APPOMATTOX 



ROM Richmond, crossing the James through old 

 Manchester, we follow the Petersburg Turnpike 

 on our way to Appomattox. The soldiers of all 

 our armies have trod this road and fought for a 

 stand on nearly every foot of ground between 

 Petersburg and Richmond; for this part of Vir- 

 ginia has been rightly called "the spanking spot" of the nation. 

 At beautiful Falling Creek, In Chesterfield County, we come to 

 the site of the first Iron works In America, established by John 

 Berkeley in 1619 and abandoned In 1622 when the Indians fell 

 upon and massacred Berkeley and all his men. 



During the Revolutionary War the British Red Coats traveled 

 on this pike, and Tarleton with his troopers destroyed the iron 

 works completely; but the falls over the dam and the double-arched 

 stone bridge still remain to make a charming scene. To the left 

 of the bridge Is the entrance to Ampthlll, the home of the Cary's, 

 built in 1732. From the site of the fornial garden, which once 

 graced this hilltop, a broad view of the lowlands and a command- 

 ing prospect of the river may be had. Washington and the famous 

 men and women of his day enjoyed frequently the hospitality of 

 this charming Colonial home. 



A little farther on at Kingsland Creek may be seen remains of 

 the old fort built during the War Between the States to guard the 

 road to Richmond. Mule teams and dusky drivers are today 

 robbing both fort and hillside of gravel to mend the scars on the 

 old roadway. The Tavern, or "Halfway House," at Proctor's 

 Creek, claims to have refreshed the great Generals Washington 

 and LaFayette on their march up this road, and one would have 

 to pause but a few moments to have the cheery present owner tell 

 cf the hundreds of watermelons and cantaloupes he hospitably dis- 



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