Chapter I: Front Matter

VIRGINIA: THE OLD DOMINION

As seen from its Colonial waterway, the Historic River James, whose every succeeding turn reveals country replete with monuments and scenes recalling the march of history and its figures from the days of Captain John Smith to the present time.

By

FRANK AND CORTELLE HUTCHINS

With a map, and fifty-four plates, of which six are in full color, from photographs by the authors.

1910

TO THE HONOURABLE FRANCIS E. HUTCHINS, THE FATHER OF ONE AUTHOR, THE MORE THAN FATHER-IN-LAW OF THE OTHER, AND THE EVER-STAUNCH FRIEND OF GADABOUT, THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.

This volume was formerly published under the title, "Houseboating on a Colonial Waterway"; but its appropriateness for inclusion in the "See America First Series" to represent the State of Virginia is so obvious that the publishers have, in this new edition, changed the title to "Virginia: The Old Dominion," and reissued the book in a new dress, generally uniform with the other volumes in the series.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. ALL ABOUT GADABOUT

II. OUR FIRST RUN AND A COZY HARBOUR

III. LAND, HO! OUR COUNTRY'S BIRTHPLACE

IV. A RUN AROUND JAMESTOWN ISLAND

V. FANCIES AFLOAT AND RUINS ASHORE

VI. IN THE OLD CHURCHYARD

VII. SEEING WHERE THINGS HAPPENED

VIII. PIONEER VILLAGE LIFE

IX. GOOD-BYE TO OLD JAMES TOWNE

X. A SHORT SAIL AND AN OLD ROMANCE

XI. AT THE PIER MARKED "BRANDON"

XII. HARBOUR DAYS AND A FOGGY NIGHT

XIII. OLD SILVER, OLD PAPERS, AND AN OLD COURT GOWN

XIV. A ONE-ENGINE RUN AND A FOREST TOMB

XV. NAVIGATING AN UNNAVIGABLE STREAM

XVI. IN WHICH WE GET TO WEYANOKE

XVII. ACROSS RIVER TO FLEUR DE HUNDRED

XVIII. GADABOUT GOES TO CHURCH

XIX. WESTOVER, THE HOME OF A COLONIAL BELLE

XX. AN OLD COURTYARD AND A SUN-DIAL

XXI. AN UNDERGROUND MYSTERY AND A DUCKING-STOOL

XXII. A BAD START AND A VIEW OF BERKELEY

XXIII. THE RIGHT WAY TO GO TO SHIRLEY

XXIV. FROM CREEK HARBOUR TO COLONIAL RECEPTION

XXV. AN INCONGRUOUS BIT OF HOUSEBOATING.

XXVI. THE END OF THE VOYAGE

INDEX

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

THE PORTICO OF BRANDON, FROM THE GARDEN (In full color) (See page 119) Frontispiece

MAP OF THE JAMES RIVER FROM RICHMOND TO ITS MOUTH

THE HOUSEBOAT GADABOUT

IN THE FORWARD CABIN.--LOOKING AFT FROM THE FORWARD CABIN

ALONG THE SHORE OF CHUCKATUCK CREEK (In full color)

"JUST THE WILD BEAUTY OF THE SHORES, THE NOBLE EXPANSE OF THE STREAM, ... AND GADABOUT"

JAMESTOWN ISLAND FROM THE RIVER (In full color)

IN BACK RIVER.--THE BEACH AT JAMESTOWN ISLAND

WHARF SIGN AT JAMESTOWN ISLAND.--THE "LONE CYPRESS"

THE BRIDGE ACROSS BACK RIVER.--THE ROAD ACROSS THE ISLAND

THE RUINED TOWER OF THE OLD VILLAGE CHURCH

A CORNER IN THE OLD GRAVEYARD (In full color)

VIEW FROM THE CONFEDERATE FORT.--LOOKING TOWARD THE FIRST LANDING-PLACE

LOCATING WHAT IS LEFT OF THE SITE OF THE FIRST SETTLEMENT

AN EXCURSION DAY AT JAMESTOWN ISLAND

GADABOUT LOOKING FOR THE LOST ISTHMUS.--A VISIT TO THE "LONE CYPRESS"

ONE OF THE EARLIEST EXCAVATIONS.--HUNTING FOR THE FIRST STATE HOUSE

ENTRANCE TO CHIPPOAK CREEK.--COVE IN CHIPPOAK CREEK

RIVERWARD FRONT OF BRANDON (In full color)

A SIDE PATH TO THE MANOR-HOUSE.--THE WOODSWAY TO BRANDON

IN THE DRAWING-ROOM

"VENERABLE FOUR-POSTERS, RICHLY CARVED AND DARK"

A CORNER IN THE DINING-ROOM.--THE DRAWING-ROOM FIREPLACE

TREASURED PARCHMENTS, INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL GRANT OF 1616

THE ANCIENT GARRISON HOUSE

MISS HARRISON IN THE COURT GOWN OF HER COLONIAL AUNT, EVELYN BYRD

STURGEON POINT LANDING.--AT THE MOUTH OF KITTEWAN CREEK

THE FOREST TOMB.--THE OLD KITTEWAN HOUSE

HUNTING FOR THE CHANNEL.--APPROACHING A NARROW PLACE

LOWER WEYANOKE

AN ANCESTRESS OF WEYANOKE.--CHIEF-JUSTICE JOHN MARSHALL

UPPER WEYANOKE.--AT ANCHOR OFF WEYANOKE

PRESENT-DAY FLEUR DE HUNDRED

A FISHING HAMLET.--A RIVER LANDING

"LITTLE BOATS WERE NOSING INTO THE BANK HERE AND THERE"

RIVERWARD FRONT OF WESTOVER

THE HALL, WITH ITS CARVED MAHOGANY STAIRCASE

THE HEPPLEWHITE SIDEBOARD WITH BUTLER'S DESK.--"FOUR-POSTERS AND THE THINGS OF FOUR-POSTER DAYS"

THE ROMANTIC CENTRE OF WESTOVER; EVELYN BYRD'S OLD ROOM

THE COLONIAL COURTYARD GATES.--TOMB OF COLONEL WILLIAM BYRD

THE DRAWING-ROOM MANTELPIECE AT WESTOVER

TOMBS IN THE OLD WESTOVER CHURCHYARD (In the foreground is the tomb of Evelyn Byrd)

A TRAPPER'S HOME BY THE RIVER BANK.--"OFTEN ... THE WANDERING HOUSEBOAT COMES ALONG TO FIND ONLY AN EMPTY PIER"

BERKELEY; THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF A SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND OF TWO PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

THE FIELD ROAD AND THE QUARTERS

RIVERWARD FRONT OF SHIRLEY (In full color)

THE OLD "GREAT HALL"

THE DRAWING-ROOM

THE KITCHEN BUILDING, FIFTY YARDS FROM THE MANOR-HOUSE

A BRICK OVEN IN THE BAKE-ROOM

SOME NOTEWORTHY PIECES OF OLD SHIRLEY PLATE

PEALE'S PORTRAIT OF GEORGE WASHINGTON

VARINA

DUTCH GAP CANAL.--FALLING CREEK

THE VOYAGE ENDED, GADABOUT IN WINTER QUARTERS