Evening star., 1925-12-01

highest authorities of each Stat"
through its chosen representatives.
Historic and sentimental reasons fot
memoria liZinE the region through
which the Mount Vernon boulevard
would pass are emphasized by Charles
II. Callahan of Alexandria. author of
The Life of George Washington the
Mason" who has had more to do than
any other citizen in this country with
the construction of the great Masonic
Memorial now being constructed al
Alexa andria. This memorial TO Wash
which would kgRe first Of the great
memorials which II Is contemplated
would eventually adorn this memoriaI
boulevard, stands on an elevation of
l45 feet above mean tidewater. When
completed the tower of the capital
part Of the pyramidal section will be
about so feet higher than the dome Of
the Capitol. It is being erected by the
Nasons of America, and in il Will be
preserved the very valuable collection
ur relies OF the Alexandria Lodge OF
Nashingtnn's day.
These relics include an original
painting OF Gen. Washington. for
which the lodge has standing offer
OF 100000 BY Williams OF Philadel-
DR.. James Craik. DR.. Elisha Craik,
who was with Washington during the
whole period Of the Revolution. as
surgeon general OF the Revolutionary
Army; was with him when he died,
with his wife when she died, and with
his stepSon. John Custis. when he died
He occupied a very peculiar position
in WashinEton's friendship He was
with Wa shincton in every battle that
!, 1.
town. and was member of the lodge.
There is also picture Of DR.. Dick,
who was with Washington when he
died. and cut the cord that holds the
weight OF the bedchamber clock and
stopped II at the moment of the gen
erals death. II was presented 10 the
lodge by Mrs. Washington three days
after the funeral and is now a very
valuable relic there.
The painting of Dick is particularly
Valuahl As master Of the lodge. he
presided A WashinCtons funeral. had
charge of the committee of arrange
ments al the funeral. He was in con
stant communication with the general
during his life.
The collection also includes the
trowel, the square and the plumb
which We're used for laying the corner
stone of the Capitol of the United
-
days OF Washington. the Charles VIII
son Peae painting OF Lafayette.
presented TO the lodge by an English
admirer OF Lafayette; the Pope Peale
painting of Washington i'll early life.
the painting OF Nellie Custis, and d
painting OF Miss Nancy Fauntleroy,
1t girl who is supposed to have dis
carded Washington or refused to
marry him.
Many Landmarks.
The scenery along the Mount Yer
non boulevard is made especially In
teresting for tourists by the frequent
historic landmarks. Starting from
the south end of the new Memorial
Bridge. of which it is to be the off
cial monumental approach. it would
pass by Arlington National Cemetery.
which was the home of Gen. Robert
+. Lee
Arlington is situated on a part of
what was the original Howson grant.
That grant was divided up. and fell
into the hands Of the Alexanders long
before the Revolution. 1t was divided.
and the upper part was received by
one of the heirs. Jared AleXa nder.
and the lower part became the prop
erty Of Philip AleXa nder. The Four
Mile Run was the dividing line.
During the Revolution Gen. Wash
ington bought l 900 acres from Jared
Alexander for his stepsou, John Custis,
who erected very substantial build
ing which goes by the name Of Abiug
don. There he lived and there his
children lived Abingdon is still stand
ing. and can still be seen from either
route proposed by this road. Gusts
died during the Revolution, about l.
DAYS after the battle of Yorktown.
The Alexanders entered suit to re-
cover Abingdon. 1t had been paid for
in continental or provincial money.
and the money became useless. They
entered q suit TO recover it. Mrs.
Custis lived there. The property
stands today, a very beautiful home
stead. After the death OF Gen. Wash
ington, George Washington Parke
Custis the grandson of John Gusts,
who built Abingdon, purcha sed or In
herited 900 acres that had ConStitut-
ed a part of the Abingdon estate. and
there he erected Arlington House.
That was after the death Of his grand
mother. Mrs Wa shinGton. in 1902.
He first took up his residence in a
small house adjoining this, which for
mer Representative Philip +. Camp
hell now owns and occupies. George
Washington Parke Custis lived there
until the completion of the Arlington
, House and his marriage to Mrs. Ran
dolph.
Skirts BraddOck Heights.
The Mount Vernon boulevard is to
skirt the hills known as Braddock
Heights and Arlington Heights. 1t
was on the Braddock Heights that
Gen. Braddocks army wintered in
1855, and from which point it started
on Its disastrous advance in the
Monongahela campaign. There Brad
dock was killed and his army re-
turned. Washington, who was made u
major on Gen. Braddock's staff, re-
turned with it. This road will extend
short distance below the site OF
Braddock's camp at this temporary
site. The northern road leading by it
and diverging from 1T was known as
| the Leesburg turnpike, the first toll
| road in the United States. constructed
in 1885,
On Shooters Hill, on the site oc-
cupied by the Masonic Temple. or with
| in a hundreds yards of it. lived Lud-
well Lee. He was the eldest son of
Richard Henry Lee, the Virginia pa
triot and author of the resolution that
| brought on the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. He lived there until about
| 1899 and moved to Leeshurg, died and
| is buried there. a nd his first wife, who
was the daughter of Charles Lee, At
torney General under John Adams, Is
| buried there.
The road leading out on the south
'es.n gZsF