Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-05-01
SNAP SHOTS EN- TRAIN.

WARRENToN, VA, April 25, 1908.
DEAR CITIZEN:
How is it on the shores of Carter's
Creek? Here we still sit by coal fires
and wear overcoats. Eight hundred feet
altitude knows a lot of chilliness and
spring is struggling to get in her work
of growing green things.
L write you from this beautiful little
town nesting in the foothills of the
Blue Ridge. The main trunk of that
great highway, the Southern Railway,
passes nine miles east of here, and we
are connected with it by a short spur.
There are three daily mails each way
and good deal of travel. Warrenton
is great summer resort, largely due
to its accessibility-it is only two hours
from Washington-many coming here
from North and South, finding pure air
and salubrious climate, though by far
the greater number of visitors are from
the large cities, New Yorkers SEEM
ingly liking the country. A good many
of these have purchased farms in this
region and are setting up as gentle
men farmers. Having lots of money
they are a real acquisition to the
South, as they pay out great deal of
cash. One result of this influx is in
favor of the laboring classes, as hav-
ing plenty of money, they are able to
pay better wages than have heretofore
been paid.
Many of them are "horse" men and
keep stables full of fancy riding and
driving horses, the favorite horse being
the hunter" trained to follow the
hounds, leap fences, bitches, etc. Some
few English people of wealth have
come here also, and these as rule are
of the class of so-called ''sports.
They lay out money in big establish
ments, some of the newer houses here
costing from $4,000 to $40, 900 or
more. 1t is not probable that farming
of the sort done by these gentlemen is
in strict sense profitable, as the out
lay is greater than the income, but it
is all benefit to the county, in that
much more money is kept in circu-
lation.
The town, and indeed in large degree
the county, has always been in a sense
an aristocratic neighborhood, some of
the most famous names in modern Vir-
ginia history being represented here.
Ii was the home of the late Governor
William Smith. and / might add a
long list of celebrities, but will not.
A short hours drive westward brings
one to the banks of the Rappahannock,
across which is the county of Culpeper.
We, who see the broadly rolling waters
of the Rappahannock at Irvington, find
it hard to realize that 200 miles west of
that location and seven miles from
where l sit the Rappahannock is so
small and shallow that this writer has
repeatedly crossed it dry-shod. 1t re-
ceives affiuents, however, as it flows
towards Fredericksburg, the largest of
these being the Rapidan, this joining
the other about ten miles west of the
Fredericksburg Falls. q may remark
for the benefit of the young students
of the map of Virginia that it was
originally the "Rapid Ann" and you
can figure out the derivation for your
selves.) For three years the tide of
battle ragged along the banks of these
rivers, and time and time again the
Federal forces, having crossed to the
south side, were driven back.
The Tidewater man always finds the
mountains fascinating, and the noun
tain-tired citizen sees a thousand
charms in the broad salt water. l am
telling these good folks of the fine times
we have on the shores of Carter's
Creek, the fishing, oystering, boating,
bathing, grabbing and all, and it ex-
cites interest. To go to Atlantic CITY
is well nigh as costly as to cross the
"herring pond " itself, and indeed
pleasure resorts are so serious drain
on ones income as to be inhibitive ir
cost; but think of staying at Mitchell.
for $25 asmonth! Some here say they are
going in July. III.