Evening star., 1942-10-07
E Expanded Quontico Reservation
Soon to Echo With Big Guns
Form Families and School Children Begin
Giving Way Over 50,000-Acre Troct -:

Heavy artillery soon will echo
along a tract of land across No. l
highway from the Marine Corps
base at Quantico, Va. for the first
time since guns roared at the first
and second battles of Manassas in
the Civil War.
Announcement yesterday by the
Navy Department that the marine
base would be expanded by $4,000
acres was the first public evidence
by the Federal Government that it
planned to put into effect an i'm
provement that has been under con-
sideration for years.
Military authorities have known
for some time that Quantico, the
only marine training center for Of
f1cer candidates, needed maneuver
area large enough to enable trainees
to become familiar with all types of
weapons.
Use Larger Weapons.
With the additional land. increase
can be made not only in the num-
Der of men accommodated at Guam
tico, but In the size of weapons en-
ployed in training. Officers In
charge say that as soon as the new
tract is ready artillery up to 6-inch
pieces, especially the 97-millimeter
anti-aircraft guns. will be brought
into play.
This will make it possible to offer
we'll rounded program, authorities
explained. Officer candidates are
given 10-week basic training
course, followed by 10 weeks of Re
serve officer training. Then they
go through specialization period
during which 1t is determined to
what branch-infantry. artillery,
tank. gas. Signal Corps or otherwise
they are best adapted. 1t is in this
last phase of the work that the addi-
tional area will be particularly bene-
ficial.
Between three-ffths and four
f1fths of the land to be acquired by
the Federal Government lies in Staf-
ford County and is occupied by
about $50 families. The remainder
is divided between Prince William
and Fauquier Counties.
Historical Section.
In a sense, this section is coming
back into the public eye after three
quarters of century. 1t was near
there, at the present little village of
/ Dumfries, that Scottish merchants
200 years ago set up busy tobacco
port along Quantico Creek. The port
brought to the vicinity population
of 1000. and made the town the
county seat of Prince William, where
prosperous men strolled through the
counting houses and along the
streets In red cloaks and cooked
hats.
It was there that Col. Alexander
Henderson organized what was prob
ably the first chain of stores in
America. 1t was along Aqua Greek
bordering one side of the tract, that
the first English Catholic
colony in Verginia was established
And 1t was in this part of Virginia
that Jeb Stuart dashed behind
Burnside on his surprise reconnais-
sance raid of Christmas, 81.
Sparsely Settled.
All of the tract is sparsely settled
particularly that in Prince William
and Fauquier. 1t Is section In
which there has been little activity
since tired Union and Confederate
soldiers dragged over It's broken ano
rolling terrain.
The land. practically all on the
opposite side of No. highway from
Quantico, Is intersected largely by
dirt roads, narrow. winding paths
unsuited to the speed of modern
vehicles. It's slopes are heavy with
pine and scrub oak. Streams are
few and homes in most instances are
small and weatherbeaten. It's land
marks are widely scattered roadside
stores. or an occasional church ol
graveyard.
Nearly dozen small commune
ties, none with more than a store
and four or five houses are included
within its borders. Chief of these
are Shiloh, Mount. Onville, Stat
ford's Store, Mount Zion. Bride
wells Corner, Black Rock. Gar
risons Corner and Shackley.
One country ofhcial. when tolc
of the Nays action, said
For the last two weeks mar
has been examining the recors
books in my ONCE, and 1t wa
only this morning that I learned h
was looking up deeds for the Fedora
Government"
| Residents Not Startled.
\ Without exception. families inter
1 viewed yesterday had received n,
notice Of what was planned. Blu
few. II any, were perturbed. LArg'
tracts In the vicinity, most OF then