The Republican., 1925-11-12


What is left Of the original James
town Island is almost as when the
colonists first landed except for the
works to preserve the land from the
wash Of the tide, and historic build
ings which have been restored The
old jamestown church which was
burned during Bacon's Rebellion,
more than two hundred years age,
was not restored till the Jamestown
exposition when l stood within its
walls on the very spot where John
ROlfe stood when he married Poca-
h0ntas.
| was told that the church register
showed that over six thousand bodies
had been inferred in the church
yard, but less than a score could be
located. On the river shore | picked
up what seemed to be pebbles, but
found them to be bits of ancient
bricks of former houses which stood
where the waves were then washing
A few miles over on the mainland
stands Williamsburg-the greatest
center of history makers in colonial
days. Old Bruton Church still stands.
The sexton is kept busy guiding visi-
tors through the church and church.
yard. Almost every pew has been
occupied by some notable in Ameri-
can history. In its churchyard sleep
many makers of America. Down the
street is old William and Mary COL
lege nearly two hundred and fifty
years old and next to Harvard the
Oldest college in America. The old
Powder horn-built to store powder
in more than 200 years ago-still
stands, well preserved A guide and
guide book will show you this old
historic town in about three hours.
On the south bank of the river,
not far down it, in Isle of Wight
County, stands the old Smithheld
Church-bu,It in 1632-and restored
since the Civil War on its original
foundations. The cluster cities at the
mouth of the James reminds one Of
the slucter which stood at the mouth
of the Hudson River.
Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport
News are destined to be the nuclei
of leading cities on the finest har0or
in the world within a few years
Two centuries, and eyen one CEN
tury, may find them surprising New
York City. They contain more people
than New York did in 1900 and are
the gateway of the South where
trains will meet the ferry across the
Atlantic. Here will come people
from the North, East, South and
West for climatic and economic rea-
sons. Baltimore at the northern end
of the Chesapeake and Norfolk at
the other will be the terminals Of the
greatest water transportation in the
world. Nor is the water used only
for traffic, Probably a half-n,illion
persons, directly and indirectly, are
dependent upon the bay and its tribu-
taries for whole or partial livelihood.
This section which is less than two
hundred miles long by one hundred
and fifty miles broad, contains the
birthday Of nearly a dozen signers
of the Declaration of Independence,
also seven Presidents: Washington,
Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, w. Fl.
Harrison, Tyler and Taylor. Wash
ington and Monroe were born in
Westmoreland County on the Poto.
mac River, while Madison was born
at Port Conway, in King Georges
County on the same river. Harrison
and Tylor were born in Charles City
County on the James River and when
Harrison was elected President, Ty-
Ter was elected Vice-P President and
finished the uneXpired term Of Presi-
dent Harrison when the latter died
after less than month in office.
Some day when its stone roads are
completed, its steamboat lines are
connected for the convenience Of the
tourists who must travel with speed,
and its railroads are scheduled to
connect with each other, it will be-
come the tourist garden of America,
through which Americans will travel
by water, rail, auto and airship,
glimpsing the deeds of their fathers.