Smoke in Mason's Virginia

In 1909 the Southern Railway Company established a coal dump near the Ponnet greenhouses in Fairfax County, adjacent to Alexandria, "the operation of which seriously damaged the flowers and plants in the greenhouses and those outside."[1] Constant Ponnet, a florist and the husband of Felicitie Sauvet Ponnet, filed a suit for damages which was amicably settled and dismissed on November 23, 1909.

Six years later in 1915, Felicitie Sauvet Ponnet filed a bill of complaint against the Southern Railway Company. The Railway Company had again established an enormous coal dump that extended over several acres. Mrs. Ponnet complained that the coal dust was being blown by the wind and covering her greenhouses, plant beds, and flowers, having negative effects on their growth. The steam shovel also emitted black clouds of smoke. The Southern Railway Coal was summoned to appear at the Fairfax Circuit Court on January 2, 1915. It responded to its summons by saying, "it is necessary for said coal to be conveniently at hand in order that it may be available for such proper and lawful use." The corporation denied its fault and asked for proof. On March 28, 1916, Felicite Ponnet's complaint was dismissed.

This court case proves correct many scholars' claims that smoke control policies went unenforced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It was a clear struggle to hold railroads accountable for their pollution and to encourage comapanies to change their behavior. In conclusion, the railroad companies of the time were untouchable: they got away with everything they needed to in order to make a profit. 

*Special thank you to the Fairfax County Historic Courthouse Record Center for inspiring my project and providing access to the items and information presented on this page.

[1] Ponnet vs. Southern Railway Company, (Fairfax Cir. 1915).