Evening star., 1939-09-10
Reno Death
Gave Name
Monument Recalls
Popular Devotion
To Washington

stone, one of frame and two Of logs.
The main living house, constructed
OF rough gray stone, struck with
red mortar, contained a dozen or
more rooms. There was also in the
place great stone stable and
picturesque windmill.
BY 1890, according to an account
printed that year, "Gapland"
name given to it by its owner-con-
sisted of 167 acres, and the outlay
represented an investment of nearly
$4,000 (Which is probably nearer
the actual figures than "a half-mil-
| lion-dollar estate as some put it,.
But the chances are that he got
the latter amount of pleasure out OF
his secluded mountain retreat, remi-
niscent of the unfortunate struggle
of 1861 to 1865. Indeed it is said
that just in front of the first house
he built, the Blue and Gray met.
and that 500 men were killed and
wounded there.
The writer understands that since
Mr.. Townsend's death which oc-
erty has not received the care and
attention he would continue to give
it had he been longer spared.
Has Good View.
| Gapland is 1900 feet above sea
level. and. no doubt, the same view
of the surrounding country can be
! had today as was so interestingly
related nearly so years ago, when it
was said
From the gallery of the living
house to the west Pleasant Valley
lies near at hand, with a dark noun
tain bounding it only two miles
away, but to the east a gorgeous
vista is spread out before the en-
raptured vision. Far off in the blue
mist the mountains beyond the val
ley of the Catoctin stretch north
and south until their SUBMITS touch
the circle of the sky, while up and
down the valley is cut into thou
sand bits of picture by fertile fields
and forest clumps, with little lazy
silver streams meandering off into
the hazy distance"
At this time Gapland was said
to be miles from Harper's Ferry.
! 18 miles from HagerstoWn, Is from
Frederick and SO from Washington.
But since these figures were given,
due to the Strengthening out of the
roads generally and to more direct
routes, these distances have beer.
shortened.
Mr.. Townsend, as newspaper
man, represented in Washington, in
the '70s, the Chicago Tribune, the
Cleveland Leader, the Cincinnati
Commercial and the Cincinnati En-
quirer. At this period Gath was
residing at 926 Seventeenth street
northwest. He also tried his hand at
publishing the Washington Sunday
Capital with Don Piatt, but soon
gave it up.
Historical Writer.
He was an early member of the
Columbia Historical Society and a
contributor to it's records. One Of
his most interesting papers was on
Houses of Bricks Imported from
England" which he read before the
society on November 9. 1903. and
in which he gave evidence reputing
the probability that any early house
in this country was built of bricks
imported from Europe In his re-
marks. he said:
Il take the view that no house is
made of English bricks None of the
authorities are contemporary with
the construction; their basis is a
tradition. often from the kitchen.
The repetition of the statement is
from irresponsible sources, not able
to weigh testimony.
only four years before the War
of 1861 Bishop Meade's Old
Churches and Families of Vir-
ginia' set the myth in motion, and
it reposes mainly in the picture
magazines Of today, which have no
criterion.
The custodian of the Maryland
Historical Society has handed me
memorandum of all the imported
bricks brought into that province
of which there is record There
are three importations and they
cover eight years time.
The schooner Nancy of 20 tons
brought 1000 bricks from Charles
ton. S. c.. enough to build burial
vault. The Live Oak of 10 tons
brought 5000 bricks from Philadel-
phia, enough to build a chimney.
The same number of bricks, 5000.
were brought on the ship Britannia,
120 tons, from Bristol. England, only
six years before the Continental
Congress met, when ever hamlet
had its brickyard.
IF this be the sole record Of the
shipment of English bricks, let us
consider what they would construct.
A single chimney, such as the end
chimneys outside of the old houses,
if 40 feet high and 6 by feet
square, would have 720 feet square
, face of wall IL inches thick, and
require over $4,000 bricks. The 5000
Bristol bricks, therefore, would only
raise it about Is feet from the
, ground. And this is the only i'm
/ portation In the record of province
where about every early brick house
, has the lmputatlon OF imported
, brick The librarian said that they
; probably were wanted for mantel-
) piece"
Bricks in Virginia.
And then Mr.. Townsend goes on
to quote Philip A. Bruce in the
Economic History of Virginia" in
, which that author declares that "all
bricks used in Virginia in the 18th
century were manufactured there;
that bricklayers and brickmakers
, arrived in 1907; that in 1922 bricks
formed one of the principal articles
exported from Virginia to the Ber-
mudas; that the Royal Governor
Berkeley's brick house had only six
rooms; that the Indians were re-
| pulsed with brickbats, and he calls
. it improbable that when bricks were
, rated at 8 shillings thousand In
7 Virginia, planters would have been