The Washington herald., 1919-02-23

While recalling the scenes of my
boyhood on this old residential street,
there comes to memory the gaunt fig
IRE of a Missouri avenue character in
he long ago, Picnic Joe" For ten
or twelve years following the close of
, the civil war one OF the great outdoor
pastimes of the folks of Washington
took the form Of what was variously
| termed basket picnics," family pic
mics, and "kinfolks outings" Old Joe
earned considerable money by select
ing picturesque and convenient loca-
tions in the great outdoors for these
parties. and acting as guide and man
aser of the affairs.
Since Washington has emerged en-
tirely from its swaddling clothes and
donned the garb of a great modern
| city, such provincial outings have
practically been abandoned. Once they
| were the rule here. Now they are the
exception. Another successful family
picnic director was the late Bud Eag-
| gleston, whose evolution from n local
| bad man to a successful evangelist is
| remembered by old Washingtonians.
With but one exception all the former
picnic grounds are now the scenes OF
! suburban settlements. Fifty years
ago they were isolated localities suf-
ficiently far from the city to insure
privacy.
The most noted of all the picnic
grounds in this vicinity was located at
what was known as Reaches Run. %
1t was located a few hundred yards
beyond the Virginia end of Long
Bridge, and was conducted by a Ger
man. The name of the place came
from a small fish. very much like a
goldfish. known as the roach" which
abounded in a creek that flowed
through the picnic grounds. The place
was inclosed by a high board fence
and was provided with a dancing pa
villon. 1t was rented to families or
organizations and was engaged nearly
every day in the spring and summer.
Following the era Of family picniCs
several suburban resorts were estab-
llshed in the vicinity of Washington
| in addition to the down-the-river re-
sorts. One of the former patrons OF
! Reaches Run" some years later con-
Ceived the idea of establishing on the
Virginia side OF the Potomac a mod
ern resort that would in some meas
ure revive the ancient picnic idea and
appeal to the Old-time picniCkers and
their progeny. He visited New York
| City. Atlantic City and other places
and secured the most up-to date ideas
as to pleasure grounds, and upon his
return to Washington organized an
amusement company with the result
/ that some months later Luna Park
was established at a point not so very
far south of the site of the abandoned
| Reaches Run" resort.
The company installed novel fea-
lures, then new. including shooting
the Chutes." the scenic railway, and
other harmless forms of amusement
ine place grew in popularity and was
was especially largely patronized by
the people of Washington and Alex
andria on Sundays. While Luna Park
was at the height of it's popularity
sunday closing movement was inau-
Surated in Alexandria County. The
campaign was directed against Luna
Park, and no attention seemingly was
paid to the many private piCnics held
I in the county. at some of which gam
bling and other forms of immortality
were boldly INDUCED in. At that time
Jackson City. at the south end of
Long Bridge was the fountain head OF
gambling of every description
One day Manager Goodfellow OF
Luna Park was informed that the
movement for Sunday closing had
been Crystallized and that steps were
being taken by the county authorities
to raid the park on the following Sun
day. About that time the late Rev.
Theodore Valiant. son of a former
Methodist bishop OF Maryland, mad
organized in this city new religious
cult known as the Happiness Era
ternity-" While a missionary con-
| neCted with the Homeward Bound
Mission, with headquarters here. Rev.
| Valiant had sounded his slogan for
, human happiness. and had used the
expression that every one of Gods