Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-29

| Of this conference q meeting was called
! for delegates from all the Colonies IN
1887 at Philadelphia, at which confer
ence or meeting the Constitution Of the
United States was framed.
The Road to Richmond.
Leaving Alexandria by way Of the
road to Richmond, you take the first
road to the left after crossing Hunting
Greek (this road is known as the Fort
Hunt road) and go down this road for
q couple of miles to Wellington lane,
down which you drive to Wellington,
which is on the Potomac River half way
between Mount Vernon and Washing
ton. This house was built before 1760
and Is interesting as house aside from
the fact that it was used as a residence
Lear, who was private and military sec
rotary to Gen. Washington and tutor
for his adopted children, George and
Nelly Gusts. Gen. Washington in his
will left this place to Col. Lear for his
lifetime, rent free, In consideration Of
| the great services to him during his
presidency. After Col. Lear's death, in
1916, the house was occupied for two
generations by Washingtons. There is
no trace here of the lines of the original
garden.
Coming back to the main road, turn
to the left and go about IL miles on
the highway until you come to Pohick
Church, which Is one Of the historic
shrines and one of our best examples
Of Colonial architecture.
Just beyond Pohick Church Is the
road leading to Gunston Hall, the home
Of George Mason of Revolutionary days,
author of the Virginia bill of rights,
and which was built by him in 1755.
a
plateau. The south front of the man
sion faces the Potomac River, and from
a little portico on this front one looks
toward the river between two rows of
English box twice the height of a tall
man and 220 feet long. Doubtless, 1t
was Col. Mason's intention when he
planted this box (slipS of which were
probably brought from England) to keep
1t trimmed in the low, formal style then
customary, with a spacious walk be-
tween the rows. This evidently was not
done, as witness the great height Of the
box now. A leading authority in this
country estimates this box to be about
30 years older than the box at Mount
Vernon.
Possibly slips from Gunston Hall box
were sent to Mount Vernon to start
the lovely planting Of box there, for
exchanges were frequently made, as
We IcdIA lIOUl washington OAdAy, IA
which he acknowledges additions to his
flowers and fruits from his friend,
George Mason, at Gunston Hall.
In the flower garden at Gunston are
masses of heliotrope, phlox, delphinium,
lemonverbena, rose geranturn, ageratum,
foxglove and many roses. In the Fall
the hardy chrysanthemuEnS produce O.
riot of color. In the center Of the
garden plays a bird fountain, made
from the capital and base Of a dis
carded column from the United States
Treasury Building On its base Is the
date 1910. 1t is made Of sandstone
from the old quarries at Aqua Greek.
If Gunston's garden could talk, what
interesting conversation 1t would be
able to repeat, for here it was that
Washington and Mason discussed the
Fairfax resolves, that threw down the
gauntlet of independence; Patrick
Henry, visiting the philosophical Mason,
gathered the fuel for the fires Of his
eloquence; Richard Henry and Arthur
Lee, arguing with Mason the French
alliance; Rochambeau and Lafayette
journeying North after the victory at
Yorktown, were honored guests at Gun
ston Hall, and jefferson and Madison
came straight there from Mount Yer
non to get Mason's views as to the 10
cation of the National Capitol.
The house itself easily takes rank
with the famous houses of the world,
for Mason, while possessed of conSid-
cradle wealth, was quite contented with
building a small but perfect house.
Truly, Gunston Hall aided in the birth
of a new Nation.