Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22

black walnut pew is silver plate Whieh
tells that General George Washington
used this pew while worshiping here
There is the grave of man who the
Rambler was told was slain by Col
Bowie in a duel in which Bowie used the
Knife he fashioned and 10 which his name
has been given.
A deep-toned bell for years swung from
Il low truss among the dank weeds and
clipped and topping tombstones. hut
this bell has now been hois into
rude belfry built by the congregation.
with four poles, each about the thick
ness and height of an ordinary telegraph
pole. Among the fiat gravestones is one
which is said to cover the ashes Of the
man killed by Coz. Bowie. The stone Is
thus inscribed:
Enoch NJ. Lyles, Died of August, 1905 Aged
70 years.
60 our dear son. obey the call OF heaven;
Thy sins are few and trust they forgiven;
Yet oh! what pen can paint the parents Woe.
God only punish the hand that gave the blow
The story Is told by old Broad Creek
ers. who got it from their grandparents.
that LyleS and Bowie Quarreled about a
Prince Georges county belle-aH girls
were bellies then. as now-and that they
went down by the side of Broad creek
not far from the churchyard and fought.
there since 1854. And it may stand two
centuries more. Its graveyard has swal-
lowed generation after generation OF
Broad Creek people, and will probably
close over many generations yet to come.
Comparatively few of the graves are
marked by tombstones. Many of them
have been but some of the stones have
dsintegrated. while others have sunk
into the deep soft mold. Many little
Loy- N1ay,- kaI 1nr
but these do not last long. and after
rotting are usually not replaced. No
where in this Gods acre can a grave be
dug that has not been a grave time and
time before. The church is about ten
miles south of Washington.
The Episcopal service had been con-
Quoted in this part of Maryland In the
homes of the people from the time OF the
settlement of the section-probably be-
tween 1850 and 1660-up to the time Of
the construction Of the Broad Creek
Church. These services were conducted
by lay readers. of whom the names Of
several have been preserved in the an
nails of Charles and Prince Georges
counties. Two years after the erection
of Maryland into royal province by
William and Mary the Maryland assem-
bly, directed that the worship of the
Church of England should be the estab
,ished order in the colony. and that the
Ten counties should be divided into thirty
DariShes-
One of the parishes was Broad Greek,
which has sometimes been known as
Piscataway parish. as King George par
ish and as ST Johns parish. It was
Known as King George parish at the time
Of the outbreak of hostility to England.
and then the patriots of that part Of
Maryland would not endure that their
CHURCH should bear name giving tribute
10 English royalty. and especially to King
George. The name of the parish was
then changed to that Of st. John.
A poll OF forty pounds OF tobacco was
laid on every male inhabitant OF the par
ish, Catholic as well as Protestant for
the purchase of the land and the building
OF the church. The vestry bought for the
use Of the church seventy-eight acres of
land out of a plantation called 1.-the Hall.
owned by George Athey. The price paid
was $500 pounds of tobacco These
church lands were long ago aliened until