Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-09

government of Virginia yielded to a
public demand that ferries should he
| operated as public utilities. and there
| probably was an earlier ferry near
! Analostan Island than that author
| lied by the Virginia legislature un-
| der the act of 174S. Then. it is pos
sible that a ferry act, which the Ram
| bier has not seen. may have been
| passed by the Maryland legislature.
F! George Mason, 4th. the sage of
! Gunston Hail." was born in 1125 in
| the old Mason home which stood on
| the south side of Occoquan creek
| within a stones throw of the present
| railroad bridge. 1t was frame house
and all vestige of it has passed away.
| unless some stones scattered about its
site are relics Of it's foundation and
| chimneys. After the death of his
/, father he and his mother. Ann Thomp-
| son Mason, and no doubt other chill
! dren of the family. went to live at the
Thompson home at Chappawamsic.
and later George went to live with
John Mercer. an uncle. to whom Mrs.
Mason had leased the house on Oc-
i coquan creek. In 1850 he was mar
| ried to Ann Eilbeck, daughter of Col.
William Eilbeck. who lived on Malta,
, woman creek. in Maryland. Eilbeck
came from Cumberland, England. and
settled in Maryland. where he married
a Miss Edgar of Charles county. The
| marriage of George Mason and Miss
| Eilbeck was celebrated by the Rev.
John Moncure. rector of Overwharton
| parish in Virginia. George Mason.
| 4th. inherited several of the extensive
land tracts owned by his father and
one of these tracts included most of
Mason Neck" that peninsula bound
ed by Occoquan bay. Accotink bay.
Gunston cove and the Potomac.
4, -
1t was in or about the year 1775
that George Mason began the build
| ing of fine brick house which he
named Gunston Hall in memory Of the
English home of his Fowxe ancestors.
the immigrant, !: settled in charles
county. Nd, he built house which
he called Gunston Hall. The RAM
bier has so far not been able to locate
the site of that house. which seems to
have disappeared long ago. George
Maryland and the District by many
direct descendants, and his collateral
kindred are very numerous. GunSlon
Hall remained in poss ession Of the
Mason family until the civil war.
Perhaps you remember (though 1
Rambler wrote the story of Capt. Jim
Wiley's recollections of Mason Neck
last fall the captain told of Mrs. Ma
son." who was the last of the Mason
family to live at the hall. And peril
nent to this the Rambler received
last October the following letter from
lady in Fredericksburg:
| Ny dear Mr.. Rambler
have been much interested Of late in Your
letters in the Washington Star, particularly
those about Gunston Hall and its neighborhood.
as l am one of the numerous Mason descend
ants and my grandmother was born there She
was Elizabeth Barnes HOoe Mason. the Oldest
| daughter Of George Mason Of Lexington, and
she married Alexander Seymour Hooe of Oct
tington. King George county MY great grand
mother and grandfather. Elizabeth Mary Anne
Barnes Hooe and George Mason OF Lexington
are buried at Gunston Hail. and have re-
Gently visited their graves; l am getting 10
be very proud Of being direct descendant OF
George Mason of Gunston as his fame seems
to increase as the PEARS 20 by. Very recently
my husband and myself went to Guns, aston, Win
cepton from Mr.. and Mrs. Hertle. 1t was my
first visit yet it all seemed SO familiar from
Seymour Hooe. and who spent much or her
childhood and grlhood there with her uncle.
Richard Mason. and his wife. As far as !
know they were the last Masons who owned
Gunston Hall, and Aunt Eleanor was widow
and lived there after Uncle Richards death
have heard by mother and Aunt Richardetta.
named after him. say they had an only son
Richard who was lost at sea one stormy night
and it was said by one of the servants OF that
time that the bell at Gunston Hall tolIed Tor
an hour in the dead Of night. ] wish knew
more about the traditions of the place. i have
four grown sons to whom l would like to tell
them. but my dear mother died more than
thirty years ago, and when We are young We
do not pay much attention to the things that
interest when We are older. Now. am
striving to remember all she told me ahou.
Gnston. but can recall principally few ghost
stories in which even young people or these
days do not believe. I had been to Pohick be
fore, but not since its complete restoration. and
| aui Of after leaving Funston.
All that country is so historic and you nave
done so much in bringing il before the public
in your delightful sunday letters: l woad con.
from Capt. Jim Wiley il the Mrs. Mason he
remembers when he was a boy, coming along
the road and taking him up in her carriage.
was the one I have referred to as my great
uncle Richards wife,. Aunt Eleanor. have
great desire to know more about the days OF
long ago. I hope If you ever visit our historic
town you will be sure to look up.
In July. 1918. the following letter
came to The Evening Star:
/ notice short historical sketch Of Mason
and Gunston Hall and it seemed peculiar that
T. Grayson. His father, DIR. John Cooke Gray
son. was a prominent physician In Washing
e efn an war when he vent aouth serving
throughout the war In the medical depart
ment.
John Cooke, an Irish baronet. married Mary
Thompson Mason. daughter Of George Mason.
She bore fonr children. and three
daughters. Two of the daughters never mar
ried One of them married Dr.. John G.aysSn
of Cuipeper county. They had two sons. John
Cooke Grayson and Robert, John being the
father of DIR. Cary T. Graysop.
The son, George Mason Cooke. married Miss
Eustace. They had three children. swJ
daughters and son. Virginia married
John Grasty Of Orange county father or Mason
C. Grasty of Washington; Maria married DR..
Joseph Norris of Charlottesville. Va, and the
son. George Mason Cooke. was killed in the
Mexican war.
The Rambler wants to tell of how
Gunston Hall passed from the Masons
to Col Edward Daniels and then to
Joseph Specht. of st. Louis. The
Rambler believes it passed from the
Specht heirs to Paul Kester. author.
one Of the Ramb1er's old friends. Paul
Wilstack, another ancient friend of
the Rambler. bought a farm nearb~.
which had been part of the Gunston
tract, and he was probably attracted
to that neck of the woods becauSa
Paul Kester settled there. Then, sew
eral years ago, Paul kester sold the
property to Louis Hertle. and Mr.. and.
Mrs Hertle1 have wrought such
changes at the hall that the Rambler
knows that George Mason's shade.
strolling among the box lanes and the
flower beds,r looks at the old house
and says: "This is Gunston Hall - =
btflt II for my bride sweet Ann