Part 32 (2/2)

THE FREDERICKSBURG TEACHERS' a.s.sOCIATION.[93]

The faculty of the public schools of Fredericksburg met and organized the Fredericksburg Teachers' a.s.sociation in September, 1906. The officers elected at that meeting were as follows: Miss Kate James Mander, president; Miss Clarice Crittenden Davis, vice-president; Miss Jennie M.

Goolrick, secretary, and Miss Maggie L. Honey, treasurer. The president of the School Board, Mr. A. B. Bowering, after the teachers were organized, was requested to outline a plan for a library, which he did, and the teachers commenced the work. After obstacles and delays, by solicitation, and dessert sales, a sufficient amount of money was raised to commence the purchase of books, and quite a nice collection of the best publications was secured. Since that additions have been made as the means of the a.s.sociation would justify, and now the library is an inst.i.tution formed on a solid basis. It is popular with the children, and from it they derive much pleasure and instruction. The present officers are Miss Kate James Mander, president; Miss Mary Page Waller, vice-president; Miss Agnes P.

Roach, secretary, and Miss Maggie L. Honey, treasurer.

FREDERICKSBURG AT PRESENT.

Fredericksburg is a healthy town--a true Virginia city--almost free from the fevers and diseases that visit other cities of the coast or even of tidewater. It is beautifully situated on the west bank of the Rappahannock river, at the head of tidewater, where its inhabitants escape the malaria of the lowlands and the fevers peculiar to the mountains.

Therefore, when we compare the death rate of Fredericksburg, which is made every month by Dr. J. N. Barney, our health officer, with that of other neighboring cities, we find it quite favorable to our town.

PURE WATER SUPPLY.

Our main source of water supply, the Rappahannock river, has no city or town of any size above us, and for that reason the water is almost free from foreign substances, and as pure as are the mountain springs from which it flows. The a.n.a.lysis of this water, which has often been made in the years gone by, and repeatedly in the past few years, shows ninety-eight per cent., which probably more nearly approaches absolute purity than any other stream of its size in the country. Besides this aid to health, the sanitary condition of the town is carefully looked after by the Board of Health, and everything that threatens the introduction of disease is at once removed or reduced to a healthy condition. In addition to this, as a convenience for the citizens, and an aid to health conditions, the main part of the city has been sewered within the past four years, and laterals are in course of construction to reach those portions of the town not now sewered. With these aids to health and our lynx-eyed Board of Health, who are always on the alert, we may hope for and confidently expect, as we now have, an unusually healthy city.

FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE CITY.

The financial condition of Fredericksburg is good, and her credit is undoubted. It is true that the debt of the city is large, but for every bond issued there is something substantial standing for it, except nearly $120,000 of ante-bellum bonds, issued by our forefathers in an honest and earnest endeavor to secure for our people improvements of a permanent and profitable character. But the improvements proved worthless to the town.

Those who voted for them have pa.s.sed over the river of death, leaving this indebtedness as a legacy to their descendants, and we take great pleasure in providing for it. The other bonds were issued for improvements the town needed and was compelled to have. They are all in use at present, successfully operated, and are valued far in advance of the price paid for them by the city, and it is only a question of private or corporation owners.h.i.+p, as to whether it was a wise policy for the city to erect and operate them. The City Council thinks it acted for the best interests of the town and the people back it up in that opinion. Nearly all of the bonds issued by the city bear four per cent., were sold at or above par and purchased mostly by our own citizens. This, it would appear, is a strong indication that our financial affairs are in a satisfactory condition.

PRESENT COMMERCIAL CONDITION.

The commercial prosperity of the town is probably far in advance of what it ever was before. We have now about one hundred and fifteen wholesale and retail stores, each one doing a thriving business. In these stores the customer will be able to find any article of merchandise he may need and at as low price as he could find it in the larger cities. In the last few years there has been a spirit of improvement in business houses, and at present there are to be found store-houses that would be a credit to a city of larger pretentions. So changed is the business portion of Main street by reason of this enlargement and ornamentation that citizens of the town have often had to inquire for the places they wished to visit. In addition to this, our manufactures have increased and are still increasing, and in them hundreds of persons find employment at living wages. Among the manufacturing inst.i.tutions may be mentioned two large flouring mills, one woolen mill, one pants factory, one silk mill, two sumac mills, three excelsior mills, one mattress factory, two pickle factories, one canning factory, one shoe factory, one s.h.i.+rt factory, one spoke factory and six repair shops. The a.s.sessed taxable value of property in town is, personal property $703,782, real estate $1,676,133, making a total of $2,379,915. Besides this, our several banks, in their periodical statements, made to the Government, show largely over a million dollars on deposit, subject to individual checks. In view of these facts truly it may be said that Fredericksburg is in a prosperous commercial condition and is rapidly adding to that prosperity.

LINES OF TRANSPORTATION.

The lines of transportation running to and from Fredericksburg are sufficient for all the requirements of the town, both as to freight and pa.s.senger travel, yet our citizens would not object to the construction of another road, starting at some deep water point on the coast, crossing the Rappahannock river at this place and connecting north of us with the great trunk lines, traversing this extensive country in all directions. But for this important improvement we must patiently wait.

The great line of travel and traffic through Fredericksburg, north and south, at present, is the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad.

This road is probably one of the best conducted roads in the country and seldom has an accident. Not until a few years ago did it share its track with any other road, but now three or more companies are running their cars over this line and the carrying business is immense. This large increase in business necessitated a double track of the entire line--from Richmond to Was.h.i.+ngton--which was done with great rapidity. The present service on this road that pa.s.ses through town is nine pa.s.senger trains north and ten south each twenty-four hours. In addition to this, the increase in freight has also increased the number of freight trains, and so we now have fifty to pa.s.s through in a day and night, and yet it is more than probable that this large number will soon be further increased.

This road has a new iron bridge spanning the Rappahannock river at this point.

The Piedmont, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad--Narrow Gauge--runs daily from Fredericksburg to Orange, a distance of forty miles. It connects Fredericksburg and intermediate points, with that great trunk line, the Southern, at that point, which is an accommodation to the travelling public along its entire line. Although a narrow gauge road, it does quite a large business and it has been rumored that it may be extended beyond the mountains some day, in which event it will become a line of greater importance than at present.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Office of the Fredericksburg Water Power Company. (See page 330)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”Marye Mansion,” Gen. Longstreet's headquarters at Battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862; now the residence of Capt. M. B.

Rowe. (See page 91)]

The former citizen, who went out from us even a few years ago, on his return to his old home now, would find, among other changes, that the Weems Line of steamers from Fredericksburg to Baltimore, had transferred its business to another company, and the old familiar name of Weems, of more than a half century standing, whose line was so intimately interwoven with all the interests of Fredericksburg, was a name of the past. But he would also find a line--The Maryland, Delaware and Virginia railroad, not that their steam boats run upon railroad tracks--had taken its place, and, by its splendid steamers, so well adapted to the river trade, had brought us into rapid and easy communication with Norfolk and Baltimore, by the Rappahannock river and Chesapeake bay, and thence with the whole busy world beyond.

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