Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-21
CORNER STONE LAID
BY POH|CK Church
Completion of vestry House
Washington Planned to
Honor BicentenniaI.
Special Dispatch to The star.


POHICK, Va, November 2l.-In thu
presence Of large and distinguished
gathering, Pohick Church yesterday laic
the corner stone Of the vestry house
whose erection at this time is designec
to honor the bicentennial Of both thu
birth Of George Washington and tn,
founding Of Truro Parish, which h.
served for 23 years as vestryman.
Neither President Hoover nor Gov
John Garland Pollard were able to at.
tend the ceremonies as expected anC
messages were read from both official:
expressing their regrets that press Of
of1c1al business prevented their par.
ticlpatlon in the afternoons ceremonies
Yesterdays ceremonies opened ap-
proprlately in the beautiful old Nhurch
which washington helped to build ir
l168 to replace the original structure
which stood near the present Lewis
Chapel. With George Mason. he sc.
1ected site midway between Mount
Vernon and Gunston Hall, helped tr
draw the plans, arrange the seatine
and oversee the details Of its erection
The building was completed several
years later and 1t was immediately ap-
parent that a second building must be
erected to house the business and secu-
lar affairs Of the. then rapidly growing
parish.
Order Entered In Book.
So on June 5, 17T2, we see In the old
vestry book Of Truro Parish the follow
ing, Ordered, That a vestry house be
built at this church, Of brick, "a feet
by 10, with plank floor and inside
chimney and three windows, 9-foot
pitch, and that the church wardens do
agree with workmen to build the same,
the thickness Of the wall to be a brick
ana a hail.. This was signed by Lee
Massey, rector; Thomas Withers Cof-
Ter and Pet Wagner. church wardens
George Mason, Edward Payne, G. Wash
1ngton, Daniel McCarty, Martin Cock
burn, G. William Fairfax, Thomas Ford
and Alexander Henderson, recorded by
John Barry, clerk.
On February IS, 1774, this order was
rescinded, the vestry considering the
expense thereof will be too burthen-
some for the parish at this time" The
ourtnen" was. OF course, the approach
Ing crisis Of the Revolution.
The history of Truro Parish and
Of the connection with it of George
washington and his father and brother
wal outlined yesterday by Charles H.
Callahan OF Alexandria, well known au-
thority on the life Of Washington, who
stressed particularly the high ca1iber
Of the men who guided the destinies
Of the parish and Of the Virginia Colony.
He told of his first memories Of the
building and its semi-dilapidated condi-
ton following the Civil War, before its
restoration under the paStorate of Rev.
DR.. Samuel Wallis, members Of the
Mount Vernon Ladies' Association and
other friends.
Coadjutor Bishop r. d. Goodwin. who
spoke In place of Bishop H. st. George
Tucker, took as his theme an exhorta-
ton to the positive faith Of the yestry-
ment Of 159 years ego which expressed
itself in action. He congratulated the
present vestry on its opportunity to
finish the endeavor the older generation
had the faith to start.
Masons Attend.
Led by the vested choir of students
from the Episcopal Theological Semi
nary, a long professional wended its
way from the church to the front of
the new vestry house, whose walls of
weathered old bricks to -harmonixe with
Pohick Church are already rising and
partially under roof. The present yes
H. Allen, H. T. Baker, H. L.
Claggett, J. p. H. Mason, H. H. Haar,
I. /. Dolph, Benjamin r. hewitt, A. w.
Smith, G. Lee Starkweather and Z.
Russell White, were followed by the
men now working on the vestry house.
DR.. Macon Ware Of Falls Church, dis
trict deputy grand master OF district
No. /, led large group Of Masons from
and Fairfax County, with
visiting rectors and Bishop Goodwin
bringing up the rear.
In front Of the new vestry house,