop reported to the
Episcopal Convention of Virginia a vis-
itation made to Pohick Church. 1t was
in a bad plight. he said. Its doors were |
found open, inviting every wild beast |
of the field TO enter. His appeal moved |
the Rev. Mr.. johnson to go out of the |
State and raised money sufficient to put |
the church in good order again, and |
students from the Episcopal Theologi- |
cal Seminary and others ministered reg
ularly there.
In the civil war the situation of the |
church made II 4 prominent picket post.
IL was then entirely dismantled and |
used by the soldiers for a horse stable
About 1870 Theodore K. Wetmore, of
New York, with the advice and assist
ance of Bishop Johns, of Virginia, and
Cassius L. Lee, raised money enough
TO make the building comfortable for
services. In 1881 the Rev. S. A.Wallis
became rector. and under his ministry
a good congregation and Sunday school
were gathered within its walls. The
vestry book, communion service (Which
is large and massive made in 1774), and
the font were all found and restored to
the church. Mr. Wetmore also added
10 the church property by securing con-
siderable land ana building a rectory
MIR. Wallis was succeeded by the Rev
Mr.. Kloman. who was rector for two
years. The present rector, Rev. Ever
years ago. Tho church now shelters |
rom Sunday to Sunday good congre-
CATION and Sunday school. The people
are poor. being chiefly engaged in agri-
culture. 1t is a church in which ito
he poor the Gospel Is preached" The