Evening star., 1921-04-03
Activities of Colum-
bia Athletic Club
When Its Member
ship Neared the One
Thousand NJ ark. a
The Island Boat
house and the 6
Street Home-A
Gala Affair of the
Year 1890.
Rambler feels some per-
plexity as to how he will
start this story The subject

plexity as to how he will
start this story. The subject
is still Analostan Island and
a great many things relating to that
island have yet to be told. The story
of Analostan as an excursion place
is yet to be set down. The story of
James NJ. Mason, a senator from Vir-
ginia, Confederate envoy to Great
Britain, and who was born in his
fathers house on Analostan Island,
must be told. The Rambler wants
to tell this story because he feels
you will be interested in it and be-
cause he wants to offer to the men,
ory of this good and able man such
poor little wreath as his pen can
give.
That phase Of the history of Ana
lostan Island associated with the
Columbia Athletic Club must be
taken care of in these annals and
that will require some space. The
Columbia Athletic Club grew out of
after the reincorporation Of the boat
club as the athletic club there was
a regatta, which was interrupted by
one of the big storms Of this region
and two gigs of the Columbias and
Potomacs were swamped and their
That exciting little chapter of local
history must be recounted. The mat
ter concerning the Mason-Analostan-
Virginia ferry. which the Rambler
has dealt with briefly, leads on to a
mass, IL not maze. of facts about
branch and the Potomac near the
site of Washington, and these facts
must be-or permit the Rambler to
say with great meekness, ought to
be-put into print.
x**
The thing that comes to the Ram
bler's mind at this point is that in a
previous "ramble" on old wills bear
ing on the subject Of Analostan Is
land he wrote Of Gisborough. its
Young.Shaan- n-Addison-Dent history
and confessed that he could not re.
call the name Of the 6rst member OF
the Dent family who. came into the
ownership OF that large and historic
tract. He knew he had the facts and
felt sure that he had once written
them in one of that long series OF
''rambies" on the subject of Potomac
looking for those facts than he die
in writeing the whole story about the
Mason, Young and Addison Wills
You know how it is when you know
that you know thing and cannot
think of it and know that you have
a thing somewhere about the house
and cannot find it. You turn things
upside down until you are as tired al
a coon dog after an all-night hunt
Here follow the Dent-Gisborougf
facts, which the Rambler received II
q letter. January II. 1917:
The Rambler. Evening Star ONCE. City.
with great interest your articles in The Star
and as I have for many years studied Mary M
land EenealoEy and colonial history: l nav nav
often felt that would like to have the pleas
ure of your acquaintance and famble with yos
that il. Il you really r.mble snd md did as., not
rs interesting world travels and description
from secluded alcove IN the Consressiona
Library. T.. .,
correct an error into which you have fallen II
your article on Giesboro. That land was orig
irally granted to Thomas Dent. one Of thu
came out about 1919. and it was named afte
the home town of his family In Yorkshire. 4
was devised In bis VIII. probsted l6!S. .. to tw.
in his will most Of them minors. and he hae
also q posthumons daughter Barbara. VIII.
married Col. Th0m19 brooke. Inc WlOoW o.
Thomas Dent married about 1878 Col. Johr
Addison. the proEenitor Of that family In thii
country. and no doubt it was through thi'
marriage that the Giesboro property passet
into the Addison family and not BY origina
xrant to or settlement BY that family. ]
point -e
The Rambler remembers that the
first paragraph Of that letter made
him q little "sore." He is often asked
by persons who otherwise appear to