Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-07-31
RECOLLECTIONS OF
BYGONE DAYS.
An interesting Bit of History DAYS
In Augusta Many Familiar Names
and Places, Etc.

I
For The SPECTATOR:
If in the evening of life one sits dow
and kes retrospective view of tn
days of his childhood. he finds man
things of interest to ponder over,in th
path way from the cradle to the grave
In thus looking back / have a vivi'
recollection of my first day at school
the old log house and large white oal
tree that shaded it, the venerable oil
teacher and scholars that attended th
school. The house has long been tori
down, the woodman' s axe spared no
the tree, nothing left to mark the spo
but fast decaying stump, but the sur
rOundings are historic. On this plot
iof ground has stood for more than a
century and half the Old Stone
IChurch. augusta church) where in the
ldays of the first settlement of our love.
ly Valley the pioneers of this locality
convened to defend themselves from
the tomahock and scalplng knife of
the Indians, and named the place
"Fort Defiance"
The teacher alluded to was David
Ross, then Gn 1887 an old man, the
school house stood in the southern
corner of the spring lot, the pupils, oh !!
where are they? Echo answers where ?
If any except myself are living | know
it not. The pastor of the church was
DIR. VIM. Brown, then alicentiate just
from college, be has filed his mission
on earth, and now his body rests be
meath the soil where the orange BIOS
SONS sends its fragrance over the beau
tifnl landscape of the State Of Florida.
But why dwell here, the history Of this
consecrated place is as familiar to the
people OF Augusta, as household words,
and throughout the western states as
we'll
Allow me to digress and 60 back to
the days when the dark clouds OF the
revolution were hanging over our peo-
pie like pail. In 1881 when Col.
Tarleton came near capturing the Vir-
glnia legislature, then at Charlottes-
vile, which reconvened a. Staunton,
where they resumed their labour, a
messenger arrived with the infOrna-
tion that Col. Tarleton was in full
march for that place. 1t so happened
that on that day Presbyterian clergy
man from Lexington 35 miles distant
was on his way to presbytery, at Au-
gusta Church, meeting with some of
his brethren who Informed him of what
had occurred. he inquired if any meas
ures had been taken to call out the
militia, being answered in the negative,
he said 1t must be done at once. This
was done, and the men assembled at
Staunton that same evening. When
the clergyman reached Lexington, a
large company assembled at his house.
The next morning he delivered to
them an address suited to the occasi on
then girded on his sword, and they
Immediately set out for the scene of ac-
tion.
The clergyman was the learned and
pious Rev. VIM Graham then princi-
pal of Liberty Hall Academy, now
Washington and Lee University.
This scrap of history have given to
show the present generation of what
kind of nerve and patriotism their an
cestors were possessed, and the i'm
portance of their old church in those
days.
| will now return to the scene of my
childhood, and oh! how changed. Adam
Link, the prince of merchants in those
days, lived in a small house now on the
east side of the turnpike in front of
the peasant residence of Mr.. Edward
Crawford, his store house was on the
same side of the road and near by the
mansion of which Mr.. Crawford is now
the owner, was in course of erection
by MIR. Link at this time. The valley
turnpike being later established was
located in the rear of Mr.. Links for
mer residence. The only residence be-
tween Mr.. Link g and Mt. Sidney at
that time was that of Mr.. Yount.
which stands near Rev. Mr.. Wanger's
barn, apart of the house yet remains).
There Mr.. Yount carried on an exten-
sive tannery. A few years later in
1910, was again school boy near the
valley turnpike, the school house at
this time was an old dwelling house
converted into school room on the
farm fomerly owned by the late Daniel
Sheffey, and stood nearly opposite the
present residence of Mr.. Samuel Par
kips. The teacher was the late Capt.
David McFall, father Of Hamilton Nc
Fall, of Mt. Scion. A better teacher
was not in those days, and cannot be
surpassed in these. 1t was in this year
that the macadamizing of the Valley
pike was completed. The next dwell
| ing on the road between Links store
and Staunton was that of the venera-
BILE VIM. Wilson, story and a half
house, later the home OF his SON,
Thomas, it was destroyed by fire a
few years ago, and near it's ruins was
erected the present residence of Mr..
Doley Jordan. On a corner OF this
farm adjoining the Hanger tavern
stood the blacksmith shop IN which
Alexander [Sandyl Coly at that time
and for years after kept up ringing
on the anvil. 1t was later occupied
by Daniel Fisher. On the right OF the
road was the far famed Hanger tavern
l-now the willow spout owned by Sam
uel Woods-next was the home OF Dr.
Allen, a low house with dormer win
.dows. now the residence of Mr.. Frank
lin Bell, after the death of DR.. Allen
Daniel Stoner bought the property
and built the present house and