University of Virginia Library

J. A. Burgess.

A great deal of the beauty of a
house depends on its interior and
exterior decorations, and the homes

and business places of this city are
quite handsome in the extreme, nearly
every one being freshly papered and
beautifully decorated. Among those
engaged in that line here the recognized
leader is Mr. J. A. Burgess
whose place of business is located at
403 East Market street. Mr. Burgess
does a general contracting work in
paper hanging and painting and
makes a specialty of high class interior
decorations. His stock of foreign
and domestic wall paper is most
complete, and could hardly be duplicated
in either quality or quantity outside
of towns thrice the size of this
one. He handles only the finest materials,
his leaders in the paper line
being the outputs of the Art Wall
Paper Company and other leading

[ILLUSTRATION]

"Brook Hill Farm"—Owned by Robinson & Bro.

manufacturers in this line. Mr. Burgess
employs a force of twenty of the
most capable paper hangers and
painters to be found in this section,
and the excellence of his work and
material is best attested by the
large business he enjoys. He has had
by far the large majority of the important
contracts let here during his
business career, and his trade is constantly
on the increase. Mr. Burgess
was born in Albemarle County, and
came to Charlottesville in 1889. In
1890 he opened his present establishment,
and soon built up a splendid
trade. He is one of the most enterprising
and energetic young men in the
city, and is highly esteemed by all our
citizens.

President James Monroe was for
several years a citizen of Albemarle.
His first purchase of real estate was
made from George Nicholas in 1790.
He later bought from him lots 17 and
18 in Charlottesville, with the stone
house which Nicholas had erected
thereon.

It was in 1873 that Simpson Williams
joined John Robinsons circus
and traveled for many years. "Sim"
may be seen any evening in Court
House Square dreaming and talking
with old cronies of memories of the
past.

Lyman Abbott, D. D. LL. D., the
successor of Henry Ward Beecher, and
noted New York divine often spends
the summer in Albemarle County.

The frame building occupied by
Burnley & Smith, corner Main and
Fifth streets, was formerly the Old
Virginia House, and it was from its balcony
that Thomas Jefferson often addressed
the people of Charlottesville.

"You can always tell when a man
has reached the limit of his possible
development. He ceases to be discontented—or
at least to show discontent
actively. Contentment, apathy, are
signs of decadence and of a career ended
in either a man or a nation."