Evening star., 1918-08-25

county. something more than
three and a half miles west OF the
boundary OF Fairfax county. the Fam
bier brought his story to close last
Sunday. In reaching that point ha
older than the pike. 1t was the main
way east and west through the Po-
tomao valley on the Virginia side Of
the river before private capital be-
gan to concern itself with the build
Ing Of turnpikes. It Is deserving Of
regard as q historic thoroughfare
for q host Of reasons other than it's
age. The company which bore the
name. '"rhe Alexandria and Leesburg
Turnpike Company" and which operat-
ed what for most of its length Is now
the Washington and Leesburg high
way, was incorporated by the legisla-
ture Of Virginia in 1909. and was given
authority In 1918 to build the stone
bridge over Broad run. as well as
that over Goose creek. ave miles far
ther west.
Acts Of the Virginia legislature
later than 1909 indicate that the con-
struction of this pike with funds oh
tanned by the sale of stock was not
an easy undertaking, and that the
work of building the road did not
go forward without interruption. The
indications are that the pike was
built in sections, with considerable
iapses Of time between the opening
of the sections to travel 1t Is safe
to assume, though. that there was
through travel over the pike between
tidewater' at Alexandria and the
Shenandoah, beyond the Blue Ridge,
before the setting up of the fine stone
bridges across Broad run and Goose
creek. The older road, which the
at . ford q mile upstream from the
site Of the present bridge, and the
conformation of the country Wnere
the bridge now is indicates that It
would have been hazardous. perhaps
foolhardy to ford the stream ana at nras. ros.
ably made the detour and USED tne
ford higher up In common with the
older road.
That older road crossed Goose creek
on a bridge, which was no DOUBT q
humble wooden structure.
Travellers on the pike probably used
that bridge up to the time Of the con-
struction Of tho bridges authorized py
the act of 1918. In the act of the Viz
ginia legislature granting to the
Leesburg Turnpike Company the
fieht TO erect bridges over Broad
run and Goose creek 1t was stipulated
that no higher tolls should be charged
over those bridges than were charged
ever the old bridge across Goose
creek.
turnpike companies In general ana
ABOUT the Alexandria Washington
Leesburg turnpike in particular Is to
be obtained by q reading OF the orig
inal charter and the several legfsla-
tive acts amendatory Of that :. charter arsnt
IL shall be the duty Of the said presi-
dent and directors to mako bridges
over all the watercourses crossing
said road wherever they shall pc
found necessary. and shall make the
feet Of which shall be covered with
gravel or stone In such places as shall
require 1t so as to render the pass
ing Of wagons thereon as easy ana
convenient as possible; and they. the
said president and directors. shall for
ever keep the same In good and per-
feet order and repair the whole length
Of said road, and the residue of the
breadth thereof shall be improved and
kept in a perfect state of repair as a
summer road for the use of horses
and foot passengers at all times OF
the year"
In that section of the charter ons
finds the explanation of the side roads
to which the Rambler has called at
tontion in a number of narratives.
For miles along the Georgetown and
Leesburg pike the centerway. which
was paved with rock. Is SO rough that
horses cannot. and men will not, trav-
el on 1t in winter or summer. They
have used the unpaved way first on
one side of the rock center and then
on the other until the side roads have
paved roadbed. These old narrow
roads, which in some cases have the
appearance Of gullies. are a charac-
teristic feature of the landscape in
many parts of Virginia.
The phrase summer road" seems to
have passed out of the vocabulary of
virginians near Washington. but 1t
had a clear and settled place in the
speech of their ancestors. The SUM
mer road" which was the unpaved
way beside the paved part of the pike.
was provided for in the charters Of
the turnpike companies. 1t was stip-
ulated in the charter of the Alexan-
dria and Leesburg turnpike that mo
wagon or carriage shall travel on the
summer road after the last day of
October or before the 1st of May fol-
lowing, nor when the ground is rem
dered soft by rain" and shat no
wagon of any kind with more than
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