Colonel Ninian Beall (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Colonel Ninian Beall

In the summer of 1909 the finding of a large boulder in a cut on the line of the Metropolitan Southern railway near the junction of the right of way with the Glen Echo railway was communicated to Dr. Marcus Benjamin and by him promptly referred to Mr. William Van Zandt Cox, then Governor of the Society of Colonial Wars in the District of Columbia.

Appreciating the fact that this boulder might be used to preserve the memory of Colonel Joseph Belt whose career had been so fully presented to the Society in a valuable paper by our Historian, Mr. Cox at once appointed a Committee on Memorials, as follows: Mr. Thomas Hyde, chairman, Mr. Caleb C. Magruder, Jr., Judge Job Barnard, Dr. Marcus Benjamin, and Mr. William S. Knox. The Committee was quickly convened by its chairman and their first efforts were directed toward securing formal possession of this valuable find. The rock was inspected by members of the Committee who found to their great satisfaction that since it had blocked the progress of the contractor he had so blasted it as to make two boulders of nearly equal size. Through the courtesy of Mr. George E. Hamilton, local attorney for the Metropolitan Southern railway, permission was given to the Committee to remove the boulders. They were accordingly placed in the vicinity of Chevy Chase Circle where they remained until authority was given to the Committee for final action.

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