Evening star., 1918-06-02
1ORESTVILLE is a hamlet which
narrative last Sunday. Very
likely every county in the United
States In which trees groW has


States in which trees grow has
a settlement of that name. Trees have
a strong influence in suggesting coun-
try place names. There are oak groves.
ash groves. cedar groves. maple groves
and locust groves scattered all over the
country around Washington. 1t is not
often that cherry trees. apple. peach.
mulberry or persimmon trees furnish
the inspiration or the motive for a
place name, but Cherrydale has grown
to be one Of Washington's populous and
beautiful suburbs.
Forestvilles seem to be sometimes ap-
propriately named and at other times
to be misnamed. Sometimes a Forest
vile Is In or near forest and some.
times it is not. 1t must be admitted
that there is something pleasing in the
name. 1t suggests green foliage, cool
shade and seclusion and has a poetic
sound, though it is strange that the
godparents Of roadside hamlets have
persisted throughout the centuries IN
mixing French and English. Nobody
around here seems to have thoqsnt OF
naming a place Foreston or Forest
town, nor even thought of calling q
place Forestville.
The name Forestville is often of
the nature of a memorial to the
forest which covered and surrounded
its site, and this is strikingly so In
the case of that Forestyille which IS
strung along the Washington and
Marlboro pike in Prince Georges
county. Md. That part OF Prince
Georges county came to be known by
the early Maryland settlers as the
forest" When those early settlers
made their clearings and then en-
larged them into wide plantations In
st. Mary's, Charles and the southern
section Of rince Georges counties
they fell into calling that part OF their
country where bear. deer and wolves
roamed and Indians lurked "the
forest" People nearly always write
that Indians lurked," but as a mat
ter Of fact they roamed or Travelled
about their country good deal.
as Indians did. but it would be
violation of the traditions of good
writing to set 1t down that wolves
lurked and Indians howled." It must
always be written the other way.
Well, the early settlers called the
upper part Of their couhtry 'the
forest" Other people might have
called 1t the Wilderness" or "the
wilds." but "the forest" had a more
impressive meaning to our British
ancestors 1t meant a dim and
shadowy region where the trails, II
there were any. were known only to
rude foresters. 1t was region where
outlaws lived and dangers lurked, for
dangers also have always 'lurked."
AS most of our region was one,
stretch of primeval forest when the
whites came every settlement might
have chosen the mnm0rial
'Forestville." but that would have
caused confusion, and SO, after one
Forestville established itself in a
neighborhood the newer places had
names. such, for examples, as Balls
Crossroads. Redd's Corners. Burnt
Mills, Brushville, Pumpkintown, Bean
town. T B. Wheaton. Layhill. Sandy
Spring, Silver Spring. Silver Hill,
Indian Spring. etc. Then. when
it did not change it's name just be-
cause the forest was chopped down
and sawed and split up. Corn and
tobacco might be set to growing on
the land that had nourished great
trees. but nobody ever undertook to
Deforestville.
The particular Forestville which
the Rambler now has in mind Is not
that old settlement near Washington
III TEinCc NcOFScS COUNTY, out one tnat
is also near Washington, but in FAR
fax county. 1t lies on the George
town and Leesburg turnpike. . mile
and half or two miles west Of the
station Elkins, on the electric line to
Great Falls. At Forestville, where
the pike runs from the southeast to
the northwest. is another road. the
general course of which Is north and
south. 1t leads from the Potomac
river above Great Falls to the Alex
andria and Leesburg pike, which it
enters at DIR. Albert Lays place. This
crossroads is on high land and one
extent Of green groves. green fields
and plowed and narrowed land.
The Forestville schoolhouse stands
in clump Of white oaks a short
way east Of the crossing of the roads,
and few yards west of the crossway
is a small frame structure painted
white and also standing in the shade
OF oak trees. 1t is two stories high,
its windows are glazed with small.
square. old-fashioned glass. and at
the front are two doors-just such
doors as plain house would have.
Painted on the front of the building
1876" This is little church which
is held in grateful and afYectionate
memory by a large number of the
people Of Fairfax county and by
many others who have strayed away.
1t has had a deep and holy influence
on the thoughts and lives of men.
While the Rambler rested there a
red-headed woodpecker suspended
operations TO survey him and his
camera with calmness and delibera-
tion. and having satisfied himself
that all was well rasup,a1 h;,