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...
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