Evening star., 1914-09-27

to show where railroads are. On the
bridge on the Alexandra side OF the
creek the land Is mainly cleared and
dotted with numerous homes. The
Episcopal Seminary. the steeple of
which Is a landmark for many miles
around Washington, seems near, and
you see not only the familiar steeple
but the red brick walls of the struc-
are trains Of freight cars in the pic
ture, most of them motionless. but here
and there one is moving as II to give
you reminder that though IN TINS
quiet place you have detached your
self from the world. that old world
is still working.
Looking to your left as you cfoss
the bridge you see part OF the nortn.
big, red. smoke-smudged kilns that
give out an unpleasant odor Of burn
ing clay. Beyond Is the long. low
trestle Of the Mount Vernon electric
great extent of water to the autumn
hazy hills of Maryland.
You can pickout the wooded blum on
which old Fort Foote stands. and you
can see the farms that lie on the high
land above Broad creek. and you feel
strange mist that blufs things In the
fall you would be able to pick out the.
venerable Broad Creek Church that
stands on the creek, somewhat back
old post road, over which four-horse
mail and passenger stages Travelled
from early colonial times until about
the close Of the civil war.
On the lowlands across the river and
north OF the Fort Foote bluff you can
make out the humble little house that
was the home Of the Rozier family,
which owned a large tract OF that land.
and near the tall. big trees at the
house, which you know to be old pecan
trees, you also know that there is an
old burial vault In which among the
broken coffins rest human skulls and
other bones That Is they were visible
the last time the Rambler Travelled
that way. but there was then propo-'
sition that those sad and long-neglect-
ed bones should be gathered up and
given burial in the graveyard OF Broad
Creek Church.
4 /
about a mile back from the river you
can make out the patch of small trssss
brush and vines that cover the site Of
Oxon Hall, the drst Of the Addison
homes in Maryland. but which seems
to have become better known through
that part of Maryland as the Berry
farm. because that family was long IN
possession of the property and lived
there before and during the civil war
and perhaps after the war for aught
that the Rambler knows to the con-
trary.
Near the site of the Berry house
stands out conspicuously a big brick
house that for many years has borne
a coat of yellow paint. 1t is a fine old
house and for more years than any
reader of these lines has lived was
known as Mount Welby. but Mount
Welby would make a ramble in itself.
Perhaps you have given too much
time to the reverie on the bridge over
Hunting creek and it's rough and heavy
cross, while the hills beyond are call
ing to you. AS you come to the south
end of the bridge you stop to read a
rusty iron plate on the bridge rail. 1t
coat on coat of paint has scaled and
corrosion has pitted the iron, but you
can make out this: George c. Ault, r.
C. Triplett, G. r. Pickett, commission
ers: D. ]. Howell, engineer" Those are
the names of the men who had to do
with the construction of the bridge.
There have been successive bridges
over that creek, and the Rambler has
been told that there was one in the
time Of George Washington. This may
not be the fact. because less than
mile west of the present bridge the
creek Is narrow and a very short
bridge crosses 1t. The creek might
even be forded at a point not far above
the present bridge and causeway.
At the southerly end of the bridge
your course lays along another piece
Of causeway, lower than the bridge
and SO little above the water when the
Rambler walked that way that 1t
would seem that at times of high tide
or flood 1t must be under water. When
you leave this causeway and come to
the meadows along the southerly side
bends sharply to the left and seems to
continue for some distance through the
lowland alders and sycamore and one
fork inclines to the right. slowly
climbing and passing over the ridge.
The road to the left is called the
Mount Xernon raad and that inclining