Jaybird's Jottings

Book Review: 72 Stories by Geddy Lee

“Baseball was in my bones long before music started to seriously divert my attention.”  — Geddy Lee, 72 Stories

In 1983, Rush came to my hometown for their Signals tour and played at the Greensboro Coliseum.   The three rocking lads from Toronto were riding high on the heels of their multi-platinum Moving Pictures album. Thanks to my lifelong friend and fellow Rush fan, Robert Miller, who waited in line for two days for tickets, we got front row center seats.   

Geddy Lee, the band’s bassist, singer, and keyboard player, had been dropping hints he was a baseball fan.  On the Moving Pictures and Signals tours, Geddy popped eyes during their song, The Spirit of Radio.  In an apparent reference to the baseball strike, “One likes to believe in the freedom of music” became “One likes to believe in the freedom of baseball.”   In the liner notes for Signals, we learned the band and the crew played some games of softball.   And get this.  Geddy was the pitcher.

So, I decided to wear my SF Giants hat to the concert.  Knowing Geddy liked both the Blue Jays and the Expos, I had adopted Les Expos as my second favorite team.  Robert was a dye-in-the-wool Dodgers fan, but that night he took one for the team and wore my Expos hat.   The donning paid off.  At one point, Geddy looked right at us and kept his gaze on us.  That’s the type of things one never forgets.

Through the years, I’m certain there were other Rush fans like myself who enjoyed learning more about Geddy’s baseball fandom.   It dribbled out slowly, but one memorable moment arrived when a photo came out showing him sitting in what appeared to be a room in his house  Looking mighty proud, Geddy was surrounded by baseball photos, bats and balls, and ephemera.    

Despite the rigors of being a musician who helped create 18 studio albums and played over 2,000 shows, it turned out Geddy is indeed a huge baseball fan.   As a season ticket holder since 1979, he has been to many Blue Jays games.   I would watch their games on TV whenever I could.   It soon became apparent that Geddy was a true fan.  He brought his pencil and kept score.   

Geddy has seen games in ballparks across the land, headed down to Florida to some Spring Training action, gotten to know players and skippers, sang his country’s National Anthem at the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore, thrown out First Pitches, played in Fantasy Baseball leagues, analyzed Front Office moves, and collected and donated baseballs to the Negro Hall of Fame Museum in Kansas City. 

In his memoir, “My Effin Life,” he does touch on his being a fan, but I have to confess I wanted more.   

Now, with the release of 72 Stories, we have it.  Geddy, also author of “Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass,” leads off with a seven-page Introduction.   At one point he humbly quips that it’s getting too long.  Not to worry author, we’re loving it.

As the reader would expect, the Introduction focuses mostly on his stories of collecting.  But Geddy also provides what amounts to a small oral history of being a fan.   Photos enhance his telling of the stories.  Some are ones I have never seen.  Geddy even put together a nifty set of photos he calls — “My (Sort of) Career in Baseball.”   One of the captions could have been - "Working Them Angels Overtime."   Ok, sorry, that’s Inside Rush…

One thread that weaves through part of the 160-page book is as Geddy describes it, the stories of human struggle, of players overcoming adversity and achieving greatness.   If I may say so, some of that dovetails nicely with some of Rush’s songs.  I was reminded of the lyrics the late Neil Peart wrote for the song - "Mission."  

Hold your fire

Keep it burning bright

Hold the flame

'Til the dream ignites

A spirit with a vision

Is a dream with a mission...

It all adds up to a wonderful and thoughtful valentine to the game and some of its greatest moments and achievements.   As a former member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research), I was thrilled Geddy uses some of their biographies.  They're the gold standard.   And the photography is top of the line.

It’s not certain what’s up next for Geddy Lee.  No doubt he’ll be keeping his arm in shape.  Toronto is said to be in the running to host the All Star Game in a few years.  Perhaps they will ask Geddy to throw out the first pitch.  

In our book, they could not do better.   When he throws out first pitches, Geddy does a darn good job.   Practice no doubt helps, and he wears his glove.   

Now there’s a story…

 

Note:  This limited first edition of Geddy’s book, cloth-bound, is available only at the Rush Backstage website.   A regular version of 72 Stories will be published in May, 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: The First Inauguration: George Washington and the Invention of the Republic

“Duty was for Washington never a choice.  It was the ingredient of his being.” —  “The First Inauguration:  George Washington and the Invention of the Republic.”

“About ten o’clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity; and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express.”  - George Washington, Diary, April 16, 1789

 

I’m a brick building in Old Town Alexandria, located at a corner with Cameron Street, just a few steps from City Hall, a former tavern that gained in popularity in the late eighteenth century, a place George Washington stepped inside more than once.

Gadsby’s Tavern, right?

Most definitely.

But did you know that the former Wise’s Tavern at the corner of N. Fairfax and Cameron also fits the bill?

This thought popped into my mind the other day after I started reading “The First Inauguration:  George Washington and the Invention of the Republic.”  The author of the 2020 book is Stephen Howard Browne.  He is a Professor Emeritus at Penn State University and a scholar in the field of rhetorical studies and public memory.  Browne devotes six pages to Washington’s stop at Wise’s Tavern, the first of several on his way to New York as the newly elected President.

Alexandrians have known the basics of the story of Washington and the teary-eyed moments there.

A marker affixed to the building tells the reader:

“Here, on April 16, 1789, George Washington was for the first time publicly addressed as President of the United States the first and greatest of many distinguished successors in that high and honorable office. This tablet was erected in commemoration of this occurrence on April 16, 1932 in the bicentennial year of his birth by the Washington Society of America.”

Smith and Miller ("A Seaport Saga") provide a summary.   A group of Alexandrians feted their beloved neighbor that afternoon.  After 13 toasts were given, Mayor Dennis Ramsay read an address written by Colonel "Light Horse Harry" Lee.   

Reverend William McWhir, who ran the Alexandria Academy on S. Washington Street, recalled “a breathless silence fell upon the overflow crowd.”   Washington stood and said, “My kind friends and good neighbors, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”

Browne adds a greater understanding of the event as well the larger context.  Let’s take a look using his book and a few other sources.

 

Mount Vernon to Alexandria

Washington, along with Charles Thomson (1729-1824) and David Humphreys (1752-1818), left Mount Vernon around 10 am on the 16th.   On their 200 plus miles journey, they made stops in Alexandria, Georgetown, Baltimore, Wilmington, Chester PA, Philadelphia, Elizabeth Town, and Trenton.    

Browne writes:

“The trip would be punctuated by a series of remarkable performances, orchestrated rituals of affirmation.  Along the way, but hardly by chance, Washington catalyzed a kind of chain reaction, where many Americans, so different, so raw, could be reconstituted as one people all turned in the right direction.”

Alexandria was just a short horse ride from Mount Vernon.  Having gone to the seaport and points beyond many times, Washington knew the path like the back of his hand.   Part of the modern day equivalent is Route One, N. King’s Highway, and Telegraph Road.    

Alexandria was a town Washington knew quite well.   He assisted John West in the first survey, drilled soldiers at Market Square, rode off to war, attended meetings, served as town trustee, conducted business, visited friends, owned a town house, took in plays, worshipped at churches, danced at balls, picked up mail, watched ships launch, contributed to building constructions, and, in the end, was mourned by many.

The familiar surroundings in Alexandria surely comforted him as he rode in to town, but Washington felt the weight of uncertainty of what lay ahead as the newly elected President.   Before he left Mount Vernon, he wrote in his diary:

“About ten o’clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to private life, and to domestic felicity; and with a mind oppressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express.” 

Washington was accompanied by two men.  Hailing from Connecticut, the multi-talented Humphreys had earned Washington’s respect.   As Mount Vernon points out, “An eyewitness to many of the eighteenth century’s major events, his life had taken him from New England to the courts of Europe.”  A graduate of Yale and AmRev War vet, Humphreys had spent 18 months at Mount Vernon and wrote a biography of Washington, the only one approved by Washington and published in his life time. 

Charles Thomson (1729-1824) had the distinct honor of notifying the President.  Thomson certainly knew the way to New York, as he had traveled from there to Mount Vernon to give Washington the official news.   

Thomson also had a distinguished career.   Called “the Samuel Adams of Philadelphia,” he served as Secretary of the Continental Congress and prepared its Journals.   Thomson also designed the Great Seal of the US.

 

Wise's Tavern History

Currently home to a handful of small businesses, the tall painted-white brick building stands in the middle of a part of Old Town that has some of the oldest homes in the city.   This includes the historic John Carlyle’s grand manor (1753) and John Dalton’s home on N. Fairfax.   As founders, trustees, merchants, and more, both Carlyle and Dalton loom large in the early history of the city.   

The full details of the construction of the building are not known.  “A Seaport Saga” points out the building dates to c. 1777 and is one of the city’s oldest structures.   

An article in The Washington Post  (“Home for Aged Ready,” July 1916), reported on work that converted what had been apartments to the Anne Lee Memorial Home for the Aged.   It had about 30 rooms and operated until 1974.   

The building then became home to small offices.   Later on, one of them was Craig Keith Design.  I hold fond memories of spending time with this late, great gentleman, who helped me lay out my two self-published books.   Walking inside, I always enjoyed seeing two framed portraits of Washington.  I also let my mind wander and imagine what it was like on that day in 1789, a small step at the dawn of our democracy.

 

Tavern History in Alexandria

Although there are only these two survivors in the city, tavern history is rich in Alexandria.  In his article (“Major Andrew Ellicott and His Historic Border Lines”), William Buckner McGroarty points out in its early glory days, Alexandria was known for its large number of taverns. 

Smith and Miller devote a chapter to them and tell us there were about fifty by 1800.   They included the Lomax, Indian Queen, McKnights, Washington’s Tavern, Ship’s Tavern, the Red Lion, Rainbow Inn, and Union Tavern.   Their uses were many, including food, drink, lodging, stagecoach arrival and departure point, meeting place, civic gathering, social and political needs, musical entertainment, balls, coffeehouses, newspapers, and mail.

Washington went to Wise’s Tavern a handful of times.  Founders Online shows him likely dining there as early as June 19, 1784.    He also dined there on September 26, 1785 when it was ran by a Mr. Lyle.   Wise ran the tavern from January 1788 to December 1792.  He named it A Bunch of Grapes. 

Smith and Miller add that John Marshall (1755-1835), future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1801-1835) dined here at a dinner in his honor in September 1798.   

McGroarty tells us the Alexandria Lodge of Masons met at the tavern on occasion, with Washington and George Mason among the attendees.  Madison (“Walking with Washington”) adds to our knowledge, telling us Washington attended two balls there in 1792 and 1794, and dined there during a celebration of the ratification of the US Constitution in 1788.  He also stepped inside on July 4, 1799 as part of a review of troops.   

 

Major Andrew Ellicott at the Tavern

George Washington knew a little something about surveying, but in 1790 he handed the task of laying out the border of the diamond-shaped Federal district to Major Andrew Ellicott.  He directed Ellicott to include Alexandria in it.

McGroarty writes that in February, 1791, Ellicott (1754–1820), mathematician, surveyor and a close friend of Washington, took up residence at Wise’s Tavern.  Ellicott would later train Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) in his preparation for the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Pacific Northwest.

Ellicott, assisted by the African American and self-taught astronomer Benjamin Banneker, began the survey at Jones Point, the southern tip of the seaport.    Ellicott wrote his wife saying, “I have been treated with the greatest politeness by the inhabitants, who are truly rejoiced at the prospect of being included in the Federal District.”

On April 15, 1791, the tavern hosted Ellicott, District Commissioners Daniel Carroll and Dr. David Stuart, and others who toasted the first cornerstone for the new Federal district.   The party included the Mayor, Rev. James Muir, and members of the Lodge No. 22.   Along with the Town Sergeant, they and some citizens then walked to Jones Point and ceremoniously laid the first of what would 40 boundary stones.  Afterwards they returned to the tavern for more toasting. 

Note:  In his article, “Benjamin Banneker at the Survey of the District of Columbia, 1791,” Silvio A. Bedini writes that Banneker’s presence at the ceremony was not noted in press accounts, but “there can be little doubt that he was in attendance as a spectator.”

 

Anniversaries

There were a number of anniversaries of the first inauguration.   Browne covers the national ones in the chapter titled, “The First Inauguration in American Memory.” 

 

1839

The first (50th Anniversary) came in New York in 1839, the “first such celebration of Washington’s inauguration.”  John Quincy Adams spoke before a large gathering.

 

1889

The second, the Centennial in 1889, was the grandest of them all. 

The New York Sun splashed the headline - "The Centenary Spectacles Move Grandly On, Eleven Miles of Soldiery, Never A Muster Like This Before, Each Governor Leading the Troops of His State." 

The article said:

Broadway and Fifth Avenue were jammed by sightseers yesterday as no New York streets ever were crowd before. 

For that edition, pages 1, 2, 3 and most of 4 were entirely devoted to the story.

In a span of three glorious days, more than a million people filled southern Manhattan, including President Harrison, former Presidents Cleveland and Hayes.  Tens of thousands marched in float-filled parades down Broadway, “the greatest military display since the return of the troops to Washington, the greatest ever made in time of peace in America.”   

Visitors at the site of Federal Hall on Wall Street admired a thirteen and a half feet statue of Washington.  It was unveiled in 1883, but Browne tells us it was designed specifically for the 100th anniversary of the inauguration.

Browne’s scholarly analysis of these events is a great strength of his book.  “Every age is at once lapsing and emerging,” he writes.   

He also points out the ritual activities and pride in the past helped “ease the strain of political strive and accent common values, if just for that one long weekend.”   

 

1939

The 150th anniversary came in 1939. This was the dawn of some tough times for the country.  Browne writes: 

“At this moment as in no other, its people needed a ritualized affirmation of their collective ethos, of who they were and might become.  To these ends, the celebration of Washington’s inaugural address could serve no better, no higher purpose.”

Part of the events was a re-enactment of Washington’s journey to New York.  On April 14, FDR went to Mount Vernon to see them off and give remarks.   This led to speculation.  An article in The Washington Post was titled:  "Roosevelt Hint at Third Term Seen in Mt. Vernon Speech." 

In part of his address, the President said:

"the dangers that beset the young Nation were as real as though the very independence Washington had won for it had been threatened once more by foreign foes.”

There was also a re-creation.  On April 16, four white horses and a restored Van Rensselaer coach pulled away from Mount Vernon for the 233-mile journey.  The DAR sponsored the event.   After a short visit to the former Wise’s Tavern, the group went to Gadsby’s.  As done in 1789, 13 toasts were given.  Mayor Richard Ruffner read Ramsay’s speech.

The next day, the recreation arrived at the District Building in Washington in an “authentic eighteenth century carriage.”  A party that included Commissioner Hazen, American Legion Guard of Honor, and Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic greeted them.  Denys Wortman portrayed Washington.     

The Washington Post pointed out some were disappointed that the recreation included visiting Washington, as George Washington had gone from Alexandria to Georgetown.   

Like in 1889, New York hosted events across three days with large turnouts.  On April 30, FDR ceremoniously lifted the lid on the World’s Fair.   

 

1989

Browne also covers the 200th in 1989.  President George Herbert Walker Bush was inaugurated on January 20, 1989.   He is quoted as saying, “I’ve just repeated word for word the oath taken by George Washington 200 years ago,” and that he used the same bible.   Browne points Washington would have been pleasantly surprised to learn that, after all, the republic for which he stood remained pretty much intact.

 

Other Events

An article in The Washington Post article reported the Washington Society of Alexandria unveiled the marker at the former Wise's Tavern building on Saturday, April 16, 1932.   A short pageant depicting the welcoming of Washington was part of the ceremonies.   Miss Katherine Meredith Reese, a great-great-great-granddaughter of Colonel Dennis Ramsay had the honor of unveiling.

Attending were E.W. Schreiner, John B. Gordon, representing the Mayor, D. Mauchlin Nivin, portraying Washington, Miss Nancy James Washington, collateral descendant of Washington, and Ashton Powell, descendant of Col Charles Simm, pall bearer at Washington’s funeral.

Also participating were members of the Mount Vernon Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Colonial Dames of Alexandria.   William B. McGroarty delivered an address.   Gordon delivered the address made by Ramsay.  Nivin spoke the same words as Washington.

William L. Norford represented Charles Thomson.  Robert G. Whitton represented Humphries.  Ashton Powell represented the bugler who announced Washington’s arrival.

In his article, Charles M. Shepperson noted that the events of April 16, 1789 were one of the most momentous occasions in the history of Alexandria, but that little had been written about it.  He gave a brief history of the tavern, pointing out that John Dalton had built it. 

Dalton built and lived next door, a house still standing.  His will of March 9, 1777 revealed the building still under construction.  His two heirs were Jenny, who became Mrs. Thomas Herbert, and Catherine, who became the grandmother of Miss Ann Pamela Cunningham.   Wise succeeded George H. Leigh, first tavern keeper. 

 

Conclusion

Browne’s book includes 13 illustrations, a real plus.   

In the end he asks, "Had Americans grown tired of it all?"

For Alexandria, we bet its citizens will always have fond feelings of that first stop of Washington’s journey as President of the United States.   

And planners, take note. April 16, 2039 is a Saturday…

 

 

 

 

Geddy Lee's New Book: 72 Stories

“I’m now passing some of my treasures on to younger, more enthusiastic collectors, but until then I’ll remain extremely proud of the vast collection I built with the help of my buddy from the Midwest, and I don’t regret a penny or second I spent getting to the heart of what the great game of baseball means to me.”  — Geddy Lee, 72 Stories

 

Sad words across the baseball world, the season is over.

Fans, however, will continue to connect to the game they love through a number of ways, including books.   On deck and holding promise as something very special is a new book by Geddy Lee.

Having published "Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass" (2023), and his memoir, "Geddy Lee: My Effin Life" (2023), word is filtering out about his third book, titled "72 Stories.”   

Rush Backstage describes Lee's book as: 

At 160 pages, this cloth-bound coffee table book has Geddy Lee telling the stories of some of his favourite items from his extensive baseball memorabilia collection. This limited edition book comes enclosed in a cloth-bound slipcase.  Also included with this edition is an exclusive Geddy Lee baseball, custom-made for this project.

Lee’s baseball credentials are rock solid.   He was first turned on to the game in the 70s' when he began watching Cubs' afternoon games on TV when Rush was on tour.  In the first half of the 80s, Lee began to drop hints about his affection for the game.  Inside the band's tour programs he wrote about his equipment, referring to a favorite bass guitar as a “Most Valuable Player.” Frank Thomas of the White Sox seemed to be one of his favorite players.

In 1982, Rush released Signals, their ninth studio album.  The liner notes contain the positions the band and crew played during games of softball.  Geddy is credited with holding down the pitching duties.  Included in the Thank You section is a tip of the hat to Warren Cromartie, the Montreal Expos, and Intellivision Baseball.  Cromartie acknowledges his friendship with Lee in his book, “Slugging It Out in Japan.”

In addition to being a fan of the game, Lee also has an interest in baseball history.  There is a photo online and in his new book that shows him in one of his rooms, adorned with his baseball photos and memorabilia. 

Lee has attended and kept score at countless Blue Jays games, taken in games at other ballparks, sang the Canadian national anthem at the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore, thrown out first pitches, gotten to know players, played in fantasy leagues, and provided commentary on The Baseball Network and ESPN.    In 2008, in a great act of philanthropy, Lee donated over 400 baseballs signed by Negro League players to the Negro League Museum in Kansas City.

As part of their promotion for the book, Rush dot com has suggested Lee is "the sport of baseball’s de-facto Rock and Roll Ambassador." (Sounds good to me).

They have also published a sneak preview, including photos of three pages of text.   I have transcribed them and provide it below.   

Have to say I almost didn’t do it because despite playing around with font increase, the text is slightly blurry.   But it was just enough.

I also wondered what Geddy and the Rush Backstage folks might think about me putting the words on the web.   I feel they would be ok with it, it’s positive publicity, and for the record, I bought his book!

Anyway, enjoy.   And any errors, of course, are mine.

(Note:  A regular version of 72 Stories will be published in May, 2025).

 

John F. Kennedy

As a boy raised in Toronto, so close to the US border, I was deeply affected by American television.  In many ways we all watched the world unfold through America’s lenses.  I clearly remember John F. Kennedy‘s assassination and two days later on Sunday morning in our living room, seeing Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald - live on TV!  The events of that time are so burned into my memory that when I came across a Christie’s catalog with the ball you see here with April 10, 1961, written in pink and “Good luck!” in green I flipped out! 

To us Canadians, JFK was a hero, larger than life, the ultimate good guy cut down in his youth. It was a naïve perspective, but a child’s one in a more innocent time, when we weren’t really shown the flaws of our leaders the way we are today.  (Remember that movie about his torpedo boat, PT 109, showcasing him as a war hero?) So, when I saw that I could actually purchase a ball that he signed after throwing it out at the start of the 1961 Major League season, that was just amazing.

To me, there was nothing more American than a ball that represented the USA’s National Pastime, signed by an actual president.  Selfish as it may sound, it was a way of owning a piece of American history —  as if you can “own” history!  It set me down a road of obsession with first pitch baseballs by Presidents.

The original letter accompanying in that ball (which also has Lyndon Johnson’s autograph) says, “This ball was caught by me (White Sox outfielder) Jim Rivera, on opening day 1961 between the Washington senators and the Chicago White Sox.  I had met President John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, then Vice President.” 

Decades later I was leafing through another catalog and saw advertised a first pitch ball from opening day 1961, Washington vs. Chicago White Sox, signed by John F. Kennedy, and I was like, That’s impossible. I own that ball!

Then I did some research and discovered that being a true Democrat he threw out not just one ball, but in a sense of fairness an opening pitch to both teams.  (In point of fact, the tradition in those days was s a double toss, one for each team.)   

Kennedy threw that one out to the Senators.  On the receiving end was southpaw pitcher Harold Woodeshick, who trotted the ball back to the newly minted Commander-in-Chief for an autograph and “To Harold Best Wishes!”

Kennedy attended all of the Senators’ opening days between 1961 and 1963.  The third ball was not a first pitch, but from Opening Day 1962, thrown to the Senators’ then coach and manager Mickey Vernon. The ball was in the family’s possession until Vernon‘s daughter Gay put it up for sale and I bought it.  It’s one of scant few signed by President Kennedy with distinct provenance. 

Finally, we have another first pitch ball, this time from April 8th, 1963 (the Senators first game in DC), which Don Leppert caught in a free-for-all.  According to the umpire Al Salerno, after the opening ceremonies, President John F. Kennedy threw in the first ball, which Don Leppert caught.  I asked Don for the ball and he threw it to me while I was standing in the runway.  A short time later, when the President was leaving, he most graciously signed the ball for me.

 

George Sosnak

The Sports Collectors Digest describes George Sosnak as a man “with a passion for baseball but not the athletic ability to make it fly professionally.   He was a soldier, construction crew man, donut maker, recreation park supervisor, and even had a cartoon hour for children on TV, but was forced to give it up as his paintings began to take up more of his time.  Despite his lack of athletic skill, he became an umpire, starting in the military in Germany after World War II, and rose through the ranks before settling in with the Pioneer League and later the Three-I League, but his dreams of becoming a Major League umpire never came true.”

This self-taught “accidental artist” started out when he was umpiring a game in 1956, and a fan asked him if he could paint her favorite player on a ball.   Sosnak obliged (he apparently always obliged). Every one he’d paint was an homage to baseball players or politicians, bad boys, fans and Presidents in some way connected to baseball, among the forty-odd Sosnak baseballs I own (Cy Young, Bob Feller, Mickey Lolich, Billy Martin, Roberta Clemente, Babe Ruth…) one of my faves features a woman named Dickie Stanky in various golf poses — it was commissioned by her husband, journeyman middle infielder Eddie Stanky, in celebration of her numerous golfing achievements. 

Early on, Sosnak’s works were simplistic, with maybe just a team’s logo on it, but then he started completely filling up the panels.  Every single detail from the box score of a particular game would go on the ball, as well as paintings of the scene — of the player in question, maybe the fans, even the stadium.  In my view they’re superbly detailed, tremendous examples of American folk art, and for the same reason he’s slowly become revered by collectors as feverishly as me.

The story behind the Kennedy ball is that he sent it to the White House, explaining who he was and asking JFK if he would mind signing on the sweet spot so he could paint around the signature.  On October 1st, 1962, Kennedy’s personal secretary Evelyn Lincoln returned a letter saying, “Dear Mr. Sosnak, the President was very glad to autograph your baseball.  P.S. I’m also returning your dollar bill.” (Sosnak had included it to cover the postage.)  Incidentally, the “WINNIE” written in Sosnak’s hand was his soon-to-be wife.

The Gibson ball celebrates him winning the Cy Young Award in 1970.  Every centimeter is filled with his career statistics.  It’s staggering to hold in your hand.  I had the good fortune to meet Bob Gibson at a St. Louis Cardinals anniversary dinner, which was a thrill because he was one of the great pitchers of my youth.  He was a fierce competitor with a vicious, intimidating stare on the mound.  In 1968, he posted an ERA of 1.12, which is as minuscule as it gets (and in those days, pitchers threw way more innings than they do now).  He thirteen shutouts that year, the third longest scoreless streak in Major League history, finishing the season with twenty-eight complete games.  That’s just unheard of today.

One unfortunate thing is that Sosnak would occasionally trace over signatures, effectively harming their value — but he did so naively, underscoring the fact that for him the pursuit was never about money.  There are stories of his setting up booths at baseball card conventions, where he’d paint anybody any ball for a hundred bucks!  Despite all that, auction prices of Sosnaks continue to rise.  Most importantly, what you’re left with is the impression of a very sweet man who desperately wanted to connected to baseball — and managed it in a gloriously roundabout way.

 

Continuation of talking about J.W. Jones

… bringing back players into the Majors (No, they weren’t especially motivated by a sense of racial injustice, but rather to help turn their flagging post-war tickets sales around, tapping into an abundant source of impressive baseball talent, expanding their audience and, as it happened, integrating the sport, simply made good business sense).   It was a moving and immensely informative visit for me, but I was dismayed that J.W. and I were pretty much the only visitors there, and as we left that gem of a place, I feared for its future.

That concern lingered with me for months, so I suppose it was meant to be that later that same year, J.W. came across an auction lot containing a quantity of signed baseballs from a range of Negro League players.  Individually, the signatures were exceedingly rare, but almost impossible to find in such a large grouping.  J.W. suggested that acquiring the lot would be an opportunity to show support for the museum in the form of a donation, which immediately resonated with me.    

Looking more closely at the auction catalogue, we found that the collection had been divided into three lots of approximately two hundred signed baseballs each.  On the day of the sale, I was en route from Milan to Oslo near the end of the European leg of our tour, and what with the time change, couldn’t get in front of a computer or phones, so I asked J.W. to bid on all three lots.

As I described earlier, we were usually in constant contact during bids, especially when prices were rising stratospherically, but since I was unavailable this time and he didn’t feel comfortable spending my money too freely, he set himself some limits.  When I got off the plane, I learned that even without those limits, he’d succeeded in purchasing one of these lots — two hundred and thirteen single-signed baseballs.  Pretty darn good, but compared to what I’d have had to pay for that many Major Leaguers, it struck me as shockingly undervalued and I immediately regretted not given him free reign to buy all three lots.

When we received the baseballs and saw what good condition they were in, I asked him and the auction house to see if the other winners might sell their purchases to me.  We reached a deal with one, a fellow representing William “Judy” Johnson Memorial Foundation, for two hundred more baseballs, so the donation would now total over four hundred.

In the meantime, J.W. had contacted Raymond Dorwell, the curator of the Negro League Museum, who said he’d be delighted to accept such a gift.  On June 6th, 2008, I was invited to a small but heartfelt unveiling ceremony and was very surprised to see my name in the middle of the display, now billed as the Geddy Lee Collection.

I had not intended for the donation to draw any attention to myself, but I reckoned that if it ultimately drew baseball fans from the world of rock and roll and helped keep the museum’s door open, that would be very nice indeed.   In the end, I’m proud to have played a part — with full acknowledgement of J.W.’s role — in memorializing the history of the game I love.

I spent close to three decades collecting baseball ephemera with the help of J.W. Jones, so it was a terrible blow to me when he passed away, and it took the heart out of the hobby for me.  In fact, I have not bought a single baseball item since.  I’m now passing some of my treasures on to younger, more enthusiastic collectors, but until then I’ll remain extremely proud of the vast collection I built with the help of my buddy from the Midwest, and I don’t regret a penny or second I spent getting to the heart of what the great game of baseball means to me.

To come clean, I should tell you that the day after a truck carrying all those precious memories pulled away from my home, my wife Nancy ventured into my office and said, “Wait, I don’t get it… It doesn’t look like they took anything away!”

Busted!  I guess she never knew just how much I really had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book on the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress, which turns 225 next April, is nothing if not big.  Inside its three massive buildings next to the Capitol and off-site storage in Virginia and Maryland lies something like 173 million items.  The work is done by a staff of over 3,000.  Research service is given to the 535 members of Congress and through the years countless patrons have used the library.   

But as we learned and came to appreciate by reading a book about it, this beloved institution is more than just a library.   With items and culture on display, it serves as a museum.   By holding events, it is a public gathering place.   The Copyright Office administers the national copyright system.   Authors speak there about their books.   

We gained our appreciation by reading a great (2017) book,  “America’s Greatest Library, An Illustrated History of the Library of Congress.”   

Author John Y. Cole (1940-) brought his 50 plus years of experience to the table.  He served as Director of the Library’s Center for the Book from its founding in 1977 and until 2016.  Cole helped establish the National Book Festival, served as First Chair of the LOC’s Literacy Awards, and became the LOC’s first Official Historian in 2016.   An author of five other books covering the LOC, Cole retired in 2021.

A cherry on top is a Foreword by Carla Hayden (1952-), who has wonderfully led the LOC since 2016.  She is the first woman and first African American Librarian of Congress.   

We went through the timeline in the book and culled some noteworthy moments. 

 

1801

Initial collection consists of 152 titles.  Stored in office of the Secretary of Senate.

 

1815

LOC acquires personal library of Thomas Jefferson.

LOC temporary located on third floor of Blodgett’s Hotel at Seventh and E Streets NW.

 

1824

LOC moves to spacious new room in the center of the west front of the Capitol.

 

1851

A fire destroys LOC’s approximately 55,000 volumes, including nearly two-thirds of Jefferson’s library.

 

1853

New fireproof room built.   Praised as “the largest room made of iron in the world.”   

 

1865

Permission given to general public for use.   

 

1897

LOC opens in new building.  Named the Main Building until 1980 when renamed Thomas Jefferson building.   23-carat gold plated dome caps the “largest, costliest, and safest” library building in the world.   Includes Court of Neptune Fountain, portrait busts of famous authors, and six lunettes in the Great Hall.   Main Reading Room features semi-circular stained-glass windows.

 

1900

African American Daniel Murray compiles List of Books and Pamphlets by Negro Authors

 

1922

Harriet DeKraft Woods becomes LOC’s first woman superintendent of buildings and grounds.

 

1929

LOC begins supplying Dewey Decimal Classification numbers on its printed catalog cards.

 

1939 

New six-floor Annex Building opens east of Jefferson Building.  In 1980, named John Adams Building.  Adams was also a book collector and signed the LOC’s founding legislation in 1800.

 

1941

Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, and Gutenberg Bible moved from Great Hall to more secure location outside of the city.  Later revealed to be Fort Knox.

 

1942

Motion pictures collection started.

 

1945

LOC completes microfilming of slave narratives. 

Book volume reaches 7M mark, staff of 1,200.

Work week shortened from six days a week, 13 hours a day, to five days a week, eight hours a day.

 

1983

LOC opens Mary Pickford Theater in Madison Building.

 

1951

Declaration of Independence and US Constitution transferred to National Archives. 

 

1953

Publishers supply the LOC with advanced copies of their books and then print the card number preassigned by the LOC in the book.

Book collection reaches 10M and staff 1,600.

 

1964

First computer, a rented IBM1401 is installed.

 

1980

The James Madison Building, the LOC’s third building and one of the largest in Washington, opens south of the Jefferson Building.

 

1981

Online cataloging replaces the filing of cards system.  There are 22 million catalog cards.

 

1993

LOC launches National Digital Library program. 

 

2000

John W. Kluge donates $60M to the LOC, the largest private monetary donation ever given to the Library.

Veterans History Project established.

 

2001

With the help of Laura Bush, the National Book Festival is held at the LOC and on the east plaza and lawn of the Capitol.

 

2002

National Book Festival moves to the National Mall.

The Ask a Librarian service debuts on-line.

 

2005

StoryCorps launches its first cross-country tour in a converted Airstream trailer.

 

2007

Chronicling America, the National Digital Newspaper Program website of historical newspapers debuts online.

The new Campus for Audio-Visual opens in Culpeper, Virginia. 

 

2009

LOC launches its World Digital Library, Twitter feed and YouTube Channel.

 

2010

Collector Thomas Liljenquist donates more than 500 ambrotype and tintype photographs of both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. 

 

2012

LOC opens Books That Shaped America exhibit.

Natasha Trethewey, US Poet Laureate, meets with the public in the Library’s Poetry Room.

 

2015

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting is launched to save and make available significant at-risk historical public television and radio programs.

National Book Festival moves to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Librarian of Congress James Billington retires after 28 years at the helm and 42 years of public service in Washington.

 

2016

Collection reaches more than 162 million physical items.

Carla D. Hayden becomes the 14th Librarian of Congress.  She is the first woman and the first African American to hold the esteemed position.

 

2017

“America’s Greatest Library, An Illustrated History of the Library of Congress” is published.

 

 

 

 

Signers of the Fairfax Resolves

For anyone visiting the Carlyle House right now, they can see an amazing exhibit outside the house.   On display are bios for the 25 men from Fairfax County who signed the Fairfax Resolves in 1774. 

As noted, these resolves were "the most detailed and most influential of all the Virginia Resolves."

I transcribed the bios and post them here.

 July 18, 1774

George Washington, George Mason, John Carlyle, and 22 other gentleman from Fairfax County met at the Courthouse across the street from Carlyle’s home to sign the Fairfax Resolves.  These resolutions written by Mason and Washington at Mount Vernon were both a statement of the colonies’ fundamental constitutional rights and a call for the colonies to come together to protest British anti-American actions.  But who were these 25 men?  What ties them to Alexandria, Fairfax County, and each other?

This exhibit will briefly explore the lives and motivations of the 25 men who signed the Fairfax Resolves on that summer day.

 

Robert Adam (1731-1789)

Robert Adam was born in Scotland and immigrated to the American colonies in the early 1750s.  He settled in Alexandria, where he initiated several businesses, including a retail/wholesale store, tannery, flour mill, and travel brokerage.  He was an officer in the Virginia militia, a master Mason, and did business with both George Washington and John Carlyle.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia non-importation acts alongside John Carlyle, William Ramsay, and many others who would go on and sign the Fairfax Resolves four years later.

 

Charles Alexander (1737-1806)

Charles Alexander was the great-great grandson of John Alexander (1605-1677), for whom Alexandria is named.  The Howson Patent for 6,000 acres included today’s National Airport, the oldest parts of Alexandria, Crystal City, the Pentagon, and Arlington Cemetery.  Alexander served in the vestry of Fairfax Parish, was a Justice of the Peace in Alexandria, and was of Officer in the Virginia Militia.  He owned the Preston plantation which was in the vicinity of current day Potomac Yard.  He and fellow signer Philip Alexander were cousins.

 

Philip Alexander (1720-1790)

Philip Alexander, another member of the Alexander family, was an officer in the Virginia Militia, an attorney, and a trustee for the Potomac Company, along with George Washington.  In addition to owning/managing rental property in Alexandria, he also owned Alexander’s Island in the Potomac where George Washington went fox hunting.  This island was the subject of a border dispute between the District of Columbia and Virginia.

 

Charles Broadwater (1719-1806)

Charles Broadwater served on the vestry for Truro and then Fairfax Parish.  He was elected as Fairfax County Sheriff in 1751 and 1755 before fighting in the French and Indian War.  In the war he accompanied George Washington as an officer in the Virginia Militia and was promoted to the rank of Major.  In 1774, Broadwater was one of the 25 men to become part of the Committee for Safety.  From 1774 to 1776, Broadwater, alongside George Washington, attended four out of five Virginia conventions which passed various resolutions.  He was elected from Fairfax County to the House of Burgesses in 1775.   In 1776, Broadwater ran a military recruiting station at Falls Church and during his time in the Revolution rose to the rank of Colonel.  Late in the Revolution, Broadwater served as a Justice of the Peace in the Fairfax County Court as well as the House of Delegates.

 

William Brown (c.1748-1792)

William Brown was born in Scotland to a prominent Maryland family.  He became a doctor in 1770 and was active in resistance to the British before the war.  He was a member of the Fairfax County Committee for Safety in 1774, after signing the Fairfax Resolves Fairfax Resolves.  By 1775, Brown was a surgeon for the 2nd Virginia Regiment.  He continued to rise in different positions until 1778 when he was appointed Physician and Director General of Hospital.

 

John Carlyle (1720-1780)

Born to a wealthy Scottish-English family, John Carlyle came to Virginia in 1739 as an apprentice and agent for businessman William Hicks.  By the time of his marriage to Sarah Fairfax in 1747, Carlyle had become a prominent merchant and in 1749 was one of the founders and trustees of Alexandria.  In 1753, Carlyle moved his family into the grand stone mansion he built on Fairfax Street across from the Market Square.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts alongside many others who would go on to sign the Fairfax Resolves.  Carlyle undertook the contracts for building both Christ Church and the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and was also a Justice of the Peace.   He was a member of the Fairfax Committee of Safety from 1774-1775.  Carlyle’s dealing during the American Revolution are incomplete, as many of his records have not survived.

 

Martin Cockburn (1742-1820)

Martin Cockburn was born in Jamaica in August 1742.  He visited Virginia around 1760 where he met Ann Bronaugh (a cousin of George Mason).  He returned to Virginia three laters to marry her.  The Cockburns settled in Truro Parish in Fairfax County in 1769 where their plantation Springfield was built near Colchester and adjacent to Gunston Hall.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts.  In addition to signing the resolves in 1774, Cockburn served on the Truro Parish Vestry from 1770-1779 and was later Tax Commissioner for Fairfax County.

 

Townsend Dade, Jr. (1742-1822)

Reverend Townsend Dade Jr. was born in 1742 in Virginia.  Townsend became an ordained rector of the Episcopal Church around 1766.  In 1773 he became the first rector of Christ Church in Alexandria.  The Reverend was an active participant in early Revolutionary events.  He and his father signed the Resolutions of the Patriots of the Northern Neck of Virginia, drawn up by Richard Henry Lee to protest the Stamp Act. George Washington invited him to join the 25-man committee that led to the Fairfax Resolves.

 

John Dalton (1702-1777)

John Dalton was a founder and trustee of the town of Alexandria.  In addition to being a merchant he was a vestryman of Old Christ Church.  In 1770, he signed the Nonimportation Acts.  He was a Virginia Trustee for John Ballendine’s project for clearing Potomac Navigation in 1774, served on the Fairfax County Committee of Safety from 1774-1775, and was on the Committee for the Defense of the Potomac with George Mason in 1776.

 

George Gilpin (1740-1813)

George Gilpin was a native of Maryland who settled in Alexandria before the American Revolution.  A wheat merchant, he was inspector of flour in Alexandria by March 1775.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts.  Gilpin became a member of the Fairfax Committee of Safety after signing the Resolves.  During the Revolution, he was a Colonel of the Fairfax Count Militia.  He was one of the Directors of the Potomac Company and served as a Vestryman for Fairfax Parish for many years.  After the Revolution Gilpin was still very much involved in politics as a Democrat Republican.  He was elected Sheriff of Fairfax County in 1786.  Gilpin also served as Director of the Bank of Alexandria alongside John Carlyle’s son-in-law William Herbert.

 

Henry Gunnell (1705-1792)

Henry Gunnell was born in Virginia and was involved in all aspects of life in the Fairfax area beginning in 1741.  In 1749, Gunnell is recorded as an Inspector for the Falls Warehouse.  In 1768, Gunnell became a Justice of Fairfax County and four years later he was elected Sheriff of the County.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts.  As with many of the signers, he was involved in the Fairfax County Militia, starting off as a Captain and was later promoted to Major.  After the Revolution, Gunnell continued to be involved in Fairfax politics, including petitions to move the Fairfax County courthouse in 1789 and 1790.

 

Robert Hanson Harrison (1745-1790)

Robert Hanson Harrison was a native of Charles County, Maryland.  He moved to Alexandria around 1765 and became a lawyer.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts.  During the Revolution, he joined the 3rd Virginia Regiment as a Captain.  In 1775, Harrison began serving as George Washington’s Private Secretary and Aide-de-Camp with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.   Harrison declined Washington’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court to take the less stressful position of Chief Justice of the Maryland General Court.

 

William Hartshorne (1742-1816)

Born in 1742, William Hartshorne was a Pennsylvania Quaker who worked in Antigua as a shipping merchant.  The Hartshorne family moved to Alexandria in February 1774, where he continued to work as a merchant.  After signing the Fairfax Resolves in July 1774, Hartshorne became a member of the Fairfax County Committee of Safety.  Following the Revolution, Hartshorne became Treasurer of the Potomac Company, as well as a Director of the Bank of Alexandria.

 

James Kirk (?-1786)

James Kirk settled in Alexandria around 1762 and became a prominent citizen and merchant.  In 1770, he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts.  He served with Washington, Mason, Carlyle, and others on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775.  Kirk was also on the Alexandria Committee of Correspondence in 1774 and the following year was on the Fairfax Committee of Correspondence.  Kirk was elected Alexandria Mayor in 1785.

 

Thomas Lewis (17??-17??)

Thomas Lewis served with Washington, Mason, Carlyle, and others on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775.  However, his exact identity is uncertain because several men named Thomas Lewis lived in Fairfax County, Northern and Western Virginia, and Prince Georges County Maryland.  In the years before the Fairfax Resolves,  one such Thomas Lewis was a member of the Vestry of Truro Parish of the Anglican Church in Fairfax from 1733-1744.  A Fairfax court case was listed against Thomas Lewis in 1749 “for not keeping the road in repair between Ravensworth and the Ox Road.”  In May 1773, a Thomas Lewis “petitioned for or built” a mill on Wolf Trap Run in Fairfax.

 

George Mason (1725-1792)

George Mason was a plantation owner and along with George Washington and others was a principal drafter of the Fairfax Resolves.  He served with Washington, Carlyle, and others on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775.  During the same years, Mason was on the Fairfax County Committee of Correspondence.  Mason was a “leading proponent of both limiting government tyranny and protecting citizens’ rights.”  As the primary author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution, Mason had a profound influence on his own state and the constitutions of the other states.  Thomas Jefferson paid homage to Mason by incorporating both ideas and language from the Virginia Declaration of Rights into the Declaration of Independence.   He was a leader in the Constitutional Convention and subsequent ratification debates.  Famously, Mason did not sign the U.S. Constitution in 1787 because it did not include a Bill of Rights (added in 1791).

 

Lee Massey (1732-1814)

Lee Massey was originally an Alexandria lawyer, handling matters for the Washington and Mason families among others.  In 1766, Massey changed careers and was ordained an Anglican minister. He became Rector of Truro Parish in Fairfax in 1767, leading the congregation at what is now Pohick Church south of Alexandria.  He served with Washington, Carlyle, Mason, and others on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775.  Massey “stepped down” from his rectorship in 1777, then studied medicine and apparently practiced at no charge.  Massey corresponded with George Washington into the 1780s and likely knew John Carlyle from his time as a lawyer.

 

Edward Payne (1726-1806)

Edward Payne was a plantation owner and builder in Fairfax County.   E. Payne’s brother was William Payne, Jr (“W. Payne”).  He was a vestryman of Truro Parish of the Anglican Church in Fairfax.  Edward Payne was “the collector of the parish levy for Truro Parish.”  In 1766, E. Payne built a new church in Fairfax known as Payne’s Church.  Payne also served with Washington, Carlyle, Mason, and others on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775.

 

William Payne (1724-1782)

William Payne was known as William Payne Jr. and was Edward Payne’s brother.  Like Edward W., Payne was a vestryman of Truro Parish.  He owned a grist mill near Accotink Creek in Fairfax.  In 1761, William Payne was Sheriff of Fairfax County and also served as a Fairfax Justice.  He was on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775. 

 

Thomas Pollard (1741-1818)

Thomas Pollard signed the Fairfax Resolves in July 1774 and later raised a company in the Virginia Militia during the Revolution.  He served as both the Clerk and Sheriff of Fairfax County in 1782 and was a Vestryman of Pohick Church from 1774-1784.

 

William Ramsay (1716-1785)

William Ramsay was a merchant, founding Trustee of Alexandria, and served in multiple civic roles in Alexandria, Including “Census Taker, Postmaster, Colonel of the Militia Regiment, Adjuster of Weights and Seals, Gentleman Justice, and as Alexandria’s first Mayor.  In 1770 he signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts.  Ramsay was a member of the 1774-1775 Fairfax Committee of Safety and the Committees of Correspondence for Alexandria and Fairfax.  When Ramsay died in 1785, George Washington attended the funeral and “walked in a procession as a free mason -  Mr. Ramsay in his life time being one & now buried with the ceremony & honors due to (text ends).

 

William Rumney (b.? - d. 1783)

Dr. William Rumney was a born and trained in England.  He served as a surgeon with the British Army in the French and Indian War and settled in Alexandria in 1763.  Rumney was a member of the 1774-1775  Fairfax Committee of Safety and the 1774 Alexandria Committee of Correspondence.  During the Revolution, Rumney was a Colonel and Surgeon in the Continental Army.  George Washington wrote to Rumney’s father after Rumney’s death in 1783 and described him as “an amiable man & a worthy citizen of this country.”

 

Thomas Triplett (1732-1780)

Thomas Triplett and his brother William were neighbors and fox hunting companions of George Washington.  Triplett rented a small plantation from George Mason.  Triplett served on the Fairfax Committee of Safety in 1774-1775.  He was a Captain in the Continental Army and resigned his commission in 1778 due to illness.  The Fairfax Revolutionary War Memorial commemorates Triplett.

 

George Washington (1732-1799)

George Washington was born in 1732 in Popes Creek (Westmoreland County) Virginia.  He moved to Ferry Farm near Fredericksburg in 1738.  His career began at the age of 16 when he joined a survey party organized by his neighbor and friend George William Fairfax of Belvoir.  He went on to help survey counties and towns throughout Virginia, including the town of Alexandria.   In October 1753, Lieutenant Governor Dinwiddie ordered Washington on a mission into the Ohio Country to confront the French.  In 1754, Washington’s attack on a small French force at Jumonville and his later surrender to French forces at the Battle of Fort Necessity helped spark the French and Indian War.  The next year, Washington would accompany Major General Edward Braddock on his ill-fated march on Fort Duquesne.

After the French and Indian War, Washington stayed active in colonial politics as a leader of Fairfax County and was a member alongside George Mason of the Virginia House of Burgesses.  Washington opposed the Intolerable Acts that the British Parliament passed in response to the Boston Tea Party of 1773. He was Chairman of the 1774-1775 Fairfax Committee of Safety.   Washington worked closely with Mason on the Fairfax Resolves, which were written at his Mount Vernon home.  Less than a year later after adoption of the Resolves, Washington was named General and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. 

 

John West (1710-1777)

Prominent citizen John West signed the Virginia Nonimportation Acts in 1770 and went on to add his name to the Fairfax Resolves four years later.  Or did he?  The Colonial Historical Records from the era are conflicted as there were two well-known, related men named John West.  Here are life highlights from two men:  The elder, Militia man Colonel West or his nephew Militia Captain John West?  A leading local historian has stated that in 1774 both men helped draft the Fairfax County Resolves.  Colonel West was a member of the House of Burgesses, serving at intervals from 1765 to 1764.  He also was a Vestryman for Truro and Fairfax Parishes and was a Fairfax County Sheriff.  Captain West is credited as a member of the Committee of Safety and was the brother of John Carlyle’s second wife.  Like his uncle, the younger West was a Sheriff of Fairfax County and served in the House of Burgesses.  Both men died in 1777, the younger being the first person to perish.

 

 

National Book Festival: A Look Back

“Our history as a people and a nation is a great story, pieced together like a quilt bit by bit, generation by generation. By reading together and sharing stories, we become part of the fabric of the American community.” - Laura Bush, White House Author Breakfast 2003

 

One of our favorite annual events, the National Book Festival, will take place Saturday at the Convention Center in Washington. Using the LOC’s NBF website and The Washington Post’s coverage, let’s take a look at its history.

 

September 9, 2001

25,000-30,000

Authors: 32

 

On June 14, The Washington Post writer Linton Weeks gave readers the first glimpse of the new event. The Library of Congress was the sponsor and the host was First Lady Laura Bush. She brought her love of books and experiences with the Texas Book Festival to the table.

 

The idea for the event came during conversations between the First Lady and Librarian of Congress James Billington, who helped led the effort. 32 authors appeared, including Stephen Ambrose, Michael Beschloss, Walter Moseley, John Feinstein, Alice McDermott, Robin Cook, Sue Grafton, Scott Turow, and nine children and young adult authors.

 

Like all of them would be, the event was free and held on a Saturday (later ones would be held on Saturday and Sunday, and then returned to Saturday only). Before settling into a stretch of holding the event on the Mall (2003-2013), the first one was held at the East Lawn of the Capitol at First and Independence. Estimated attendance was 25-30,000.

 

October 10, 2002

45,000

Authors: 61

 

Post 9/11 security fears had many worried the festival would not be held, but it went on and 45,000 attended. The event moved to the west lawn of the Capitol and the National Mall (Capitol to Fourth Street). The date moved to October 10.

 

61 authors appeared, including Henry Louis Gates, Jr, David Halberstam, David McCullough, James McPherson, Scott Simon, David Baldacci, Carol and Mary HIggins Clark, and 25 Children authors.

 

A special guest was Lyudmila Putin, wife of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

 

October 4, 2003

75,000

Authors: 71

 

The festival moved to the National Mall, the first of what would prove to be a 11-year run there. 60,000 attended. A children and teens pavilion were added.

 

The author count was 71 and included James Patterson, Julia Glass, Bob Schieffer, Lynn Sherr, Juan Williams, Robert Caro, David Maraniss, David Balducci, Laura Lippman, Nikki Grimes, Bob Lanier, and a dozen poets. In what would become somewhat of a tradition, NBA and WNBA players appeared and read.

 

The Washington Post published a special page titled, “Read All About Them, Seven Popular Authors Reveal Some of their Favorite Things.” Tracy Grant asked it to children authors R.L. Stine, Mary Pope Osborne, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, Jerry Spinelli, Sharon Creech, and Steven Kellog.

 

October 9, 2004

85,000

Authors: 75

 

The festival’s beloved partner C-SPAN got some love in Neely Tucker’s article in The Washington Post, who also paired with the event (“Mall Event is Solidly Booked”). Grabbing a free large book bag with the C-SPAN name printed on it would become an essential part of the festival experience.

 

Waiting in line for that special autograph is also part and parcel of the festival. Rockville resident Sean Mahaffy waited for Neil Gaiman, “fantasy novelist and comic book cult figure.” He stood in line for four hours.

 

Warren Tsuneishi, a retired librarian, discussed his book “Voices of War,” a compilation of memoirs by the Library of Congress. The 83-year-old veteran of World War II survived an internment camp after Pearl Harbor.

 

Attendance was 85,000. Authors numbered 75, and included Representative John Lewis, Ron Chernow, Clive Cussler, Kate DiCamillo, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Douglas Brinkley, Cokie Roberts, Juan Williams, Louis Bayard, and a dozen in the Poetry category and ten in children, and nine in teens.

 

September 25, 2005

100,000

Authors: 80

 

For the fifth festival, attendance soared to six digits. After holding it in October for three years, the festival moved up to September 25.

 

The Mall was yet again a stage for all the world. In his article, Bob Thompson pointed out the remarkable juxtaposition of “Poets on Parade” and anti-war protestors streaming by the event.

 

Thompson also asked and answered the question, “How should we look at the National Book Festival?” His answers included, it’s a defense of the printed word, it’s a non-political event (Or is it?), it’s a television show, it’s a marketing opportunity, and it’s a community of writers and readers.

 

80 authors appeared and included Sandra Brown, David Baldacci, Laura Lippman, E.L. Doctorow, Gish Jen, Tom Wolfe, Buzz Aldrin, George R.R. Martin, David Brooks, Joseph Ellis, Andrea Mitchell, Judge Robert L. Carter, Sue Monk Kidd, and Jerry Pinkney.

 

September 30, 2006

Attendance: 100,000 plus

Authors: 74

 

The weather was always a concern and rain fell for this one. Nevertheless, the show went on under the tents. As always, thousands poured out of Metro’s Smithsonian station, conveniently located steps from the Mall.

 

Bob Thompson brought his notebook once again and highlighted Khaled Hosseini, author of “The Kite Runner.” His novel topped the charts and was made into a movie. Hosseini said the spark came after the Taliban banned kite flying in Afghanistan.

Thompson also reported on the importance of book titles and ones that got messed up in translation. His look at “video man” (Kurt Aldag) is fun to read.

 

The author list included Doris Kearns Goodwin, John Hope Franklin, Bob Woodward, Taylor Branch, Douglas Brinkley, Geraldine Brooks, Khaled Hosseni, George Pelecanos, Lisa Scottoline, Nathaniel Philbrick, Alice McDermott, Daniel Silva, Vince Flynn, Scott Turow, Shiela Moses, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, and Brad Meltzer.

 

September 29, 2007

Attendance: 120,000

Authors: 71

 

In keeping with their tradition, The Washington Post published a special pull out guide for their Book World section. The tradition of having NBA and WNBA players involved kept going with Al Harrington (Golden State Warriors) reading to children.

 

The author list included Carmen Agra Deedy, Holly Black, David Balducci, Diane Ackerman, Michael Beschloss, Ashley Bryan, James Swanson, Geoffrey Ward, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Martha Raddatz, Gene Luen Yang, Joyce Carol Oates, Jodi Picoult, David Ignatius, and Maria Celeste Arraras.

 

Bob Thompson got the beat call again and covered Joyce Carol Oates, whose latest was “The Gravedigger’s Daughter.” It was inspired by the life of her paternal granddaughter. Poet N. Scott Momaday talked about once visiting Georgia O’Keefe, who was taking more time than expected to bring him a drink from her kitchen. “It turns out,” he told the audience, “that O’Keefe had taken the pantry doors off the hinges.”

 

September 27, 2008

120,000

Authors: 73

 

The Washington Post was on top of things once again. Their coverage included a photo of Jenna Bush Hager, who “greeted a future reader while promoting “Read All About It,” written with her mother. 2008 was the final year of hosting for First Lady Laura Bush.

Bob Thompson’s lengthy article touched on Neil Gaiman and his latest book, “The Graveyard Book.” Dionne Warwick drew a crowd for her children’s book, “Say a Little Prayer.”

 

CBS New Correspondent Kimberly Dozier must have had a rapt audience for her talk on her book, “Breathing the Fire. Fighting to Report, and Survive, The War in Iraq.” Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Rwanda-American, received a standing ovation for discussing her brushes with death in her book, “Left to Tell, Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.”

 

The author count bumped up to 73. It included the above and Salman Rushdie, Tiki Barber, Dionne Warwick, Tony Horowitz, David Maraniss, Cokie Roberts, Bob Schieffer, Daniel Schorr, Gordon S. Wood, Sandra Brown, James McBride, Arthur Frommer, Michelle Singletary, Jon Scieszka, and Andrea Davis Pinkney.

 

September 26, 2009

130,000

Authors: 80

 

Attendance continued to soar with 130,000 attending. Same for the authors with 80. Big names dotted the list, including John Grisham, Kadir Nelson, Jodi Picoult, Colson Whitehead, David Balducci, Walter Mosely, George Pelecanos, Daniel SIlva, Azar Nafasi, Judy Blume, Paula Dean, James Patterson, Jacqueline Woodson, Douglas Brinkley, Ken Burns, Annette Gordon-Reed, Gwen Ifill, and Jon Meacham.

 

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama served as honorary co-chairs.

 

In The Washington Post, Marissa Newhall dished on what she saw at the opening reception for authors and donors. It included, “John Grisham -- Charlottesville resident and festival rookie -- recalled struggling to sell 1,000 copies of "A Time to Kill" in Mississippi in 1989, before "The Firm" made him famous.”

 

September 25, 2010

150,000

Authors: 63

 

Ever generous, David Rubinstein donated $5M to the festival. Attendance hit the 150,000 mark.

 

63 authors appeared, including Laura Bush, Suzanne Collins, Edward O. Wilson, Brad Meltzer, James Ransome, Judith Viorst, Isabell Allende, Scott Turow, Wil Haygood, David Remnick, Stacy Schiff, Evan Thomas, and Gordon S. Wood.

 

The Post’s Lonnae O’Neal Parker wrote an article titled, “Repeating family history; The National Book Festival's Adele and Elizabeth Alexander are both blood and ink relations.” Washington historian, author, and resident Adele Logan Alexander, who wrote the Introduction to the book, “The Guide to Black Washington,” read from her book, “Parallel Worlds: The Remarkable Gibbs-Hunts and the Enduring (In)significance of Melanin.” In another pavilion, her daughter, Elizabeth Alexander, a renowned poet who read a poem for President Obama, read from her book, “Crave Radiance, New and Selected Poems.”

 

The Post also published an article (no by-line) titled, What's the power of the pen? Authors jot answers.” Among the answers were:

 

Phillip Hoose (author of "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice"):

 

"Can writers change the world? Are you kidding? Yahwey didn't whisper the Commandments to Moses and trust him to remember them. Moses carried a tablet -- which, come to think of it, looks like a Kindle -- back down the mountain and read the rules to his tribe.”

 

September 24-25, 2011

200,000

Authors: 112

 

The festival kicked off its second decade in style. For the first time, readers were treated to two days (Saturday and Sunday). The author count hit triple digits with 112 author. Attendance soared to 200,000.

 

The volunteers are always the backbone of the event. The LOC website said there were more than 1,100 for this one.

 

Authors included Julianne Moore, Cassandra Clare, Isabel Wilkerson Uma Krishnaswami, Joel Achenbach, Amy Chua, Bob Edwards, Hoda Kotb, Jim Lehrer, Sarah Vowell, Louis Bayard, Laura Lippman, Toni Morrison, Eric Foner, Adam Goodhart, David McCullough, Candice Mallard, Eugene Robinson, Dave Eggers, Garrison Keillor, Yusef Komunyakaa, Jonathan Yardley, Choo Choo Soul, Hip Hop Harry, Lisa Yee, and a Graphic Novel session, as well as a State Poets Laureate session.

 

The Washington Post’s coverage included Toni Morrison, who appeared for the first time. She was awarded the Creative Achievement Award.

 

September 22-23, 2012

200,000

Authors: 136

 

The Mall and Metro were packed once again with 200,000 attending. Coordinators were kept busy with an author list of 136, more than four times the first figure of 32.

It included Walter Isaacson, John Green, Jeffery Eugenides, Jewel, Mike Lupica, Jacqueline Woodson, Thomas Friedman, Steve Inskeep, Rep. John Lewis, Jeffery Toobin, Robert Caro, David Eisehower, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, Lien-Hang Nguyen, David O. Stewart, Bob Woodward, Sandra Cisneros, Marion Vargas Llosa, Michael Dirda, Jill Abramson, and 32 in the Family Storytelling category.

 

September 21-22, 2013

200,000

Authors: 111

 

This would prove to be the last year on the Mall. Don DeLillo received the inaugural Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. Once again, attendance reached 200,000.

Authors numbered 111 and included Margaret Atwood, Marie Arana, Taylor Branch, DeLillo, Khaled Hoseini, Barbara Kingsolver, Rafael Lopez, Brad Meltzer, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeff Chu, Linda Ronstadt, Rick Atkinson, Scott Berg, Natasha Trethewey, Evan Thomas, James McBride, and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey.

 

August 30, 2014

65,000

Authors: 113

 

After 11 years on the Mall, the festival moved to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Ron Charles of The Washington Post reported on the reason.

 

The NPS began new procedures to help maintain the grass. With it came higher costs. Jennifer Gavin, project manager of the Library of Congress National Book Festival, was quoted as saying, “We spent months working with the Park Service to see if we could make this work. But when we looked at the costs — and they were considerable — we decided that the festival-goers would be better served by moving it into the convention center.”

 

The new location improved Metro taking and eliminated rain and weather worries. And surely, no one missed using the portable toilets. On the other hand, the Mall setting, with the Washington Monument and the Capitol as book ends, had its own special feelings.

 

The date, typically held in mid-September, also changed, moving up to August 30th. Yet another change was the return to one day. The hours were extended to 10 pm.

 

Peter Slen, C-SPAN Senior Executive Producer, Host of “In Depth,” and interviewer of many an author, set up right at the entrance.

 

The author tally of 114 was especially impressive given it was just the one day. Notables included Rep. John Lewis, Alan Greenspan, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mona Simpson, Cokie Roberts, Ilyasah Shabazz, Rita Williams-Garcia, Rep. James Clyburn, Sandra Day O’Connor, Cathal Armstrong, Alice McDermott, Lisa See, Lynn Sherr, and E.L. Doctorow. Categories included picture book, science, special programs, and Great Books to Great Movies. There were also Culinary Demos (Let’s Read America).

 

September 5, 2015

135,000

Authors: 170

 

So many authors, so little time!

 

In its 15th year, the Festival had come a long way from its beginnings of 32 authors. More than five times that (170) appeared. The 15th also featured the public debut of Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera. He announced his laureateship project, “La Casa de Colores.”

 

Attendance soared to 135,000. Authors included Buzz Aldrin, Juan Felipe Herrera, Claudia Rankine, David McCullough, Naomi Shibab Nye, David Balducci, Ellen Oh, Maureen Corrigan, Walter Isaacson, Tom Gjelten, Erika Lee, David Maraniss, Al Roker, Ray Suarez, Barry Svrluga, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Joseph Ellis, Edward Larson, Maria Jose Navia, Mark Plotkin, Jeffery Deaver, David Ignatius, Tom Brokow, Annette Gordon-Reed, and Jon Meacham.

 

The festival highlighted Romance Fiction. In that category were Beverly Jenkins, Sarah MacLean, and Paige Tyler.

 

September 24, 2016

Attendance: Not Provided

Authors: 134

 

After a long tenure as the Librarian of Congress, James Billington gave way to Dr. Carla Hayden. For the first time, the event was live streamed on Facebook.

 

The LOC Prize for American Fiction was awarded to Marilynne Robinson. Stephen King was honored for “his work promoting literacy and reading with the Library of Congress Literacy Champion Citation.”

 

Authors included Hayden and King, Salman Rushdie, Bob Woodward, Newt Gingrich, Roberto Canessa, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shonda Rhimes, Herve Tullet, Ken Burns, Newt Gingrich, Rep. John Lewis, Roberto Canessa, Kwame Alexander, Winston Groom, Monica Hesse, Angela Davis, Diane Rehm, James McBride, Jeffery Toobin, Geraldine Brooks, Rep. Steven J. Israel, and Eric Weiner.

 

Categories increased to 13 and included International.

 

September 2, 2017

Attendance: Not Provided

Authors: 110

 

In a surprise move, the festival moved up to September 2, Labor Day Weekend.

But once again, the author list was long and impressive. Notables included Margot Lee Shetterly, Condoleeza Rice, Cokie Roberts, David McCullough, Diana Gabaldon, Michael Lewis, David McCullough, J.D. Vance, Michael Eric Dyson, Ibram X. Kendi, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Ha Jin, Alice McDermott, Scott Turow, David Balducci, Marie Lu, Sabaa Tahir, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Veronica Murguia. Children authors totaled 31.

 

September 1, 2018

Attendance: Not Provided

Authors: 112

 

Attending the festival can involve making tough choices when the appearance time of your favorites overlap. Keeping your seat is also a strategy some employ. What a lineup this year had at the Main Stage with Dave Eggers, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Madeleine Albright, Amy Tan, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jon Meacham, and Isabel Allende filing the bill from 10 am to 7 pm.

 

Other notables included U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, Kate DiCamillo, Minh Le, Brian Selznick, Jacqueline Woodson, James Swanson, Jennifer Egan, Min Jin Lee, Celeste Ng, Annie Proux, David Ignatius, Brad Meltzer, Ron Chernow, Erica Dunbar Armstrong, Sujathat Gidla, Isabel Wilkerson, and Gordon S. Wood.

 

A new category, “Understanding Our World,” was added.

 

August 31, 2019

200,000

Authors: 148

 

As noted by the festival website, the Main Stage, History & Biography Stage, and Understanding Our World Stage, were moved to accommodate more audience members.

Authors numbered 148 and included Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chef José Andrés, Actor Matthew Gray Gubler, David McCullough, Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Beschloss, Richard Ford, Raina Telgemeier, Henry Louis Gates, Jon Scieszka, Monica Hesse, Louis Bayard, Barbary Kingsolver, Douglas Brinkley, Evan Thomas, Amitav Ghosh, Kim Thuy, Julia Alverez, Jenny Xie, Frans de Waal, David Blight, Judge Richard Gergel, and Steven Pearlstein.

 

2020

Scheduled for August 29

Held Virtually September 25-27

 

There was a twist in the plot for the twentieth festival, as the Covid-19 pandemic led to it becoming virtual. The show did go on with the virtual appearances. The festival website notes there were more than 120 participants, but only lists the featured authors. They included Madeleine Albright, Colson Whitehead, Haben Girma, John Grisham, and Tomi Adeyemi.

 

September 17-26, 2021

Authors: More than 100

 

A second straight year of virtual programming that stretched across ten days. The theme was “Open a Book, Open the World.”

 

As noted by the NBF website, “For the first time, the Festival also included interviews presented with The Washington Post Live and through podcasts produced and distributed by NPR.”

 

Featured authors were Jason Reynolds, Roxane Gay, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Michael J. Fox, Angie Thomas. Fiction roared with 31 authors.

 

September 3, 2022

Attendance: Not Provided

Authors: 74

 

The glorious return, the festival once again becomes an in-person event. Nevertheless, some of the events were virtual and live-streamed.

 

Featured authors included:

 

Janelle Monáe, Nyle DiMarco, Nick Offerman, Leslie Jordan

Geraldine Brooks, Clint Smith, Mitch Albom, Sabaa Tahir, Kate Clifford Larson, Candice Millard, David Maraniss, Celeste Headlee, Kirsten Chen, Xochitl, Nghi Vo, and Daniel Bergner. Categories included a Writers Studio.

 

August 12, 2023

Attendance: Not Provided

Authors: 74

 

The Festival made another date move, holding it on August 12.  The traditional categories gave way to Inspiration, Creativity, Curiosity, Discovery, Insight, and Understanding.

 

A look at the list of authors reveals a changing of the guard if you will, with previous long time notables giving way to new and future stars. But the list of authors remained impressive as always.

 

Concluding Thoughts:

 

In September 2020, Angela Haupt wrote an article in The Washington Post that provided an oral history of the first festival in 2001.

 

Author Gail Tsukiyama said:

 

“I was terrified. It was a big white tent, outside the Capitol, and there were a couple hundred chairs, and my first thought was, what if they’re all empty? Because that was a lot of chairs!”

 

She concluded by saying, “But something really wonderful about the National Book Festival is that the seats fill up. People come.”

 

They most certainly do…

“Perfection Scarcely Equaled:” Five National Historic Landmark Houses in Annapolis

How about this as a remarkable feature for a neighborhood in the US?

Standing within a radius of about 400 feet of each other, five brick mansion houses have a combined age of about 1,250 years.

Don’t know where else that is the case, but it certainly is in Annapolis.

As seen on the two maps we prepared, five large brick Georgian mansions, each a National Historic Landmark, the highest honor, are located close together between the State House and the Naval Academy.   

And the distinctions don’t stop there.

Three (Paca, Chase-Lloyd, Peggy Stewart) were the homes of Maryland Declaration of Independence signers.  Three (Paca, Brice, Hammond-Harwood) are five-part (large center section flanked by hyphens and wings on each side). Two (Hammond-Harwood and Brice) have American Revolution connections.   

In his book, “Annapolis Houses,” author Deering Davis heaps even more praise.

“During the decade, 1765-1775, six private dwellings were constructed in Annapolis which for sophistication of architectural design and superb detail both exterior and interior, reached a point of perfection scarcely equaled elsewhere on this continent before or since.”   

With the coming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, this is a great time to put the spotlight on these homes.   They were all built in those heady days in Annapolis when the colonies were coming together to resist British laws and the town was blossoming as a capital city and seaport.   

Their construction was part of that period in the city that led to, as Jane W. Williams (“Annapolis, City on the Severn: A History”) put it,“the fulfillment of New World dreams.”   

In 1768, 90 vessels arrived.  In 1774, the figure was 269.   The population and attendance at theaters and horse races surged.   In 1771, George Washington was so enamored with Annapolis he lodged for eight days, dining with the likes of Charles Carroll, taking in four plays, and dancing at four balls.   Born in Chester, Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827) began his prolific career as a portraitist in Annapolis around this time.   He would paint and become friends with Paca and Chase.  Lawyers, craftsmen, elected officials, tavern keepers, and merchants benefitted from the prosperous times, while the enslaved and others did not.   

Below is our five write-ups.   Please note that, commensurate with the available sources, we provide more information on the residents than the houses themselves.

As far as visiting, the Paca House and Gardens is your best bet.  Hammond-Harwood has some tours, but check the days and hours.  The Brice House is being restored and will become a museum.   The Chase-Lloyd is in a state of uncertain change.  The Rutland House is private.

 

Rutland-Jenifer-Stone (Peggy Stewart) House

1761-1764

207 Hanover St.

At first we were tempted to not include this one in our look.   It’s not quite as grand in size as the other four, is privately owned, and our map was getting crowded.    

But this house was the first of the group to be built and has Revolution stories including one involving the burning of a ship and its British tea.  It also brings Charles County into the fold, and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer just might be the coolest name ever.   

Starting sometime between 1761 and 1764, a time when the colonists were not yet annoyed with Parliament, Thomas Rutland, an import merchant in Annapolis, financed this one.   

Little is known about Rutland, but we certainly do know about the patriot who Rutland sold it to in 1772.   Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (1723-1790) was not a signer of the Declaration, but he distinguished himself during these years of Revolution, and signed the US Constitution.   The book, “Shapers of the Great Debate at the Constitution,” quotes delegate William Pierce as describing him as “a gentleman who is always in good humor.” His portrait by John Hesselius (1728-1778) shows a robust figure with a confidant pose. 

Jenifer was born at “Coates Retirement,” now known as Ellerslie (extant) near Port Tobacco.  The NRHP form notes it is privately owned and is one of Charles County’s most important landmarks. 

Note:  I wondered how Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer got his name.  Didn’t see anything on the web so I asked the park ranger at the Thomas Stone NPS site.  He said one thought is the St Thomas part was put in to distinguish it from the other Daniel Jenifers.  The St Thomas part comes from St Thomas Manor, the jurisdiction of the church in Port Tobacco.   Daniel lived within that parish area.

Jenifer’s father, Dr. Daniel Jenifer, owned the property.  Jenifer’s mother was Elizabeth Mason, a daughter of Robert Mason (1653-1700).   Jenifer’s brother was Daniel Jenifer (1723-1790).   Along with his partner Robert Townsend Hooe, Daniel Jenifer ran a merchant store in Alexandria from 1773 to 1778.   They exported wheat, flour, and tobacco.

As noted by “Graves of our Founders,” little is known about Daniel’s childhood.   He surely walked the short distance to the village of Port Tobacco many times, as it was less than a half mile from the family plantation house.   Before silting doomed it, the seaport activity there was robust and Port Tobacco served as the county seat from 1727-1895. 

Around 1766, Jenifer, who was never married, inherited Stepney, his father’s plantation near the South River south of Annapolis.  He lived there for most of his life. 

Like Chase, Stone, and Paca, Jenifer became a lawyer.   He served in public office before the Revolution, helped secure aid during it, served as president of Maryland Senate in 1777, the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1782, a member of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and signed the US Constitution.    

In March 1785, Jenifer, along with Thomas Stone, Samuel Chase, and George Mason, participated in the Mount Vernon Conference at Mount Vernon.  Washington had been interested in seeing navigation and commerce flow along the Potomac.  The Mount Vernon Compact as it was known, drew up a number of agreements.   As the Mount Vernon website notes, the conference “helped set a precedent for discussions into areas of mutual concern amongst the states.”

Jenifer is mentioned in George Washington’s diary a number of times.  Washington dined with him on September 29, 1771.   Jenifer was living at Stepney at this time.  Jenifer dined at Mount Vernon on November 21, 1771.

Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer moved to Annapolis in 1766 and acquired the house in 1772.   That summer he sold it to Anthony Stewart, a merchant in Annapolis and British Loyalist who owned the cargo ship Peggy Stewart (named for his daughter). 

In October, 1774, a mob in Annapolis forced Stewart to burn his ship and the British tea on it.  Stewart fled in 1779 and his wife sold the dwelling back to Jenifer.   

In 1783, Jenifer sold the house to Stone.   After Stone passed away in 1787, Jenifer re-acquired the property.   He lived there until his passing in 1790.   In 1801, Jenifer’s executors sold the house to Thomas Harwood in 1801.

As noted by the National Register for Historic Places nomination form, the house was extensively remodeled in 1894, including its hipped roof and rebuilt chimneys.  The interior has also undergone considerable remodeling.   

Through the years, the house was substantially modified.  The gable roof was replaced with a hipped roof.   The interior was extensive remodeled. 

 

Thomas Stone 1743-1787

In 1783, Jenifer sold the house to Thomas Stone (1743-1787), a lawyer, planter, delegate to the Continental Congress (1783-1784), and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  As mentioned, Stone was Jenifer’s nephew.

“Tales in the Tree” describes Stone as a “mild-mannered intellectual and pacifist who eventually sided with his fellow aristocrats.”  He signed the Declaration and served on the committee that wrote Articles of Confederation in 1777.

Like Jenifer, Stone grew up (Poynton Manor) close to where the ships came in at Port Tobacco in Charles County.   His grandfather was Thomas Stone, first proprietary governor of Maryland.  Stone and Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer lived close to each other.

Like many others in this story, Stone was a planter, a part of the sad reality that kept their enslaved far, far away from any freedoms the colonial leaders in Virginia and Maryland desired and fought for.

Once again, "Graves of our Founders" gives us some of the best insight into the life of this founding father.   He rode on his horse ten miles to be tutored in Latin and Greek, a young mind that would learn the facets of law from Thomas Johnson in Annapolis.   Johnson (1732-1819) would go on to become a Delegate to the First Continental Congress and a Supreme Court Justice.

In 1768, Stone married Margaret Brown.  Her father was Dr. Gustavus Brown (1747-1804), who studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and founded the Medical and Chirurgical Facility of Maryland in 1799.  Brown attended to Washington in his final days.  He lived at nearby Rose Hill.   Rose Hill (built c. 1783 in brick in the five part Georgian-style), is extant and is a private home just south of the Thomas Stone house and site.

Stone was admitted to the bar in 1774.  After a circuit practice that took him to Frederick and Annapolis, he opened an office in Port Tobacco.   In the same year, he joined the Charles County Committee of Correspondence, which opposed British taxation.   In 1775, Stone went to Philadelphia as a delegate to the Continental Congress.   He signed the Declaration of Independence, along with Paca, Carroll, and Chase.

The Stone home is Haberdeventure or Habre de Venture.  A marker at this historic house and site managed by the National Park Service notes Jenifer, Stone’s maternal uncle, influenced his political career.    Thomas read law at the office of Thomas Johnson in Annapolis, was admitted to the bar in 1764.  He  helped to draft the Articles of Confederation.

In 1783, Jenifer sold the house in Annapolis to Stone (1743-1787).  Margaret passed away in 1787 and Stone drew his last breathe just four months later. He was laid to rest at Habre de Venture.

When Stone passed away in 1787, Jenifer purchased it once again.  He held it until his passing in 1790.  His executors sold the house to Thomas Harwood in 1801.  It later underwent extensive remodeling and has been a private residence.  Four years later when Stone passed away, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer reacquired it and owned it until 1790.

Thomas Harwood acquired the property in 1801.  The house, a private residence, was extensively remodeled in 1894.   

 

William Paca House

186 Prince George St.

1765

Annapolis historian Jean B. Russo gives us a terrific bio of Paca.  He (1740-1799) was born in the family home in Harford County and educated in Philadelphia.  Paca read law with Stephen Bordley (1710-1764), a well-known barrister in Annapolis.   Russo writes he absorbed the broadest eduction that the colonial world had to offer.   

In 1763, Paca married into money.  He and Mary Chew then began building their palatial mansion and extensive gardens. 

Paca emerged during those heady days of participating in the cause of independence.   Standing at six foot tall, he stood out in the city that would produce four signers of the Declaration of Independence.   It's worth pointing out that Maryland is the only state in which the homes of all its signers of the Declaration of Independence are extant.  A marker in Annapolis takes it one better and points out Annapolis is the only such city.

Along with his close friend and neighbor, Samuel Chase (1741-1811), Paca formed a Sons of Liberty chapter in Annapolis.    At age 26, he was elected to the Common-Council of the capital city.   It’s been written Paca preferred to take a back seat to others, but he was certainly a player in the hallowed halls of Revolution.  Paca served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress, and inked his name on the Declaration in July, 1776.   

Paca dined with the Washingtons at Mount Vernon on July 23, 1774.  President Washington appointed him as Judge of the US District Court in Maryland (1789-1799).

In terms of who would rise to positions of power, in the colonial era, birth order was a crucial factor.  Typically, the first born son received all the benefits of primogeniture.   For the others, marriage could elevate social standing. 

In 1763, Paca married Mary Chew (1735-1774).   Her grandfather, Colonel Lloyd, owned the Wye plantation on the Eastern Shore.  Her wealth and familial connections allowed Paca, the second born, to complete the societal requirements of high-ranking gentry.   

In 1765, the couple completed their new home just two blocks from where the new State House would rise up (completed 1779) overlooking the seaport.    There was something very special about this part of the city.   Where most towns and cities used the grid system, Annapolis was laid out with streets that radiated out from the circle around the hill-topped State House.   A short walk down the hill and towards land that would become the Naval Academy, a handful of large brick Georgian mansions would rise up.  The Paca House was one of the first completed and stretched out in its five-part plan.   

As John Martin Hammond points out, “the interior of this house is not characterized by the elaborate ornamentation that distinguishes some other Annapolis homes.”  Nevertheless, the property shines in its grand size and in the back yard.

Virginia and Maryland have been blessed with some lovely formal gardens built in the colonial era and the Paca’s put together one of them.   Covering two acres, they consisted of four parterres — rose, flower, boxwood, and holly —  a wilderness garden, a bridge, a pond, and a Summer House.

After Mary passed away in 1774, Paca, in 1780, moved to the Wye Island plantation on the Eastern Shore.   He built Wye Hall, and drew his last breath there in 1799. 

Subsequent occupants of the Paca House include Thomas Jennings (Maryland’s Attorney General).  Before completing their Riversdale mansion in 1807, Henri Joseph Stier and his family, who had fled France during the French Revolution, rented the home.   Their daughter, Rosalie, married George Calvert.  The couple lived in Riversdale after Henri and his wife re-patriated.

In 1903, the Paca house was added on to and became Carvel Hall, a luxury hotel with 200 rooms.   The house served as the lobby.   Carvel Hall became the finest place to stay in Annapolis.   As told by WMAR in Baltimore, part of the story was Marcellus Hall.  He became the maitre d' and earned fame as a “bigger than life man” who was the first African-American to give guided tours in the city.

During the Carvel Hall era, the Paca House still stood tall, but the large gardens in the rear were covered by the additions, as well as a parking lot and a bus station.    

It’s hard to believe now, but in the mid-60s, there was talk of demolishing not only the added on parts, but also the Paca House.   One plan was for a high-rise office.

In 1965, Historic Annapolis came to the rescue and acquired the property.   In order to try and find the gardens, the added on parts were demolished.   Anne St. Clair Wright (1910-1993), daughter of a Rear Admiral and a beloved preservationist, raised $250,000 for the purchase of the house and land.   Retired Marine Colonel William W. Paca (1896-1978), a descendant, was also active in the effort.

With no written records to pore through, the effort turned in part to a 1772 portrait of Paca by Charles Willson Peale.   It shows a summer house and a trellis bridge in the gardens.   

Archaeologists, including Thomas Cuddy, discovered the pond, canal, bridge, and outbuildings dating to Paca’s time.  Experts fully restored the gardens and the house.   Using money she received as the recipient of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual award, St. Clair Wright paid for the construction of the Chinese Chippendale Bridge. The house opened to the public in 1976.    

Fritz Hahn (hat tip) recently included the Paca House in his article (“Need beauty? These are 7 of the most gorgeous gardens in the D.C. area.”) in The Washington Post.   

Guided tours of the house are given, while tours of the garden are self-guided.   Currently, part of the price of admission is an exhibition, "We Hold These Truths: Maryland’s Signers and the Declaration of Independence at the William Paca House and Garden.”

In her article covering the restoration (“A Grand House Restored,” The Washington Post (August 29, 1976), Sarah Booth Conway concluded by saying:

“The Paca House restoration is typical of the way Annapolis itself is being restored.  Handsome historic buildings are courteously restored and are given the greatest tribute possible to age - a useful present.”

It all adds up to a wonderful place to visit.

 

Chase-Lloyd House

22 Maryland Avenue

1769-1774

Born in Somerset County, Samuel Chase was elected to the Maryland General Assembly in 1764.   He became a lawyer in Annapolis and along with his friend William Paca, he co-founded the Annapolis chapter of Sons of Liberty.   Chase represented Maryland in the Continental Congress.  Like his fellow Marylanders —Charles Carroll, William Paca, and Thomas Stone — Samuel Chase inked his name on the Declaration of Independence.   

In 1786, Chase moved to Baltimore.   Appointed by President Washington, he served as Associate Justice of Supreme Court from 1796 to 1811.   A blemish on his record was being impeached in 1804 by the US Senate, the charge of alleged political bias.  He was acquitted on the charges and remains the only such justice of the highest robes to be impeached.

Chase began construction in 1769.  Two years later, he ran out of money.  He sold the not-fully-complete dwelling to Edward Lloyd IV, a planter in Talbot County.   Williams writes it was Lloyd IV who persuaded master craftsman William Buckland to leave Virginia for Maryland in 1772 to finish the job.  Williams also notes Buckland’s work here, “remains the most exquisite.”    

Lloyd had married Elizabeth Tayloe, daughter of John Tayloe of Mount Airy (near Warsaw) in Virginia.  In the 1780s, Lloyd, who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress for Maryland, constructed the Wye House across the bay in Talbot County.  The great Frederick Douglass was enslaved there.   

Lloyd hired Buckland (1734-1774) to finish the mansion. In the book, "The Groundbreakers," we learn more about Buckland.   Born in Oxford, he came to America as an indentured servant to Thomson Mason, brother of George Mason.   Gunston Hall was his first design.  He worked on John Tayloe’s Mount Airy (“one of the finest Palladian houses in America”) and possibly Menokin.

In 1773, Buckland went to Annapolis, where he “emerged as the major architect of his time.”   The Chase-Lloyd is one of the first three-story Georgian houses in America.   Buckland “created a Palladian three-part doorway.”  The composition was “highly unusual and rarely seen prior to the American Revolution.”  The Palladian three-part window was also unusual.  Buckland would design this one and the Hammond-Harwood house across the street.   

The Chase-Lloyd is the only three-story high-style Georgian mansion in Annapolis.   It was completed in 1774.   As a marker notes, Buckland designed many of the interior features including the “magnificent cantilevered imperial staircase and elaborate decorative details.”

The National Historic Landmark forms writes:

“Its every detail evidences an effort to achieve the ultimate in magnificence.  Among finest of three-story brick Georgian houses. Many original features remain.  Interior richly ornamented.    Decorative details matched by few other colonial houses.”

Francis Scott Key, who attended nearby St John’s College and the Lloyd’s daughter Mary Taylor Lloyd, were married here.   

When Lloyd IV passed away, his son Edward Lloyd V inherited the mansion.  Hammond writes it was the scene of many brilliant social entertainments.   With Lloyd V elected Governor in 1809, the house became the Governor’s Mansion. 

In 1826, Lloyd V sold the house to his son-in-law Henry Hall Harwood.  In 1847, Miss Hester Ann Chase, daughter of Jeremiah T. Chase, acquired it.  She willed it to her nieces, Matilda and Frances Chase. 

Their surviving sister Hester Ann Chase Ridout (buried at Whitehall with her husband) inherited it.  Her will and trust directed that the house be used for older, needy women.  In 1889, The Chase Home was established.   Some of the house hold items and “minor colonial relics” remained.  Up until about 2022, it operated that way as a non-profit.   

In his 1914 book, “Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware,” John Martin Hammond gives us glimpses of the house in those days.   Visitors wanting to see inside were not turned down.  The garden was “not so orderly as it once was,” but “still showed the plan” from its first days.   

In 1953, one year after Historic Annapolis was established, the home was opened to the public as part of an autumn tours program.

Now the house is in a state of uncertainty.   On June 23, 2024, the Capital Gazette published an Editorial titled, “Let’s stay committed to welfare of disadvantaged women.”  It was written by Elly Tierney, Annapolis, who represents Ward 1 on the City Council.

Among the things she pointed out are:

The Chase Home no longer operates as an independent living facility for women.  Despite this change, the organization remains committed to its mission, albeit through different means.   But this transition has left the Chase-Lloyd House vacant, raising critical questions about its future use and how best to honor Hester Chase Ridout’s legacy.

By embracing innovative solutions and staying true to Hester Chase Ridout’s vision, we can create a new chapter for the Chase Home — one that honors its rich history while addressing the urgent needs of today. Let’s seize this moment to make a lasting impact, proving that the spirit of the Chase Home is alive and capable of evolving to meet modern challenges.

 

Hammond-Harwood

19 Maryland Avenue

1774

 

1774.  What a year across the colonies.   After the British passed the Intolerable Acts, patriot ire led to documents such as the Fairfax Resolves in Alexandria and the burning of the Peggy Stewart in Annapolis. 

Mathias Hammond (1748-1786) was not a signer of the Declaration, but he was a wealthy planter, a vestryman of St. Anne’s Parish, and was part of the patriotic fire in Annapolis. 

His older brother, John Hammond built Acton Hall.  The Society of Architectural Historians tell us it features an unusual octagonal configuration for the rear facade, and that Mathias used the same approach.

And, with William Buckland as his designer, he built one of the largest houses in the city.

In 1773, Hammond represented Annapolis as delegate to Maryland General Assembly.  A year later Hammond hired architect William Buckland for the design.   As noted at our write up on the Chase-Lloyd House, Buckland had finished the design of that house across the street.    

Author and Annapolis historian Jean Russo writes a terrific bio on Hammond (The Hammond-Harwood Association, 1992).  She tells us he assumed his first major civil role in April 1773 when he was chosen as a vestryman for the St. Anne’s Parish, which had been established in 1692.   Among the other vestrymen was William Paca, his neighbor.  In May, Hammond and Paca began to serve as delegates for Annapolis to the General Assembly.   

Then came 1774.  Not only was it a landmark year across the colonies, but also in Annapolis.  All five homes in his part of the city were either completed or nearly finished.  Hammond hired William Buckland.  

Meanwhile, patriot fire was burning hot in Annapolis.   As Russo writes, from June 1774 to August 1774, Hammond was increasingly involved in the movement toward revolution and independence through his service in five conventions.   These extra-legal bodies were pushing the envelope of breaking away from the British rule and becoming a form of government.   

As mentioned in our discussion of the Rutland/Jenifer/Stone (Peggy Stewart) House, Anthony Stewart’s ship the Peggy Steward was burned.  As Russo puts it, it was because the cargo included tea on which the tax had been paid, in violation of the non-importation agreement.  Hammond was one of the leaders of the “radical group” that forced Stewart to set fire to his vessel.

While Paca and Chase would continue their patriotic service, Hammond ended his in August 1775.   It seems he retreated to Howard’s Adventure, his plantation home in Gambrills, and chose not to live in the grand mansion he built.

Some have suggested the reason was his bride to be from Philadelphia eloped with someone else.  Russo writes that there is no documentary evidence to support this folklore.   She does point out that it is unusual he never married.

The Hammond-Harwood website notes this house is the only structure with both the interior and exterior designed by Buckland.  He worked on it until his passing.  His apprentice John Randall completed the dwelling.  The National Register for Historic Places form notes it is “a colonial masterpiece.” 

The Groundbreakers notes the front door is an extraordinarily carved piece. 

Deering heaps praise on the Hammond-Harwood House, writing it is "without a doubt one of the finest medium sized houses of the world."   He also tells us Buckland’s granddaughter, Sarah Callahan, married Richard Harwood, and became mistress of the house.

Charles Willson Peale’s portrait of Buckland shows a sketch of this house beside him.  Hammond never lived in it, instead remaining at his plantation house in Gambrills.

After Mathias Hammond’s passing, the house stayed in the family until Ninian Pickney acquired it in 1810.  In 1811, Jeremiah Townley Chase bought the house for his daughter Frances and her husband Richard Loockerman.  They lived there until 1924.   

Hester Ann Harwood, a granddaughter of Frances Chase Lockerman, and daughter of William Harwood, was the final owner.  After she passed, some of the furniture was sold.

In November, 1927, The Washington Post reported that ten rare pieces of early American furniture, placed in 1774 by Hammond, was donated by Francis P. Garvin of New York.    They included six Chippendale chairs.  

St. John’s College acquired the house in 1926.  They began a decorative arts program there and opened it as a museum.   The Hammond-Harwood website tells us it was the first of its kind in the US.

In 1940, the Hammond-Harwood Association bought the house.  They offer tours.  A marker there points out it is home to one of the nation's premier decorative and fine arts collections.

The Hammond-Harwood House is celebrating its 250th birthday with a series of events starting August 14.

 

James Brice House

42 East Street

Note:  The James Brice House is currently closed due to restoration.

1767-1774

Archives of Maryland gives us the best look at the life of James Brice (1746-1801).   Born in Annapolis, he earned income as a planter and a lawyer.

Brice was not a signer, but served as a colonel in the Maryland militia in 1779, as well as an Annapolis alderman, Mayor, treasurer, state Senator, and acting governor in 1792.   The will of his father, John Brice (1705-1766), directed the building of a house in the city.

Williams calls him the anomaly of the group of Paca, Chase and Hammond, in that the foundation and plans for his mansion were the dying gift of his father, and he completed the house while still unmarried.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation wrote an article on the five-part Palladian house in 2018.   They tell us that Brice meticulously documented the construction of his house in a leather-bound book.   To the delight of historians and preservationists, a volunteer archivist discovered the book in 1971.  Specific details of house constructions are sometimes hard to know.  In this case, it started April, 1767 and was completed in 1774.

Historic Annapolis gives us the ownership timeline.   The Brice family owned it until the 1870s.  The Martin family then acquired, followed by the owners of the Carvell Hall Hotel in 1911.   

St John’s College acquired the house in 1927 and converted it to faculty apartments.  In 1953, Stanley and Helen Wohl then became owners.  In 1979, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen purchased the house.

John Martin Harwood ("Colonial Mansions of Maryland and Delaware") also wrote about the house.  He calls this one “unquestionably the most magnificent colonial home in Annapolis.”

The NRHP summary points out the Brice House “lacks the embellishments of Palladian pavilions and classic pediment, but the boldness and simplicity of its masses and its imposing scale make it one of the most impressive brick buildings in American Georgian architecture.

The Society of Architectural Historians notes:  "Its clean, bold simplicity and imposing scale set it apart as one of colonial Maryland’s great houses."

They add:

"The ballroom is one of the great rooms of the Georgian period, and features a carved wood fireplace with exceptionally ornate lateral consoles flanking the opening, an ornamented frieze, and an eared overmantel panel."

In 2014, the State of Maryland acquired the house.  Historic Annapolis has been restoring it using experts who have worked on Mount Vernon and Monticello.  As their blog notes, it will become a museum, open on a regular basis for the first time.    

Historic Annapolis points out:

"the house holds the potential to go beyond the traditional historic house museum to tell a greater story, which will emphasize both the contribution of those who toiled to make the structure what is was in 1774, and highlight the skills of a new generation of builders, conservators and technicians who will restore the house to its former glory.  Nowhere else in Maryland can a similar story be told in such depth and richness as here at the James Brice House."

That last sentence is a bold statement, but from what we have seen with these five houses, they add up to to something very special in this great city.

We thank those who have preserved these homes through the years and continue to do so.  They stand as sentinels to the past, and will help us better understand the events of 250 years ago.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rectortown

One of the most interesting types of places in the region are the villages that have been preserved and have very few commercial places.   The ones I have been to are Waterford, Millwood, Buckland, and now, Rectortown. 

Like the others, Rectortown, located about six miles south of Middleburg and three north of Marshall in Fauquier County, is a special place.   Adding to its charm is the the surrounding preserved landscapes of this part of horse and hunt country and the uphill climb to an unspoiled view shed of the Shenandoah mountains.

First called Maidstone, Rectortown was founded in 1772 on land owned by John Rector.  Seems likely the name Maidstone paid homage to the town of Maidstone in Kent, where Thomas Lord Fairfax lived before coming to the colony of Virginia. 

The NHRP form says Rectortown is the oldest town in Fauquier County and describes it as a “remarkably intact collection of structures from the 18th, 19th and 20th century.”   

In some ways, the standout house is "Maidenstone Ordinary."  The form points out it was probably built in 1793 when Daniel Floweree ran it as a tavern.  I was fortunate to speak briefly with someone living there.  She was aware of its history and said previous residents shared some stories about it. 

Spread out across 115 acres, the Rectortown Historic District contains 76 contributing properties.  It includes two churches, a school, an Odd Fellows Hall, the post office, and historic residences.  Six properties date to the last half of the 18th c.  Materials include log, stone, and brick.   An African American community rose up after the Civil War.

George Washington knew this place and the area.  In 1772 he came into ownership of a 600-acre tract of land nearby on Chattins Run (southwest of Rectortown).  Founders Online tells us he gained it after viewing it with Bryan, Eighth Lord Fairfax, who owed him money.    

Fielding Lewis Jr. (1751-1803) a nephew of Washington (son of his sister Betty) wanted to build a house in Rectortown.   By this time, Lewis had fallen deep into debt.  In December, 1786, Washington replied to Lewis. He described “Recter Town” as:

“a place which, I presume, originated with, & will end in two or three Gin Shops, which probably will exist no longer than they serve to ruin the proprietors, & those who make the most frequent applications to them.” 

Another interesting feature of Rectortown is the railroad.  Starting in the early 1850s, the Manassas Gap Railroad came through the southern edge of the town.  The track, still active with the occasional freight runs by the Norfolk-Southern Railway, takes basically a straight east to west approach from Manassas except for south of here where it makes a hard right at Marshall, goes up a mile north to Rectortown, and then southward to Delaplane.

As pointed out by the NRHP form, the Rector family donated land to the Manassas Gap railroad to ensure the tracks would come through the town and pass by their established store.

In 1835, Rectortown had a population of 100, with blacksmith shops, mills, stores, and some artisans.  At its peak in the late 19c, the community had a school and church and several commercial enterprises.  Those buildings became homes.   The Post Office is still there, and the church, and a population of about 50.

Rectortown made the Alexandria Gazette from time to time.  In July 1823, Thomas Rector advertised “Entertainment at Milan Springs.  Goose Creek near the Village of Rectortown.”  Major General George McClellan certainly never forgot Rectortown.  He was relieved of his duties there in November, 1862.

As told by William Page Johnson (The Fare Facs Gazette, Winter, 2015), Rectortown was the scene of a murder in 1859.   Charles Rufus Ayres, who lived in Rectortown, was killed after an argument.   Worried she might be sold away, Mary, enslaved by Ayres, and her daughter Fannie (Ayres was the father) escaped to New York.  Fannie became the most photographed “slave child” in US history.

Rectortown stands quietly off the radar, but Vicky Moon, author of "The Middleburg Mystique," shined a light in an article (“Reliving farming’s bygone days in Rectortown,” May 25, 2018) in the Fauquier Times.  She points out one of the buildings near the railroad was a farm center, and once served as an International Harvester equipment center.   The building is "significant as a rare example of a mid-19c stone commercial building with a fairly intact interior." 

J. Randolph Embrey displayed farm equipment before passing away in 2018.   According to the NRHP, the current owner wanted it to become a museum.  It if comes to fruition, perhaps an exhibit would include gin bottles and a note that Rectortown turned out just fine...

 

 

YYZ: The Rush Pilgrimage, June 2000 (Reprint)

Washington’s local ABC affiliate News7 had a TV promo blast for Toronto earlier this week.  Seeing some of it brought back wonderful memories of when my Rush pal Derek Bacharach and I went there in June, 2000 for a Rush pilgrimage.  We used Bruce Holtgren’s "A Rush Fan's Guide to Toronto" and went to a number of sites.

 

Below is a reprint of my article from June, 2000.  I also include an email Bruce sent to me in 2011. 

 

It was certainly a hoot for me to re-visit our trip.   This took place, of course, before smart phones made such experiences much easier.   When Derek and I were trying to find Fisherville Junior High School, where Geddy and Alex went, we had quite the time of it.  We used a public phone, dialed the operator, got the address, flagged down a passer by, looked at his map, found the address, walked down a couple of streets, and finally found it.

 

Anyway, hope you enjoy.   I'll let folks in Toronto provide any updates as far as places closed down.  I do know Sam's Record Store ended their long run and one can visit Neil Peart Memorial at Lakeside Park and Lee Lifeson Art Park in Willowdale.   Alex no longer co-owns The Orbit Room.

 

 

YYZ: The Rush Pilgrimage

June 2000

 

Greetings, Rush fans. My friend Derek and I have just completed the trip of a lifetime, a Rush pilgrimage to Toronto. This article, more a diary than a guide, chronicles our four days there. I hope it can help you in some way if you decide to go to Toronto to see the Rush sites.

 

These writings piggyback on A Rush Fan’s Guide to Toronto.  Bruce Holtgren, whose email address is now just a one lane bridge on the information superhighway, wrote this outstanding guide in 1995.

 

Toronto: June 22-25, 2000

 

Take off, to the Great White North

Take off, it's a beauty way to go...

 

Day One, Thursday. YYZ, Massey Hall, Maple Leaf Gardens, Rush Mural.

 

Twenty years ago, Neil wrote, "It is always a happy day when YYZ appears on our luggage tags." Although it was our first time in Toronto, Derek and I were also very happy upon our arrival at Lester B. Pearson International Airport. After claiming our baggage (the tag was, of course, a keeper), we took the Pacific Northwestern bus to our hotel in midtown Toronto. Cost one way was $10.75 (All prices are Canadian).

 

The ride through downtown, an excellent orientation, carried us to the Delta Chelsea Hotel (on Gerrard St between Bay and Younge). From there, we walked east past Younge St to our hotel.

 

Our digs for the next three nights was the Neil Wycik College Hotel located at 96 Gerrard St East (Between Church and Jarvis). My Frommer's guide indicated they took the "minimalist approach" and we found this to be true. It's a college dorm with thin walls and nothing in the rooms except a bed, and if you're lucky a chair. Having said that, I had a jingle in my pocket when I checked out - about $35 per night.

 

The Neil Wycik certainly isn't for everyone, but in addition to the rock bottom rates, the proximity to things Rush is excellent. Check-in time (around 4:30) was still two hours away, so we walked down to Massey Hall and then back up to Maple Leaf Gardens.

 

Massey Hall, the venerable brick building where Rush recorded ATWAS in 1976 and The Tragically Hip played the weekend we were there, is located at Shuter between Victoria and Bond. (Did you know it seats only 2,800?).

 

Maple Leaf Gardens, the place where hockey and rock concerts were once king, is at 60 Carlton Ave (corner of Carlton and Church). We moseyed into the gift shop and found a well-worn book about the acts that had played there through the years. We looked up our favorite band in the index and then read about how one fan was blown away by Xanadu. 

 

That afternoon we also visited Sam the Man's Record Store on Younge St. This boulevard is Toronto's main drag and contains an endless string of stores selling anything and everything. We searched all over for the Chronicles poster mentioned in ARFGTT, but it was an effort in vain.

 

I did spot a picture of Randy Bachman.  One of Sam's long time employees overheard me talking to Derek about it. This guy wore thick dirty glasses and ended his first three sentences to us in the classic Canadian "eh?"

 

He also helped us look for a picture of Geddy, but we never found it or anything else on the walls about our three heroes from Willowdale. Still, it was fun talking with this guy. We found him and just about every Canadian we met to be just like the tourbook said - friendly and helpful.

 

The highlight of our first day in Toronto turned out to be a surprise. Derek spotted it when he went up on the roof of our hotel for a look at the cityscape. It's a mural of the cover of TFE painted on the back of a building located at the corner of Church and Dundas. Very cool and a must take picture.

 

On Thursday night, Derek and I walked over to Chinatown for what turned out to be a great Chinese meal at Lee Garden (331 Spadina).  If I told you with dined there with Rush's long-time man of lights, Howard "Herns" Ungerleider, would you believe me?

 

Well, that isn't far from the truth. Eagle-eyed Derek spied him at a table when we walked in. Derek mustered up the courage to approach him and Herns turned out to be very much the gentleman Brian Harrigan describes in RUSH (Omnibus Press).

 

After our scrumptious meal and conversation with Herns, we walked over to Alex's Bar on College St (580A). The Orbit Room was a little smaller than I envisioned. Derek and I chatted up the beertender, a busy but friendly chap who let us in on the Alex skinny.

 

Big Al does visit his place regularly and will, on occasion, get up on the small stage and play. On one particular night not too long ago, Geddy, with some Cleveland Indians baseball players in toe, and Alex both jammed together. A picture on the wall near the stage freezes one of those moments.

 

Day Two, Friday. SRO/Anthem, Parliament Building (Moving Pictures Cover), Danforth & Pape, Walk of Fame, CN Tower, Blue Jays game at SkyDome.

 

After a quick bite of grub downstairs at the hotel's small cafeteria (a great alternative is a fresh food place down by where the mural is at Church and Gould), Derek and I set out for three Rush spots that were can't misses for us.

 

The first was Rush's long time record company Anthem (Remember when it was Moon?). SRO, their tour management company, is there also. Derek really had a desire to visit this spot. Through the years, he spent many a dime calling them for record and tour info.

 

After our tour of SRO/Anthem, we walked over to a place that many a Rush fan knows only as the building on the cover of Moving Pictures. Torontonians know it as the Parliament Building at Queen's Park. It was a gorgeous day and we took several photos. Some guy overheard us talking with the lone guard about the MP cover and said his friend can be seen on the album cover as the man on top of the van.

 

Our next destination was a certain famous crossroads north of Toronto. We hopped on the metro for the 20 minute ride. Toronto's subway system was highly touted in my guide book and we gave it two thumbs up.

 

At the Pape stop, we climbed the stairs, exited station left, and walked on Danforth heading south. The first light is the intersection of Danforth and Pape. There's nothing of particular interest there, just the three banks and a coffee shop. But this was one of those places we both agreed we had to see and, of course, photograph.

 

Taking a picture turned out to be none too easy because there was beaucoup de circulacion. As a reward for our efforts, we walked down Pape and dined at a Greek restaurant. This is Greektown so you won't have any problem finding a good restaurant.

 

On Friday afternoon we took the metro downtown. Our first stop was the Walk of Fame. It wasn't listed in my guide so we ended up asking for directions. Get off at the St. Andrews exit and take King St eastward to Simcoe. Look to your left and you will see a "space-aged" building that is known as the Roy Thompson (Theatre) Hall. Take a left on Simcoe and on the south side of the theatre hall is the Walk of Fame.

 

Rush is immortalized there along with some new members who were inducted the night we were there. William Shatner was one and I thought that was appropriate for Rush. Both Rush and Captain Kirk used sci-fi to help launch their careers.

 

Our next stop was that tall tower down by the water. Let me see, ah, the name of it is on the tip of my tongue. Don't tell me. Oh yea, the CN Tower! (Is it possible Rush asked Hugh Syme to put in a tall structure on the cover of AFTK to resemble what the CN Tower might look like? Was the CN Tower in the planning stages at that time? Just a thought.)

 

I jest, of course, but did you know that CN stands for Canadian National? I would imagine Canadians are mighty proud of this landmark. For 22 Canuck bucks, you can take a ride up to the Lookout and then the Skypod.

 

After a burger meal at one of those crowded-on-game-night, downtown bars on Front Street, Derek and I took in the Blue Jays game versus the Red Sox. Typically, what an American baseball fan can expect from a Blue Jays game is a somewhat laid back crowd. I'm certain Canadians go hog-wild over their hockey, but baseball takes a back seat.  Sure, they went wild in '92 and '93 when they won the World Series, but since then, Toronto has not been in contention very often.

 

This all seemed to change in this one game. The Blue Jays, who had not been in first place in the AL East this late in the season since 1993, were hot and had climbed to within a half a game of the first place Yankees. The Red Sox were also just one half game back.

 

The pre-game festivities were a lively celebration of the contributions Latin American players have made and are making to baseball. The Blue Jays starting lineup itself is a tribute to countries like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. It features at least five Latin American players and their fans were out in full force waving their colorful flags proudly high in hand.

 

The Blue Jays won Friday night 5-4 to take over first place. They won on Saturday and on Sunday hit three homers off the brilliant Pedro Martinez. The sweep of Boston was headline news. (As I write this, the Blue Jays have won 8 of 10 and have built a 2 game lead over the Yankees. Geddy must be a very happy camper!).

 

Day Three, Saturday. Lakeside Park, Willowdale, Fisherville Junior High School, La Bruschetta restaurant.

 

Lakeside Park, willows in the breeze

Lakeside Park, so many memories.

Laughing rides, midway lights

Shining stars on summer nights.

 

(On ATWAS, Geddy introduces this song by saying, "This is a song that Neil wrote the lyrics for about a place not too far from where he was born (St. Catharines). Not too far from here as a matter of fact, it's called Lakeside Park.")

 

Lakeside Park was also a must see for Derek and I and well worth the hour drive from Toronto. We talked with a local, a young chap who said he had been living there for the past 15 years. 

 

There's no doubt the magic has long since faded from this once idyllic place. Having said that, it was quiet when we visited and we found it to be a pleasant experience. (As you exit the parking lot on the way out closest to Lake Ontario, look for Gary Street!).

 

After our two hour stay at Lakeside Park, Derek and I drove to Willowdale (north of Toronto). There's no doubt that this is not the smaller community Geddy and Alex grew up in. But still, we did find some quiet streets and drove over the "river Don."  It's rather small, seemed like a creek to me and we barely caught a brief glimpse of some actual water.

 

The one place in Willowdale that Derek and I were determined to find was Geddy's and Alex's junior high school (Fisherville Junior High School). We drove around for a while and decided it was probably located on some backstreet. We stopped at a McDonalds and dialed up the operator who gave us the street address.

 

That was great progress, but we did not have a local map. We asked a man in a car if he knew where this street was. Lo and behold, he whipped out a handy-dandy map and gave us directions.

 

Derek and I were now psyched. And to top off our magic mood, Red Barchetta, courtesy of 97.7, came crackling through the airwaves. We both had goosebumbs (By the way, 102.1 FM does not play classic rock as far as I know. To me 97.7 has the spirit of radio now).

 

After Red Barchetta ended, we arrived at Fisherville Junior High School. We took some pictures and afterwards wondered which particular house Geddy and Alex had lived in. I recalled the pictures they made available on the TFE tourbook and these older and smaller brick ramblers looked like they fit the bill.

 

With one night left in Toronto, a final good meal was the task at hand. Herns had recommended La Brushcetta (1317 St Claire) in Little Italy and so we took him up on his advice. When we arrived, the streets were filled with a wild celebration. Horns honked, people danced and shouted, whistles pierced the air, and green, white and red flags whirled in constant motion. Italy, we learned quickly, had just won the Euro 2000 semifinals.

 

La Brushcetta offered fresh pasta, a small, but down-to-earth dining area and the hospitality of long time owner of Benito Piantoni. We figured Rush dined here at least once, but could not find their names on Benito's "Wall of Fame."

 

Last Day, Sunday. Merci et au revoir.

 

It rained on Sunday morning. I was a little tired from the fitful sleeps of the past three nights and was ready to fly home. But as the bus sped along to the airport under a leaden sky, I was filled with a sense of fulfillment. I can't compare this experience to a religious one, but this was a pilgrimage. Rush has meant a lot to me through my years.

 

They were (it ain’t over yet. As I write this, the big rumor is Rush will enter the studios in October) so loyal to their fans, recording and touring every 18 months or so and defining success on their own terms. And although all they ever owe us is a good, on-stage performance, they have voiced strong and meaningful opinions on critical issues like human rights and saving the environment. Through their music and their actions, Rush has helped me reject narrow attitudes and make my worldview more spacious.

 

So thank you Derek for inviting me and sharing this wonderful experience. Thank you Geddy, Alex and Neil for these past 25 years. And thank you Toronto. Like Bob and Doug McKenzie once said, you are a beauty way to go.

 

Email I received from Bruce Holtgren in 2011.

 

Jay,

 

Thanks for tracking me down on Facebook. You have no idea how close I came to deciding to saying no to you ... until I looked at your blog, and then the "Rush is a Band" blog, and then saw your message, and then I just cracked up.

 

That guide I tossed together, way back in '93 or '94, for the now long-defunct and much-beloved National Midnight Star (R.I.P.), will simply live forever, it seems. I have heard from seemingly dozens of people who actually, really used it.

 

But in the early days of the Internet, I guess it's all people had. Indeed, the NMS was my own first real exposure to the Internet, and I learned so much from it about netiquette, meeting up with people in real life about a common interest, getting info about things like concerts where it had previously been virtually impossible to track down, and on and on.

 

So, as a newspaper copy editor by trade, I took it upon my solemn duty when I made my second trip to T.O. as a Rush fan to take notes and report back.

 

I have never lost my passion for Rush, of course. Unlike those who have seen them 50 times or whatever, I'm holding at a mere dozen. I just can't justify spending three digits to sit hundreds of feet away to hear most of the same music I've heard before -- especially when I know the promoters are getting almost all the money.

 

But I just LOVED that documentary, one of the best of any kind I've seen in years, and I was thrilled to see via you that in won a Juno. (But I'm hardly surprised. How many Junos must Rush be responsible for, in one way or another, by now?)

 

From time to time I am in Greater D.C., and especially Greater Greater D.C., so we should get together if you should so wish. I'm definitely up for baseball as well as a concert.

 

Thanks again for getting in touch.

 

Cheers,

 

Bruce

 

Fox Hunting in Fairfax County: A Brief History

“No sport can ever equal foxhunting for pure unadulterated fun, for insight into human nature, for judgement, for decision, for exercise, for comradeship, for sportsmanship.”  — Charlotte Haxall Noland, Founder of Foxcroft School, Middleburg.  Foreword to “The Hunt Country of America” by Kitty Slater.

 

If one wanted to learn about the history of fox hunting in northern Virginia, there are a number of books and articles on the topic in Loudoun and Fauquier counties.

The same for Fairfax County?

No, not at all.

Historical markers?

As far as we know there are no historical markers for fox hunting in Fairfax County.   

But as we learned on our hunt, there are certainly some stories.  So we decided to put together a look at the history of fox hunting in Fairfax County.     We broke it down into five parts.

 

Part One:  The Colonial Era 

Part Two:  The Nineteenth Century

Part Three: The Hampton Hounds Hunt

Part Four: The Fort Belvoir Hunt

Part Five:  The Fairfax Hunt

 

Part One, The Colonial Era

Norman Fine, the prolific writer for Foxhunting Life, gives us a look at foxhunting in its early years (“Foxhunting in North America:  A Brief History”).  In the eighteenth century, English immigrants brought with them their “rural culture and hunting heritages” to the colonies of Maryland and Virginia. 

The earliest record of foxhound importation was Robert Brooke in 1650.  Brooke (1602-1655) was the governor of Maryland for part of 1652.   He built plantation homes in what is now St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Charles counties.  His hound bloodlines provided the basic stock for American strains.

On the Virginia side of the river, two men who knew a little something about horse riding and the lay of the Piedmont lands were George Washington and Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax (1693-1781) of Belvoir.   In the years following the county’s founding in 1742, their friendship bonded as the two enjoyed fox hunting together.   

As A.G. Bradley (“Wolfe and Washington as Sportsmen”) put it, Washington had a passion for outdoor life.  The “note of horn and the cry of hound were sounds dear to his soul.” 

Washington’s diary is filled with mentions of his fox hunts.  William Lee, Washington’s enslaved valet, rode and surely displayed skills on the hunts.   Washington also rode with Colonel William Fairfax, cousin of Thomas and builder of Belvoir, as well as his son George William Fairfax.  He also hunted with Bryan Fairfax, 8th Lord Fairfax, and other neighbors. Washington’s diary contains more than 200 references to fox hunts.   

In 1768, he went out 44 times during the season.  On February 12th, he wrote — “Went fox-hunting with Colonel Fairfax, Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Chichester, Captains Torrey and Manley, who dined here with Mrs. Fairfax and Miss Nichols. Catched two foxes.”

Note:  Chichester was Richard Chichester (1736-1796).   He lived near Mount Vernon at Cedar Grove, site on Fort Belvoir.   McCarthy was Captain Daniel McCarty (1727-1791).   Chichester married Sarah McCarty, daughter of Daniel.   They lived at Mount Air, site in Newington.   Both Chichester and McCarty were cousins of George Washington.

In her book, “The Hunt Country of America,” Kitty Slater writes that Thomas “is believed to have been the first Colonial to set up a pack of foxhounds in Virginia in the English manner and on the order of present-day organized hunts in America.”  He supervised foxhound breeding.

Sherri L. Stewart (“An Historical Survey of Foxhunting in the United States, 1650-1970,” Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas) adds to our knowledge.  She notes that Lord Fairfax’s pack in 1746 was made up in part by the hounds of George William Fairfax.

Fine tells us before Thomas moved to Virginia to take control of his inheritance, he sent hounds to George William Fairfax, his cousin.   He later settled down at Greenway Court (about 20 miles west of Middleburg) and continued to enjoy fox hunting.

Edward F. Howrey (“Foxhunting in Fairfax County,” Yearbook of the Historical Society of Fairfax County, 2 1952-1953) provides insight (He acknowledges “The Story of American Foxhunting" (1941).  Thomas kept hounds in the English traditions and was “a tremendous influence” in spreading the proper ways of conducting the hunts.

Washington on a foxhunt was immortalized by the prolific illustrator F.O.C. Darley (1822-1888).  Of him, the Society of Illustrators writes:  “More than any other single talent, F.O.C. Darley was responsible for the growth of illustration in early America.”

Image:  Darley’s sketch is titled “Fox Hunting George Washington and Lord Fairfax.”   It is on the cover of the book The Fairfax Family in Fairfax County.”   That book and the Mount Vernon website use the title, “George William Fairfax foxhunting with George Washington.”

A.G. Bradley (“Wolfe and Washington as Sportsmen.” The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes) adds to our knowledge of Washington’s hunts by writing that Martha, “occasionally made one of the party, clad in a scarlet habit.”  In Darley’s sketch, one sees what appears to be a woman rider.  

In his memoir, “Recollections and private memoirs of Washington,” George Washington Parke Custis, Washington’s step grandson, devoted a chapter to “Washington as a Sportsman.”

Attire included a blue coat, scarlet waistcoat, buckskin breeches, top boots, and velvet cap.  His kennel was located about a hundred yards south of the family vault.   The pack were “very numerous and select, the colonel visiting and inspecting his kennel morning and evening.”   

Custis also noted some of the names Washington gave to his hounds — Vulcan, Ringwood, Singer, Truelove, Music, Forrester, Rockwood.

Of George Washington, The Museum of Hounds and Hunting in North America (“George Washington: Foxhunter-In-Chief") observes —  “His bold riding style, physical stamina, and focused ability to see a chase through to the end, no matter the dangers, undoubtedly contributed to the successful outcome of the war.”

Stewart tells us Washington’s last hunt took place on February 15, 1788.  After that, he began to give his hounds to friends.

 

Part Two

19th Century

In her dissertation, Stewart points out there were few hunt clubs in Virginia before the Civil War.  There was no need for them because of “the hospitality of the plantation owners and each owner of any significance maintained a pack of hounds.”     One club that did emerge was the Piedmont Fox Hounds, the oldest active hunt in the US.

Howrey tells us fox hunts took place on the sprawling Ravensworth plantation where Mr. Chichester had a pack.  Founders Online notes that Lund Washington (1737–1796), a cousin of Washington, managed the Ravensworth estates of Henry Fitzhugh (1727-1783).   There was certainly room to hunt.  Ravensworth was the largest plantation in the county. 

Note:  The Ravensworth plantation home was located near today’s southwest intersection of I-495 and Braddock Road. 

Stewart adds that William Henry Chichester and George Mason Chichester, grandson of George Mason “were highly skilled riders who were the participants in many outstanding hunts.”  George Washington had hunted with Richard Chichester (1736-1796).   

In the 19th-century there was some newspaper coverage of fox hunts in and around Alexandria, but it was sporadic.  Perhaps those Virginia hunters who sought greener pastures westward became part of fox hunts at their new homesteads. 

Howrey tells us in 1828, a farmer said there were at least three hunts in the county - Fairfax Hunt, the Centreville Hunt, and the Washington Hunt.  He adds adds that a hunting dog named Juno was remembered as a “favorite leader of the Washington pack.”

Citing the American Turf Register (Feb 1830), “Fairfax County, Virginia, A History” notes an account of a two-day hunt at Ravensworth on New Year’s Day, 1830.  On the hunt were the hounds of Terret, Chichester, and Darne, and twenty-one horsemen.  The pack was “thrown off west of the Winchester Turnpike.”  (Note:  Ravensworth was at the time the home of William Henry Fitzhugh and Anna Maria Sarah Goldsborough.  Winchester Turnpike was modern day Braddock Road).   

Fine points out the sport fell off in the South after the Civil War.   It was resurrected in northern Virginia with the arrival of wealthy northerners.  They were attracted to the Piedmont landscape with low stacked stone walls and rural farmlands that compared to the ideal Leicestershire hunting fields.   Some of the hunt clubs in Loudoun and Fauquier counties knew a thing or two about foxhunting.   

(Photo by author, Sign located at Welbourne.)

A mecca of sorts could be found at Welbourne, the mansion of the famed Dulany family, whose generations hunted there (four miles west of Middleburg).   Colonel Richard Dulany and his son Richard Hunter Dulany were hound masters of the Piedmont Hunt, founded in 1840.  Other stalwarts included the Warrenton Hunt (1887), Blue Ridge Hunt (1888), and the Loudoun Hunt (1894).   

 

 

Part Three

Courtland Smith and the Hampton Hounds

Newspaper coverage of fox hunting picked up after the turn of the century.   Then a seminal event took place in and around Middleburg and Upperville.  This was the Great Hound Match of 1905.   

In her book, "The Great Hound Match of 1905: Alexander Henry Higginson, Harry Worcester Smith, and the Rise of Virginia Hunt Country," Martha Wolfe details the story.  She writes, “the match is responsible for the existence, the essence, and the mystique and the aura of Virginia’s Hunt Country.”

Harry Worcester Smith, touting the American hounds, squared off against Alexander Henry Higginson, a British-American who bragged on the English breeds.  Both were from Massachusetts.    Smith would  go on to found the Masters Foxhounds Association, and as Kitty Slater put it, he became “one of the great figures in American foxhunting.”   

With no foxes killed, the three judges announced:  “We award the match and stack together with the Townsend Cup to the Grafton Pack (Smith), which in our opinion, has done the best work.”

The real winner was Middleburg and the surrounding countryside.  More and more people of wealth arrived and turned older homes into mansions with stables and partook in fox hunting.  As Vicky Moon (“The Middleburg Mystique”) observed, the ten-day event “raised Virginia’s profile as the nation’s most-fashionable place to hunt and helped grow the sport there.”   

One of the clubs in northern Virginia getting their start around this time was the Hampton Hounds.  Howrey only briefly mentions the club so we went on the hunt for more info.  We were pleased that Eleanor Lee Templeman devotes a page to it in her “Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County.”  She also wrote an article ("Fairlington Was Scene of Fox Hunting") in the Northern Virginia Sun, December 13, 1958).   

In 1897, Courtland Hawkins Smith Jr. (1878-1952) bought land and a large white frame house on a higher spot of land just northeast of what is now Route 7 and I-395 in the Fairlington neighborhood.  His father was Courtland Hawkins Smith Sr. (1850-1892).  His grandfather was Francis L. Smith (1808-1877), famed attorney in Alexandria.  The family lived at the often-admired Vowell-Smith house at 510 Wolfe Street.

Smith is a forgotten horse and hunt figure.  Of him, the Southern Planter magazine (1903) wrote, “in all Virginia there is probably not a bolder and more intrepid horseman.”  Smith moved into the house he bought from Charles Whiting. 

Templeman writes the site of the farm (Hampton Farm) and stables was on or near S. Abingdon Street and 31st Road.   The house was apparently located where 31st Street stops before reaching Route 7.   During the Civil War, the Union erected Battery Garesche nearby.   Margaret Daingerfield lived there.   Smith remodeled the Whiting mansion and named it Hampton.

Smith turned his operation into “one of the largest and finest stock farms in the nation.”  The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Feb 17, 1901) wrote he had one of the best-known breeding establishments in northern Virginia.   

Smith raised hunters, steeple-chasers, and show horses.   In 1899, he married Carlyle Herbert, a descendant of John Carlyle.  Carlyle had built and owned Torthowald in the same vicinity.   Carlyle Herbert Smith was also a notable horse rider.

The newspapers, including the Alexandria Gazette, gave some coverage of the Hampton Hounds.

One read:

“Smith’s hounds went out on a drag of about six miles in Fairfax County last Saturday.  John Hyland, the huntsman, Mr. Smith, and several others were out including Messrs. Richard Windsor of Alexandria, and Murphy, of Washington, Lieutenants Short and White of the Fort Myer Calvary.” 

The hunters met at a number of places including Annandale and “Broadwater’s Gate near Fairfax County Courthouse.”

The searcher of Washington and area history always loves to come across reports by “The Rambler” in the Evening Star.    Harry Shannon had the desk from 1912 to 1927.   George Kennedy then took it over.  In 1959, he wrote about the Hampton Hounds (“The Rambler Learns of Happy Hunting Ground”).

Turns out he had lived at ParkFairfax for 13 years, but had never bothered to look into past stories of that area.   Kennedy had heard some graybeards say there had been a hunting lodge at what is now the North Fairlington neighborhood.

Then he came across “an excellent picture of the Hampton Hounds” that was taken about 1905 with Courtland Smith II.   His source was Templeman’s book. 

The Rambler then sat down with Courtland Hawkins Smith III (1900-1968).   He was the son of Smith Jr. and was married to Nancy Jackson.  After living in Alexandria, the family moved to the Mount Vernon area.

He told The Rambler:

“I was born in the big house my grandfather built at St Asaph and Wolfe (519 Wolfe, as mentioned).They used to chase the fox through the Four Mile Run, the Taylor Run, and Cameron Run valleys. 

There was a huge barn with stables about at the corner of S. Thirty-First Street and the Leesburg Pike where a gasoline station now stands.There was also a racetrack on the property along the pike.My father went in for thoroughbreds as well as hunters.The track was a private training track. 

About the time I was born, the members of the Chevy Chase club had to decide whether it was to be a hunt club or a golf club.Golf won and the Chevy Chase Hounds were sent across the river and joined my father’s Hampton Hounds to form the Cameron Run Hunt Club.  By 1908, he must have felt encroached upon because he moved to the horse country near Middleburg.”

Before Courtland Hawkins Smith Jr. left for Middleburg, he had also made quite a name for himself as a horseman and organizer of the Cameron Run Hunt Club. An article in The Washington Post (“Cameron Run Hunt Exhibit,” May 12, 1904), reported on the second annual exhibition of the Cameron Run Hunt Club.   

It was “one of the greatest exhibits of hunters and jumpers ever seen in the South.”   Guests came from Washington, Baltimore, and Norfolk and there was “Splendid Riding of Horsewomen.” 

The club also held an annual ball at McBurney’s Hall at the southwest corner of King and Washington in Alexandria.   Smith and Miller (“A Seaport Saga”) tell us George McBurney owned the handsome three-story structure built in 1879 (demolished late 1950s).  The Hall on the second floor held “many fashionable dances and festivities.”

In 1905, the club’s ball was attended by persons from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington.  The Washington Times described it as “the social event of the season in Alexandria.”   Favors were horns, jockey caps, picture hats, whips, and fans. 

Reports on the Cameron Run Hunt Club end at 1907.  Smith Jr. moved to Middleburg in 1908 and served as mayor.  He won the Warrenton Gold Cup, a major steeplechase event, five times.

All the infrastructure for the Hampton Hounds and the mansion home were demolished in the 1940s for the Fairlington neighborhood.   

 

Part Four

Fort Belvoir Hunt, 1935 to 1945

In Part Five we will cover the Fairfax Hunt, which formed in 1929.  Let’s first, however, look at the Fort Belvoir Hunt.

The Fort Belvoir Hunt was established in 1935.   The installation had been founded in 1917 on the neck of land that holds the ruins of Belvoir, which was the Fairfax home from 1736 to 1773.   By then (1773), Colonel William Fairfax had passed away, Thomas, Sixth Lord Fairfax had moved to Greenway Court, and George William Fairfax had sailed back to England.  Leading up to the war with the British and his appointment as commander of the Continental Army, George Washington continued to fox hunt until February, 1775. 

Stewart tells us the Fort Belvoir Hunt was “the only organized military hunt ever to exist in the area surrounding Washington.”  History buffs must have been excited, knowing that was where Washington and the Fairfax’s had saddled up.

The Washington Post wrote about the club.  Major Alexander McNabb and Captain Homer Pettit organized it.  Assistant Secretary of War and Mrs. Harry H. Woodring hosted members of the club at Woodlawn.  The couple rented Woodlawn for two years as their home.  Woodlawn was the former home of Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis Lewis (1779-1852) and her husband Lawrence Lewis (1767-1839).  It was the first property acquired by the National Historic Trust.

Sometimes the hunt started out at Washington’s Grist Mill and ended at Woodlawn.  For Thanksgiving, the Woodrings hosted members of the club.

The Evening Star offered coverage (“Fort Belvoir Hunt Season Under Way,” October 27, 1935).  The club had seven couples of hounds.   

In 1936, the Fort Belvoir Hunt opened the season in early November at MacKenzie Hall and “followed a course over the pasture area and the country back of Accotink.”   Major Alexander MacNabb and Captain Homer Pettit served as Joint Masters.  “A large number from the post participated and Mr. Wall and Mr. Peter Ross came from Alexandria.”

Country Life and the Sportsman (Volume 74, 1938), offers a short bio of the club.  Master of Foxhounds for 1936 was Major McNabb and in 1937 Lt. Colonel Creswell Garlington.   Foxhounds numbered 11 couples, English, American, and crossbred.  The drag hunting season was October 15 to April 1.    Strangers and visitors were permitted to hunt with the permission of the MFH.  Recommended accommodations were the Penn Daw Hotel and George Mason Hotel in Alexandria.  The territory was about 20 square miles.   

In 1937, the Fort Belvoir Hunt held their outing on Christmas Day.  The Star noted their territory included where Lord Fairfax lived.

The Fort Belvoir Hunt lasted until 1945.

 

Part Five:

The Fairfax  Hunt

In 1928, a new chapter of fox hunting in Fairfax County began to unfold when A. Smith Bowman (1868-1952), a native of Kentucky, arrived in northern Virginia.   He acquired 4,000 acres of rural land about 20 miles west of Washington, where Reston lies today. 

Starting in 1934, Bowman and his two sons owned and ran the Bowman Distillery.  Their brands included Virginia Gentleman and Fairfax County.  

In 1928, Bowman founded the Fairfax Hunt Club on his farm, Sunset Hills.   The original members numbered 18.   They included Bowman’s two sons -  Bowman Jr. and E. Delong; Roland Dawson (formerly of the Riding and Hunt Club of Washington); four women -  Nancy P. Hanna, Anna F. Hedrick, Margo Couzens Bryant, and Mrs. Arthur A. Snyder; and two members of the Armed Forces — Colonel H.W.T. Eglin and Major Hobart H. Hawkins.

The club was recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association in 1933.   At that time, there were a number of nationally recognized hunt clubs in central and northern Virginia.   The Piedmont Hounds (1840-1971), was the oldest private club in the US.  As mentioned, two of their former Masters of Fox Hunts were giants, Colonel Richard Dulany and Harry Worcester Smith.

The Warrenton Hunt, registered with the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association in 1887, traces back to 1816.   In her research, Stewart was told by Mrs. Mary Scott Carter that the first record of hounds in kennel were those of Colonel Winter Payne, at Clifton, near Warrenton, in 1790.

Others included Deep Run Hunt, 1887, Richmond; Blue Ridge Hunt, 1888, Boyce, Clarke County; Loudoun Hunt, 1894-1971, Leesburg; Keswick Hunt, 1896, Charlottesville; Orange County, 1903, the Plains; Middleburg Hunt, 1906; Casanova Hunt, 1909-197; and Bull Run Hunt, 1911, Manassas. 

Bowman served as the first Master of Fox Hounds and his son A. Smith Bowman Jr. was an original member.  His other son, DeLong Bowman, served as MFH from 1933-1937.   

Given there were these other long-established hunts in the adjacent counties, and that the country was in an economic depression, perhaps Bowman wondered if the new Fairfax Hunt would be a success.

No problem.  In an article (“Chasing History:  Point to Point Racing with the Fairfax Hunt”) in Virginia Sportsman magazine (December, 2011), E.J. Felker wrote that in its first four decades:

“Members enjoyed excellent hunting across Fairfax County.  But the hunt has always been more than just a sporting club.  Dignitaries, diplomats, and military leaders were drawn from Washington, DC, not just to the excellent hunting territory, but the social nature of the club.”

First Hunt

On November 13, 1929, club members set out for the first time from the Bowman home.  The Bowmans would build their own home in 1941 (photo by author, 11718 Bowman Green Drive, Reston), but for the first dozen or so years, they lived at the former mansion home of Dr. Max Wiehle (also still standing, currently the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association at 1850 Old Reston Avenue). 

The Washington Times headline said:  “First Fairfax Hunt is Success.”

Joining the chase were nine Masters of Foxhunts from other hunt clubs.

In his brief history, Opstad writes:

On that day, the field took off not less than 100 strong.  At least nine MFH’s from other hunts were present.  Later in the day a lavish hunt breakfast was held at the Bowman home attended by some 300 guests.

 

Original Hunt Territory

Opstad provides a map that shows the original territory.   The eastern border ran through Falls Church and Fairfax Station down to Manassas.  The western border ran through Herndon and Dranesville.  The Potomac formed the northern border.  (Image: Opstad, Donald P.  The History of the Fairfax Hunt).

Places Held

Until 1951 when the club built its first clubhouse, the hunts started at a number of places.   In the 1930s, the traditional opening meet was sometimes held at the Fairfax County Courthouse green.   

Another early location was the Aesculpian Hotel.    Alexandra Campbell talks about it in her presentation (“Before 1964: The History of Reston's Predecessors”).  Dr. Wiehle built the hotel just north of his mansion in the 1890s as a summer resort with 35 rooms.  The structure was damaged by fire and demolished in 1956.  Its site is the Stratford House apartment building (11776 Stratford House Pl, Reston.)

Spring Glade

A favorite place for the Fairfax Hunt was Spring Glade.   Built in 1840, the dwelling stands just north of Wolf Trap for the Performing Arts. (Photo by author).

In the 1940s and into the 50s, Lisle A. Smith, a retired counsel for the Department of Agriculture, and his wife Neitah, hosted not only the club, but also Washingtonians and other visitors in the area. 

Nick Anderson of The Washington Post summed it up in a piece titled: “Home of Mr and Mrs Smith Steeped in History, Hospitality, Fairfax’s Favorite Hostess.”

The quality of hospitality of Spring Glade is genuine and flawless, and like a magic talisman, it seems to draw people from everywhere.   Four hundred may turn up to witness the opening of the Fairfax Hunt, but twice that number will drop in during the year for grass roots entertainment, a visit, a drink, or a simple and excellent dinner.

Among the guests were President Truman and First Lady Bess.  The farm house and oak tree stand today as a reminder of those hunt days.

Belmont Manor

The club was also hosted at Belmont Manor by Patrick J. Hurley (1881-1963).  He served as Secretary of War (1929-1933) under President Hoover and as a Major General during World War II, and as a personal envoy to China in 1944.  The Hurley’s owned and lived at Belmont Manor from 1932 to 1964.   

This one was perhaps a favorite for club members, as it stands on some of the highest ground in that part of Loudoun County and the brick house (built 1790) is historic.   Now a clubhouse for the golf course there, one of its hosting areas is named The Fairfax Hunt Room.

Distinguished Members

Although no one had a clue to just how famous she would become, the Fairfax Hunt welcomed Jackie Kennedy in March, 1954.   Dorothy McCardle of The Washington Post filed the report (“Tally Ho, Senator Kennedy”).

“Jack Kennedy’s bride took off with the Fairfax Hunt from Southdown Farm, owned by the Keith Merrill near Forestville.” 

The two had been married only six months and were living at Hickory Hill in Langley.  The future First Lady, who began riding at age five,  might have hunted with the Fairfax Hunt during other times that were not reported on.  Southdown is about eight miles west of Hickory Hill.    

A Post report filed in Dec 1965, noted she rode “Another Voyage” (Winchester) in the Fairfax Hunt.   It was owned by Mrs. J. L. Lloyd of Oakton.

Randy Rouse (1916-2017)

One of the most distinguished members of the Fairfax Hunt Club, and arguably the most famous was Randolph (Randy) Rouse (1916-2017).    He joined in the late 1940s.   As noted by the Chronicle of the Horse, his participation in the Fairfax Hunt piqued his interest in hunting and jump racing.   Rouse was a veteran of World War II.  He would go on to become a national steeplechase icon and served as a Master of Foxhounds for the Fairfax Hunt for 55 years.  He helped launch and lead the Fairfax Races, a steeplechase event.  

Rouse was only the 26th person selected for the F. Ambrose Clark Award, the National Steeplechase Association’s highest honor.   Rouse became the oldest trainer to win a Thoroughbred race in North America.    He built the steeplechase course for the Fairfax Hunt at Belmont. 

Before divorcing, Rouse was married in 1956 to Audrey Meadows (1922-1996), who earned fame as Jackie Gleason’s co-star in The Honeymooners and a four time Emmy winner.   The couple lived in Arlington at what became known as the Febrey-Lothrop House.  It was built before the Civil War.  The Arlington Historical Society wrote the manor home and grounds was “a proud, historically significant, Arlington landmark.”  Arlington Magazine said it was “a rare piece of local history,” and a 2009 architectural traceries report stated, “the property is recommended eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.”  Sadly, it was recently demolished.

Rouse donated the Middleburg Training Track, which he owned starting in 2006.  He passed away in 2017 at age 100.

Anna F. Hedrick (1900-1993)

In 1989, Anna F. Hedrick sat down with The Washington Post (“Miss Anna Purses Her Independence, The Law and the Fox,” Maria Kokanaris,  November 16, 1989).   A graduate of Arlington High School, she studied physics and English at Vassar, passed the Virginia bar exam in 1930, and practiced law for almost 60 years in Leesburg, Hillsboro, and Taylorstown.    

Hedrick said her first fox hunt was in 1921 with the Washington-based Rock Creek Hounds.  She then joined the Fairfax Hunt in 1928 and became a Joint Master for them after World War II.   She was quoted as saying, “Foxhunting has been my love.”

Albert Ollie Poe (1931-2019)

Albert Ollie Poe was the younger brother of Melvin Poe.   In addition to serving as the Master of Foxhounds for the Piedmont Foxhounds, the Fairfax Hunt (1975-1980), and the Middleburg Hunt, he stood out as a foxhound breeder and race horse trainer.   

Born in Hume, Virginia, he was considered by the Museum of Hounds and Hunting as the best breeder of American Foxhounds of the 20th century.   He joined the Fairfax Hut in 1975 and improved their pack of hounds. Poe was inducted into the Museum of Hounds & Hunting’s Honored Huntsmen Hall of Fame.

Donald P. Opstad (1918-1995)

Opstad served as President and Board of Governors of the club.  In 1972, he wrote a booklet titled, “The History of the Fairfax Hunt, 1929-1972.” This treasure trove includes photos and maps of the hunt territory.  Opstad served as Vice President for government relations of the 3-M Company and lived in Great Falls.

Image: Author's copy of Opstad's book.

Joseph Keusch

A native of Switzerland, Keusch served as Joint Master of the Fairfax Hunt from 1997 to 2009.  He competed and served as Chief Trainer in Europe and the US, and served as a Chief Trainer.   He also trained at Paper Chase Farms in Middleburg, founded by his wife Jan Neuharth.   She is an attorney, novelist, and the director of the Freedom Forum. 

Balls

In addition to their outings, the Fairfax Hunt held an annual ball in Washington.   Trailblazing columnist Nina Carter Tabb covered one in February, 1938.   About 150 guests sat down at the Hotel Carlton for afternoon that included music, dancing, and singing old hunting songs.  Mr. George C. Benoit of Fredericksburg entertained.  (Note:  The Hotel Carlton, a Beaux-Arts landmark at 16th and K NW, was renamed The St. Regis in 1999).

Junior Hunt

The club also molded young minds and bodies by having a Junior Hunt, ages 10-20.  At one point, a Miss Kathy Kusner served as a Joint MFH.  The Fairfax Junior Hunt would grow to more than 100 members.   June Eaton (Mrs. James O. Pease) provided leadership for the annual horse shows that were popular and garnered national attention.

New Hunt Club

In 1951, the Bowmans filled the void of not having a clubhouse.  From their farm near Leesburg Pike they donated ten acres of their land. With the help of Randy Rouse, a clubhouse was built using a log house taken from Vienna.  Now vacant, the structure stands adjacent to Lake Fairfax Park, a rare remnant of fox hunting in the county (Photo by author.)

In 1958, the Bowman brothers created a new steeplechase course there.  In a special for the Evening Star, Robert B. Philips covered the story.  It was Virginia’s first new steeplechase course in 25 years.  It honored Bowman, who had passed away in 1952.   Profits went to the new Fairfax Hospital. 

The Territory Shifts West

Coming just five years after launch of Sputnik 1 and the start of the Space Age, Dulles Airport opened in 1962.  The population of the county leapt from 275,000 in 1960 to 455,000 in 1970.  This signaled the beginning of the end of fox hunts in Fairfax County.   

A last hurrah of sorts took place in October, 1969.   As reported by the Evening Star (“Fairfax Hunt Returns After 180 Years,” Toni House),  Gunston Hall hosted a ceremonial event.  The rector of Pohick Church was on hand for the traditional blessing of the dogs.   

Another map (1972) in Opstad’s “The History of the Fairfax Hunt” shows the club’s territory no longer in the county.   They moved to west and north of the airport to parts of eastern Loudoun County.    Communities such as Brambleton lie there today.   Although they were no longer in Fairfax County, the club kept its name until 2013.

An article in The Washington Post ("Fox Hunting Day in Fairfax County," December 26, 1976) noted the club hunted that day at Lenah.   A photo showed Albert Poe and one of the whippers-in, who “keeps the hounds in line and an eye out for the fox.” Lenah is located about two miles west of Brambleton in Loudoun County.

Making the move to Loudoun County was not easy.  The Virginia Sportsman article points out that “a lesser club, with lesser leadership, would have folded under these conditions.”

With Rouse at the helm and other members, the hunts were moved from places like Belmont.   It was there the club held a 50th anniversary in December, 1979.  Maryon Allen (The Washington Post, December 2, 1979) covered the Thanksgiving event.  Dr. John Sanders was the President and 70 members attended.   

After the traditional blessing of the hounds, Albert Poe gave the signal and the horn did its duties, off they were.  The whips were Jackie Forsman, T. Barnes, and Jack Crippen.    Pat Rogers was field secretary.

Fire at the Kennels (2009)

The Fairfax Hunt had moved their kennels to what is now Stone School Lane, about a mile from the western edge of Brambleton and four miles southeast of Oatlands.   Devastating news hit in March, 2009.  As reported by the Loudoun-Times-Mirror, an early morning fire at the kennels killed three horses and 16 hounds.     Kevin Palmer, the huntsman who lived close by, rescued about 55. 

Merger (2013)

In 2013, the Fairfax Hunt merged with the West Loudoun Hunt to form the Loudoun Fairfax Hunt.   They meet and hunt mostly near Hamilton.  Like many other hunt clubs, they have a chase only policy.    

Donna Rogers is one of their Masters of Fox Hounds.     She was featured in an article by Norman Fine in FoxHuntingLife.   Of the merger, she said: “We now have twice the country and twice the membership at one-half the cost.  It was a no-brainer.”

With the merger, perhaps there were a few eyebrows raised. 

Then again, the roots of fox hunting run deep in Fairfax County...

 

Sources

Bradley, A.G.  Wolfe and Washington as Sportsmen.  The Badminton Magazine of Sports and Pastimes.

Custis, George Washington Parke.  Recollections and private memoirs of Washington.

Fairfax County, Virginia, A History. 

Fine, Norman, Foxhunting in North America. FoxHunting Life.

Founders Online.

Howry, Edward F.  Foxhunting in Fairfax County. Yearbook of the Historical Society of Fairfax County. 1952-1953.

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