The Tupelo journal., 1913-08-15
HISTORIC ROADS IN VIRGINIA
Irregular Force Of Hands Past
Machines Now Help.

When the good roads movement
began a few years since, a movement
that nov embraces nearly every coun-
ty in the state of Virginia, Charles
City county fell into line and since
then has kept step with the march of
progress, along the plan of better pub
lie highways.
! have just made a little trip over
some of those greatly improved roads,
and as | was preparing to take a pho
tograph showing a section that had
been worked, an automobile spun by
at such a rate of speed as to make me
wonder at the transformation in that
same piece of road where in days
gone by mot so long ago, either), 1t
took a good team of mules or oxen
to drag a load over it, writes j. M.
Ball in the Southern Good Roads.
The same may be said of the ma
jority of the public roads of this his
toric county-famous as the birth
place of two presidents of the United
States, William Henry Harrison and
John Tyler, also congressman, judges,
ETC., who are remembered for their
good work in their separate lines. In
connection with the good roads cues
ton here, it may be said that history
%recounts the fact that when Thomas
Jefferson married the fair widow Shell
ton, of The Forrest" in Charles City
county, ne began his wedding jour-
- - z,~~11~ - =-a Hr,t no
fore he reached his beautiful estate
in Albemarle county, the coach was
deserted on account of the roads lit
vas the month of january So the
distinguished statesman and his bride
made the rest of the trip on horse
back. 1t vas consoling to know that
the wedding coach was able to trav-
erse the Charles City roads even at
that date, and that the bridal couple
got past the county lines before they
took to horseback.
Since that early period and along
up to the past five years ! maintain
a certain reticence in writing up the
history Of the public roads of this
particular section of the old common
wealth. Enough has been said OF
them by others, those who perforce
had to travel them regularly and in
all seasons. The day Of the old-fash-
toned road overseer seems to be past;
the irregular force Of hands. each
bound to give a day or so in labor
each year to the maintenance OF the
roads, has past.
This county, divided into three dis
tr1cts, has a regularly appointed road
superintendent for each district,
whose duty it Is to employ good
teams, machinery and men to work
the roads of his particular district.
BY this method the money furnished
for road work a be expended In such
q n as to give the best results.
and the work done Is Of not only a
better but a more lasting nature.
On or near many sections OF the
roads there are gravel beds, and when
possible quantities of this material
are used, especially on pieces OF clay
road, which become miry in wei
weather. A thick layer of this gravel
and sand does wonders in solidifying
these stretches. The road machines
are helping much-in fact, are valu-
able in rounding up the roads and
raising them in the center. Clearing
up the timber On each side OF the
roads, admitting light and sun, has
dried out places wet SO long that up
to recent date the memory of man
runneth not to the contrary. Many
old bridges have been replaced by
new and more substantial ones, while
In places terra-cotta piping has been
installed for cross drains.
It is gratifying to note that in the
n~eighborhood of two hundred miles
of public highways in this county are
In such fine condition at the present
writing that they can be traversed by
automobiles with safety and pleasure.
while the ordinary citizen who 30 far
has not been able to become an auto
owner, can speed his nag along at the
best pace of which the nag Is capa-
BILE without any fear Of his plunging
into broken hedges, bottomless mud
holes or the like. provided he stays
In the road.
It looks today a. II Charles City
county, 30 famous - the birthplace
OF great statesmen, 1ne plantations
and old-time hospitality, will Don be
equally famous for it's good roads and.
in passing, let me say that Superin-
tendents Adams of Harrison district,
Walker Of the Tyler district and Davis
of the Chickahominy district r
building very lasting landmarks in
the way of fine roads In their respec-
tive districts.