Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-19

III in Washington owns or operates q
car, and although this would indi-
cate that about every person living
here had an automobile at his service, yet we
know that such is really not the case, and that
many have to depend upon the buses and
street cars to convey them wherever they wish
to go.
To those who are thus situated-and they
run I'D into the thousands, of course-the
buses and the steam cars must be used for
distance travelling, and this, quite naturally,
coupled with number of other reasons, keeps
many people from visiting even the nearby his
toric spots and the relics there to be seen, as
ISOLATED with Colonial life and the early days
of the Republic such places as Alexandra,
Mount Vernon, Fredericksburg, Williamsburg,
Yorktown and Jamestown and other places to
the south of Washington Too numerous to men,
ton. In nearby Maryland We have Annapolis
and Frederick, and Baltimore, indeed, has its
worthwhile places, too, for Fort McHenry must
not be omitted and a vast number of other
noted spots in Maryland, My Maryland" But
10 those who cannot conveniently get 10 these
places the Government has supplied in the
National Museum a most valuable and interest
ing substitute.
For instance, in the north hall of the Arts
nnd Industries Building there is the Washing
ton collection, which includes the valuable
relics purchased by the Government in 1878
from the Lewis heirs descendants OF Lawrence
Lewis and his wife, Eleanor Parke (Custis)
less relics besides the Washington collection in
this hall, which forms part of the antiquarian
exhibit of the museum, and which is under the
immediate supervision Of Theodore T. Belote,
curator of the department Of history, he hav-
ing also control of the numismatic. military and
naval collections.
However in view of the Forthcoming bicen-
tennial of the birth of George Washington,
which Is due year after next-or in 1932-pub-
lie interest win be especially centered on things
associated with the life and times of the first
President and the Lewis collection and the
other washington relics in the National Museum
win prove ever more than attractive at that
time
DERHAPS the reader will recall that shortly
after the surrender at yorktown, John
Parke Gusts died Of swamp fever, his death
occurring at Ethan, November S, 1881. Besides
his widow, Eleanor (Calvert) Gusts. daughter
Of Benedict Calvert, son of Charles Calvert.
sixth Lord Baltimore, he left four children:
Elizabeth Parke, Martha Parke, Eleanor Parke
and George Washington Parke, each carrying
&C their middle name the middle name OF their
father
Elizabeth Parke Gusts, as is well known,
married Thomas Law, and had by him one
daughter, Eliza, who married Lloyd N Rogers
Of Baltimore, and had as issue: Edmund,
Eliza and Eleanor.
and for years lived in Tudor place. in George
town, the house being still occupied by one Of
her descendants.
George washington Parke Gusts married
Mary Lee Fitzhugh, and built and resided in
Arlington House until his death there IN 1857
Both he and MRS. Gusts are buried on the es-
tate, now known as Arlington National Gene
terry They had but one child that lived to
maturity Mary, and she became the wife OF
the noted Confederate leader, Gen. Robert T.
Lee.
Eleanor Parke Gusts, the youngest Of the
three daughters Of John Parke Gusts, and
from whom the Lewis collection was inherited.
was born in Abingdon, near Alexandria, Va,
on March 81, 1779, and upon her marriage be-
came the mistress Of Woodlawn. Lawrence
Lewis, her husband, was the nephew OF Gen
George Washington, being the son OF his sis
ter Betty and Col. Fielding Lewis
The death Of John Parke Gusts right after
the climax Of the American Revolution brought
intense grief to Gen. and Mrs washington.
Washington hardly waited for the surrender
until he was OF for Ethan, IS miles from
Yorktown hoping to arrive here in time to see
the only remaining child Of Mrs. Washington
before he passed away. But time and tide
waits for no man." as 1t has truthfully been
said and Washington arrived little too late,
for death had already sealed forever the lips
of his beloved stepson.
IPON his arrival at Ethan the sad news
was impaired to him by DR.. Craik and ii
Is said that the grief Of the Father Of His
Country knew no bounds" and that he "wept
like child" Upon being conducted into the
death chamber he found Mrs. Gusts standing
beside the death bed of her husband, weeping
bitterly Washington tenderly clasped her in
his arms and when he had recovered his COM
poSure said to her:
II adopt his two younger children as my own
from this hour" and shortly afterward George