Waterford Foundation

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Stories from the Attic: The Moore Family’s Influence on the Growth of Waterford

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By Debbie Robison, May 27, 2022

When the village of Waterford was founded at the close of the American Revolutionary War, a mercantile store and a number of manufacturing ventures were established that had a significant impact on the success of the village. Almost immediately, a remarkable variety of goods began to be manufactured, including tanned leather, saddles, and cabinets.  Credit for developing these key businesses goes to one industrious Quaker family. Thomas Moore and his three adult sons, James Moore, Thomas Moore Jr, and Asa Moore, began several businesses on lots they bought and leased near Mahlon Janney’s mill. They likely named this new village after their homeland where the elder Thomas Moore was born.[1]

Receipt for payment of a five pound seven shilling four pence debt in wheat

Thomas Moore Jr. opened a store, operated as Thomas Moore & Co, with financial assistance from Alexandria merchant John Sutton.[2] The success of the business was hindered by a post-war depression that began the year the store opened. While it was typical at that time to sell merchandise on credit, the store had to discontinue the practice during the depression and limit providing credit to the purchase of small trifles. During this time, when a new nation was being formed, the United States did not yet have a federal banking system. Virginia had its own currency, a holdover from the colonial period, in denominations of pound, shilling, and pence. On at least one occasion, the company accepted wheat, the predominant cash crop of the time, to pay down debts owed to the store.[3] The store closed about 1790 when Thomas Moore Jr. moved to Maryland.

The tannery, where animal hides were tanned to make them pliable, was established ca. 1785 on a small branch that became known as Tan Yard Run. James Moore leased the 3/4-acre lot from Joseph Janney, who developed the village.[4] Pits were dug in the ground for soaking the animal hides; first to remove the hair and fat from the hide, then to soften the hide into leather. Tanners often sold the hair that was removed from the hides to a local plasterer. Original lime plaster walls in the village may contain animal hair from the tannery. Asa Moore and his son-in-law, Thomas Phillips, took over the business from James Moore. In 1832, following Asa Moore’s death, the tannery had 40 to 50 in-ground vats, a large bark house (to store bark used to tan hides), a currying house (where leather was treated), and a handling house.[5] The Waterford Foundation owns this historic tannery site.

This open space bordered by Main, Liggett, and Bond streets was the site of the Moore family tanning operation from c1785 to 1832.

Asa Moore operated the saddlery where saddles were manufactured using tanned leather.[6] Saddle making required skilled craftsmanship to assemble saddles using glues while stitching together the various components.

Thomas Moore (Sr. or Jr.) was involved in a woodworking trade. It is unknown what type of products were made, though the skills of cabinet makers and joiners were used.[7] They could have been making furniture or had a role in building houses. A cabinet maker constructed furniture, such as cupboards, drawers, doors, and coffins. Joints, such as dovetail joints, were constructed by joiners to connect pieces of wood together.

The significance of the Moore family businesses is due, in part, to the many apprentices who were taught skills as boys while working for the Moores. At least 21 boys were apprenticed to the Moore family to work in these trades. Upon completing their apprenticeships, a number of these young men, along with other men who worked for the Moore family, established businesses in Waterford. For example, Henry Burkett, who lived with Thomas Moore, Jr. from 1789 through 1791, leased two lots on the south side of Main Street in 1792.[8] Evidently, Burkett knew the cabinet making/joiner trade because in 1793 Daniel Lovett (previously apprenticed to Thomas Moore) was bound to him to learn the trade of joiner.[9] In 1794, Jesse James (previously apprenticed to Thomas Moore, Jr to learn the trade of cabinet maker) was living with Burkett in the village.[10] Apparently they were operating a cabinet making shop. Another example is Joseph Talbott who, before becoming a tavern keeper, operated a saddle making business on Main Street.[11] He had previously lived with Asa Moore, who ran the Moore’s saddlery business, from 1792-1795.[12]

So not only was the Moore family vitally important at the formation of the village of Waterford, but they were also influential in its expansion and growth.

 

References

[1] Souders, Bronwyn C., Waterford, Virginia: Named for Waterford, Ireland, or not? (A Moore family history) [manuscript].

[2] Trust agreement between Thomas Moore Jr. and John Sutton, Loudoun County Deed Book O:423, 17 Jun 1785.

[3] George Emery etc. v. John Sutton, etc., Loudoun County Chancery Case 1791_009, pp. 12 and 15, as viewed at https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/.

[4] Joseph Janney’s Will, Loudoun County Will Book D:341, probated October 11, 1793; Loudoun County Land Tax Ledgers: Alterations 1786, 1787-1799.

[5] “Public Sale,” Genius of Liberty, March 3, 1832, as viewed at www.geneologybank.com. Ad describes the tannery business of Moore & Phillips that was for sale.

[6] Loudoun County Order Book I:87, September 12, 1785.

[7] Loudoun County Order Book I:336

[8] Lease from Joseph Janney to Henry Burkett, Lots 7 and 8, Loudoun County Deed Book U:266, June 1, 1792.

[9] Loudoun County Order Book P:321.

[10] Loudoun County Personal Property Tax Ledgers, 1794-1796.

[11] Talbott, Joseph, Alexandria Daily Gazette, 11 Nov 1808.

[12] Loudoun County Personal Property Tax Ledgers, 1792-1795.

 

 

New Waterford Foundation Directors and Officers – 2022

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We were pleased to welcome so many members and guests to our 2022 Annual Meeting on April 19, 2022. The evening included a presentation by Kathryn Smith of the National Park Service about the study to update Waterford’s National Historic Landmark designation. Find more information about the update and links to the documents on our website. President Chris Gleckner, Executive Director Stephanie Thompson, and Treasurer Dave Hunt provided reports on the state of the organization. Much of this information can be found in our Annual Report, available in pdf form here, or hardcopy at our offices in the Old School. Please see the letters below from our Executive Director Stephanie Thompson and new President of the Board, Susan Manch.

Valued Foundation Members,

Thanks to those of you able to attend our annual meeting on April 19.  We were especially pleased to honor our Scout volunteers Niko Kesari, John Case Hall, Evan Smith, Arabella Horton, and Emma Dolega-Jasinski, 2021 Community Partner Hunt Country Sotheby’s International Realty, and 2021 Volunteer of the Year, Liz Hohm.  We also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Margaret Good for her many years of service to the Foundation. It is because of dedicated community members such as these that the Foundation continues to be able to do its important work.

The Foundation Board added new members Jane Covington, Chris Doxey, and Susan Manch and elected new officers.  The Officers are as follows:

President – Susan Manch            Vice President – Annie Goode

Treasurer – Dave Hunt                 Secretary – Jane Covington

We are committed to continuing to fulfill our mission of preservation and education.

Best regards,

Stephanie Thompson

Executive Director, Waterford Foundation

 

 

A Personal Note From the Incoming Foundation Board President:

I want to thank Christine Gleckner, outgoing President, for her many years of service and for her continuing support of the Board and Foundation.  I am honored to be entrusted with this role.  While I am a more recent resident of Waterford, I have been a long-time Waterford Fair attendee and fan of this National Historic Landmark.  As the Foundation nears its eightieth year in 2023, I look forward to working with the Board to set ambitious goals for furthering our primary mission and preparing for our 300th anniversary in 2033.

As is true with all non-profits, the pandemic created hardships that we will have to work hard to overcome.  The return of the in-person Fair this year was a welcome return to normalcy and our Leaders and Committees will work collaboratively to chart a course that ensures that the Foundation and the National Historic Landmark are on solid footing for many years to come.

My goal is to be available to hear members’ priorities, ideas, and concerns.  To that end, I intend to hold office hours in the Old School every Thursday from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, beginning May 5.

I hope you will visit me there and actively partner with the Board and the Foundation as we embark on the next phase of the Waterford journey.

With gratitude,

Susan Manch

President, Waterford Foundation Board of Directors

 

Stories from the Attic – Edwin R. Gover

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Written by Edith Crockett, with contributions from John and Bronwen Souders, Jonathan Daniel, and Debbie Robison.

More than a few Waterford residents are so fascinated by our village’s history that they always keep a sharp eye out for early artifacts, letters, paintings and more about Waterford. Last year, Edith Crockett learned of a painting of a “vintage” building said to be located in Waterford. Not recognizing the structure, she contacted Bronwen and John Souders about its possible identity. The Souders immediately recognized it as a painting of their own barnyard, done in the 1930s, by a member of the Carr family, prominent in Waterford history. It was quickly acquired by them and now has “come home.”

Not long ago, another Waterford resident, Jonathan Daniel, acquired a letter from Edwin R. Gover written to a Reverend C.H. Nourse concerning a transfer of property, dated July 7, 1854. In an effort to learn more about the circumstances of the letter and to share its contents more broadly, Jonathan was kind enough to share its contents with the Souders, Debbie Robison and Edith, and generously gave us permission to include it in our newsletter:

Waterford, July 7, 1854

Rev. C.H.  Nourse,

                        Dear Sir,

I received your letter on the Fourth, in which you wish to know whether I intend to stand to my proposition or not, in answer I would say that I always try to comply with all engagements that I make, it will not be convenient for me to be in Leesburg before August court Monday if that will suit you. You will let me hear from you or come up to Waterford I have my business to attend to and no one to assist me and I cannot leave it.

            The proposition from your letter coming to me is not altogether correct. Statement in that I could not [have]]? Possession before the first of January instead of the first December and that all the rent up to that time would be coming to me.

Yours with Respect,

Edwin R. Gover

Our own Northern Virginia history sleuth, Debbie Robison, replied:

“This letter suggests that Gover needed to go to the courthouse to record something… I found a deed and trust agreement between Gover and Nourse recorded at the January 1855 court. I suspect this is the [same] transaction since this is the only transaction between the two men at least from 1833-1857.”

Longtime Waterford historians Bronwen and John Souders also went to work immediately, and responded with a stream of remarkable history about Edwin Gover:

“Edwin R. Gover was born on 13 Oct 1818 in Waterford, the illegitimate child of 21-year-old Ann Gover and Andrew S. Anderson (29), a New York transplant. Ann gave birth in the house of Garrett and Elizabeth Gover Hough, her older sister, her mother having died. Edwin was apparently raised by Ann with the help of the extended Gover family (Andrew went on to marry the daughter of a prominent area farmer).

Edwin was living in Leesburg by 1841 as a “mechanic,” probably in the leather-working trade. By 1850 he was identified in the census as a saddler, married and the father of an infant daughter. As of 1859 he was back in Waterford, “gaining in reputation every day, as one of the finest Saddle and Harness Manufacturers in the county.”

In the meantime, he had become active in Democratic Party politics in Loudoun. At the time, the populist Democrats, heirs of the Jacksonian era, were a small minority in Waterford, but gaining strength elsewhere as Virginia slid toward war. By March 1860, Gover was among those endorsing “the candidate best calculated to ensure the triumph of the Democratic Party in the coming contest, and thereby crush out Black Republicanism, preserve the rights of the South, and perpetuate for ourselves and our posterity the blessings of a constitutional Union.”

Nonetheless, when Virginia put secession to the vote the following year, Gover bucked his party and voted with the majority in Waterford against the ordinance. And, in June 1862, he was among the first to enlist in the Loudoun Rangers, Sam Means’s Unionist cavalry company. The following February, “a majority having voted for Gover, he was declared elected [2nd Lt.]. The boys dubbed him ‘Four Eyes.’ He was a kind and pleasant officer, but perhaps a little old [at 43] and slow for the position.”  He was also called “the singing lieutenant” for his vocal talents. By the end of the war, Gover was 1st Lt. and senior officer of Co. A when he and his men were surprised and ignominiously captured on 6 April at Keyes’ Switch on the Shenandoah.

In the fall of 1865 he moved with his family to the farming village of Kansas, Illinois, a hundred miles west of Indianapolis. He died of typhoid in 1882 and was buried north of the village.

 As for the Reverend Charles H. Nourse, he was about the same age as Gover, but cut from different cloth. He was born in Washington, DC, and became a Presbyterian minister. He voted for secession and as of 1860 owned a 40-year-old mulatto slave and her three young children. Nourse was arrested by federal authorities on several occasions, but never wavered in his support for the Confederacy, refusing to sign the oath of allegiance. One Union officer referred to the “reverend gentleman acting as a kind of rebel postbag.” He was able to cross enemy lines with relative freedom as a minister and acted as a rebel courier. 

After the war he moved farther south in Virginia. In 1870 he was in Culpeper County, where he taught school in addition to his ministerial duties—and employed two Black domestics.”

 What an amazing amount of history has surfaced – vividly – all from a short letter written in July, 1854. And there is more: thanks to generous donations from the Gover family a few years ago, the Foundation has in its collections an early sampler by Ann T. Gover dated 1829, and a desk, made in Leesburg, once owned by the Gover family.

Thank you to all the contributors to this glimpse into Waterford history of more than 140 years ago!

Waterford National Historic Landmark – Nomination Update

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In 2018, the National Park Service began a study to update the National Historic Landmark nomination for the Waterford Historic District. Researchers from the University of Delaware Center for Historic Architecture and Design conducted an extensive inventory of the properties and structures within the 1420 acre Landmark District, identified historically significant features, and developed a more comprehensive description of the period of nationally historic significance of Waterford. The study was augmented in a second phase with oral histories of key participants in Waterford’s 20th century preservation story.

The completed study is appearing before the National Park System Advisory Board National Historic Landmarks Committee in May 2022 for review on its path to approval by the Secretary of the Interior. The final draft of the NHL nomination is now available for public review and comment at the following links:

Waterford Historic District, Loudoun County, Virginia
Executive Summary
Nomination
Figures
Photos 01
Photos 02

Please check the webpage link below for information on the May 11-12 NHL Committee meeting. The agenda is being finalized and will appear at the bottom of the page when it is ready, along with links for how to register to attend the virtual meeting.

Comments on the update may be sent to Sherry A. Frear, Manager, National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop 7228, Washington, DC 20240, email: nhl_info@nps.gov

 

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.