USA > Washington DC > Washington DC > Picture of Washington and its vicinity, also, the Washington guide, containing a congressional directory, and much other useful information, 1850 > Part 6
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ARLINGTON.
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ARLINGTON.
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ARLINGTON.
ARLINGTON House, the seat of George Washington Park Custis, Esq., occupies a commanding position on the Virginia side of the Potomac, elevated more than two hundred feet above the river, and immediately fronting the Capitol, from which it is distant something more than three miles. The view from this point, embracing the whole city of Washing- ton and Georgetown, and a great extent of the river and country far beyond, in Maryland, is one of the finest and most picturesque in the world.
The Mansion House consists of a central building of sixty feet front, and two wings of forty each, making the extent of the whole one hundred and forty feet. A very magnifi- cent portico, twenty-five feet deep, supported by eight columns of the ancient Doric order, five feet in diameter at their bases, adorns the central building, which was designed from drawings of the Temple at Paestum, near Naples. The edifice and portico are of brick,
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but stuccoed so as to resemble freestone. Mr. Custis has been greatly distinguished as an orator, and among his speeches will be found some of the finest specimens of eloquence. At Arlington house are carefully preserved many rare and valuable pictures and other relics de- scended from the ancestors of Mr. Custis, and some of them once in the possession of Wash- ington. Here are two ancient portraits by , Vandyke; one by Sir Godfrey Kneller, rep- resenting the celebrated Col. Parke, painted in 1707. Among the fine old engravinge is one of the death of Lord Chatham, presented by Copley; a death of Wolfe, by West; a mini- ature engraving of Napier of Merchiston, the inventor of logarithms, presented by the Earl of Buchan, and addressed to Marshal General Washington, this high dignity of Marshal of France having been conferred upon the Gene- ral by Louis XVI, to enable him to command the Count de Rochambeau. Here also is the Mount Vernon plate, bearing the arms and crest of Washington ; the bed and bedstead on which the first President slept during the
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whole of his presidency, and on which he ex- pired the 14th of December, 1779; a set of china, having the names of the old confedera- tion ; also one bearing the representation of the Cincinnati, with many other relics which will be sought by the curious and eager eyes of succeeding generations. " During the so- journ of General Lafayette in the District he paid several visits of affection to the proprietor of Arlington House, the last, but one, survivor of the Washington family. The good General was peculiarly gratified with a view from the grand portico, pronouncing it the finest he had ever seen, and warmly recommended to Mrs. Custis to cherish the native forest trees which extended for some distance in the rear of the mansion, observing emphatically, 'recollect, my dear, how much easier it is to cut a tree down than make one grow'"
Mr. Custis has been much engaged in agri- cultural pursuits, and for a number of years gave special attention to the rearing of fine sheep, and an annual festival at his own ex- pense, with the view of exciting an interest
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among the-neighboring farmers in the intro- duction of improved breeds of cattle and in ag- ricultural improvements generally.
Very near the river, rising at the root of a venerable umbrageous old oak, is the famous Arlington spring, to which thousands resort in the summer months, and where preparations have been made by the hospitable proprietor for their welcome reception. Small buildings are here erected in which any articles of the company may be safely deposited; the best ice is always abundant ; and all conveniences are provided on an ample sheltered platform, with commodious seats for a participation in such meals or refreshments as the party may have provided. Here are still, retired walks, invi- ting lawns, shaded by beautiful groves, and the finest view of the river and the city imagi- nable. The fine manners and instructive con- versation of the venerable proprietor often adds to the life and social enjoyment of those who seek from the dust and crowds of the city a few hours' relaxation and retirement amid the charms of this cool and quiet spot.
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GEORGETOWN. 127
GEORGETOWN.
·VIEWED from the Virginia side of the Po- :
tomac, as in the engraving, Georgetown is seen boldly and beautifully situated on a range of hills that risc high above the river, and stretch in undulating beauty along the northern and western horizon.
Georgetown possesses the ancient college belonging to the Catholics, under the direction of the Jesuits; also a nunnery, and various other seminaries of learning. In former days, it was a place of great commercial enterprise; and now those merchants who are largely em- barked in trade, are full of zeal and energy. The artist with strict fidelity has included a view of the Aqueduct of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. This stupendous work, which has attracted so much notice in Europe as well as in America, was constructed by Major Turnbull, of the U. S. Topographical Engi- neers. The piers, nine in number, and thirty- six feet above high water mark, are built of granite, and imbedded seventeen feet in the
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bottom of the river, with a foundation upon solid rock, so as to withstand the shock of the spring ice, which, rushing furiously from the falls and narrows above, crushes with almost resistless force against the bridges of the Poto- mine, sweeping every thing before it. These piers, built in the most masterly manber, will bear up against any force that may be brought against them. 'The aqueduct connects the great canal of the Ohio and Chesapeake with the city of Alexandria. Its length is fourteen hundred and forty-six feet.
HEIGHTS OF GEORGETOWN.
THE lofty eminences that overlook the town from the north and west are known as the Heights of Georgetown. Along these eleva- tions gentlemen of wealth have built their dwellings, and cultivated beautiful and exten- sive gardens.
The view is taken from the turnpike road leading from Georgetown to Fredericktown in Maryland. Nothing can surpass this splen- ded panorama. Below reposes the city of
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VIEW FROM THE CUMBERLAND ROAD
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Georgetown, with its spires- to the left. is.the Metropolis- like a waving band of silver; the Potomac stretches as far as the eye can. reach to the south-while the cupola of Mount Vernon can be distinguished, in a clear day. by a good eye, breaking up against the south, er horizon ..
No stranger at the Seat of Government should omit visiting the spot from whence this view .. was taken.
CONVENT OF VISITATION .:
The Convent of Visitation, Georgetown, founded in 1793, is at present the most flour- ishing establishment of its kind in the United States. It is situated at the north west extremi- ty of the town, upon the declivity of one of the beautiful heights of Georgetown. The hand, some range of buildings appropriated for the ladies' academy is of brick, between two and three hundred feet in length, by forty in . breadth. In their interior, usefulness and convenience are combined with neatness and elegance; and the apartments are admirably
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adapted to the uses made of them. These buildings occupy part of the side of an oblong square, which contains an area of four or five acres, a portion of which is appropriated as play ground for the scholars, and the remainder as an excellent botanical garden. There are other edifices of great extent on the same square, comprising the Bishop's residence, an elegant church, the convent and charity schools. The whole is under the direction of the sisters of visitation.
Miss English's Female Seminary .- The Female Seminary under the direction of Miss English is one of the very best in the Union, and is designed to afford the advantages of the most liberal course in the more solid as well as the more ornamental branches of education. This institution has been in existence since 1831 in its present form ; the building is very ample and convenient ; the number of teachers of high reputation, large, and not only the more ordinary, elegant accomplishments of music and drawing are here tanght, but also the French, Italian, and Spanish languages,
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under able masters. The Principal of this Seminary has availed herself of every advan- tage and visited the best institutions in order. to render her plan and modes of instruction and discipline the best possible, and her annual examinations bear testimony to the entire suc- cess of her indefatigable efforts. Pupils have. been sent forth from this Seminary into nearly every part of this Union, enriched with the knowledge and adorned with the graces which it is so admirably adapted to impart
There are several valuable schools for boys, among which may be particularly mentioned that of Mr. Abbot, an English and Classical Academy of high order.
Of the present state of Georgetown our in- telligent fellow citizen, Mr. Sessford, whose statistical information of the district is generally accurate, reports that considerable improve- ments have been made in Georgetown in im- proving the streets, the erection of new build- ings, &c. A large iton rolling factory is nearly completed, adjoining the aqueduct. A cotton factory is now in successful operation.
GEORGETOWN.
It is also in contemplation to put up two more flour mills, which are much'wanted, as the trade on the Chesapeake and 'Ohio Canal is great, and rapidly increasing, and there now a fair prospect of its completion to Cum- berland: which, when done, will cause a brisk trade on it, and no doubt in 'a few years equal any other canal in the country. The demand for the superior coal alone will give full em- ploy for boats. Flour, grain, hay, wood, lime, &c., will be furnished in abundance for home consumption and exportation. The lands contiguous will increase in value, new villages, &c., spring up, and the facilities of transportation to the West be greatly promo- moted.
About three miles above Georgetown, on the Potomac, is the romatitic view represented on the opposite page. It can be approached by an excellent road along the tow path of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and will umply repay a visit from any admirer of wild and picturesque scenery.
THE POTOMAC AT THE LITTLE FALLS
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ALIX ANDRIA ..
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ALEXANDRIA.
... This city, though no longer within the Dis- tricthof . Columbia, as well deserving notice, enjoying a very high character for the man- ners and virtues of its inhabitants, and also for many. commercial advantages. It carries ;on considerable, trade with the, West Indies and also with; Europe, and with the eastern and southern States .; The town is laid off at right angles, and is the residence of a number of old agd wealthy families, who still exhibit the manners .of Virginians of the time of "Fitz- hugh; of Chatham, and of Washington." af. n. The spectator who, from the western front off: the Capitol overlooks the beautiful and diversified plain which stretches beneath and around it, will discern, at the distance of about aix miles, to the south, this busy port . Facili- . tips for teaching it are afforded by the steam- boats, which ply at almost every hour of the day, and also by a bridge across the Potomac, and an excellent turnpike , The strikingly beautiful features of the intervening country ...
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the graceful outline of the Virginia hills, con- fronted by those of Maryland-the broad and majestic expanse of the Potomac-all conspire to render an excursion to Alexandria one of the most agreeable incidents which .can await the sojourner in Washington.
Few, comparatively, of the interior towns of the United States can look back, like Alexan- dria, on the vicissitudes of nearly a century. Its foundation dates from 1748; and that it was carly a place of some note is shown by the fact, that five colonial Governors met here by appointment, in 1775, to take measures with General Braddock respecting his expedition to the West. That expedition proceeded from Alexandria; and tradition still points to the site on which now stands the older Episcopal Church, (but then "in the woods,") as the spot where he pitched his tents, while the road over the western hills, by which his army withdrew, long bore the name of this unfortunate com- mander.
But the reminisences which the Alexandrians most cherish are those which associate their
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town with the domestic attachments and babits of Washington. The reader of his letters and' addresses will remember that he constantly speaks of them as his old and valned. fellow- citizens, his kind and cherished neighbors and associates. Writing from Yorktown . he as- sures them that "amidst-all the vicissitudes of time and fortune, he should ever fegard with particular affection the citizens and inhabitants of Alexandria." On another occasion he men- tions, with seeming exultation, that the people of Alexandria, who, on hearing of the ratifica. tion of the Constitution by the requisite num- ber of States, had determined to vote a day ot festivity, "constituted the first public assembly which had the pleasure of pouring out a libe- tion to the ten States that had actually adopted the General Government." This friendly in- terest was manifested on every occasion, and a legacy of £1,000 to a free school in the town testifies that it ceased only with his life. Ner were the Alexandrians backward in acknow- ledging, nor have they since been unmindful af, the honor which ao intimate and cordial-an
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intercourse conferred. upon their city. Of the sympathies which reassured him in the hour of dificulty, of the acclamations which greet- ed him in that of his success, theirs were not the least fervent or the least welcome ... It was this "voice from home" which, amid the ap- plauses of the world, seemed ever to come with most acceptance to the heart of Washington. The stranger in Alexandria is still pointed to the church of which he was a vestryman, to the pew in which he customarity sate; and ma- wy striking memorials of his varied 'life are carefully preserved.
Among the public works which attest the spirit or animate the hopes of the Alexandri- ans, the first place is undoubtedly due to the Canal, recently completed. The intelligent observer who views the Acqueduct at George- town, which forms a part of it, will be aston- ished that so stupendous an undertaking should have entered into the contemplation of a com- munity like that of Alexandria. Nor is it pos- sible that it could have been effected until after long years of embarrassment and distress, bad
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not the timely: aid of the Federal Government been: extended to the work. . This canal will open to Alexandria the resources of the up- por Potomac, and confer on the town unsut- ptlesed facilities for manufacturing. The abon- dance and cheapness of provisions, and these- lubrity of the air, are favorable to this object; and many flourishing. manufactories of iron, leather, peltrie's, &c., already exist. ..
In the neighborhood of this city is the The- ological Seminary of the Episcopal Church.of Virginia, with several able and learned pro- fessors.
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A new Court House, of large dimensions and handsome design, has recently been added to the conveniences.of the town. .
The Museum, kept in rooms over the mat- - ket house, is well worth attention, comprising ai it does, more personal relies of General Washington than can be found elsewhere, and also a large and curious collection of speci- mens in Natural History.
The churches and houses of worship .bos longing to the town are numerous, commodi-
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ous, and well attended. Public schools are many, and their exemplary character has ac- quired for Alexandria wide repute as a theatre of education. It will not be invidious to par- ticularize the one kept by Benjamin Hallowell, since its numerous scholars have carried its reputation into every part of the Union.
Within a few years past, an association styled the Lyceum, and accommodated in a new and tasteful edifice, built of free-stone, after the Doric order, has served to evince that the eit- izens of Alexandria are not behind the most enlightened communities of the age in a love of letters, or a zeal for improvement. The course of lectures delivered during the winter, brings together with great regularity a crowd- ed audience, and to the ordinary attractions of the institution have occasionally been added the names of such lecturers as Adams, Barnard, Cushing, Goodrich, Gurley, &c.
A large cotton factory has lately been erect- ed, also a handsome edifice called Odd Fellows' Hall, and other improvements have been made, creditable to the enterprize of Alexandria.
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Large quantities of flour are shipped from Alexandria, and recently the coal trade is be- coming of some importance while increased attention is given to manufactures Rising by a gentle ceclivity from the water's edge, the country subsides into a wide and level plain, until it reaches the base of a range of hills whose summits, at different points, (such as Shuter's Hill; Mount Ida, Arlington, &c.,) present a succession of views, which for extent, variety, and beauty, it might be difficult to rival. The population of Alexandria by the cen- sus of 1840, was : whites, 5,758 ; free colored, 1,627; slaves, 1,074; total, 8,459.
MOUNT VERNON.
EVER to be cherished spot-dear to the heart of every American !
The picture herewith presented of this classic and patriotic shrine, is eminently cor- rect. . This seat of the illustrious man who will ever be first in the hearts of his country- men is distant from Washington, on the Vir-
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ginia side of the Potomac, fifteen miles. The most usual mode of visiting it, is by taking. a steamboat to Alexandria, and a passage thence (eight miles) in a coach or omnibus.
·The central part of the Mount Vernon house was built by Lawrence Washington, brother to the General; the wings were added by the General, and the whole named after Admiral Vernon, under whom Lawrence Washington had served. The house is of wood, two stories high, ninety-six feet in length, and with a portico extending the whole distance. It contains on the ground floor six rooms, one of them at the northeast, large and lofty, with a fine marble mantel piece sent to General Wash- ington from Italy.
In front of the house and gradually sloping down to the river is a handsome lawn embra- cing five or six acres planted with poplars and shrubbery. This place, on the death of the Jate Judge Washington, passed into the pos- session of his nephew, John Augustine Wash- ington. The gardens and green house planted and preserved by General Washington have
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been carefully guarded, and are objects of great interest to visitorb. . The library room remains as when occupied by General Wash- ington. - A summer house stands about two hundred yards from the house, and very near the river, and commands a goodly prospect of the - Potomac and opposite Maryland shore. On the hill side towards the river, af about one handred and fifty yards west from the summer house, and perhaps thirty roda from the house, is the, vault where repose the remains of Washington. Every thing about Mount Vernon is in keeping with the great man whose home it was. The trees are large and shady. The vistas through :the woods, commanding glimpses of the glittering river and the passing sails, the green slopes basking in the, sun and gradually losing themselves beneath. the shadowy underbrush, present a beautiful.and picturesque scene. The house itself is 'two stories high, and surmounted by a small cupo- la, with a weathercock, the gilding of which, though ancient and storm beaten, is as bril- liant as if it had been done but yesterday.
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The piazza reaches from the ground to the eaves of the roof, and is guarded on the top by a light and tasteful balustrade. The pil- lars are large and graceful, and present a simple and grand idea to the mind. Be- neath this porch the Father of his country was accustomed to, walk, and the ancient stones, to hearts of enthusiastic patriotism, are full of deep and meditative interest. The in- terior is wainscotted, after the fashion of those days, with highly wrought cornices and shafts. The rooms are generally small, except the dining room, which isa spacious and hospitable hall. The whole house presents a curious spectacle. Every thing reminds one of former days; and in treading the halls of Mount Vernon, the mind reverts incessantly to that majestic form, whose shadow cast upon those very walls, seems to the mind's eye, ready to start before us into life.
The cedars on the sodded vault are withered. Here slept from the day of his burial until within a few years back the body of the illus- trious chief. A new vault was built a short
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distance off, and thither he was removed. In a sarcophagus now sleep the remains of Washington. The lid is wrought with the arms of his country, and the simple but elegant epitaph is his name. By his side, in a corre- sponding tomb, are the ashes of " Martha, consort of Washington." This tomb is sur- rounded by several venerable old oaks, and thick shrubbery spreads its foliage down the hill to the water's edge. The evergreen boughs of the cedar are interspersed among the oaks, and the position of the sepulchre is very pic- turesque and appropriate. When Lafayette visited the tomb he descended alone into the vault, and after a few minutes appeared bathed in tears. When leaving the vault, Mr. Custis presented General Lafayette ,with a gold ting containing some of the hair of Washington. George W. Lafayette stated to Mr. Levasseur that every thing in the house was as when he saw it twenty-eight years before. He found in the place where Washington himself had left it, the principal key of the bastile, which had been sent to him by Lafayette.
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BLADENSBURG.
BLADENSBURG.
HISTORY has the name of Bladensburg re- corded in her annals, and to the visiter at the seat of Government, it must always be an object of interest. It is situated on the turnpike road leading from Washington to Baltimore, and before the Revolution was a town of some commercial importance, transacting considera- ble business in tobacco, flour, and other agri- cultural produce ; but it is now only a small village, :
The view presents the heights around the village,and the bridge over the Eastern Branch, which, though it flows here a shallow stream, afterwards assumes the bold features of a river. The road in the foreground is that along which the British army marched to the battle, and afterwards to Washington. On this bridge the English fell in column, swept off by repeated discharges of the American artillery. In vain, for some moments, were the commands of of- ficers-in vain the force of thorough discipline and approved courage. The forces could not
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advance; they wavered under the terrible dis- charge: and had the scenes of that unfortu- nate day been equalled by the check given the enemy on the bridge of Bladensburg, the me- tropolis of the natjon would not have fallen under the fires of an invading army.
DUELLING GROUND.
WITHIN a mile and a half of Bladensburg is the celebrated Duelling Ground. It is en- closed by two hills, at the base of which runs a small and reedy brook. To the east the hills sweep round a little and conceal the parties from the Baltimore and Washington turnpike road. The District line runs through this val- ley, and the parties from the District of Co- lumbia and Virginia pass over the line into Maryland, and thus evade the laws of their own territories, Those of Maryland pass over into the limits of the District of Columbia. This spot is about four miles from Washington. Here fell Decatur, in his duel with Commodore Barron; and here has blood been often shed, to satisfy a sanguinary code of honor.
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CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION.
WE might mention several places and coun- try seats of great beauty and interest in the vi- cinity of Washington. The Mansion House of the late General J. P. Van Ness, occupying the spot where stood the farm house of David Burns, one of the principal proprietors of the ground of the city, is situated on the low land near the Potomac, nearly south of the Pres- ident's House. It isa commodious edifice, sur- rounded by fine trees, and an ample and well cultivated garden. 'The building, adorned by a handsome stone portico, and the various im- provements, are in excellent taste. Near Bladensburg, about six miles north-east from Washington, on a fine lawn, is the seat of the late George Calvert, a lineal descendant of Lord Baltimore. The venerable country seat of the late Mr. Carrol of Duddington, near the Navy Yard, is, even in its decay, an object of interest. We cannot notice as particularly as we could desire Kalorama, the former resi-
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