Evening star., 1922-03-19
HHE life story of Bishop William

| Pinkney could not be told
without making mention OF
Bladensburg. and. OF course.
the Rambler would not think ~of
writing the story of Bladensbu.H
without telling something OF the
good bishop. There were long and
4 intimate associations between the
old village and the simple munster
and celebrated bishop. Bladensblrg
was DR.. Pfnkney's home for nifty
years. His wife was a BladenshuIs
woman and a member Of q! family
which was probably settled there
before the creation Of the town
under authority of an act OF the
Maryland legislature in 1742.
A few weeks ago the Rambler re-
ceived this letter:
my Dear Rambler: Your travels
and always kind notes OF those
whom you meet are very interesting
indeed. A little of Bladensburs
can add. A good man. Mr.. Benjamin
Lowndes, lived on .hill just outside
OF Bladensburg. His place was
called Blenhein. A sister, it was
said, made the christening robes for
| William Pinkney, who afterward be-
came a minister Of the Episcopal
Church, married Miss Lowndes: later
! he became bishop: ofhciated at
As:ensien Church -tH street between
| 9th and 10th). Bishop Pinkney and
| Mr. Corcoran were tried and good
friends. Mr.. G. giving ground at 18th
and Massachusetts, avenue for new
l'church
Mr. Lowndes was uncle to Lloyd
Lowndes, Governor of Maryland. 10
whom. he left handsome furniture and
effects. Best wishes always in ali
things and good luck
Follow the Annapolis road. which
leads east through Bladensburg, and
something like a mile from the Wash
| ington and Baltimore boulevard you
! come to the crest of a ridge which
gives you a wide outlook west. south
and north. On the east there is dip
| IN the land and then long rise, the
view in that direction being bounded
by ridge that Is higher than that
on which you stand. The point where
tie road ,Iimt., the distant ridge is
Simons hill. 4 number OF new
! homes stand close by and at some
distance off the road where it climbs.
: crosses and dcscends the first ridge.
This place has been given the name
of Decatur Heights. 1t is place of
! considerable beauty. and IL has
historic name. There is no connec-
,icn between the place and Commo-
dore Decatur. but when names are
given to towns and subdivisions
there need be no historic connection.
and often there is none between the
name and the place.
1.-THE so-called Bladensburg duel
| ling ground, where Commodore
| Decatur was mortally wounded by
! CAPT Barron in March. 1921. or it
may lave been in 1890, though the
| Rambler is not going to stop now to
| look it up. was ravine about mile
! southwest cf Bladensburg, and on
the Washington side Of the Eastern
| branch. and from one and half to
1.-TWO miles southwest of Decatur
Heights But. of course. when De
catur Heights grows into a big town
the local historian at meeting OF
! the Decqtur Heights Literary and
, Historical Association will read
paper. running something like this:
!; 1T is a we'll founded tradition
| handed down from the pioneer set
tiers ir this great and historic city
| that Commodore Decatur lived in
log cabin which stood on the site of
the new Anti -Scriptural Church. and
that tie commodore was slain by In
dians on spot which has been ideE-
titled as being the site on which now
i stands the tinware emporium of our
| illustrious fellow-citizen, the Hon.
Flint Gritty.
! at is a tradition in our Oldest
| families that in digging the founda-
ton for the church some cracked
| teacups and petrified clothespins that
| had belonged to Mrs. Decatur were
found. l have it from the lips of Miss
Drinkhard, who is now ninety-five
years old and in complete possession
of all her faculties, teeth and hair,
| that when she was little girl in
long dresses and short hair she used
to hear her grandfather, Everlie
Drinkhard, say that many a time he
had seen Commodore Decatur sun
ming himself by the town pump.
which stood where the Washington.
New York, Dublin and London Air
plane Union station is now. She also
tells me that many a time she has
heard Grandpap Everlie Brinkard tell