OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS 85 



in which it was necessary to provide open courts and parade-grounds of a considerable 

 extent to accommodate crowds and group the larger buildings, and which in our plan 

 was to be the civic center, for which no provision was made in the original plans. 



This study was based on a local surveyor's topography which was found to have 

 errors of from i to 7 feet in elevation, so they had to do this work over again. 



It was not regarded as practicable to have these men add the vegetation, so this 

 was done by a force from the office of the landscape designer, in such a way as to show 

 all important individual trees, all groups of important trees, all masses of shrubs and 

 herbs, together with the direction and character of views from various viewpoints. 



This survey and the government charts showed shallow water gradually deepening 

 to nine feet 1,500 feet out, with a tide-variation of about three feet, a steep and narrow 

 beach, a shore line three to five feet above water on the westerly end running up to thirteen 

 feet two-thirds of the distance east of the westerly line, then gradually dropping to the 

 long, narrow strip of land between Hampton Roads and Bousch's Creek. At the point 

 where the shore was highest, a divide of land extended at right angles to the shore across 

 the grounds north and south, the highest elevation being 15, with a gradual slope on 

 either side down to the 13 and 14 contours, which included a very large area, perhaps 

 one-quarter of the main part of the grounds. One-quarter of the distance from the west 

 line of the southerly boundary a depression from an arm of Bousch's Creek referred to 

 before extended into the property for some distance, contour 4 being its lowest point. 

 On the easterly shore, along Bousch's Creek with its two arms referred to, were steep 

 banks. With these few exceptions the ground was generally level. 



There was an old plantation house with barn, slaves' quarters, a few negro shacks, 

 and several other smaller house-sites about the grounds. 



Most of the region had been cultivated, and a part was under cultivation when 

 purchased. Like all such land here, it was intersected by ditches, from 150 to 300 feet 

 apart, flowing back to the arms of the creeks, not to the shores of Hampton Roads, on 

 account of the difiiculty of keeping the bay shore outlets free of sand'. These ditches 

 varied in depth from a few inches to ten or more feet. 



There were also old breastworks at several points, for this Sewall's Point was occupied 

 by confederate troops, who were frequently exchanging shots with the federal Fortress 

 Monroe at Old Point Comfort across Hampton Roads. 



The vegetation was unusually varied, interesting and attractive. I have already 

 referred to the grove of taU, straight, old short-leaved pine, extending along the shore 

 from the western boundary. Inside of the grounds proper along the boundary was a varied 

 growth — a portion of five- to six-year-old coppice where pine, oak, and hickory had been 

 cut. A portion grown-up and cultivated pasture land, with crowded thickets of oak, dog- 

 wood, holly, hickory, sourwood, tulip poplar, sweet gum, sour gum, ash, cherry, bayberry, 

 French mulberry, wild rose, several ericaceae, smilax in variety, and many characteristic 

 herbs of the South. The average of this growth was perhaps from fifteen to thirty feet, 

 with now and then trees a foot or more in diameter and sixty to eighty feet high. Some 

 of the most notable trees were scattered big pines, some over two feet in diameter, and 

 hollies over one foot in diameter and forty to fifty feet high, upon which were carved 

 the names of North Carolina soldiers, forming a part of the defense during the Civil 

 War. Many of these names are still legible. 



Other sections along the westerly and southerly boundary were covered with seed- 



