Waterford Foundation

News

Waterford’s 1860s Infrastructure Woes

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Considering the remarkable story of the Waterford News, a Civil War era pro-Union newspaper published by three young Waterford ladies within secessionist Virginia, perhaps the most unexpected delight is the editors’ abilities to maintain their senses of humor during such a distressing time of war and uncertainty. A perfect example of their refreshing tone is an unlikely recurring character in their paper: the mud-hole.

The Main Street Big Hill circa 1860, an illustration of the state of Waterford streets in the 1860s. Silas Hough and his sister Annie pictured at right.

The mud-hole first appears in May 1864 in Vol. I, No. 1 as a sardonic entreaty to the women of Waterford to remedy a situation that the men of the town have seemingly ignored:

“Pop-Gun.

[General Order, No. 6]

The young ladies of Waterford, Loudon Co., VA., are hereby notified to meet the first opportunity and lend their mutual aid in filling a large mud-hol with stone, said mud-hole being located in the middle of Second Street, and the men have driven around it so much that it is extending each side. Being fearful the gentlemen will get their feet muddy, the ladies will try and remedy it.”

The notice appears to have had some impact with the local citizenry, as noted by the follow up item in June 1864 in Vol. I, No. 2. However, we see that not all constituents favor the elimination of the mud-hole entirely:

“We record with pleasure one exception to the general apathy of the gentlemen. Are sorry ‘tis only one; but think the truth should not be withheld. Our thanks are due to the citizen for one load of sand deposited in the mud-hole. It will gladly be the recipient of a dozen more. We think it well to forewarn all young ladies of other neighborhoods not to let their heart’s devotion rest on young men who are so lost to the spirit of chivalry once the boast of Virginia’s sons. If that is not a sufficient reason, we would add they should not be so ungenerous as to interfere with the future prospects of the ladies here, which are slim enough anyhow.”

—

“Misses Editors of ‘Waterford News’” – Will you allow a much abused member of the Porcine species a word in your columns? Hitherto one of the greatest enjoyments of myself and fellow grunters, was an afternoon siesta in the mud hole on Second street, which enjoyment you have been the means of lessening by having one cartload of sand deposited in the deepest and most comfortable corner. If it should be filled, I don’t know where we shall go, for there is not another such a mud hole in the corporation.” 

The readers must have taken the plea from the local pig to heart, as little progress is mentioned in future issues; however, one should not assume that the problem was solved. The mud-hole reenters the narrative in November 1864 in Vol. 1, No. 6:

“All who wish to behold the great curiosity of muddy streets in Waterford, can be gratified by visiting our town at this time. We will be happy to show our friends around.”

…

Wants. 

…

“Wanted–A plaster for the mud-hole, it is breaking out again.”

The mud-hole persists throughout the winter, although it changes with the seasons. In January 1865 in Vol. I, No. 7, we learn:

“The mud hole at which we grumbled so much, has transmogrified itself into a skating pond, and is the daily resort of quite a number of boys, to say nothing of children of a larger growth, who we think appear interested.”

And in April 1865, the final issue Vol. I, No. 8, the editors include the latest updates on the situation, seemingly resigned to a fate of muddy streets for the foreseeable future:

“The ice and snow having disappeared, the mud hole has again made its appearance. It looks perfectly natural.”

The saga of the Second Street mud-hole is just one example of entertaining bits of humor sprinkled throughout the eight issues of the newspaper. It also serves as proof that some of the more mundane aspects of community and village life have changed little since the 1860s. Each spring brings mud along with flowers, roads need constant maintenance, and one man’s nuisance is another man’s (or pig’s) luxurious mud-hole. 

Find the complete collection of all eight issues of the Waterford News online here to read more from these remarkable young ladies.

 

 

Cheers for Women’s History Month: Anne E. Matthews’ Egg Nog Recipe

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Clifton circa 1860s, photo courtesy of Bruce Clendenin

A formidable Egg Nog Recipe by Anne E. Matthews, a Waterford resident at the turn of the 19th century, was recently discovered among documents donated to the Foundation’s Local History Collection by the Chamberlin family. It reveals that, despite the Quaker tradition into which she was born of not imbibing alcohol, festive occasions requiring remarkable amounts of spirits sometimes took place.

Known familiarly from an early age as Annie, she was a daughter of Sarah Gover Matthews and Edward Y. Matthews, born outside Baltimore about 1842, just before the family bought property in Waterford and moved to their new home, “Clifton”, on Clarke’s Gap Road, just south of Waterford. The house is still occupied by descendants of the Chamberlin family. As a member of a Quaker family, Annie attended Samuel Janney School in the village of Goose Creek (now the village of Lincoln) and later, during the Civil War, the Quaker school at Sandy Spring, MD. Raised on the Quaker tenet that all people are equals, Annie became a strong activist for social and political reform on behalf of women, Blacks and other marginalized groups. She was among the earliest Quaker women to educate Blacks, including former slaves, after the Civil War.

At a young age Annie became an active participant in the Suffragette Movement, which ultimately resulted in the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919, guaranteeing women the right to vote. She never married and lived much of her early life at Clifton. In the 1870s she moved to Washington and was employed at the Treasury Dept. She held a position there until shortly before her death in the 1920s.

Mix up a batch of Annie’s Egg Nog for your own toast to Women’s History Month!

Anne E. Matthews’ Egg Nog Recipe

1 quart best whiskey                    1 qt milk

1 pint best brandy                        2 doz eggs

1 pint Jamaica rum                     1 ¼ lbs granulated

3 qts cream                                   sugar

 

Have all ingredients & utensils cold & make in a cool place.

Separate eggs & beat very lightly. Beat whites to stiff froth adding about 3 teaspoonsful of powdered sugar as you beat. Put half the sugar in half the milk and cream to soften. Stirring from the bottom of the bowl and beating lightly with egg whip while working in yolks of egg. Beat yolks very light and after they get light and after they get quite light add sugar gradually, beating until perfectly smooth. Then begin to add in small quantities the brandy and whiskey as you beat. Beat the milk and cream some, but not too stiff, as you want to keep the mixture in liquid state. When you get most of the brandy and whiskey in, begin with the milk and rum and a little of the whites of the eggs, leaving most of this to stir in lightly at the last.

 I do not use a spoon at all, but mix entirely with an egg beater as it keeps it lighter – I use best California brandy and whiskey and Jamaica rum. In serving put ladel [sic] to bottom of bowl and bring straight up which keeps it the same consistency and gets an equal portion of from on top of glass.

 

 

Women For Waterford Giving Circle Supports the Waterford Foundation’s Mission

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Women For Waterford members gather cookies at their December 2021 cookie exchange and annual meeting

In January 2020, Development Committee members Liz Hohm and Kathleen Hughes launched a new initiative called Women For Waterford. Bringing women with a passion for Waterford together in a giving circle, Women For Waterford supports the Waterford Foundation’s preservation and education mission through direct donations from giving circle members. Once per year and as a group, they provide input to the Waterford Foundation Board on how to allocate the funds they have raised. Throughout the year, members of the group volunteer to plan and host gatherings that feature local businesses, Waterford history, and other topics while providing opportunities for networking and outreach to new members.

While the Covid-19 pandemic initially put a damper on gatherings shortly after the launch of Women For Waterford, regular gatherings resumed when it was safe to do so and the group has held many gatherings since. In 2021, the group grew to 29 members, raising a total of $12,889.16! The group recommended allocating the funds towards the donation of a new preservation easement on the Foundation’s Bond Street Tanyard property.  The Waterford Foundation Board of Director’s happily approved funding for this important preservation project in the organization’s 2022 budget. 

Our staff and volunteers are now beginning to take steps to donate a preservation easement on the Bond Street property in 2022, which will protect its historic resources and prevent any inappropriate development of the property in perpetuity. Many thanks to the Women For Waterford for their commitment to the preservation of the Waterford National Historic Landmark! 

Since the group’s inception, the Women For Waterford have also been strong supporters of the Waterford Foundation during the annual Give Choose online giving campaign operated by the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. In 2022, Give Choose will be held on March 29th. Learn more about this local day for online giving at www.givechoose.org.

Learn more about the Women For Waterford giving circle at www.womenforwaterford.com

Women For Waterford members gather under the branches of Old John during a hike on the Phillips Farm trail in February 2022

 

 

Building the John Wesley Church

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The church has long been an important institution in Black communities. Following Emancipation, establishing a church of their own was a priority for Black Waterfordians. Initially, this was achieved with the construction of the school building on Second Street (now the site of the Second Street School Living History Program), which from its inception was intended to serve dual use as a school during the week and a house of worship on Sundays. Most of Waterford’s African American community were Methodists, and they soon outgrew the small space in the one room schoolhouse. 

Learn about the effort to build a proper church for Waterford’s Black Methodist-Episcopal congregation in this excerpt from A Rock In A Weary Land, A Shelter In a Time of Storm:

“They dreamed and planned for a proper church of their own. In March 1885 they enlisted the help of the white community.

The members of the Methodist Episcopal Church (Colored) of Waterford, Loudoun County, Virginia, desire to make an appeal to the generous public, to aid them in the purchase of a lot and building of a house of worship. As we have no place now that we can call a house of worship, and the building we usually occupy [the one-room schoolhouse on Second Street] does not accommodate the congregation. We therefore ask the good people of Waterford and Loudoun County to help us in this good cause. Our membership being small and for the most part poor, they therefore rely chiefly upon the liberality of the friends of Christianity among the people of the town and county. We promise that if the money thus raised be not appropriated for the above purpose, it shall be returned to those who contribute it. Dr. G.E. Connell, of Waterford, has kindly consented to act as Treasurer for us and will hold all money collected and comply with the above made promise. The object we have in view should commend itself to the Christian charity and liberality of the people through their gratitude to God. It is not a question of how many friends the colored race can find among them, but how many can be found who are the real friends of Him who said: ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’

We pray that God may touch the hearts and lips of our citizens that they may speak in our behalf and to cause the sympathy and aid of our white friends to flow toward this object which we know to be one of divine concern. He that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord.

Respectfully submitted to the public.
J.T. Moten,
Pastor in charge of the Waterford circuit.

“A year later, as Pastor Moten concluded his assignment with the circuit, he was able to report good progress ($127.10) toward the goal of a new church–and good relations with all the local white churches.

As the time for my departure from this vicinity is at hand, I desire to express to the people of Waterford, Hamilton, Hillsboro, and Lovettsville in particular and the community in general my appreciation of their kindness and thanks for their hospitality shown me during the past three years. I have found warm friends among all classes and denominations, both white and colored. The Baptists have shown their respect, regardless of color or class. The Presbyterians are kind to the poor everywhere. The Lutherans are quick to do good and help the needy. The Quakers were strange to me at first, but after living in a town among them, I found them to be “Friends” indeed to the poor colored people and thus worthy of their name.

“By 1888 the Black community was finally able to select a site for their building. They bought a fifth of an acre at the corner of Bond and Liggett Streets from Mary Jane Hough, a Quaker widow. Her son Edgar had managed a livery stable on the premises, but he had died of typhoid fever in the early 1880s and she no longer had any need for the property. In February 1889 the Loudoun Telephone reported that “the colored people have bought a lot in the west end of town near the mill and have dug out a foundation preparatory to building a new church.” A returning resident noted the next month that “… a new [structure] is now being erected on the site of Hough’s old stable.”

“Edward Collins, a stonemason skilled at “blind ditching”–building stone culverts–laid the foundation for the church with help from fellow war veteran James Lewis. Descendants recall that the women held lanterns for the men late into the night as they worked on the church after their regular day jobs. The long-awaited Gothic-revival building was dedicated at last in 1891 as the John Wesley Methodist-Episcopal Church. “For years!” thereafter the congregants held ice cream socials and other events to pay off the debt.”

The John Wesley Methodist-Episcopal church had a thriving congregation until Waterford’s Black population began to decline in the first half of the 20th century. By the 1960s the church had closed its doors due to dwindling numbers. The Waterford Foundation purchased the building in 1999 to ensure its preservation. The Foundation donated a preservation easement to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in 2000 that protects the interior and exterior from inappropriate change.

Congregation of John Wesley M.E. Church, 1910
Back row, L-R: Rev. Dockett, George Dean, Charles Mallory, Will Boyd, Charles Coates, Linsey Williams, ? Ferrell, Julia Weams (in window), Birdy Birdens, Laomi Birdens, Malinda Rucker (on steps), Henry Dean, James Louis, Ed Gaskins (three men standing at right.)
Row of women standing: Sadie Coates, Lillie Simms, Mary Parmes, Molly Lewis, Lizzie Dean, Liddy Boyd, Alice Willams, Sadie Robinson, Catherine Farrell, Mildred Butler
Women sitting: Annie Grigsby, Mary Mallory, Laura Page, Sara Weams, Ella Jackson, Marietta Collins, Martha Parmes, Ginny Boyd, Amanda Veney
Children: Nellie Curtis, Mary Lee, Amy Lee, Eugene Jones, Anna Mallory, (?), Ruth Jones, Lucy Coates, Eva Boyd
Four men kneeling: Tom Dean, Austin Pollard, Wade Bentley, Gus Grigsby

Read more about Waterford’s Black community in A Rock in a Weary Land, A Shelter in a Time of Storm by Bronwen C. and John M. Souders, available online here.

Find more Waterford Black history resources online here.

Possessions of a Waterford Founder

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The small stone cottage at the easternmost end of the Hague-Hough house may be the earliest surviving dwelling in Waterford. The one-room stone dwelling was constructed by Francis Hague circa 1744.

Much can be learned by observing the things a person owns. Long ago, when people owned many fewer things than is now the case, lists of possessions were recorded in will books at the settling of someone’s estate. As you might imagine, such lists are valuable to historians, as they paint a picture of a life at its conclusion. They reflect daily life at a point in history, when our country and culture were very different than they are today. Wills enable historians to track transfers of significant property such as land and home sales, and they are important sources for genealogical information, especially for persons whose ancestors were enslaved and may have been transferred from one owner to another in the settlement of an estate.

Consider the personal estate of Francis Hague, one of Waterford’s founders. His personal effects are transcribed from the Loudoun County Will Book in this excerpt from When Waterford and I Were Young:

“Personal Estate of Francis Hague

“The things a man leaves behind provide insight into his life and times. These few animals, simple tools, and utilitarian furnishings are the material legacy of one of Waterford’s founders and leading citizens:

Sundry wearing apparel

1 Riding mare Saddle & Bridle

1 Bed Bedstead & Furniture

1 Bedstead of furniture

1 Warming Pan

1 Woman’s Saddle

1 Old Desk

4 Old Tubs

1 Old Chest

1 Armed Chair

Small bundle toe [tow]

21 Large Spools

1 Pr Scales and Weights

1 Hone & Whetstone

1 Side soal [sic] leather

1 Calf Skin

1 Pair Upper Leather

1 Razor

1 pr. Stillyards [steelyards]

1 Flax Heckle [hackle]

1 Old Box Iron

1 Brass Heckle

2 Pair Sheep Shears

1 Lanthorn [sic]

1 Looking Glass

1 Smooth bore Gun

7 Old Chairs

4 Old Water Pails

2 Tables

1 Sieve

1 Hair Sifter

Sundry Books

Sundry Pewter

Old Earthen Ware

4 Tin Cups

5 Trenchers

11 Still Tubs

4 Gheggs [sic]

Two Saddles

1 broken Iron Pott

1 pair Iron Tongs

1 Bake Iron

1 old Shovel

2 Pott Racks

1 Wheel/2pr. Cards

1 Iron Skillit

1 Frying Pan

1 Sow and 8 Piggs

6 large Hogs

18 Head Sheep

1 Bay Colt

1 Grey Horse

1 Iron Kettle

2 Old Scythes

1 Old Bedstead

1 Old Tubb

1 Dough Trough

1 Bowl

1 Pair Hand [sic] Irons

1 Crow Bar

3 Axes

1 Piece of Steel

1 Pr. Hinges & Hammer

3 Augurs

Sundry Old Iron

1 Pr. Candlemoulds

1 Plough Clevices

2 Collars & Swingletree

1 Plow & Ditto

1 Iron Tooth’d Harrow

1 Old Barrel

1 Old Waggon

2 Rye Stacks

2 Iron Spaids

1 Pewter Funnel

1 Hoe & Harrow

1 Stack Hay

1 Hogshead

Sundry Horse gears

1 Ox Chain

2 Bells

Rings & Wedges

1 Tea Kettle

1 Steer

1 Heifer

1 Brindle Cow

2 Spring Calfs

1 Red Steer

1 Brindle Steer

1 Swarm Bees, 3 Bee Gums

1 Cross Cut Saw

2 Baggs

1 Fox Trap

Old gears

2 Pitch Forks & Rakes

2 Broad Hoes

2 Barrells

2 Old Hogshead

1 Ghegg

Sundry Old Tubbs

1 Brass Cock

1 Raw Hide

1 Old Hogshead

Broke Hemp

Cart Iron

1 Cutting Box & Knife

1 Half Bushel

1 Mattock

1 Still & Worm

1 Dutch Fan

1 Mow Hay

1 Brindle Cow

2 Tubbs

3 Pails 1 Tub”

This excerpt and other interesting bits of Waterford history can be found in When Waterford and I Were Young, by John Divine with Bronwen and John Souders, available online here: https://www.waterfordfoundation.org/shop/store/when-waterford-and-i-were-young-2/

 

 

Early Fair Memories

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From time to time we hear from former Waterford residents or Waterford descendants who have memories to share. Enjoy this memory from a very early Waterford Fair, then known as the Homes Tour and Crafts Exhibit.

I remember the first “Fair” quite well.  I was nine years old, my parents were two of the original Board and was so excited to go to the school auditorium and see all the things our friends and neighbors had created.

There was a tiny elderly lady sitting in the auditorium and she was a lace maker.  I was absolutely fascinated and asked my mother if she knew how and would teach me.  She explained that one of the reasons we were having the “Fair” was to let people share their talents so others could learn from them.

Fast forward to when I was teaching fifth grade and brought my classes to Waterford on Fridays.  I designed a treasure hunt listing all the demonstrations I felt fit with our curriculum. The class was divided into groups of five and with a parent volunteer who had maps of the town marked with the demos on it. The groups went off to hunt learning treasures. Parents and children had so much fun and I was able to move around, find the different groups and check on their progress.  Good memories.

– Lois Myers Jennings Dodd, via email to Executive Director Stephanie Thompson, November 2021

students observing woodworker
Elementary school students watch as a Waterford Fair demonstrating artist shows off his woodworking skills

Mrs. Dodd’s parents were Douglas and Winifrede “Freda” Myers, two of the thirteen founding directors of the Waterford Foundation in 1943. The first exhibit was held in October 1944, entirely housed in the Fairfax Meetinghouse on Loyalty Road. Following the success of the first exhibit, in subsequent years the event expanded to other locations in the village to feature additional artisans and demonstrations, including the school auditorium and several private homes. Local artists participated as demonstrating artists, such as Anna Hutchison from nearby Hamilton, who demonstrated spinning for several years.

Featuring the work of talented artists has always been a central feature of the Waterford Fair, with the goal of inspiring others to learn traditional crafts and skills. And the tradition of Waterford Elementary students attending the Fair on Friday has continued, with over 200 Waterford students attending the 77th Waterford Fair on October 1, 2021. Similar to Mrs. Dodd’s fifth grade treasure hunt, many children who attended the Fair in 2021 participated in the Waterford Explorers scavenger hunt, leading them all over the village to find all six stops for a stamp in their Explorers passport.

Find more information on the next Waterford Fair at the Fair website: www.waterfordfairva.org. Read about the first Waterford Fair in 1944 here. And if you have Waterford memories to share, please reach out to us at oldschool@waterfordfoundation.org.

 

 

A Dixie Sleigh Ride

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An excerpt from the Waterford News, Vol. I, No. 7, Seventh Day, 1st Month, 28th, 1865

Bond Street Barn in winter

I wonder if our friends in the United States have enjoyed their numerous sleigh-rides this winter more than we did our one, taken under the seraphic influence of a clouded moon. ‘Twas not one of your couplet rides, never to be spoken of save by you and he, but a real jolly, funny, enjoyable ride; there were five of us.

We started after tea, and also after repeated injunctions from our several parents to be careful, not stay too long, don’t let any accident happen, remember Fanny stumbles sometimes, and Blindy can’t see. They were our horses. Fanny was not as young as she was twenty years ago, but we didn’t want any better horses, no indeed.

We took the best road to the river, and some of our party seemed to have a strong notion of going on to Frederick. You know what most every body goes there for. Our driver thought it would be just the thing, and let his imagination run on to the time when they should be old, and he would have the honor of saying, when that distinguished gentleman’s name was mentioned as a candidate for the Presidency, why I took him to Frederick on his wedding trip; but it could not be accomplished. He said he could not choose-one without making the others feel badly, such vanity is man’s, but we knew She was not there.

Emma Eliza Dutton, aka Lida, one of three young women authors of the Waterford News. Pictured at age 18, about a year before publishing the Waterford News.

On we sped, meeting with no accident, save losing our whip lash, and which we concluded was providential, as it would afford an item for our next paper. We laughed and talked, and chatted on every subject, interspersing each interim with an exclamation, And isn’t this elegant! Did you ever enjoy any thing more? Then one of our party, of the genus homo, who flourished in the last generation–may his shadow never grow less for many generations to come–would tell us of the winter of 1857, when they had sleighing parties every night for four or five successive weeks. I believe he did except First-day night, but from the way he spoke, one would think they went thirty-five nights in one month. There was no war then, and consequently no rebels to be afraid of.

He remembered the time very well when our big Brothers and Sisters used to wake us up out of our good sleeps, and tell us what a splendid time they had been having, how Lew’s sleigh ‘most upset, and Frank’s horses like to have run away, and what they had for supper, and the way we asked if they brought us any thing good, and how we went to sleep again, wishing we were big too, and now we were, but this cruel war came, and there were no such good times.

But happy in the present, we envied not the enjoyments of the past, and when we reached our homes, we spoke in rapturous terms of the most delightful time ever was. Then those parents of ours said “Oh yes, the last time’s always the best,” to which we agreed, and went to bed dreaming of sleigh-bells, blind horses, warm bricks, and wishing for another sleigh-ride soon. -A

Copies of the full 8 issues of the Waterford News are available online here.

 

 

Ghosts at the Fairfax Meeting Cemetery

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An excerpt from When Waterford and I Were Young, by John E. Divine, with Bronwen and John Souders

Of course every churchyard has its stories, and one of these involves Fairfax Meeting. During World War I, people reported seeing a spectral “woman in black”, wandering around the grounds, always in or near the shed used to shelter horses during services. Neighbors finally decided that the woman, whom they recognized as one living just beyond the village, was extremely anxious about the absence of her husband in the army and somehow felt reassured being in that place. But forever etched on my mind was the morning that I heard an old Civil War veteran say, “The woman in black was seen again last night.” It sure made a little boy stay in after dark.

c1940 photo of Fairfax Meeting House and Cemetery
Fairfax Meeting House and cemetery, pictured circa 1940

In addition to the Meeting grounds, the Quakers owned several acres of pasture immediately behind their cemetery. At one period this pasture was rented to the man who carried the mail from Waterford to Point of Rocks. During the summer, this renter had a routine of taking his horse to the pasture each evening at dusk. To shorten his walk back to town, he would cut across the burying ground.

On one occasion there was an open grave, prepared for a burial the next day. Some of the boys from town thought it was a good idea to scare this man as he came through the cemetery. One of them got into the grave with a white sheet draped over him. As the man approached, the boy rose up from the ground, making a weird sound. The postman happened to be carrying the bridle, which had a heavy steel bit. When the apparition suddenly appeared before him, the postman instinctively swung his bridle and yelled, “Get back in your hole you s—b—-!!” The bit made contact with the would-be ghost’s head, opening a bloody laceration. Never again did anyone try to scare this man.

Find this and other stories in When Waterford and I Were Young by John E. Divine, with Bronwen and John Souders, available online here.