davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

Bladensburg- Landover road converge
there. and the road in continuation of
the united roads leads farther east
ward with many branches that will
carry a traveller into any part of south
eastern or northeastern Maryland.
Then. at Brightseat, there is a crooked
road north and south, which crosses
the Bladensburg-Ar dwick road, the
BladensburgL andover road, Central
avenue leading from Benning to Largo.
the Washington and Marlboro pike. the
state road from the District line near
Good Hope to La Plata and a hundred
other places. That old settled region
of Maryland is closely veined with
roads that are good, bad and indif-
ferent-generally bad and Indifferent.
Brghtseat is perched on a fiat hill
top. The character of the country is
classified by biologists as the Aqua
formation of eocene age-green sand,
sand and indurated sand-but on all
sides the land falls away with numer-
Gus little streams flowing through it
and exposing the Mattawan formation
of cretaceous age-greenish-bl black sandy
clay, containing green concretions and
Ignite. West of Brghtseat the coun-
try for miles is quite closely upgrown
in hardwoods and pines and is drained
by Beaverdam branch, fed by a net
work of little brooks, and which flows
into the Eastern branch. Geologically
that country is the Patapsco formation
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23
k2Mf} Che @amblfs$ 81

in Maryland politics. Far away across
the fields the chimneys of the Holmead
house show against the sky. the house
itself being hidden in a grove of trees.
Beall Bowie. and close by the roadside
of Mr.. Holmead 1t was the home of
eBall Bowie, and close by the roadside
is venerable tobacco barn, remind
er Of the days when tobacco was the
main crop in this part of Maryland.
A few yards beyond this barn brings
the traveller to Brightseat.
Brightseat is not even village. 1t
is a store that is set on a bit of high
land within the angle formed by the
conveyance of the Sheriff and the
Bladensburg roads. 1t is the usual sort
of country store. pretty we'll covered
over with signs setting forth the merits
of chewing tobacco, smoking tobacco,
horse liniment. fertilizer, agricultural
implements and the like. At the rear
of the store is a little frame house
bearing a large and faded yellow
sign: Kent, 18th District Voting Sta
ton" The land in the angle OF the
roads was part of the great holdings
in Prince Georges county Of Fielder
Magruder. the elder. and the farm,
called Brightseat. descended to Field
er's son, Edward Magruder, who mar
ried, in 1851, Miss Laura Wilson of
Montgomery county. part OF the
Brightseat farm remains in possession
of the descendants of Edward, son OF
Fielder Magruder, several of whom are
still living in the old home of Fielder
Magruder, called Union Valley, about
three miles west of Brightseat.
From that little country store which
bears the imposing name of Bright
seat the road leads east and down
grade and passes under an arcade of
locust trees. Then it passes between
high banks green with ferns and
densely matted with vines of many
kinds. These vines, honeysuckle. Vir-
ginia creeper and the trumpet vine.
with a disagreeable admixture of
poison ivy, not content with their con-
quest of the banks that shut in the
road, have climbed the trees by the
roadside and have woven their green
lace among the tallest branches. A
few hundred yards, perhaps half a
mile, brings the traveller to another
venerable barn separated from the
road only by a rail fence and a narrow
strip of land Uttered with cornstalks
much trampled by cows. short walk
beyond the barn brings one to a gate
which, with it's thanking fencing. is
overrun with climbing roses, all in
bloom when the Rambler halted there.
This gate marks the entrance to one
of the historic estates of Maryland.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23
RED OAKS AS SHADE TREES

their branches have been wrenched
away by strong winds. The silver ma
pie is naturally scraggy or scrawny.
1t is the habit of the tree. and no es-
pecial blame should be visited upon 1t
on on that account. 1t was given
prominence in the city's tree-planting
plans because it was a tree OF rapid
growth and because of its ada ptability
about street trees than was known
when the planting of these quick
growing and comparatively frashe
trees was in high favor for city uses.
Along Virginia avenue grow several va
rieties of trees, conspicuous among them
being Lombardy poplars, tree that was
commonly set out along washington
streets when in the early and mid-sev.
entities the work of planting the sides OF
streets with shade trees was actively and
systematically entered on. These trees
stand as a reminder of the period when
Washington was being lifted from the sit
uation of a struggling village with mud
streets and dismal commons into the posi-
ton of great city.
Along B street south American linden
trees flourish. Sometimes the linden is
called the bee tree" because in the small
cream-colored, understanding flowers
which hang in pendant clusters the bees
find a store of nectar so grateful to their
taste that they are steady and persistent
patrons Of this tree
The oaks Of 9th street stand in a wide
way and its curbing and the footwalk
paved with broad stone tagging. On the
east side of the east footwalk and on the
sward of the Smithsonian grounds grow
hard naples in a long row, and the
branches Of these trees and those of the
oaks make a leafy archway over the side
walk On the west side are the green
lawns, plentifully dotted with various spe-
cies Of trees, of the Agricultural grounds.
here and there brightly Illuminated with
flowers Through the trees on the east
one catches giimpses OF the brown towers
and walls of the grand old Gothic Smith
sonian building and the white walls OF the
new building of the National Museum.
On the west the white walls Of one, OF
the new buildings of the Department OF
Agriculture and the red walls OF the old
building CLEAN or shine through openings
in the branches Of the trees.
The stately and sturdy oaks OF 18th
street make one of the quiet and pleasant
places for stroll in central Washington.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

of the Potomac group of cretaceous
age, interbedded clays and fndurated
sands. East of Brightseat the char
acter and face of the country change.
1t Is a farming country that is clear
ed, except for sufficient woodland to
furnish greenery and variety to the
landscape. Some persons might de-
scribe it as hilly and others might write
of it as rolling. but the Rambler does
not know just where to draw the dis
tinction between hilly and rolling land.
The jewellers in those parts may not
be so shrewd and thrifty as In some
other sections. but there is a gentle
ness and a kindness among the peo-
pie which one may miss when one goes
into those regions where thrift is prais-
ed above all else and held in such high
regard that the ambition of the hum
blest person is to be known as thrifty.
There is an inner feeling among the
people of the country adjacent to Wash
ington-a feeling that has come down
through many generations-that the
virtue of thriftiness can be overdone.
VI Soui sc, a eoou sCni VI SAoS SCI a lioii
has been INDUCED in on the subject of
hospitality. but that fine quality is to
be found in full flower among the plain
folk of southern Maryland.
The Rambler struck into the road to
Brightseat at Dodge Park. a romantic
settlement in the woods which has
been previously mentioned. The road
eastward from that place is sandy, but
a good many automobiles travel that
way Pines and greenwoods shut out
any extensive view and at this sea-
son the underground in the woods is
dense and rank. About a mile along,
ones way crosses Whites branch,
which flows out of the rougher coun-
try to the north and joins, as do all the
other streams of the enighborhood,
Beaverdam. AS the road leads down
into the valley of Whites branch there
stands on the north hand the home of
William Barron. whose father and
grandfather lived there before him.
1t is an interesting old house shaded
by splendid oaks
On. climbing out Of the valley and
near the top of the east slope you pass
a private road leading into the Benja-
around by trees and made merry by
the bloom of flowers. Coming to the
high land on the east, side of the val
ley. the road energies from the deep
woods and enters region of wide.
green fields, rich in tall. strong corn
and wheat. The left of the road is
bordered by the big and fruitful farm
of William Holmead. a man prominent
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

sleep in the cemetery of Holy Trinity
Episcopal Church. in the Bowie dis
trict, near Collington.
At his death Joseph Kent Roberts be-
queathed to his eldest son. Joseph Kent
Roberts, I'd, a large estate in Cali
vert county. He divided Rose ,Iount
into farms which he bequeathed TO his
children, William w. Roberts Mrs Nor
man F. HILL Franklin Roberts and Eu-
gene Roberts William w Roberts
lives in the old homestead. Mrs Nor
man F. Hill lives in Baltimore Frank
lin Roberts lives in Washington and
Eugene Roberts, in 1883, erected for
himself on one of the Rose Mount
farms fine frame dwelling in which
he lives today 1t was into the home
of Eugene Roberts that the Rambler
strayed after passing through the rose
grown gates of Rose Mount
1t was early in the seventeenth CEN
fury that three Roberts brothers came
from England and settled in America
One settled in southern Maryland one
in Baltimore and one in Philadelphia
He who settled in southern Maryland
was the grandfather of Joseph Kent
Roberts. nephew of Gov. Joseph Kent
Rambling through the lanes of the
fertile farm lands of Rose Mount, the
thought came to the Rambler that
large number of the governors of Mary
land had come from the southern
counties of the state. The first gov
ernor, Thomas johnson, was born IN
Calvert county: the second Tlyyma
Sim Lee, was born in Prince George
county: the fourth. William Smaliwool,
though born in Kent county took ~
his home on Mattawoman creek, Charl- :
county, and died there; the sixti.
George Platter, was born at Sotterlr.
near Leonardtown, st. Marys count;
the eighth, John Haskins Stone, wes
born in Charles county; the tenth, Ben
jamin Ogle, was born in Anne Arundel
was born in Prince Georges county.
After the time of Gov. Kent there
were Gov. Thomas King Carroll, who
was born in st. Marys county: Gov
James Thomas. born in St. Nary
county and Gov. Oden Bowie, who was
born at Fairview in Prince George
county, a Bowie home and one of tn"
States. Gov. Robert Bowie was also
native of Prince Georges. Gov. Thomas
George Pratt, who was the thirtieth
governor, from 1874 to 1S4l, was born
in Washington city February IS. 1904.
but he was a descendant of Thomas
Pratt and Eleanor Magruder of Prince
Georges county. and entered upon the
practice of the law a Upper Marlboro.
Prince Georges county. Thomas Swami.
the thirty sixth governor. from 1855 to
1859, was born in Alexandria, Va, and
was long resident of Washington
city before his removal to Baltimore
in 1915.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23
EUGENE ROBERTS
of Rose Mount, the old Kent estate Washington

sppeassa mssy hs sinsa a shs
il course of the ramOles in that
part of Maryland adjacent to
the eastern boundary of the District of
Columbia. Brightseat. however. has
figured in the rambles more in the ma
ture of a registration mark for the in
dication and identification of other
places than as a subject of discourse
and description itself.
One of the reasons why Brightseat
has not been directly treated of is that
the history of the place, notwithstand-
ing it's luminous name, is obscure. on
many trips in that neighhorhood the
Rambler has asked of many chance and
wayside acquaintance such questions
as, why is Brightseat so called?"
Who gave it that name?" and How
The answers have nearly all been some
thing like this: "Brightseat, Why,
that's the name of the post office, You
know there used to be a post Office
there before the rural free delivery
came in Who gave it that name is too
hard for me. It's been called Bright
seat ever since I've lived around here,
and I was born close to Brightseat a
good many years before the civil war.
Nobody ever thought of calling the
place anything but Brightseat." All the
answers have been given in the best
spirit and in the most obliging way.
but in some manner they have lacked
illumination.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

ing School of Georgia, originated a
few months ago in Atlanta. The OBJ
ject ct this school is to teach its pupils
how to live, how to conserve their
mental. physical and financial re-
sources. to train workers to help i'm
prove general conditions. About thirty
Of Atlanta's leading professional and
business men have interested them
selves in this school and are lending
their aid freely to its advancement.
II believe in training boys and girls
in a practical way. In giving them
something which no one can take
away from them. in helping them to-
ward established principles. The
education Of the people is the best
means OF attaining that which all al
low to be a chief end Of government.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

Daughters Of the American Revolution.
of which there are siXty-four chapters,
and she is now a vice president general
of the order She is proud of the fact
that the Atlanta Chapter of the ID. A
r., of which she was regent for many
years was the second chapter to enter
the national organization, and is one
of the largest in it.
All the branches of the work o. this
society appeal to her, but SIZE pays
particular stress upon those which
sustain essentially the motto o. Ceor-
gia, which is, Not for Ourselves, bat
for Others"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

class, always have been and always
will be improvident.
Educate the people, was the first
admonition addressed by William Penn
cate the people was the legacy of
Washington to the nation which he
saved. Educate the people was the
unceasing exhortation of Jefferson.
Georgia Is more and more doing her
part in the work Of education" said
Mrs. Foster. and her advance in edu-
cation is enormous: the compulsory
bill is very popular here. and we hope
that IT will shortly obliterate illiteracy
among u.s.
THE Methodists in Georgia are es-
tablishing in Emory University an edu-
cational center which is destined to
become one of the great institutions
Of learning of this country. 1t has
now 100000 in endowments, build
ings and other assets. the citizens Of
Atlanta. through the chamber of COM
merce. recently donating 100000 Of
this amount. The buildings now being
erected on a beautiful landscape cam
pus are of the most modern archi-
lecture.
The Oglethorpe University, under
the administration of the Presbyterian
Church. is another university located
in Atlanta with millions back Of 1t.
The buildings which are now being
erected on this campus overlook the
beautiful Silver lake. which lends de-
lightfully picturesque surroundings to
the university.
Atlanta School OF Technology has
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

However. some of these troubles are
readers what he has found out about
Brightseat. and any reader who feels
that the information is not complete or
sufficiently filling, can walk over the
sandy road leading to Brightseat,
gather any additional facts which may
be lying around loose, and may also
pick out a blistering hot afternoon to
make the trip.
Brightseat is four miles east of the
District by the shortest road, which
is the Sheriff road leading east from
the Anacostia road at Deanwood. 1t is
five miles east by a little south from
Bladensburg by the road which. leaving
Bladensburg skirts the base of
Lowndes hill and passes through
Landover and Dodge Park. In an air
line Brightseat is nine miles from the
Capitol. IT is on the crest of the divide
between the Eastern branch and the
Patuxent river, and close to Bright
seat some branches flow toward the
Potomac by way of the aEstern branch
and others flow to join the Patuxent by
way of Southwest branch and Western
branch. Southwest branch entering
Western branch four miles from
ing the Patuxent at Mount Calvert,
three miles below Upper Marlboro.
Perhaps Brightseat owes its impor-
lance in large measure to the fact that
q number of roads lead there, or lead
from there. The Sheriff road an i'm
portant highway to and from the Dis
trict of Columbia, and the Hyattsville-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

vannas there is shipped annually $500
pounds of wool of a quality better
than that produced by any other state.
Georgia is noted for its climate all
the year round and as many as six
crops a year can be raised on much of
our land, which costs as yet from $40
TO $50 an acre. Some kinds of truck
and food products can be raised any
of its soil productiveness Dougherty
county has a record of 1856 bushels of
sweet potatoes raised on one acre.
Georgia, as you know. is one of the
greatest peach growing states and its
watermelons are the best in the world.
while its nuts and cane strip are
among the best produced anywhere.
Our state has an inexhaustible sup
ply of granite. and Georgia pine is
quoted in the price lists of the lumber
trade of the world. In building con-
tracts of every city in the north you
will find that Georgia pine is frequent
ly specified when the highest grade is
required.
Georgia favors immigrant agricui-
turists from any part Of the world"
said Mrs. Foster. and this brings me to
the department in my states progress
in which I am especially interested and
in which / devote most of my activity.
1t stands to reason that with inmigra-
ton we must have patriotic education.
and ] am expanding my efforts in the
making of good. useful American citi-
zens of every boy and girl in the state.
II do not believe that in any age
during the history of our country the
people as a whole have regarded the
value of education as they do at the
present time. 1t is assuredly the duty
of the native born citizens to dominate
the affairs of the nation, both politi-
cally and commercially. With the tens
of thousands Of foreign born children
pouring into our country annually. un-
less we educate our people to properly
develop and utilize our resource., our
land. the gift Of our forefath-rs. may
ultimately become possessed. by and
through the trained intelligence Of
those men who come over and dwell
among US. An illiterate people. as .
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23
GLIMPSE OF ROAD To ROSE MOUNT.

wings and served four years. his term
beginning in December. 1893.
Gov. Kent was twice married. His
first wife was Eleanor Lee. the eldest
daughter of DR.. Michael and Eleanor
Lee (Contee) Wallace. a granddaughter
of Thomas and Sarah Contee of Prince
Georges county. They had ten chill
dren. Gov. Kent's first wife died in
1925 and he took as his second wife
Alice Lee Contee of Charles county.
There Were no children of this second
marriage. Gov. Kent died at Rose
Mount November "a. 1887.
The splendid estate of Rose Mount
was acquired in 1910 by a nephew of
Gov. Kent. He was Joseph Kent Rob-
erts. who was born on his fathers plan
tation in Calvert county in 1915. The
big stone house occupied by Gov. Kent
was torn down by Joseph Kent Roberts
in 1856. On the site was built a sub
stantial frame dwelling. which is stand
ing today. occupied by a son of the
builder. Joseph Kent Roberts died at
Rose Mount in 1888, and he and his wife
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

The name of the place is Rose Mount
and roses. as If intent on making the
place worthy of its name, bloom radi-
antly and profusely. Since 1910 Rose
Mount. and the several farms that have
been carved out of it. have been in
possession and under cultivation by
the Roberts family-children and
grandchildren of Joseph Kent Roberts
Before,1s4o Rose Mount was the home
seat of Joseph Kent. one of the dis
tinguished men of Maryland and one
who was well known in Washington
city from his entrance into Congress
in 1911 until his death in 1887.
Joseph Kent began his public career
as physician and came to be recog-
nized as a statesman. He was the
twenty-flrst Governor of Maryland. his
term being from 1926 to 1928. but his
lame by no means rests upon that fact
He was a son of Daniel Kent of Cal
vert county and was born in that
county January IA. 1879. After the
usual academic training for a man OF
mis- family and prospects he studied
medicine. and in 1899 began practice
In association with DR.. Parran OF
Lower Marlborough, Prince Georges
county.
DR.. Parran was long one of the nota-
BILE physicians of the county. The in
formal partnership between Drs. Par
ran and Kent was dissolved in 1901
when DR.. Kent began to practice alone
1t was in 1907 that. according to his
biographer. he removed to a farm near
Bladensburg to practice medicine and
agriculture.
That farm was Rose Mount, before
the gate of which the Rambler set
down his camera and gathered a bunch
of roses. DR.. Kent's biogra pher says
that under the state government he
was surgeons mate. surgeon, lieuten-
ant colonel and colonel of cavalry, and
he presided at the first public meeting
a Washington city for the organiza-
ton of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal
and was a director of that company for
several years"
DR.. Kent, becoming interested in pol.
itics, was elected representative from
Maryland in the Twelfth Congress as a
federalist. defeating c. F. Mercer He
was reelected to the Thirteenth Con-
gress, his terms covering the period
from March 4, 1911. to March 2, 1915
At the presidential election of 1916 he
was chosen an e1ector on the demo-
cratic ticket and in the electoral col
lege cast his vote for James Monroe
and Daniel Tompkins. He was elected
to the Sixteenth: Seventeenth. Eight
zenith and Nineteenth Congresses, serv-
ing from December s, 1919, to January
6, 1926, when he resigned his seat In
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23

ned through her endeavors to stimulate
greater enthusiasm in revolutionary
history and revolutionary biography
in the various societies to which she
belonged The book has proven sue
cessful and has been used to some ex-
tent in schools and patriotic societies
throughout Georgia. Every dollar made
in profit through the sales of the work
goes into the Social Service and Train
ing School of Georgia, of which she is
founder and director.
A firm believer in clubs and club
work, Mrs. Foster served for three
years as state regent of the Georgia