Identifier: mountvernonitsas01loss Title: Mount Vernon and its associations, historical, biographical and pictorial Year: 1859 (1850s) Authors: Lossing, Benson John, 1813-1891 Subjects: Publisher: New York, W. A. Townsend and company Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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Text Appearing Before Image: for the parisli than a more central one. The snl)-ject took a shape that required more reflection, and a secondmeeting was called. Meanwhile, Washington made a carefulsurvey of the whole neighborhood,marking the place of everyhouse, and the relative distances, on a distinct map. AVlienthe second meeting was held, Mason again appealed to thesympathies of the people, when AYashington appealed to theircommon sense, by simply presenting his map and explaining itin a few words. His almost mute argument prevailed, andthe site of the present church was selected. Preparations were now made for the erection of tbe newchurch, but it was not completed until the year 1773. AYash-ington drew the ground-plan and elevati(jn of the building for M 0 U N T V K R N O N the use of the architect, and these (the originals) are before mewhile I write. Tliey are very neatly sketched with China ink,npon good drawing paper, and occupy a space thirteen byfifteen inches square. The engraving is from a carefully

Text Appearing After Image: GUOUXU PLAN ANI> ELEVATION OF POHICK CHURCH. drawn copy on a small scale, but shows every line as seen inWashingtons drawing. Of the ministers who ofiiciated at Pohick, there were none AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS. 75 more beloved than the Reverend Lee Massey. He was thecompanion of Washington from liis youth, and at his solicita-tion, and that of Mason, Fairfax, MCarty, Chichester, andothers of that parish, he was induced to relinquish the profes-sion of the law, study divinity, and become their pastor. Hisspeech becoming impaired by the loss of his front teeth, he leftthe pulpit, and studied medicine as a means of affording reliefto the poor. Another clergyman, Mho officiated occasionally at Poliickchnrch, after the regular stated services of the Church of Eng-land had ceased there, was the eccentric Mason L. Weems, theearliest biographer of Washington. The style of that biogra-phy was so attractive to the uncultivated readers of his day,that it passed through some forty editions, and ev

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