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Show HISTORIC ROADS IN VIRGINIA Day of Old-Fashioned Overseer snd Irregular Force of Hands Past-Machines Past-Machines Now Help. When the good roads aiovement began a few years since, a movement that now embraces nearly every county coun-ty in the state of Virginia, Charles City county fell Into Hue and since then has kept step wtlh the march of progress, along the plan of belter public pub-lic highways. I have Just made a little trip over some of those greatly Improved road, and as 1 was preparing to take a photograph pho-tograph showing a section that had been worked, an automobile spun by at such a rate of speed as to make me wonder at the transformation In that same piece of road where In days gone by (not so long ago. either), it took a good team of mules or oxen to drag a load over It. writes J. M. Hall In the Southern Good Koads. The same moy be said of the majority ma-jority of the public roads of this historic his-toric county famous as the birth place of two presidents of the tutted SUtes, William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, also congressmen. Judges, etc., who are remembered for their good work In their separate lines. In connection with the good roads question ques-tion here, It may be said that history recounts the fact that when Thomaa Jefferson married the fair widow Sheb ton. of "The Forrest." in Charles City county, he began his wedding journey jour-ney to Montlcello in a coach, but before be-fore be reached his beautiful estate In Albemarle county, the coach was deserted on account of the roads (It was the month of January.) So the distinguished statesman and bis bride made the rest of the trip on horseback. horse-back. It was consoling to know that the wedding coach was able to traverse trav-erse the Charles City roads even at that date, and that the bridal couple got past the county lines before they took to horseback. Since that early period and along ap to the past five years I maintain a certain reticence In writing up the history of the public roads of this particular section of the old commonwealth. common-wealth. Enough has been said of them by others, those who perforce bad to travel them regularly and In ill seasons. The day of the old fashioned fash-ioned road overseer seems to be past: !he Irregular force of hands, each bound to give a day or so In labor each year to the maintenance of the roads, has past This county, divided Into three districts, dis-tricts, baa a regularly appointed road tuperintendent for each district whose duty It is to employ good teams, machinery and men to work the roads of his particular district. (!y this method the money furnished for road work can be expended In such a manner as to give the best results, and the work done Is of not only a better but a more lasting nature. On or near many sections of the roads there are gravel beds, and when possible quantities of this material ire used, especially on pieces of clay road, which become miry in wet weather. A thick layer of this gravel and sand does wonders in solidifying these stretches. The road machines ire helping much in fact are valu-ibln valu-ibln in rounding up the roads and raising them In the renter. Clearing sp the timber on each side of the roads, admitting light and sun, has Jrled out places wet so long that up to recent date the memory of man runneth not to the contrary. Many lid bridges have been replaced by new and more substantial ones, while In places terra cotta piping has been installed for cross drains. It is grstlfylng to note that in the I neighborhood of two hundred miles )f public highways In this county are In such fine condition at the present writing that they can he traversed by automobiles with safety and pleasure, while the ordinary cltiren who so far has not been able to become an auto owner, can speed bis nag along at the best pace of which the nag la capable capa-ble without any fear of his plunging Into broken hedges, bottomless mud boles or the like, provided be stays In the road. It looks today as If Charles City county, so famous as the birthplace of great statesmen, floe plantations and old tire- hospitality. wjj SOoo be equally famous for Its good roads and. In passing, let me say that Superintendents Superin-tendents Adams of Harrison district. Walker of th Tyler district and Davis Df the Chlckabomlny district are building very lasting landmarks In the way of fine roads In tbetr respective respec-tive districts. |
