Evening star., 1933-02-19

| over Do miles.
Recreation Kept in Mind.
Coming down the upper Maryland
side the road will be up above the
old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In a
recent article by Clarence Phelps Dodge
in American Forests he says about this
part of the project: 1.-THE old canal
will afford recreation to lovers of canoe
ing, bathing, hiking and swimming. 1t
is part of the parkway program to re-
establish the old canal SO that its for
mer picturesqueness with the towboats
will be preserved. and the old tow path
is to be put in good order. During nine
months of the year canoes will glide
over the waters of the canal and shoot
the rapids below Great Falls. Already
sailboatS and motorboatS are appearing
in growing numbers, and as the waters
of the river become easier of access, the
lrecreational possibilities will be unSur-
passed"
Throughout the planning of the prof.
ect the recreational possibilities, as well
as the scenic beauties and historic asso
Citations, have been kept in mind. For
! in these depression-stricken times the
public has had to turn increasingly to
free Fairgrounds for its pleasure. 1t
has been left little other choice. Ac-
cording to the Commission of Public
| Buildings and Public Parks, the number
of people using community recreational
| facilities was tripled from 1881 to 1882.
Therefore, when the Army turned over
| Forts Washington. Hunt and Foote to
J the park office, plans were immediately
drawn to convert Fort Hunt, tract OF
1877 acres, into recreation ground with
! a golf course, tea house, picnic and
camping grounds The development OF
these lands for such pleasure purposes
should assist in the protection OF the
! Mount Vernon estate against attempts
to promote such developments for COM
mercial gain too near the national
| shrine.
Fort Drive to Circle City.
It is impossible to describe the George
Washington Parkway adequately with
out making some mention OF its pro-
posed companion, the Fort Drive. The
| drive is planned to circle the city, con-
meeting the 13 Civil War forts which
comprised the defense of the city dur
| ing the war between the States. 1t will
| lead off the George Washington Park
way at a point near Delecarl1a Reser-
vOir Park and run as continuous drive
| wholly within the District of Columbia
| for a distance of some 22.8 miles to
Blue Plains, where it will again join the
larger parkway.
Among the forts connected by this
drive are Battery Kemble, Fort Reno,
| with its view of the AlleghanieS on clear
days; Fort Dupont, where the tree
| nursery Is now located, and Fort
Stevens, where Lincoln was under fire
during Earlys raid in the Civil War.
Each Of these spots will have some grove
or recreation ground for the benefit OF
sightseers.
Any one starting out with his family
or with visitors could pick up the drive
at the point most convenient to his
neighborhood and find himself on an
unbroken, easily followed road, connect
ing a succession of historic points, each
of which has an unusual view that
caused its selection as the site OF
military fort. It will constitute one of
the most striking parkways in this part
of the country, really distinctive fea-
ture Of the National Capital.
Many Kinds of Trees.
But to return to the George Wash
ington Parkway, it will open up re-
gion rich in naturalistic lore for the
scientist. According to Oliver M. Free
man of the Department of Agriculture,
more than IS kinds of trees grow along
this valley and its adjacent hills
loAiSA1l6 4AOAll q Aca 81 eANoOA sAANAAs VA
towering oaks to a shrub called the
| fringe tree, which has large panicles of
| fragrant flowers, followed in the Fall by
olivelike blue fruits. At Plummers
| Island the headquarters of the Wash
ington Biologists Field Club is situated,
| and here many prominent naturalists
have carried on intensive studies.
Both the naturalist and the sports
man have taken an added interest in
%1>a pN{n ~, inn fn
the increasingly large number of ducks
that are congregating in the region
| near Washington.
Then fresh possibilities for another
sport-that of horseback riding-are
being opened up. Some of the most
beautiful bride paths in the environs of
the city start in the Dalecarlia Federal
| Park and continue out into the section
| opened up by the extension of Massa-
chuSettS avenue toward the river area.
The varied scenery of this rugged gorge
! above Washington stands out in bold
relief to the peaceful width of the lower
river.
In considering the provisions Con-
gress and State and county authorities
have made for this tremendous park
way 1t is interesting to compare the
| impersonal legal wording of the Capper-
| Cramton act with the following quaint
excerpts from Kilty's Laws of Mary
land. An act of 1704 reads: Whereas
| it is thought convenient and very much
| for the benefit of this province that
| creeks and branches be made pasSable,
be it therefore enacted that all public
and main roads be well grubbed, flt for
! travelling and that overseerS of
| plantations shall fell all dead trees on
each side whose limbs hang over the
road to prevent any damage that may
! happen by their falling on travellers"
Tobacco-rolli Roads.
| These roads were used for and called
| tobacco-rolling roads in those days. The
present-day River road was the one
that led from Edwards Ferry down to
Georgetown to the tobacco bonding
warehouse at the foot of High street.
Tobacco was put into huge hogsheads,
some of them requiring 20-horse teams,
| jangling bravely with bells, to roll them
! to this river landing. There was much
rivalry between the drivers of the teams,
which took the form of jostling and
| trying to crowd other teams into the
| ditch. If one driver succeeded in push
, ing another into the ditch and then
pulled him out the victor was privileged
to strip the jingling bells from the vic
| TINS harness as trophies OF his prOWess.
In order to put stop to this the
county authorities caused posts TO be
set up in the middle. of the roads to
keep each man on his own side of the
road Thus We have the forerunner of
the modern white line that divides
traffic lanes.
Spinning Wheel Tavern is still stand
ing on River road, once a place of re-
| freShment for teamsterS stopping to
change horses and have "Stirrup cup"
| Of ha nftaro b
ened in the early gray of the morning
! to the sound of bells iinglinp and men