The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-17
as, uEt(P TiulR9 DiBpattb l
q c. EN- Nc CgKE COLUMN

Port Royal. on tho Rappahannock. by r
a very small margin. =
Nobody can imagine what visit u
to ono OF the old houses in Port Royal y
means. I'VE two" went into several -
which had como down from generation y
to generation, and which hung be- h
tween frail ownership and Inevitable a
change Two old ladies dwolt con- Il
tentedly In one, amidst their sacred
and pathetic treasures, One was Il
blind. the other dolicate. but with a y
touch of queenly grace They did the {
honors of their crurnhl!ng homo. The !
drawing-room was dim, tho chairs had !
been worked by the fingers OF those .
who hung on the wallis very old china ,
adorned the cabinets, and the blind
sister opened n very old piano and &
sung in a fine, trembling voice Come {
SIT While Beside Me-"
Then we walked into the old garden,
with its box, mmosa trees and my
chrophylla roses and listened to the
soft voices OF the old ladies as they
caressed their plants, and well could
we fancy that we stood in Crawford"
with Miss Pole and Miss Jessie Brown
for company.
One or the landmarks Of Port Royal I
Is Miss Sarah James" house. and into
1t we went, too Miss Sarah Jane"
was immemorial character. the
eptome of elegance and sincerity. the !
| tribunal of Port Royal ethics She |
| lived alone year after year in her large
/, house. papered with that wonderful
| Telemachus paper, and full Of rare
| furnishings. 1t was on Miss Sarah
| James" porch that Wilkes Booth sat
on that tragic April day in 1865 and
drank cool water from Miss Sarah
James we'll. The splendid old gentle
/ woman with all the blood of the his
II tory makers" OF Virginia In her veins
has departed. Her historic home has
passed into the hands of folk with
modern ideas; the Telemachus paper
with not a crack in 1t Gas the oldes.
inhabitant avers) has been torn off,
, but the splendid proportions of the
fine old house remains, and Miss Sarah
James spirit. although doubtless trou-
bled when it floats around, may still
take comfort In the "fan shape" OF
the door lights and the carving on the
wood.
, There arc "befo' the war" negroes
still in Port Royal. They stood smil-
; ing hither and yonder. We asked IL 1t
clouded now and then. III II open and
, shet. the mo- it'll Wet" an old man in
formed us. and WHEN one of us In
CURED for his wife he merrily re-
sponded. I'm single as single. Ole
Master done TUX her away"
There was a farmers club dinner
going on. and all the neghboring
farmers had gathered for the occa-
sion. There were Turner's. Robbs,
Tayors, Thorntons and other well
known people and we detected char
acteristic and inherited features in
their department. We stopped for a
moment at the house of negro
preacher whose wife had been of serv-
Ice long ago to one of us. She was
i III Il s,,t ix,,s a.
!, elauon in her offer to show us her house
and pride in her voice as she exhibited
! her own parlor and her husbands IL
brary. This library was filled with
!, books. We saw the Oldest inhabitant
V of Port Royal, man OF ninety-odd,
= rudy and active Ago had made him
r hard OF hearing, but otherwise his
a years set lightly. Age Is one of the
blessings of Port Royal No one seems
/. death--the apple only falls when 1t is
n ripe Port Royal became town in
r l747.i Sixty acres of land was pur-
a chased from the "children and de-
d visees" OF one Charles Smith.
"a The trustees OF the town We're
N Charles Carter, of "Cleye.' across the
nj river; Thomas Turner, OF Smiths
10 Mount, near Port Conway Lunsford
-, Lomax OF Port Tobago, Just below
- OF Essex. and oliver Towles. all gen
"a tlemen and wealthy farmers. but none
"A of them ever lived In the village
NJ Robert Ciilchrist. Edward Dixon and
to james rowlo were its first large mer-
!, chants. The former was large I'M
ct porter. and piece of rare china whicl
,t he bought In still stands in the
" quiet drawing room OF his relatives
st the Catletts The Catletts have beer
!" longer In Port Royal than anybody
ed else. John Catlett. tho lirst. died II
ks Its defense. yielding his life to the
n. fury of a savage foe, There Is a deet
In dated 1866 still extant from John Lam
tr. port to John Catlctt for 400 acres o
e. land on Golden Ball CreoS. whiel
he falls into the Rappahannook one-hal
IS, mile from Port Royal From tina
ho dine until to-day Catletts have owne,
er land In and near Port Royal--the ten
he ancy Is short npw--tho name clings t
ny the female line, and when two frai
llves end 1t will sound no more y
U. Port Royal, unless some prosperou
IT.. 4 young scion OF q great house MIND
ed to come hers and throw open tn
d broken shutters and fling wide IN
an closed door and bid sunllsht an
lat youth enter and mako glad as in day
NV Of yore.
lie The earliest inhabitants OF Por
he Royal were thrifty Scotchmen.- IN
arr names were Roy, Miller. Bankheat
III Lyman, Parker Lucas Brandts, Dun
"a Ilop and Fox. In 1850 the only ramil
vs. vs. OF this early census was PARKER frol
ts, whom the late DR.. William Parker, {
-eu Richmond. descended. Tho Catlett
osa were English, and owned lands ia
son back into the forest" They We're cor
DOT nccted with tho Conways across II
nesl river There We're and are w
the churches in Port Royai--the Episce
lenlnal and tho Methodist--from time IN
al memorial All ths white children
age lhc toWl Me''S ~ w Nv n
~ =. most cordial relations between the tN
heu denominations, In 1850 the ieaaii
ING citizens Wore the Lightfoots, catlett
the Thorntons Ctravatts, Grnys Fft1hnsh
8ho l-evtons Uruuharts. Pendlotons, Pea
nds sons lNavinhplts, Parkers, Cafrieli
and NtvnllSS and CARROTS. The Catletl