Evening star., 1929-07-28
ODD|TY
At COUNTRY CLUB
Old Slabs on Army, Navy
and Marine Corps
Course.
BY LESTER B. INSKEEP,
STAFF Correspondent OF The Star.

ARLINGTON, Va, July 27.-When
more than a century ago. directing
that a quarter of an acre of his farm
on the hills of Virginia overlooking
Washington be converted into a per-
manent burial ground for him and his
family, little did he dream that he
would rest in the middle OF a golf
course and that knicker-clad players
would daily pass his final resting place
and muse upon the presence OF his
tombstone there.
Such, however, is the case, but the
final wish of this old pioneer has been
carried out to a letter, and it is highly
probable that he will always rest in
the spot of his choice, for officials of
the Army, Navy and Marine Corps
Country Club, who have acquired his
once Swampy farm and converted it
into one of the most picturesque spots
in the vicinity of the National Capital,
have decreed that William Fraser, his
family and his slaves shall slumber
peacefully beneath their woodland
bower.
Mansion Burned Years Ago.
Nor is the burying ground the only
evidence left by the Fraser family on
the property now owned by the club.
The mansion was burned many years
ago, but the old stone spring house,
oblivious to time. has become the CEN
ter of gay picnic parties, now being
surrounded by stone tables and a stone
stove, the only evidence of modern
progress at this spot along Long
Branch, the stream that runs through
the club property and that lies just
below Arlington Ridge.
The burial ground. which has aroused
much interest among club members
and their guests, Is situated between
Every golfer who plays the first nine
holes of the course must pass 1t, but
it has been preserved so nearly in its
original state, surrounded as 1t is by
a group of old cedarS, dogwood and
myrtle that few notice it the first
time they pass. The family graves
are surrounded by an iron fence, and
the slaves rest in unmarked mounds
outside.
According to George E. Garrett, for
mer directing engineer Of Arlington
County and a historian Of note, the
land on which the club is located is
part of 6,000-acre tract that was
granted by Gov. William Berkeley to
Robert Howsing in 1869 The records
show that the grant was compensation
for transporting 120 persons, but 1ails
to go more into detail.
In the years that followed the land
gradually became divided and the Eext
record of interest is the will Of William
Fraser designating the burial ground.
The club obtained that part of the
property on which are located the two
points of interest from Mrs. Herbert
Carter
There are other historical points on
the golf course, however, for imme-
diately to the north of the clubhouse
is the site of Fort Richardson, one of
the chains of Notifications that sur
rounded Washington during the Civil
War. This fort is situated 225 feet
above tidewater. The old Notifications.
rifle pits and outpost positions that
practically surround the burial ground
be marked, according to Maj. Richard
D. Newman, manager of the club.
Home Erected in 1850.
The old Fraser home was constructed
in 1850 of bricks that were imported
from England and landed i'll the port
Of Alexandria in 1849. Since it no
longer stands, the old boxwoods have
been removed to the clubhouse, where
they now lend an air of impressive dig
nifty.
In commenting upon the work CT
preparing the ground for the course,
Maj. Newman said that they found
much old pine log draining in an ex-
cellent state of preservation. The
ground had not been cleared for more
than 40 years, he said. There also was
a ram in the old spring house that had
been used to force water to the man
sion, which was situated on the oppo-
site slope from that now occupied by
the clubhouse.