Evening star., 1926-09-19

Bought ,O00 Acres.
During the Revolution Gen. Wash.
inSton bought 900 acres from Jared
Aiexa nder for his stepson, John Gus.
tis, who erected a very substantiai
building which goes by the name OF
Abingdon There he lived. and there
his children lived. Abingdon Is still
standing and can still be seen from
either route proposed for this road.
Custis died during the Revoiution.
about II days alter the Battie OF
Yorktown. The AleXanders entered
suit to recover Abingdon. 1t had oeen
paid for in continental or provincial
money and the money be came useless
Mrs. Custis lived there. The property
came on down. until it is now owned
bv Lewis Smoot of Alexandria, and II
stands today q very beautiful nome
stead.
After the death of Cen Washing
ton, George Washington Parke Gus
tbs. the son Of John Custis, VINO
built Abingdon. purchased or inherit
ed 600 acres that had constituted
part of the Abingdon estate, and there
he erected Arlington House. Ihat
was after the death Of his grand
mother, Mrs. Washington, in 1902.
He first took up his residence In
former Representative Philip p.
Campbell lives now, and lived there
until the completion of the Arlington
House and his marriage to Mrs. Ran:
doiph.
Will Skirt Braddock Heights.
The Memorial Boulevard will skirt
the hills known as Braddock Heights
and Arlington Heights. On the former
Gen. Braddock s army Wlntered In
1855. and from that point it started
on it's disastro advance in the Mon
Ongaheia campaign. There Gen. Bfao'
dock was killed and his army returned.
Washington who was major on
Gen. Braddock's staff, returned with
it. This road will extend a short dis
tance below the site of Braddock's
camp at this temporary site. The
northern road leading by 1t and diVerg'
ing from IL was known as the Lees
burg Turnpike. the first toll road IN
the United States. constructed III
1885,
The Memorial Boulevard will give
commanding view OF the $o,OO0, ,ooo
Masonic Memorial Temple to WASH.
ington, which occupies 80 acres OF
la nd in the western suburb OF Alex
andria. and which stands 235 feet
above ground or 1868 feet above tide
water on q pyramid of seven terraces.
The road leading out on the south
side of the temple rs the king high
way. Just beyond the temple it turns
across what is known now, and was
known then, as Cameron Farm. which
WAS owned and occupied by Charles
Broadwater, the colleague of Wash
ington in the House OF BurSesSeS.
Alexandria is Historic.
Alexandria has a great many places
Of interest; tor example, Christ
Church, in which George Washing
ton owned a pew and which he at
tended for wears; the home of Gen.
Light Horse Harry Lee: the home OF
Robert f. Lee in his early life, and OF
his mother, and in which he lived at
the time of her death and from which
Robert l.. Lee WAS sent TO west
Point.
Leaving Alexandria one passes by
the temple into the Cameron Run
Valley. in which are numerous his.
toric places that are plainly visible
from this route, which follows the
Kings Highway. One of them Is
clarens, the home of James Murray
Mason. OF the Mason Slidell affair.
The Daughters Of the American
Revolution are marking these historic
places as fast as they can.
on the south side of the valley is
the birthplace of Gen. Fitzhugh Lee;
the home Of Gen. John Mason, the
son of George Mason Of Gu9sten
Hall. and also, by the side of the
. road in a house called Cameron,
where lived and died Gen. Samuel
Cooper, adiutant general Of the
United States Army before the war
! between the States and adjutant gen
eral of the Confederate Army during
| that war.
Crossing over Cameron Valley and
putsuing the old Kings Highway. the
tourist will pass close by Mount
Eagle. the home of Bryan, the eighth
Lord Fairfax-the last house visited
by Washington before he died. Bryan
Fairfax incidentally, was the last
visitor TO Mount Vernon before the
generals death.
From this point the visitor will BE-
able to locate and see a part OF the
home Of Gen Thompson Mason OF
Revolutionary fame. son Of Virginia
great statesman, George Mason, au-
thor of her bill of rights and first
constitution.
Leads to Postern Gates.
Going on the tourist comes to Gum
Springs. right by which lived DR..
Humphrey Peak. Nashington's near
est neishbor The. old house has
been destroyed but it can be easily
located.
Bearing to the left at Cum Springs
the tourist can go straight ahead and
r,.ive al what Is known as the
postern gates or the western gates of
Mount Vernon. This was the favorite
and historic road travelled by Wash
inyton in going to his home during
his lifetime. There were two roads
ont of Mount Vernon. One was
sort of byNav and the surveyors from
the Bureau of Public Roads have
marked one of them as a proper road
or circle by which to get out from
there today. II was at the postern
gates. the west entrance to Mount
Vernon. that the militsr! and civic
delegations met Washington and
escorted him to Alexandria, and after
his farewell address on the steps of
the old City Hotel, which is still
standing. escorted him to Analostan
Island where he took the ferry
across into Georgetown and the Mary
land escort took him in charge and
escorted him through Maryland to
Delaware and so on to the seat OF
government in New York.
o0A q