“It appears to the satisfaction of the court that the chartered bank notes of the District of Columbia, State of North Carolina, and cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore, are current in this town, and it is the opinion of the court that the chartered bank notes of the District of Columbia, when compared with the chartered bank notes of Virginia, are at a depreciation of six per cent.; that the said notes of the cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore are at a depreciation of five per cent. and that the said notes of the State of North Carolina are of equal value with the said notes of Virginia.”
“It appears to the satisfaction of the court that the chartered bank notes of the District of Columbia, State of North Carolina, and cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore, are current in this town, and it is the opinion of the court that the chartered bank notes of the District of Columbia, when compared with the chartered bank notes of Virginia, are at a depreciation of six per cent.; that the said notes of the cities of Philadelphia and Baltimore are at a depreciation of five per cent. and that the said notes of the State of North Carolina are of equal value with the said notes of Virginia.”
A similar declaration was made by the court each year for several years thereafter.
On the 10th day of November, 1831, the will of Thomas Seddon[55]was admitted to probate. Philip Alexander, John Moncure and Arthur A. Morson were appointed and qualified as executors and entered into bond, without security, the deceased requesting that none be required, in the sum of $240,000, it being the largest bond ever before required by the court. Appraisers were appointed by the court to appraise his property in the town of Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, Prince William, Culpeper, Fauquier, Shenandoah and Page, and they were ordered to make returns to this court.
The court entered the following certificate on its records on the 12th day of January, 1832: “The court orders it to be certified that it was proved to their satisfaction by the evidence of Francis S. Scott, a witness sworn in court, that Major Robert Forsythe, of the Revolutionary army, had two children, one of whom, Robert, died under age and unmarried, and the other son, John, is now alive, being the Senator in Congress from Georgia.”
THE POOR DEBTOR’S PRISON BOUNDS.
In the olden times, when some claim that the people were more honest and just and the laws more righteous than they are now, a person who failed or refused to pay his debts could, by proper process, be placed in “prison bounds,” and kept there until he exhibited to the court a schedule of his property, made under oath. If he had nothing more in the opinion of the court, than a reasonable allowance under the law, the court could discharge him as a poor debtor from custody. For more than fifty years the prison bounds was the square on which the jail is located. The poor debtor was allowed the full width of the streets around the square, but was not allowed to enter a building on the opposite side. Many distinguished men, it is said, have been confined to this central point in the town because they were unable at the time to meet their obligations.
In 1840 the court extended the liberty of the poor debtor by enlarging the prison bounds to four squares, probably because the law had relaxed its hold upon him. He could roam anywhere on those four squares and in the streets bounding them, but he couldnot go beyond the limits without being in contempt and becoming liable to additional punishment by the court. This order of extension was made on the 11th of June, 1840, and recorded as follows:
“The court doth fix the prison bounds as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the intersection of Caroline and William streets, thence up William to Charles street, thence down Charles street to Hanover street thence down Hanover street to Caroline street, thence up Caroline street to William street, including the footways on each side.”
“The court doth fix the prison bounds as follows, to-wit: Beginning at the intersection of Caroline and William streets, thence up William to Charles street, thence down Charles street to Hanover street thence down Hanover street to Caroline street, thence up Caroline street to William street, including the footways on each side.”
And now having escaped the prison bounds we will visit the public buildings of the town and take a peep at them.
The Public Buildings—The Jail—Courthouse—Town Hall—Firehouse—School Buildings—Wallace Library—Normal School—Government Building, &c.
The Public Buildings—The Jail—Courthouse—Town Hall—Firehouse—School Buildings—Wallace Library—Normal School—Government Building, &c.
As it was found necessary to have courts to punish crimes, to settle disputes and to enforce law and order in the Commonwealth for the good of society, it was also found necessary to have buildings in which to hold the courts, to keep their records, and a place to confine criminals until they were tried by the courts, and then to punish them after conviction for their crimes. Therefore, the act that gave Fredericksburg a name and a place among the towns of the country, also gave it the authority, and enjoined it as a duty, to erect a courthouse and a jail, which was soon done; and it is almost certain that whatever court Fredericksburg had from 1727, when it was first incorporated, to 1781, when it was chartered by the Legislature of Virginia, was held in that courthouse and that the criminals were kept and punished in that jail.
When the hustings court was organized its sessions were held in the “coffee-house,” but as soon as preparations could be made it was held in the old town hall, or market-house, on Main street, which appears to have had rooms sufficient for all public uses, as it was a favorite resort for the “lovers of balls and parties and other public gatherings.”
The first thing, however, that claimed the attention of the court was the repairing of the “courthouse and common gaol, where criminals could be placed and safely kept and in due time brought before the court.” The first jail erected for the town seems to have been built partly with brick, and, from a false notion of economy, was entirely too small, was uncomfortable and not fit to keep prisoners in. This was so patent that the matter was, at various times, and for several years, brought to the attention of the court. Various grand juries, upon examination, had reported that it was not a suitable place in which to confine prisoners.
In 1803 a grand jury brought in an indictment against the jailas a nuisance, and charged that a colored criminal, who had been confined therein, had contracted a disease of which he afterwards died. This colored man was arrested, charged with entering a house in the night time and stealing goods therefrom, which was a capital offence. He was tried by the hustings court, after considerable delay, and sentenced to be hung, but was recommended to the mercy of the Governor, who pardoned him.
It was while the colored man was awaiting a trial, and afterwards the action of the Governor, that it was claimed he contracted a disease, of which he died soon after his liberation. Upon this report of the grand jury the court ordered the small, brick jail torn down and a new one of stone to be erected in its place. This new building was completed in 1805, when Wm. Taylor was appointed by the court and ordered to “sell the brick and other materials of the old jail in this corporation on a credit of sixty days and make return to this court.”
This jail stood on Princess Ann street, just north of the present clerk’s office, and, long before it was torn down and removed, was “an eye-sore to the public,” and especially to those who lived in that locality. In 1851, when it was decided to build a new courthouse, it was also decided to move the jail. This was a joint action of the court and Common Council, and it met with serious opposition by many of the tax-payers, on the ground that it was a waste of public money, the present jail being all that was needed.
But the order was given, and the jail was torn down and rebuilt in rear of the courthouse, the public scales, which stood on the spot, to be “moved to some more convenient place.” The most of the stone in the old jail was placed in the new one, but a portion of it was taken for the foundation of the fence, which, until some six years ago, enclosed the courthouse yard and sustained the wall on George street and in Jail alley. The present granite alignment of the courthouse lot is a great improvement on the old iron fence.
THE COURTHOUSE.
The first courthouse the town had was built on a part of the ground occupied by the present building and stood several feet backfrom the street. It was a small, brick structure and very uncomfortable. It is supposed to have been the second courthouse built for the town, the first having been built soon after the town was laid out. As early as 1820 the courts complained of the building they had to occupy and declared that it was unsuitable for court purposes. Various requests and complaints were made and orders issued to the Common Council by the court, looking to the erection of a new and commodious building, but the Council appeared to take no action in the matter, except to lay on the table all communications from the court on the subject.
It appears that the town and county were joint owners in the jail and courthouse, they being public property and the town then being a part of the county, and possibly contributed some way to their erection. This may account to some extent for the tardiness of the Council in taking action, but whether it does or not, the court was not satisfied and did not attempt to conceal its displeasure.
Finding its requests and orders disregarded, the court issued an order declaring that the Council must build a new courthouse or provide a better place for holding court, but even this did not appear to hurry the Council, which moved along in its own quiet way. This controversy went on for several years, the court requesting, ordering, even threatening, without avail. It finally reached a point where it seems to have exhausted its patience and determined to assert its authority.
On the 14th of June, 1849, the court being composed of Mayor Semple and Justices Wm. H. White and Peter Goolrick, the following order was made and entered on the record book:
“It is ordered, that Thomas B. Barton, John L. Marye, Robert B. Semple, Wm. C. Beale and John J. Chew, who are hereby appointed a committee for that purpose, do examine and report to this court, some plan for the enlargement and repairs or rebuilding of the courthouse for this corporation, for the convenient administration of justice; and the said committee are also requested to examine and report whether any other public building, belonging to this corporation, can be so changed as to answer the above purpose, and to inquire and report the probable cost of such plan or plansas they may approve and report upon, and it is ordered that the justices for this corporation be summoned to attend here at the next court to consider and decide upon said report.”
“It is ordered, that Thomas B. Barton, John L. Marye, Robert B. Semple, Wm. C. Beale and John J. Chew, who are hereby appointed a committee for that purpose, do examine and report to this court, some plan for the enlargement and repairs or rebuilding of the courthouse for this corporation, for the convenient administration of justice; and the said committee are also requested to examine and report whether any other public building, belonging to this corporation, can be so changed as to answer the above purpose, and to inquire and report the probable cost of such plan or plansas they may approve and report upon, and it is ordered that the justices for this corporation be summoned to attend here at the next court to consider and decide upon said report.”
While this order and the appointment of the committee, with its instructions, created considerable comment, it did not seem to excite the Council or precipitate any action favorable to the proposed building. At the next court eight justices were present in answer to the summons issued at the last session of the court. Those present were R. B. Semple, Robert Dickey, Beverly R. Wellford, Wm. C. Beale, Wm. H. White, Peter Goolrick, Wm. Slaughter and Wm. Warren.
The report of the committee appointed at the previous court, was made, and the court declared “that in obedience to the act of the General Assembly, which requires that courts for the corporations within this Commonwealth should cause to be erected one good and convenient courthouse, that it is necessary and proper to build a courthouse for this corporation,” and the report of the committee “having been returned to court, and therewith an order from the county court of Spotsylvania, releasing to this court all title and interest the said county has to the jail and courthouse, within this corporation, and the said lots on which they stand, being considered by this court, it is approved and confirmed.”
The court then appointed a commission, consisting of Mayor Semple, Beverly R. Wellford, Wm. H. White, Thomas B. Barton and John L. Marye, who were instructed to contract with some responsible party to erect a good and substantial courthouse on lots 42 and 44, or either of them, according to the plan submitted to the court, or that plan modified, if it was found necessary, the cost not to exceed four thousand dollars. The commission was to report from time to time to the court.
This action looked as if the court intended to exhaust its powers or have a new courthouse, but a few days’ mixing with the people seems to have raised a doubt in the minds of the members of the court as to the wisdom of their action. At any rate, when the August term came the full corps of magistrates was present. A petition, and counter petition of the citizens of Fredericksburg, inrelation to the action of the court upon the subject of rebuilding the courthouse, were severally presented, when, on a motion made to rescind the order for building the courthouse and laying a levy therefor, the vote stood as follows:
For rescinding, Robert B. Semple, Peter Goolrick, Wm. C. Beale, Robert Dicky, 4. Against rescinding, Beverley R. Welford, Wm. H. White, Wm. Slaughter, Wm. Warren, 4. The court being divided on the question of repealing or enforcing its own order, the subject was dropped so far as any action of the court was concerned, and was not again brought up for several months.
At the April term, in 1850, however, the court respectfully requested the Council to appoint a day to have an election, that the voters might express their wishes as to whether or not a levy should be made for the purpose of building a courthouse. This paper, although it placed the court before the Council in the attitude of an humble suppliant, was read before the Council and laid on the table, as all former papers from that source had been.
This seems to have ended the efforts of the court to secure a new courthouse or the repairing of the old, either by entreaties, threats or by the power given it under the acts of the General Assembly. Thus things continued for one year, although the question was warmly discussed by the citizens, who were very much divided on the subject. An election was to be held the following March, and the court, finding itself defeated in all former efforts, transferred the question to the people in their selections for members of the Council. This was a wise move for the friends of the measure. The election was held and a Council in favor of building a new courthouse was elected. The eyes of the public were now turned from the hustings court to the Common Council which had just been elected. The contest was not long delayed.
The election for Councilmen was held on the third Monday in March, 1851, and at the meeting, held on the first day of April, Messrs. Thomas B. Barton, John James Chew, J. Minor, Wm. Allen and Beverly R. Wellford were appointed a committee by the Council to consider the subject of the location and erection of a new courthouse and report thereon all matters connected with the cost, style and site of said building.
The next meeting of the Council was held on the 26th of April. It was one of unusual importance, because the committee on the new courthouse was to report, and every member except two was in his seat, and the chamber was crowded to its full capacity by citizens, who felt a special interest in the subject. The committee was in favor of erecting a new courthouse, and therefore reported to the Council plans and specifications for the building, drawn by J. B. Benwick, Jr., of Baltimore, giving the style and the probable cost at $14,000.
The committee recommended the site of the old courthouse, the removal of the jail to the back of the new building and the removal of the clerk’s office and engine houses. The report was adopted and the committee was instructed to contract for the erection of the building inside of the estimated cost. This looked as if the Council meant business, and for the next three weeks the question was warmly discussed, and the opponents of the measure undertook to prevent the great waste of money, as they termed it, by petition and other influences. The Council met on the 21st of May to receive the report of the committee, appointed to contract for the building, and every member was present. The interest was intense and the opposition determined.
The committee made its report and the clerk of the Council made this record: “A contract with Wm. M. Baggett, for building a new courthouse, jail, &c., for the sum of $13,850, together with drawings and specifications of said buildings made by James Benwick, architect, and to be taken as part of said contract, and a bond executed by said Baggett, J. Metcalfe, J. S. Caldwell, and George Aler, in the sum of ten thousand dollars, for the faithful performance of said contract, by said Baggett, were submitted to the Council by T. B. Barton, chairman of the committee appointed for that purpose, for their approval or rejection.
“Whereupon, and before any action was had thereon, Mr. J. M. Whittemore, asked and obtained leave to be heard by the Council in support of a petition, signed by one hundred and seventy-two of the voters of the corporation, remonstrating against the extravagant scheme of pulling down the jail and other buildings on thecourthouse lot, and praying the appointment of a committee of their own board,[56]to contract for the erection of a spacious and comfortable courthouse at a cost not exceeding six thousand dollars. Said petition was accordingly presented by Mr. Whittemore, and, being read, was, on motion, laid on the table.
“On motion, said contract was then approved and confirmed by the following vote to-wit: Ayes: F. Slaughter, Joseph Sanford, J. Minor, D. H. Gordon, J. Pritchard, L. J. Huffman, B. S. Herndon, Thomas F. Knox, Charles C. Wellford and John J. Berrey, 10. Nays: Hugh Scott and Wm. Allen, 2. And it was ordered that the Mayor, as evidence of said approval and confirmation, do sign an endorsement to that effect on said contract, and cause the corporation seal to be affixed thereto, and that said contract together with the drawings and specifications, be then delivered to the clerk of the hustings court for safe keeping,” &c.
After this action was completed the Council appointed Messrs. Thomas B. Barton, John James Chew, J. Minor, Wm. Allen and Beverly R. Wellford a committee to superintend the entire work and see that it was done according to the plans and specifications. And so a question that had vexed the people of the town for more than thirty years, and had caused considerable friction between the hustings court and the Common Council, was settled and the town was to have a new courthouse.
The building was completed in 1852, when the courts and clerks were removed to spacious and comfortable quarters, and have remained there to the present day. The south wing on the lower floor has been used for fire engines until the companies were disbanded prior to the war; but, for several years in the past, they have been used for the public schools of the city, while the large room on the second floor is used for an armory. The vault, for the records and papers of all the courts of the past and present, as well as of those of the Common Council, is ample for the purpose and absolutely fire-proof. The building is one of the handsomest in the State and always attracts the attention of strangers.
“The Lodge” at Mary Washington Monument. Constructed of VirginiaGranite for Superintendent of Monument and Grounds.(Seepage 160)
The “Wallace Library,” now near its completion. The buildingand library a donation by the late Capt. C. Wistar Wallace.(Seepage 145)
The old courthouse, that was torn down to make room for the new one, was provided with a bell for calling the people together. It was used to call public meetings, to notify the people of the assembling of the courts, and, until another bell was provided for the purpose, to sound the alarms for fires. This bell now hangs in the belfry of the present courthouse. It was presented to the town by Silas Wood in 1828 and has been on duty more than three-quarters of a century. Mr. Wood married a Fredericksburg lady, and it is reported that he was a believer in the adage that a fair exchange (rather an exchange for the fair) was not robbery; therefore, as he had taken one bell (belle) from Fredericksburg he ought to give it another in exchange. The bell has this inscription on it: “Revere, Boston. Presented to the Corporation of Fredericksburg by Silas Wood, A. D. 1828.”
MARKET-HOUSE, OR TOWN HALL.
The first market-house, or town hall, Fredericksburg had, of which we have any account, either by record or tradition, was located on the west side of Main street, just below the present “Market alley.” It was constructed mainly of brick, and had several rooms in it that were used for the courts, the Common Council, balls, sociables, public meetings and lodge rooms. The Common Council held its sessions in that building, when it organized at the “coffee-house,” which no doubt was one of the rooms in the market-house, after the rooms were properly fitted up, and continued there from 1781 until the building was taken down in 1813.
At what period the market-house was built we do not know, but it was certainly prior to 1752, as we have record evidence of its existence at that time, and also evidence that it needed repairs, which shows that it had been standing for some years. During the Revolutionary war colonial troops used a portion of the building for barracks, and it was in this house that the great peace ball was given in 1783, which was attended by General Washington and his mother. In the year 1813 this old building was taken down and the present market-house erected.
While this information was obtained from Benj. Peyton, a veryold colored man, who died some twenty-five years ago, who assisted in taking down the old and erecting the new building, the truth of it is borne out by the records. He was a youth at the time, learning the trade of brick mason, and was employed on both buildings. The present market-house is a substantial, two-story brick building, with market lot in the rear, market stalls in the basement and work shops for the city water and gas works. It has two wings, which have been at different times used for school rooms and printing offices, but are now used, the south wing for the Council Chamber and the north wing for the commissioner of revenue and city tax collector. The second floor is used by the Washington Guards as a reading room. In 1824 the building was brilliantly illuminated and beautifully decorated for a grand ball and reception in honor of Gen. Lafayette, who was then visiting this country, and passed through Fredericksburg, where he remained for several days.
THE FIRE-HOUSE.
The substantial brick house for the Fire Department, just south of the courthouse, was erected in 1890. It is two stories high, with a belfry on the front part of the building. The first floor is used for the reels, the hook and ladder truck and other fire apparatus. The belfry, or tower, is so constructed that in addition to its holding the fire bell, the fire hose can be suspended in it for drying after a fire.
SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
At present we have but two school buildings, one at the corner of Main and Lewis streets, known as the Union House, and the other at the corner of Princess Ann and Wolfe streets. The historical Union House, used by the white pupils, was built in the first part of the last century by a Mr. Ross for a residence and is quite substantial, being constructed of brick and spacious, and is three stories high, with a basement. Mr. Ross was a Frenchman, and royally entertained Gen. Lafayette and his retinue when he visited Fredericksburg in 1824. Seven grades occupy this building, whilethree grades are provided for elsewhere. The school authorities, in the discharge of their duties, have repeatedly called attention of the City Council to the fact that this building was inadequate for the rapidly increasing school population; that it was constructed for a residence and not for school purposes, the rooms being too small for the large number of pupils that had to be crowded in them.
A year ago conditions were investigated by the School Committee of the City Council (Prof. S. W. Somerville, chairman), which resulted in a movement of said committee to provide a suitable building for the schools. Soon plans and specifications were drawn and laid before the Council which were fully considered and finally adopted, and the committee was instructed to advertise for bids, let the contract and have the building completed as soon as possible. Work is now progressing on the building, which is to be quite a commodious one, with twelve rooms, with all the modern improvements as to heating, fire protection, &c. The contract price (Mr. E. G. Heflin, contractor, and Mr. Frank P. Stearns, inspector,) is $37,700, and the building is to be completed by February 1, 1909.
The only objection that any one could offer against these changes (and no one is likely to offer it) is the demolition of the venerable landmark, so long known as the Union House and the headquarters of Gen. Lafayette when he visited the town for the last time.
The school building at the corner of Princess Ann and Wolfe streets, a two-story, brick structure, with four spacious rooms, was constructed for, and is occupied by, the colored schools. For years after its construction it was found to be large enough to accommodate all the grades of that school, but when a grammar department was added this building was found to be fully occupied and the high grade had to be provided for elsewhere.
THE WALLACE LIBRARY.
By his will Capt. C. Wistar Wallace, a valuable citizen of the town, who was born and raised in Fredericksburg, and who died May 20, 1907, left to the town, under certain conditions, $15,000for a public library, which was to bear his name. The conditions were that the city was to adopt legal papers binding itself to establish said library, within three years of the donor’s death, as a permanent institution of the city and properly maintain the same; that the city was not to expend more than $5,000 of the legacy for the purchase of a suitable lot and the erection thereon of a suitable library building, and the balance of the legacy was to be expended for the purchase of books for the library. These books are to be purchased by a board not to exceed five members, to be chosen from time to time by the President of the University of Virginia, Washington and Lee, Richmond College and Randolph Macon College. In order to make these conditions binding upon the city, it was provided that necessary legislation should be procured by the General Assembly of Virginia as might be necessary to authorize and enable the city to comply with all of the conditions of the bequest.
The whole matter having been laid before the City Council and explained by the city attorney, Mr. St. Geo. R. Fitzhugh, and discussed, that body adopted the following:
[57]Be it resolved, that the city of Fredericksburg, Va., decides to establish and maintain a public library to be known as the “Wallace Library,” and hereby accepts the said bequest of $15,000 upon the conditions and according to the terms of said bequest, and hereby binds itself to carry out the same.
Under the provisions of the Code of Virginia the duty of appointing the board of directors of this library devolved upon Major Thomas P. Wallace, Mayor of the town, the Council concurring. The following letter, therefore, was communicated to the Council by the Mayor:
“I herewith transmit, in pursuance to the resolution of your honorable body, passed at your meeting on the 18th day of July, 1907, the following named citizens, who shall constitute the board of directors contemplated by your resolutions: St. Geo. R. Fitzhugh, S. J. Quinn, A. T. Embrey, Rev. J. W. Roseboro, D. D., James S. Knox, E. D. Cole, A. P. Rowe, B. P. Willis and James T. Lowery.”
The board of directors organized by the election of Mr. St. Geo. R. Fitzhugh, president, and S. J. Quinn, clerk.
The Council and the General Assembly united in permitting the library building to be constructed on the courthouse lot, and the board of directors authorized the construction of the building to be proceeded with at once. It is a two-story house, with basement, and is now nearing completion. It is constructed under the direction of Mr. Wm. E. Bradley, chairman of the Public Property Committee, Mr. Geo W. Wroten, contractor, and Mr. A. M. Garner, inspector.
THE NORMAL SCHOOL BUILDING.
In addition to these public buildings the General Assembly has appropriated $25,000 and will supplement that with $25,000 additional to construct in or near the town a female normal school. The board of directors of this institution are now endeavoring to select a site for this school, and will likely succeed in the near future. The buildings will be commenced next Spring and pushed to completion.
The United States Government has also appropriated money for the erection of a very commodious brick building on the corner of Princess Ann and Hanover streets. This site has already been purchased by the government and will soon be in condition for the brick masons and carpenters. The work, however, has been delayed for an additional appropriation, in order to enable them to construct such a building as was contemplated by the architect of the postoffice department. When the building is completed it is to be occupied by the postoffice.
Having inspected the public buildings of the town, and discussed those now in course of erection and those which soon will be, we will now visit the private historical buildings and take a view of the monument erected by the ladies of the country to Mary, the mother of the illustrious Washington, and the handsome statue of Gen. Hugh Mercer, recently erected by the United States Government, who stands upon his pedestal, sword in hand, ready to strike for Liberty and Independence, for Truth and Victory. They both stand on Washington avenue.
Ancient and Historical Buildings—Mary Washington Monument—Gen. Mercer’s Statue—Mary Washington’s Will, &c.
Ancient and Historical Buildings—Mary Washington Monument—Gen. Mercer’s Statue—Mary Washington’s Will, &c.
In stating that Fredericksburg has more ancient reminiscent and historical buildings than any other town of its size in this country, we do not fear successful contradiction. Fredericksburg is one of the oldest towns in the State and has from its settlement been the center of refinement and culture. Here the young men of this section of Virginia were taught and imbibed those principles of liberty and justice that made them leaders in the movement against oppression, which resulted in our constitutional rights and religious liberty. Here they were equipped for all the duties of life in whatever station they might be placed. Here was the home and birthplace of men who commanded armies, controlled navies, swayed statesmen, electrified assemblies, and many of those homes and birth-houses are still standing, and it will appear but natural if they shall be pointed out and written about by the inhabitants of Fredericksburg with patriotic pride. Notwithstanding the quaint architecture of many of them, and the ravages of time upon them, they are dear to us and are regarded as heirlooms of the town which have witnessed the advent and exit of many generations.
Among the oldest houses now in Fredericksburg are the residence of the late William A. Little, the Mary Washington House and the Rising Sun Hotel. It is impossible to give the order of seniority of these buildings, because we have no way of ascertaining when they were built. Mr. Little, several years ago, so renewed and extended his residence and adorned it as to almost destroy its ancient identity. This old mansion has recently passed to Mr. John C. Melville.
The Rising Sun Hotel, located on the west side of Main street, just above Fauquier, is one of the oldest buildings now standing. It is of the old style of architecture of wooden buildings that prevailed in the first settlement of the country, which, notwithstanding its hoary age and frequent necessary repairs, has never beenchanged. In the first of the eighteenth century, and even before the Revolutionary war, it was one of the leading hotels of the town, and was the stopping place of many of the Southern senators, representatives and other dignitaries as they journey to and from Washington city.
It is claimed that the eccentric John Randolph, of Roanoke, has more than once addressed the people of the town from the steps of this building. General George Weedon, long years before he entered the Colonial Army for American Independence, kept hotel in this house. Just prior to that war it became the property of General Gustavus B. Wallace, a Revolutionary patriot, and it has remained in the Wallace family until the death of Capt. C. Wistar Wallace, a public spirited citizen, a little over one year ago. At his death, May 20, 1907, it became the property of the Society for the Preservation of the Antiquities of Virginia, by the provisions of his will. The Fredericksburg branch of the society has charge of the building, a one and a half story wooden structure, and now has it in good condition and open for the inspection of those who would like to live for a short time in the far distant past, when Mrs. Livingston was the “doctress and coffee-woman” of the town. That society has renovated the building and it is now in good repair. It has not been kept as a hotel since the Civil war.
The handsome residence erected by Mr. Stannard, on the lot now occupied by Mr. George W. Shepherd, was destroyed by fire in the great conflagration that occurred here in 1807, which is mentioned elsewhere. The fire originated in that house and had made considerable headway before it was discovered. In the year 1815 the large, brick residence now standing on that lot was erected by Mr. Robert Mackay, a merchant of the town and Mayor for two years, from 1817 to 1819. It is said that the cost of erecting that building, and beautifying the grounds, was thirty thousand dollars, and it so embarassed Mr. Mackay that he never recovered from it.
For a number of years this place was the residence and home of Thomas Seddon, a wealthy gentleman, who died there in 1831. As is said elsewhere herein, he was the father of James A. Seddon, secretary of War of the Confederate States, who, it is claimed bysome persons, was born there, although his biographers say, and it is substantiated by his relatives, that he was born in Falmouth, in Stafford county. It is not disputed, however, that Secretary Seddon spent his boyhood days in that building, having moved there when he was quite young, but his birthplace is beyond doubt as his biographers and relatives state it, as he was born the same year this residence was built, and Mr. Mackay occupied it for some years before Mr. Seddon moved there.
The old, one and a half story frame house, which stands on the east side of Princess Ann street, between Prussia and Wolfe streets, just below Shiloh Baptist church (new site), was at one time owned by James Monroe. He was elected to a seat in the Legislature, and the law required that members of the General Assembly should be owners of real estate. In order to make him eligible his uncle gave him a pocket deed to this house and lot. This was the first civil office, except that of Common Councilman of Fredericksburg, Mr. Monroe ever held. The house at the time stood on a lot in the upper part of the town and was without the wings it has at present. Mr. Monroe’s boarding place was located on the same lot on which now stands the handsome residence of Mrs. James H. Bradley. His law office was in the row of low, brick buildings, formerly known as the “City Lunch,” on Charles street, in rear of Colonel E. D. Cole’s store.
The “Sentry Box,” at the lower end of Main street, was the residence of General George Weedon, of Revolutionary fame, and was afterwards owned and occupied by Colonel Hugh Mercer, a son of General Hugh Mercer, who was killed at the battle of Princeton, and a nephew of General Weedon, to whom it was devised by General Weedon. We are unable to state when this house was erected or who built it. It is doubtless one of the oldest buildings in town. It is a large two-story frame house, with a wide hall through the center and overlooks the Rappahannock river. It has been known as the “Sentry Box” as far back as the mind of our oldest inhabitant goes, and the past generations knew it by that name. Tradition has brought the name down to us and we need not stretch our imaginations as to the “why it was so called.” From the upperstory of the southeast end of this stately building is a beautiful and unobstructed view of the river for some distance, and there sentinels were placed at various times during the Revolutionary war, to watch and give the alarm of the approach of the enemy. It was thus used for three wars to much advantage to the side with which Fredericksburg was in sympathy—the Revolution, as above mentioned, the war of 1812 and the Civil war, or the War between the States. Another thing that gives the “Sentry Box” additional historical interest is the claim that has been made, which may need verification, that in this house has been received and entertained every President of the United States from George Washington to James Buchanan. The property is now owned and occupied by Mr. O. D. Foster, a veteran of the Confederate army.
The splendid two-story brick residence, owned and occupied by Gen. Daniel D. Wheeler, of the United States army, on the east side of lower Main street, was built by Roger Dixon, a gentleman of means, who owned most of the land in the lower end of the town about 1764. A few years after its construction Mr. Dixon died, and most, if not all of his property, was purchased by Dr. Charles Mortimer. Dr. Mortimer was one of Mary Washington’s physicians, and tradition has it that the last visit she made was to her much-loved physician; that upon her return home she was taken down with cancer and after that never left her home.
Of one of the many delightful dinings and balls at this splendid mansion, so frequent in that day with the “well to do folks” of Virginia, Mrs. Roger A. Prior, in “the Mother of Washington and Her Times” says, “Little Maria Mortimer, aged sixteen, was at the Fredericksburg ball. Her father, Dr. Charles Mortimer, issued invitations at the ball for a great dinner to the distinguished strangers the next day but one, and his wife (Sarah Griffin Fauntleroy), being too ill to preside, that honor fell to the daughter of the house. The house, an immense pile of English brick, (?) still stands on the lower edge of the town, facing Main street, with a garden sloping to the river, where Dr. Mortimer’s own tobacco ships used to run up to discharge their return English cargoes, by a channel long since disused and filled up. * * * The table, as littleMaria described it in after years, groaned with every delicacy of land and water, served in massive pewter dishes, polished until they shone again. The chief sat beside the master of the house at the long table, although at his own house his place was always at the side of the table among his guests. Little Maria, ‘with her hair cruped high,’ was taken in by the Marquis Lafayette, or Count d’Estaing, or Count Rochambeau—they were all present—and the little lady’s heart was in her mouth, she said, although she danced with every one of them at the ball—nay, with Bettie Lewis’s uncle George himself!”
Dr. Mortimer was the first Mayor of Fredericksburg. His remains are buried near the center of Hurkamp Park, which was for nearly a century a public burying ground. As has been said, he was Mary Washington’s physician, but not the only one at her late illness, for it is quite certain that Dr. Elisha Hall, who was the grandfather of Dr. Horace B. Hall, and who lived on the lot now occupied by Dr. J. E. Tompkin’s residence, was also one of her physicians in her last days. This is shown beyond a doubt by a letter, still preserved from Dr. Benjamin Rush, of Philadelphia, to Dr. Elisha Hall, his cousin, written July 6, 1789, a short time before Mrs. Washington’s death. Dr. Hall had written to him for his experience and advice for cancer treatment and received the following:
“The respectable age and character of your venerable patient lead me to regret that it is not in my power to suggest a remedy for the cure of the disorder you have described in her breast. I know nothing of the root you mention, found in Carolina and Georgia, but, from a variety of inquiries and experiments, I am disposed to believe that there does not exist in the vegetable kingdom an antidote to cancers. All thesupposed vegetableremedies I have heard of are compounds of some mineral caustics. The arsenic is the most powerful of any of them. It is the basis of Dr. Martin’s powder. I have used it in many cases with success, but have failed in some. From your account of Mrs. Washington’s breast I am afraid no great good can be expected from the use of it. Perhaps it may cleanse it, and thereby retard its spreading.You may try it diluted in water. Continue the application of opium and camphor, and wash it frequently with a decoction of red clover. Give anodynes, when necessary, and support the system with bark and wine. Under this treatment she may live comfortably many years, and finally die of old age.”
The Dam of the Water Power Co., the Canal emergingfrom left corner furnishes power for town.(Seepage 329)
“Meditation Rock,” Mary Washington’s favorite retreat for reading, prayer and meditation.(Seepage 157)
The house on the south corner of Prince Edward and Fauquier streets, purchased in 1898 by Mrs. Bernice Hart, tradition says, was for over one hundred years the clerk’s office, and the court records of the trustees of the town were kept there. There may have been a court held in that small place under the Colonial charter of the town, but not a criminal court since that time, as the records show to the contrary. The records of courts held here before the War of the Revolution—if any were held here—and the record of proceedings of the trustees cannot be found at present. The house was a small, one and a half story frame building, similar in architecture to the old part of the Mary Washington House. The additions made to it in recent years have completely destroyed its original form and architecture and have given it a modern appearance. No one, of course, knows when it was built, but, judging from its style and the material of which it was constructed, it must take its place with the oldest of our ancient buildings.
“Federal Hill,” on Hanover street, owned and occupied by Mrs. H. Theodore Wight, was, in the latter part of the eighteenth and early part of the nineteenth centuries, the home of Thomas Reade Rootes, who was one of the most distinguished lawyers of his day. His third daughter was Sarah Robinson, who married Colonel John A. Cobb, of North Carolina, a son of Howell Cobb, of Virginia. Soon after his marriage Colonel Cobb settled in Georgia, where were born those two distinguished lawyers and soldiers, Howell and Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb. The latter was killed in front of the Stevens House, at the foot of Marye’s Heights, on the 13th of December, 1862, it is claimed, by a shell, which was said to have been thrown from a gun stationed at Federal Hill, where his mother was born and married. A recent writer in a Northern journal, however, claims that General Cobb was killed by a shellthrown from the Stafford side of the river. But both accounts differ from the report of General Kershaw, who took command of the line when General Cobb was wounded. In his report of the battle he says General Cobb was killed by a sharp-shooter stationed in one of the houses to his left on Hanover street.[58]As General Kershaw was on the ground a few minutes after General Cobb was wounded, and saw and talked with him after he was wounded, his version is more than likely the correct one. No one knows when or by whom Federal Hill was built. At one time the property belonged to a gentleman by the name of Lovell, who moved to Fauquier county, and it may be he erected the residence.
The old, one and a half story frame building on the corner of Prince Edward and Fauquier streets, now owned and occupied by Mrs. Mary Knox Moncure, takes its place among the oldest buildings of the town. It was the birth-place and home of John Forsythe, who made such a brilliant record as a Statesman from Georgia, to which State he moved while a young man. His father was Robert Forsythe, a major in the Revolutionary war, who died in Fredericksburg early in the nineteenth century.
This house was also said to have been the home of John Dawson, an old bachelor, who represented this district in Congress from 1797 to 1814. His success at the ballot-box was due as much, perhaps, if not more, to his declaring himself a friend to the poor man (a hobby much ridden these days by politicians) than to any other one thing. He is said to have created quite a sensation in the courthouse in Fredericksburg during one of his heated campaigns, which gained him many votes. Political feeling ran high, the people were much stirred up, the canvas was exciting and the result doubtful. A public meeting had been extensively advertised to take place at the courthouse, and the building was early filled to its capacity to hear a joint discussion between the Congressional candidates. Mr. Dawson, a few minutes late, reached the courthouse, and, finding his way blocked by the dense crowd, shouted at the top of his voice from the door—“Make way, gentlemen, for the poor man’s friend!” All eyes were at once turned to the speaker, and,seeing it was John Dawson, the candidate, the crowd parted and he was escorted through to the stand, amid thundering applause. It is needless to say he was reëlected to Congress.
The old, frame building on the south corner of Main and Amelia streets, one and a half stories high, for many years of the first of the nineteenth century was occupied by a Mr. Henderson as a store, and was known for more than a century as Henderson’s corner. It is a very old building and prior to the Revolutionary war, while political feeling was almost at fever heat, those who opposed resistance to the Mother Country congregated at this corner and discussed the “state of the country.” This gave it the name of “Tory Corner,” by which it was known for many years afterwards. This was the only building left in the track of the great fire of 1807, and has not been used as a storehouse for more than half a century.
The venerable brick mansion, known as “Kenmore,” facing Washington avenue, and the residence of Clarance Randolph Howard, Esq., was built by Colonel Fielding Lewis, a man of great wealth, and who owned a large body of land west of the town. The bricks of which the house was built, tradition had it, came from England, but that is hardly possible, as elegant bricks were manufactured in this country at that time—in the seventeen forties—and the best of clay is found in that locality, where signs of a brick-yard can now be found. The interior stucco work of this colonial mansion is probably equal in workmanship to the best in this country, and is said to have been done by expert Englishmen. It has stood for a century and a half without repairs, so far as is known, until some fifteen years ago, when Mr. Wm. Key Howard gave it some slight touches, which compare favorably with the old work. Col. Lewis, for his second wife, selected Miss Bettie Washington, sister of Gen. George Washington, and to this beautiful mansion she was taken as a bride, and lived there until a few years before her death. Col. Lewis was an officer in the Patriot army and commanded a division at the Siege of Yorktown, where Cornwallis surrendered and where the Seven Years’ war ended. He was an ardent patriot, and during the Revolutionary war, at one time,superintended the manufacture of arms, shells and shot on the north side of the Rappahannock river, just above Falmouth. The ruins of the old forge are still to be seen there, and also the old prison barracks, where some German prisoners were kept during that struggle. The garrison was commanded by Colonel Enever. Colonel Lewis was also a magistrate in the town after the war, a member of the City Council and represented the county in the Legislature.
He died in December, 1781, and, it is said, is buried under the front steps of St. George’s Episcopal church. His wife, Bettie, survived him sixteen years. In the latter part of her life she went to Culpeper county and lived with one of her children, where she died and was buried. Colonel Fielding Lewis was the father of Captain Robert Lewis, who was one of President Washington’s private secretaries, and Mayor of Fredericksburg from 1821 to the day of his death, February 11, 1829. Captain Lewis delivered the address of welcome to General Lafayette on his visit to the town in 1824.
Mary, the mother of Washington, must have lived in Fredericksburg the most of her widowhood, which was about forty-six years. Some time after her husband’s death, on the opposite side of the Rappahannock river, she moved into the town, where she brought up her illustrious son George to manhood. The dwelling she occupied during that time is now standing on the west corner of Charles and Lewis streets. Until some fifteen years ago this old residence was owned and occupied by private individuals, but just prior to the World’s Fair in Chicago a party from that city was negotiating for it, with a view of transferring it to Chicago. While a difference of five hundred dollars in the price was under consideration some ladies of Fredericksburg, who opposed its being disturbed, communicated the condition of things to the Society for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, at Richmond, who at once purchased the property at four thousand and five hundred dollars. The Society had the buildings put in good repairs and the purchase is considered a valuable addition to the possessions of the Society.
It is a plain, substantial, old fashioned one and a half story dwelling, of the prevailing order of architecture of that period, and though it has been thoroughly overhauled and repaired, the distinctive features of architecture and general appearance have been faithfully preserved. Mrs. Mary Washington died in the front room of this building in 1789, and was buried on a spot which she had selected for her grave there, on a part of the Kenmore tract, which belonged to the estate of Colonel Fielding Lewis, her son-in-law.
THE MARY WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
Within a few steps of the place where Mary, the mother of Washington, was buried is a ledge of rocks and a beautiful grove of original oak trees, much larger then in area than at present, to which she used often to resort for private reading, meditation and prayer. The grave was marked by a small, marble slab, appropriately inscribed. About forty-five years after her death a stately marble monument, designed to mark her grave and perpetuate her memory, was partly constructed by the private munificence of Mr. Silas Burrows, a wealthy merchant of New York.
The corner-stone of this proposed monument was laid on the 7th of May, 1833, with an imposing military and civic display, by Fredericksburg Lodge, No. 4, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, President Andrew Jackson, Past Grand Master of Masons in Tennessee, being present and participating. This monument, because of the failure of Mr. Burrows in business, remained in a half completed condition for nearly sixty years and was greatly mutilated by time and relic hunters.
An appeal for a Congressional appropriation to restore and complete the structure by the United States Government, made by a bill, introduced in the Forty-third Congress by Hon. James B. Sener, then representing this Congressional district, was unsuccessful, notwithstanding his patriotic efforts were seconded by a strong appeal of the Mayor and Common Council of Fredericksburg andunanimously recommended by a Congressional committee, who visited the place, of which Hon. Horace Manard, of Tennessee, afterward Post-Master General, was chairman. A similar effort was made some years thereafter by Hon. George T. Garrison, representing this district in Congress with the same result.
Upon the failure of the efforts of these two members of Congress, aided by the city authorities, to secure the completion of the monument by the government, came the women’s opportunity. They were deeply interested in the subject, and cherished an honest pride in having the monument completed to perpetuate the memory and virtues of the greatest of American women.
In 1889, the centennial year of the death of this venerated lady, an association was formed by the devoted and patriotic ladies of Fredericksburg, with Mrs. James P. Smith as their leader, who resolved to spare no time or effort to raise the necessary money to complete the structure, and thus save the grave of this sainted woman from oblivion. A systematic correspondence and appeals were commenced, and in a short time, mainly, if not altogether, through the influence of the Fredericksburg association, a national association was formed in Washington, with Mrs. Chief-Justice Waite as president. These two associations coöperating, other strong appeals were sent out to the patriotic women of the United States, soliciting contributions, and soon money began to flow into the treasury of the association, until a sufficient sum was raised to complete the work.
A sufficient amount of money being in hand this perplexing question arose—should the old monument be renovated and completed, or should it be set aside and a new one constructed? This gave rise to considerable controversy, because there was quite a division of sentiment, and serious results were feared by members of both associations. This difficulty was met, however, by an order to have the unfinished monument examined by an expert, who, upon a thorough investigation, reported that it was so broken and mutilated that it could not be repaired, and so plans for a newmonument were ordered. The plan submitted by Mr. Wm. J. Crawford, of Buffalo, New York, was adopted by the ladies and to him was intrusted the work of erecting the monument on the site of the unfinished structure, under which the remains of this venerable and venerated woman reposed. The monument is a square base, with a solid granite shaft fifty-one and a half feet high—total height, fifty-five feet—with the words “Mary, the Mother of Washington,” in raised letters, cut on the base. The material of the old monument was broken up and placed in the foundation of the new one, except such of the fluted columns as remained unbroken, which were donated to different institutions. One of them was given to Fredericksburg Lodge of Masons, of this place, by Mr. Crawford, the architect, which is now in the lodge room.
In due time the monument was finished to the satisfaction of both the Fredericksburg and Washington associations, which was accepted, and the 10th of May, 1894, was designated as the time for its dedication. The Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge, which had laid the corner-stone of the old monument, was invited to conduct the ceremonies of dedicating the new, but it gracefully turned that honor over to the Grand Lodge of Virginia, which performed the work in good style, escorted and assisted by Lodges No. 4 and No. 22 of Alexandria.
The day for the dedication of the monument dawned beautiful and clear and found everything in readiness for the grand event. Besides the National Association being largely represented from Washington, headed by Mrs. Waite, there were President Grover Cleveland, with most of his cabinet and their wives; Vice-President A. E. Stevenson and lady, Chief-Justice Fuller, Justice Harlan, Senators and Representatives, Governor Charles T. O’Ferrall and Staff, the volunteer militia from different portions of the State, the Grand Lodge of Masons of Virginia, with Fredericksburg Lodge, No. 4, and Alexandria-Washington Lodge, No. 22, and distinguished men and Masons from different parts of the country.
The streets of the town were thronged with thousands of people from far and near, eager and anxious to witness the ceremonies. Never before was such a vast number of people seen in Fredericksburg,except at the great battle in December, 1862. The dedicatory services were conducted by the Grand Lodge of Masons of Virginia, Major Mann Page, Jr., Grand Master,[59]which were solemn and impressive. Addresses, appropriate to the occasion, were made by Mayor A. P. Rowe, Governor Charles T. O’Ferrall, President Grover Cleveland and Mr. Blair Lee, who were followed by Senator John W. Daniel, the orator of the occasion.
Fredericksburg Lodge, No. 4, gave a grand banquet at the opera house in the afternoon to the Masonic fraternity and several hundred invited guests, which was presided over by Judge James B. Sener. On that interesting occasion addresses were made by several distinguished guests, including President Cleveland, Vice-President Stevenson, Justice Harlan and others. The Marine band was present and furnished music of the highest order for both the dedication and banquet. Since the monument was finished the associations have erected a comfortable granite building on the grounds for a residence and office for the custodian of the monument and the grounds, and Mrs. John T. Goolrick, a descendant of George Mason, occupies that position.
MARY WASHINGTON’S WILL.
The last will and testament of Mary Washington has for many years attracted general interest, and numerous visitors call at the courthouse to inspect and feast their eyes upon the original document. So precious does the court regard this relic that an order was made for its preservation, and it is now in a case and receives the special attention and care of Mr. A. B. Yates, the polite and accommodating clerk of the court. The will is in these words: