By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

 Driving through Dumfries provides a curious mix of 18-20^th century buildings depending upon where you look. While you can visit The Weems-Botts Museum (face-to-face and virtually!), you may miss or overlook the rich and unique character of our charming small town in the early 1900s.

According to our oral history records, Myrtle Virginia Rainey met Elvan Fitzhugh Keys at Dumfries United Methodist Church in 1917. Mr. Keys bid two dollars on a boxed lunch prepared by Ms. Rainey, an auction that featured a homemade lunch with the chef! The lunch of fried chicken and cake made with fresh coconut led to a lifelong romance and companionship. Thanks to family records and the Dumfries community willingness to share their stories and letters with HDVI, we can read some of the letters they wrote to each other during the flu pandemic.

Dumfries, Virginia. 02/10/1918, Myrtle Rainey to Elvan Keys:

“Dearest Elvan,

Hope you got back to Quantico all OK last night. But I guessed you was tired and sleepy when you got there. All the school have gone to Quantico to see Billy Sunday they come after me but Mamma and Papa is both sick now and I have so much work to do. Don’t let that old Spanish Influenza keep you away. I am not a bit afraid of it. Hope you can come up Wednesday nite for preaching. I am going to preaching tonight but it is so lonesome without you. Please bring me your picture you come over next time. Mammie Sisson has just looked over my letter for mistakes. If there are any left consider them kisses.

I remain as ever your true friend. PS. Please answer real soon.”

Quantico, Virginia. 02/11/1918, Elvan Keys to Myrtle Rainey:

“Dearest Myrtle,

I went to the office at noon and got your lovely little letter. I think it was so sweet of you to write me and I was awful glad to get your letter. I was sorry to hear your father is now sick. How is your mother? I got back safely Sunday night but it was a lonely walk with nothing but my ugly shadow to keep me company. I am always lonesome when I leave you. The snow looked like diamonds glittering from the trees. I most know you are skipping all over this letter to see if I am coming up Wednesday night so I might as well tell you now as later on that I will be unable to come. But I would only be able to stay one hour. It takes me so long to walk there and back. I would come if I could stay longer. No I won’t forget the picture.

As ever yours”

By the fall of 1918, the Influenza pandemic noticeably hit Virginia and at least 16,000 Virginians died. Jumping from military bases to cities to small towns caused mass disorder, and health officials advised Americans to wear masks and remain socially distant. Highly contagious with severe symptoms ranging from high fever to aches, many people also caught pneumonia and subsequently died. The Virginia State Board of Health reported that in thirteen months, the virus infected 326,195 people, killing 15,679 of them. Keep in mind that some rural and isolated areas did not file death certificates and many people may have remained ill at home, further spreading the infection in the family. Thanks to the nurses, doctors, and volunteers, Virginia eventually reopened (when they lifted the ban on public gatherings in late October 1918, another surge occurred early in December 1918). Interestingly, people petitioned Governor Westmoreland Davis to allow the selling of more alcohol to pharmacies as officials hoped alcohol could aid in combating the illness. Sadly, this pandemic faded from American memory due to a combo of factors: avoidance from the government whether to directly respond or even acknowledge it, other historically significant events, such as the Depression, WWII, etc.

While we can empathize with the frustration and desire to see our friends and family, we can also open our tablets, phones, and other devices to stay connected with our communities. Instead, Mr. & Mrs. Keys relied on memories, mailed letters, and pictures to not feel so lonely and remind themselves of better times. Mr. & Mrs. Keys survived the pandemic and by all accounts led a very happy life. For their 25^th wedding anniversary, Mrs. Keys spared no expense to throw a party. “She was famous in the town for entertaining and she wanted this one to very special. She wanted to celebrate a quarter century of a happy marriage in a big way…One hundred invitations were sent, the cake ordered, the house cleaned from top to bottom, special clothes purchased, menu planned, the silver polished, tables and chairs borrowed, tablecloths bought. The house hummed with activity for two months before the party.” Mrs. Myrtle Keys died in 1969 at the age of 66 and Mr. Elvan Keys in 1977 at the age of 80.

Special thanks to the Keys family, Jeff McGlothlin, and Jeanne Martin for sharing their wonderful stories and reminiscences.

Note: You can help Historic Dumfries Virginia by joining our non-profit organization today! Thanks to all HDVI members that continue to support us and local history. Interested in a virtual presentation on Dumfries? Set your price with a donation ticket to our “An Artful Fellow: Slavery in Dumfries in the 18^th Century” presentation – tickets here).

(Sources: HDVI Archival Files; Encyclopedia Virginia: The Influenza Pandemic in Virginia (1918-1919)).

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

“Black cats peeping from the dark;

             Scat! Meow!

Each eye gleaming like a spark;

             Biff! Wow!

Owl a-hooting in the lane,

Tick-tack on the window pane –

Is the universe insane?

S-a-h-h! S-a-h-h!

It’s Halloween!”

(Source: The Manassas Journal, Friday, 11/05/1920)

While children in Dumfries managed to stop traffic in Northern Virginia with their Halloween mischief, Manassas had its’ fair shares of woes. Notably in October 1910 and October 1911, “Halloween Imps” took it upon themselves to transform the actual town – from destroying property to decorating the streets with merchant’s wares, Manassas was the scene of some serious Halloween scandal.

Trick-or-treating blends different cultural traditions stemming from the Middle Ages when children and adults used Halloween as a chance to earn money and/or food in exchange for songs and prayers. People baked “soul cakes”, small little round sweet cakes with a cross on top representing a soul released from Purgatory once consumed. One popular song associated with souling goes as follows: “A soul! A soul! A soul-cake! Please good Misses, a soul-cake! An apple, a pear, a plum, or cherry, Any good thing to make us all merry. One for Peter, two for Paul. Three for him who made us all.” This evolved to “guising” in Britain in the 19^th century as children started to tell jokes, play an instrument, and offer performances for money and/or food. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought the various traditions with them, and by the end of the 19^th century, American towns experienced different levels of tricks – from tying opposite apartment doorknobs together to 200 boys attacking people with bags of flour in streetcars in Washington, D.C. 1894.

(Halloween Postcard, Published by Raphael Tuck & Sons, Series 150. Postmarked 31 October 1908. Source: Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol)

While the Manassas and Prince William County newspapers do not report biological attacks with gluten, they do illustrate the damage determined children can do to property. “Down in the business district, doors of shops were barricaded with all manner of heavy commodities that were tributes to the muscular strength of the merrymakers.” Children allegedly coated businesses with paint and signs, and managed to move a bandstand. “The bandstand that has occupied a conspicuous position in the landscape at the corner of Center and Main streets is no more. It transferred its location to the middle of the street during the night, refused to be moved back, and was torn to pieces, after impeding traffic by its obstinacy.” The following year, the children once again “ruled with a reign of topsy-turvy in the old town”, the author noting, “Wraiths and witches, some of them angelic, were abroad when shades of night fell, vanishing on the stroke of midnight when imps of his Satanic majesty held sway.” This time, people found the antic more annoying than destructive, although they still removed and exchanges gates from different houses, and decorated storefronts with merchandise scattered in the street. The author ended the piece noting a little scrying, “Sentimental maidens gazing into mirrors saw visions of their future husbands.”

(Center Street, Manassas, Va, 1915-1916, Manassas Museum)

The holiday transformed as people moved from more rural landscapes to urban cities and WWI and WWII affected available foods and mindsets. While the early 1900 newspapers might have joked about the children soaping the windows (a practice reportedly done in Dumfries), editors lamented the waste of resources and time during WWII. Although President Harry Truman attempted to curtail and change the holiday by introducing “Youth Honor Day” in 1950 (you can see how successful that was), society cleverly started advertising “trick or treat” in magazines, newspapers, and even movies starting in the late 1930s building momentum into the 1950s.

So what would you have bribed children with the in the early 1900s? The Wunderle Candy Company created candy corn in 1880 and you could have also shopped for tootsie rolls, Juicy Fruit Chewing Gum, and Candy Floss. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars and kisses, NECCO wafers, and Chiclets all appeared in the very early 1900s.

Note: Ready to put away Halloween and turn your attention to holiday baking? Join us for a free virtual November Member cookie swap on Saturday, 11/07 @ 10am! Meet with us virtually to share and discover new recipes, along with recipes dating from the 18^th and 19^th century! Click here for free tickets.

(Sources: The Manassas Journal, Reign of Topsy-Turvy in the Old Town By Mischievous Imps of Halloween, 11/03/1910; The Manassas Democrat, Hallowe;en Imps in Merry Mischief: Wild Reign of Topsy-Turvey, 11/02/1911; Hiskey, Daven. Today I Found Out Feed Your Brain: How the Tradition of Trick or Treating Got Started, 10/17/2012; Bannatyne, Lesley. When Halloween was All Tricks and No Treats, Smithsonian Online Magazine, 10/27/2017; Candy Favorites: Retro Candy Timeline)

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

“So on March 5, 1904 he opened his office on Main Street in Dumfries. His first patient was a man with a fever of 106 [F] malaria and chills. Next was a delivery, a baby girl born to a family who had a general store in Dumfries. His first $10.” While today we face different challenges, Annie Keys Cline Shumate’s reminiscences demonstrated how the medical community in Northern Virginia worked tirelessly on the medical front lines.

Dumfries had numerous needs for medical services in the early 1900s. Besides for childbirth deliveries, illness, and accidents, doctors traveled to the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine, which operated from 1899-1920, encompassing the communities of Hickory Ridge, Joplin, and Batestown. By 1917, the military established Marine Corps Base Quantico drawing additional people to the area. Mrs. Shumate recalled a smallpox “siege” in 1912 along with the 1918 flu pandemic. As with COVID-19, there was “…no rest for the doctors any where.” She stated, “Dr. Cline worked with the Marine Corps but the young marines were dying because this was [a] new disease and no real remedy was then known…Activity brought on pneumonia and death. During the winters he had 14 cases in his home. Dr. Cline had little time for family or rest, for so many needed attention.” Although Dr. Cline died in 1931, Dr. B.F. Phillips and Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo continued to serve the community.

Midwives were crucial to the community. Annie Thomas Williams took over her mother’s practice and recalled assisting both Dr. Phillips and Dr. Ferlazzo, even noting how they filled and signed the birth certificates for her, necessary as she temporarily worked without a license. She recalled, “There were so few doctors, women about to deliver often had no one to help.” Mrs. Williams first worked as a housekeeper in Dumfries earning $1 a day. During the 1920s and 1930s, Mrs. Williams became essential to the local area, as she delivered children and worked for Major General Harry Lee, Commandant of Quantico Marine Base, as a nurse for his children and the children of other Marine families. Although the flooding and destruction of Hurricane Agnes wreaked havoc on her home leading to the loss of her medical records, former Dumfries Mayor Sam Bauckman estimated that she delivered well over 300 babies. In an interview with The Potomac News celebrating her 100^th birthday in 1993, she recalled how she rode out usually in the “dead of night” despite weather hazards. “One time I woke up and didn’t know where I was…Fredericksburg, Accotink, Manassas, Garrisonville – I just didn’t know, I was gone so much.” “Some nights were so bitter cold. They’d come knock at 12 or 1. I’d say no and I’d lay in bed. Then I’d get to thinking that they might suffer or die.”

(HDVI Archives: Annie Williams, Charter Day, 05/11/1990)

Mrs. William’s oral history did not record active opposition from local doctors, instead noting how they trained and supported her. Advancements in medical treatments, a growing reliance on hospitals for deliveries, and racism towards the black and immigrant communities all contributed to the decline and public opinion regarding midwifery. Some obstetricians deliberately led a campaign against midwives, ignoring data that supported the quality care received and instead focused on racist stereotypes. While this campaign focused on white families with the necessary income, black families often did not have a choice, especially if white physicians refused to deliver black children. The popularity of midwives trended longer in the South until expanding access to health care, a shortage of obstetricians, and an increasing demand for natural birth led to expansion in the nurse-midwifery practice in the 1940s.

Today our medical practitioners continue to put their lives on the frontline as those did in the early 1900s, whether Dr. Cline was treating infectious patients at his home or Mrs. William’s mother, Nancy Thomas, was entering homes to deliver children. According to these oral reports, the Dumfries and surrounding region were unique in that physicians and midwives, regardless of race, worked together for the health of the people.

Note: The Weems-Botts Bibliophiles will be meeting for the first time on Saturday, 01/23! Join us as we discuss three short sci-fi stories from Isaac Asimov, Allan C. Clarke and Clare Harris, focusing on the historical context, the authors, and surprising conclusions to these fantastic tales! Click here to purchase a ticket for the tea, stories, and link to actively participate or to enjoy later!

(HDVI Archives: View of Dumfries in the early 20th century)

(Sources: HDVI Archives: Abstract of an Interview with Annie Thomas Williams at her home, 07/18/1988; HDVI Archives: “Doctors” Oral history of Annie Cline Shumate submitted by her daughter Mrs. Hilda E. Brown Ammerman; Potomac News: Lifestyles, LaSonde, Chris, Marking a Century of Faith, Work, 07/07/1993; National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information. Dawley, Katy. Origins of nurse-midwifery in the United States and its expansion in the 1940s. Journal of Midwifery Womans Health, Vol. 48, No. 2, March/April 2003).

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Folklore encompasses everything from urban legends to writings in public restrooms! It can also capture fantastic family reminiscences as well. Grab a cocktail (it’s 2020 – you probably have one on hand around the clock) and join me as we read how Town of Dumfries residents unsuccessfully resisted the lure of fizzy drinks.

(Source: Chatting After Preaching - Forest Hills Methodist Church, HDVI Archives, Keys Collection)

While prohibition ended in the United States in 1933, not all people immediately embraced their access to liquor. Temperance in America began moderately, allowing people to enjoy wine and beer in moderation. However, total abstinence eventually took hold as society began to classify all types of alcohol together. People viewed alcohol as the source of societal problems, supporters using it to fight against domestic violence and even immigration. People coined the phrase “teetotalers” to indicate their total abstinence, often taking pledges and carrying cards. While the actual origins of the word “teetotalers” are not definitive, ranging from the preference of tea to an emphasis on the capital “T”, people still identify themselves as teetotalers today.

Fast forward to the 1940s, and we find Dumfries families and friends celebrating the Keys 25^th wedding anniversary. Jeanne Martin recounted this tale both orally with a written record for HDVI.

“Myrnie and Elvan were tee-totalers. Most Methods in Dumfries a half century ago were still card-carrying members of “The Temperance League”. The use of alcohol was not totally forbidden and was sometimes used for medicinal purposes. In a small cupboard we kept a bottle of Mogen David wine and a whisky filled with rock candy called Rock-and-Rye. A teaspoon of whisky in tea for colds and flu and a small glass of wine for cramps were considered legitimate uses. The bottles were sequestered in a cabinet with shot and rifle shells, rat poison and other dangerous items. So the first story I want to tell you is something shocking considering how my Aunt and Uncle regard alcohol as a general rule.

Myrnie wanted to have a beautiful party for her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. She was famous in the town for entertaining and she wanted this one to be very special. She wanted to celebrate a quarter century of a happy marriage in a big way. Someone told her that it would be lovely to have Champagne punch, they had a recipe and, “no it wasn’t strong at all she need not worry about that, and wouldn’t the guests want to toast the happy couple?” Myrnie was convinced, though Elvan was not, and Champagne punch was included in the plans.

…The house hummed with activity for two months before the party…The day arrived and it is a day that “will live in infamy” in the hearts and minds of those who attended. It started at four in the afternoon and was expected to last several hours. However when the tee-totaling Methodists started drinking the delicious punch the party lasted much longer. At nine, Mary Williams, Myrnie’s best friend, ended it by standing on the table and reciting the poem “The Sinking of the Titanic”, She followed that by singing, through tears, all the verses of “Nearer my God to Thee”. “I just felt”, she blubbered, “and I had to make a tribute to all those poor souls that perished”. Then she passed out and someone caught her as she fell of the table. That broke up the party. Luckily everyone took this as a good joke., Mary laughed about it the next day through her headache though never drank anything stronger after that than coffee or tea.”

(Source: Thomas, Jerry.  The Bar-Tender’s Guide and Bon-Vivant’s Companion. New York: Dick & Fitzgerald Publishers, 1862; Digitized by the Internet Archive)

Craving Champagne punch? Jerry Thomas’ The Bar-Tender’s Guide or How to Mix Drinks (later How to Mix Drinks or the Bon-Vivant’s Companion), published in 1862, could help. According to Thomas, “Whether it is judicious that mankind should continue to indulge in such things, or whether it would be wiser to abstain from all enjoyments of that character, it is not our province to decide. We leave that question to the moral philosopher. We simply contend that a relish for “social drinks” is universal; that those drinks exist in greater variety in the United States…and that he, therefore, who proposes to impart to these drinks…is a genuine public benefactor.” This highly regarded book introduced a variety of recipes, included Champagne Punch (lemon, slices of pineapple and orange, raspberry or strawberry syrup, sugar, and wine) and a variation named Rocky Mountain Punch (champagne, Jamaican rum, maraschinos, lemons, and sugar to taste) recommended for New Years celebrations.

Note: October is almost here, meaning the return of our popular Ghost Walk programs along with a new Virtual Halloween Tea! Whether you would like to indulge with an evening walk, sit in the house after midnight, or learn about the history of Halloween with frightfully tasty recipe recommendations, we thank you for your continuing support! Please note that tickets for the “Locked Inside” Ghost Walk must be purchased 7 days in advance for health monitoring/tracking. Click here to see our current programs.

(Sources: HDVI Archival Records VCU Libraries: Social Welfare History Project: Campbell, A. (2017). The temperance movement. Social Welfare History Project.  Retrieved from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/religious/the-temperance-movement/temperance-movement; Food Science, History, and Much More: Teetotaler: Why are People Who Don’t Drink Called This?; EUVS Digital Collection: Miller, Anistatia. The Bar-Tender’s Guide or How to Mix Drink by Jerry Thomas; Thomas, Jerry. The Bartender’s Guide, Price $2.50”, 1862)

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

The phrase “trick-or-treat” usually does not strike fear into our hearts as children are not equipped to do us or our property harm if we refuse them treats (unless we offer them vegetables or toothbrushes, of course). While Halloween 2020 will certainly leave an impression, Halloween 1912 in Dumfries was perhaps more shocking and sensational. Sit back and enjoy this reminiscence.

“It was then that my Uncle Elvan told of the truly dreadful thing he had done on All Hallows Eve 1912. Old Mr. Quismond had died that morning and his body was in a casket in the Dumfries Methodist Church. Word of his death traveled fast in the little town. Later that morning one of Elvan’s mates, the most adventuresome in the group of scholars at the one room schoolhouse, purposed the friends meet that night and sneak into the church. “Let’s bring candles and tell ghost stories,” he suggested “…or are you just a bunch of ninnies?” No one wanted to be a scaredy-cat. It was decided they would meet at the church as soon as it was dark.

So, quite frightened at their daring, they met that night, opened the casket, lit the candles and told a ghost story. All would have been well if they had just left it at that, but boys, being boys, they did not. “Why not really scare someone?” the Tom Sawyer of the group suggested. “Things have worked out perfectly,” he argued, “We have a body and the best night of the year to pull a prank!” The other boys chimed in with suggestions: Let’s haul him down the hill on a hay wagon; let’s park him in the road with his body propped up; Yeah, people will think he wasn’t really dead or that he is a ghost; We can hide in the bushes and see what happens!

They put actions to works and took the body out of the casket and loaded it onto a wagon. The plan was to pull the wagon themselves, it was usually pulled by a horse, but they felt between the four of them they could manage the wagon. This was a bad miscalculation.

(Main Street in Dumfries, Virginia)

Their plan worked out much scarier and worse than they could have imagined. The four lads were not strong enough to hold the hay wagon on the steep him from the Church. It got away from them and careened wildly down the hill onto U.S. Route One wrecking when it hit the highway and spilling our poor old Mr. Quismond on the road! Hearing the commotion; screaming boys and crashing wagon, neighbors who lived beside the road, came out of their houses. Vehicles stopped because the wreck blocked the road. Confusion reigned, wasn’t this Mr. Quismond? Why wasn’t he in his coffin at the church? The mystery was never solved. The boys had disappeared as silently as cats. Elvan said he had never been so scared in his life. He ran the whole five miles to the Key’s farm on the Joplin Road. Some of the boys had been hurt when the wagon got away but somehow they all made it home. No one was ever caught but there were rumblings and grumblings in Dumfries for weeks to come, “If we ever lay holt of the boys that did this they should be tarred and feathered and then sent to the hoosegow!” She ended the story by noting Elvan never stole another body and “Can you see why I loved my Uncle Elvan so much?”

As you can imagine, Halloween was different in the early 1900s. In the 1920s and 1930s, children celebrated Halloween Eve aka “Mischief Night”, “Cabbage Night”, and “Devil’s Night”. Children reportedly overturned wagons, broke windows, and set fires. 

Although the narrative used the terms casket and coffin interchangeably, they are different. A coffin traditionally has six sides with no hinged lid, while a casket has four sides with hinged lid. By the 20^th century, Americans generally favored caskets, and the Coffin Works Museum offered several theories pointing to the substantial changes of funerary practices wrought by the Civil War.

Driving by Duke Street today on Route One, you are probably more worried about heavy traffic and animals running into the road than dead people. However, some local residents say they can almost hear horses and wagons driving up and down Route One at night…perhaps they can also hear the inevitable curses the children probably yelled as Mr. Quismond took a sudden interest in traffic congestion.

(Keys Collection: Leary Cato and Elvan Keys @ the Old Farm Barn in Joplin)

Special thanks to the Keys family and Jeanne Martin for sharing their wonderful stories and reminiscences.

Note: Our virtual Halloween Tea is this Sunday, 10/11 @ 1pm. This tea will feature the history of Halloween along with our traditions, ghost stories, great Halloween recipes, game recommendations and more – all focused to help you plan your safe Halloween! Click here for more info and tickets.

(HDVI Archival Records: Merchant Family Stories & Folklore; TIME: Fabry, Merrill. A Brief History of ‘Mischief Night’, 10/30/2015; Newman Brothers & Coffin Works Museum: Hayes, Sarah. From Coffins to Caskets: An American History. 07/26/2017).

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

On a cloudy Saturday morning, Ghost Guide Jeff and I met near the historic well in Merchant Park. Tourists often ask about the structure and our Ghost Tours usually start at the well – a seemingly mysterious gathering place. Did people toss coins into the well? Was there anything underneath the wooden planks covering it besides for a possible concrete slab? As Ghost Jeff began the process of carefully removing the planks, I looked for information.

(Merchant Park Archaeological Excavations, 1975)

To our early Americans, wells provided opportunities for social gatherings and fresh water. Assuming the Town people did not dump their chamber pots or discard any carcasses in or near the well, people could and did safely consume water. People also enjoyed cider, hot chocolate, tea, milk (living on or near a farm was key for dairy), and alcohol – watered down for the little ones. Dumfries residents relied on the Merchant Park Well into the early 20^th century as students at Dumfries Elementary School reportedly used it and Violet Merchant, the last person to live in the historic house, relied upon it until she left the house. Jeanne Martin remembered Violet’s inability to switch to public utilities when Dumfries connected in the mid-20^th century, noting the kindness of the Dumfries community in providing her well water, chopped wood, and groceries. However, unless you are consuming the water from the well, you may see it and start to daydream, thinking about wishes you may have. For example, I may cast a wish the squirrels stop hiding in the waste bins during the spring only to jump out at my approach.

The belief and practice in wishing wells is centered on the water. Early civilizations adapted and thrived around water sources, whether offering regular reliability or unpredictable flooding (the Nile vs. the Tigris & Euphrates). Celtic and Germanic folklore associate living spirits guarding this fundamental source and historical records indicate people made a wish with coins and other small offerings. When archaeologists excavated Coventina’s Well in Northumberland, they discovered thousands of coins from different eras of the Roman Empire. Archaeologists reclaimed almost 16,000 coins, mostly low denomination but ranging from the first to fifth centuries. Located within temple ruins, people may have used this well in their religious ceremonies, fitting with the idea people made offerings to the Celtic goddess Coventina. While that specific well centered on the goddess, other wells may have the same insignificant offerings (ex: buttons) with people hoping for superpowers – an offering in exchange for good health or a cure. Note that people did not toss items of significant value but still placed quite a hefty expectation on one coin or button.

The lore of Odin and Mimir’s Well (possibly the Well of Urd amongst the world tree Yggdrasil), indicates another fascinating association with wells and water. Mimir, an advanced being with almost unrivalled knowledge, maintained his high intellect by drawing water from the well – the water itself giving him power. Odin, seeking wisdom, arrived at the well hoping for a satisfying drink of cosmic knowledge but Mimir refused unless Odin offered his eye in return. Odin agreed, gouged, and dropped his eye in the well finally acquiring his cherished drink. Try not to think too much about this, like the flavor, possible eye bits… Hopefully, Odin found his sacrifice for this new level of perception and wisdom worth it! Scholars even note the eye itself was petty (a common organ that witnessed troublesome and petty conflicts and stress) in exchange for what Odin was gaining, divine and ancestral wisdom.

(Ghost Guide Jeff @ the Merchant Park Well, September 2020)

Checking back in at the Merchant Well, we find that the well contained no treasures (or organs). Concrete properly capped the historic water with some discarded trash on top, possibly from the early 1970s while HDVI was forming and restoring the property. Anthropologists still find people making wishes whether they can clearly explain the reason for their actions. Perhaps people toss coins for a specific reason, a vague but grand hope, or even for the hope of possibility…the hope that something different will happen, the wish will add a new random and fortuitous element to their lives. As you gather around the well this October, consider what conversations were had around the Dumfries well. What secrets have the well guardian spirits heard?

Note: We still have a few tickets remaining for both Ghost Walks: Return to the Shadows and Ghost Walks: Locked Inside! Claim your ticket before we are officially sold out! Click here for the evening walking tour and here for the investigation!

(Sources: HDVI Archival Records: Merchant Family Stories & Folklore; HDVI Archival Records: Hoagland, Ann. Transcript (Draft) of Interview with Cecil Garrison. Prince William County Historical Commission Oral History Project, 02/1988. Note on draft: Due to editing for clarification purposes, this document cannot be classified as a true verbatim transcription of the conversation with the aforementioned persons; Ancient Origins: Reconstructing The Story of Humanity’s Past: The Ritual Behind Wishing Wells: Buying Good Favors and Good Fortune, 03/24/2015; Tabila, Lauren, James Green, Jonathan Kwok, Kara Thurn, Meagan McLaughlin. “Wishing Wells: The Practice of Buying Good Fortune.” University of California Irvine, Department of Anthropology; Norse Mythology for Smart People: Why Odin is One Eyed, https://norse-mythology.org/tales/why-odin-is-one-eyed/)

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Participating in any of our outside walking tours, day or night, includes a trip to Dumfries Elementary Public School and Dumfries Cemetery. One ghost story specifically refers to the appearance of “colonial girls” and in a town filled with Civil War folklore, it is intriguing this particular association attached itself to the school. But if Dumfries Graded School and later Dumfries Elementary Public School operated in the early 1900s, why colonial ghost children?

In 06/19/1795, Mrs. Simson advertised the opening of her Boarding School in the Republican Journal and Dumfries Advertiser. “Where she intends teaching all kinds of needle-work, in silk and worsted; she also teaches the tambour and embroidery, with the art and elegance of shading, and taste in the arrangement of patterns.” She wished to “cultivate their young minds, as well as form their manners” flattering herself “that she has given satisfaction to the parents of those whom she has already had the honour to instruct – and gained the love of her pupils.” Besides for needlework, she advertised “reading, spelling, and writing taught with propriety”.

Mrs. Simson’s indicated that the Boarding School was “at the House of Thomas Lee, Esquire, on the Hill”. The famed Lee family owned property throughout Virginia including the Town of Dumfries and while both Colonel and former Governor of Virginia Thomas Lee and Thomas Ludwell Lee, Sr. died before the 1780s, Thomas Ludwell Lee, Jr. presumably placed a newspaper ad in the Alexandria Gazette on 09/17/1787 for persons wishing to rent “a large Commodious Store house in Dumfries, as well situated being nearly in the centre of the main streets…” Charles Lee also advertised in the same paper and date “…to be leased forever at public auction…about 15 lots situated in the town of Dumfries on the main street opposite to McDaniels Tavern being part of the square now occupied by Henderson, Ferguson & Gibson”. While the Lees rented and sold property in Dumfries, some to the Merchant family, the house “on the hill” likely referred to the area around the current Dumfries Elementary Public School.

In 18^th century America, middle- and upper-class white families usually hired tutors to instruct their young daughters the basics of writing and arithmetic, with more advanced and skilled instruction in needlework, music, manners, and other forms of arts and crafts. If the parents could and were willing to send their daughters to a boarding school, they would hone their skills in needlework and come back with a “level up” – a finished needlework to display prominently in the home, discreetly (?) informing guests of the family’s wealth, sophistication, and refinement. These “female accomplishments” were important signals to a society focused on appearance and marriage. Virginia prohibited the gathering of enslaved children for the purpose of education extending from the constant white paranoia that educated enslaved persons were more likely to rebel. However, the Bray Schools in Virginia instructed enslaved persons in Christian education through biblical literacy. Both Williamsburg and Fredericksburg operated official Bray schools ranging from 1760-1774, although Fielding Lewis encountered low enrollment and white hostility forcing him to close the Fredericksburg location sooner.

Although siltation was an issue by 1795, the town of Dumfries still attracted people as the Henderson family resided in Dumfries and Mason Locke Weems had yet to purchase the lot for his book depository. However, we have so little information beyond the newspaper advertisement for the boarding school. Did anyone pay the fee to board their children? If so, which families took advantage of this offer and what were their experiences in Dumfries?

Interestingly, the Republican Journal and Dumfries Advertiser also included the following song in the same paper with Mrs. Simson’s advertisement, titled “Domestic Felicity”. Although not attributed to any person in the newspaper, this song appears in Isaiah Thomas, Jr.’s ed, “The Sky Lark: or Gentlemen and ladies’ complete songster. Being a collection of the most modern and celebrated American, English, and Scotch songs”.

“Though grandeur flies my humble roof,

Tho’ wealth is not my share,

Tho’ lowly is my little cot,

Yet happiness is there.

 *

A tender wife, with mild control,

By sympathy refin’d,

When rage the tumults of the breast,

Becalms my troubled mind.

 *

Three pledges of our mutual love,

Kind Providence has given,

And competence, to nurse their hopes,

Is all we ask of Heaven.

 *

Still, from the little we enjoy,

A little we dispense;

And watch the buddings of their mind

Just blossoming to sense.

 *

With arm entwin’d in arm we fit;

And join their hands to pray;

And teach the accents of their tongue,

To hail the rising day.

 *

At eve again they kneel and bless

The hours which are now past;

And hope their cherish’d virtues may

Prove happiness at last.

*

Accept, Great Father of us all;

Accept their little prayers,

And grant the nurslings of our youth

May crown our silver hairs.

*

Let those whose weak and infant limbs

With tenderness we guide,

Be props unto our age when down

The steep of life we glide.”

(Image: Instruction with Delight. Thomas, Isaiah. Little Robin Red Breast. A Little Pretty Pocket-book Intended for the Instruction and Amusement of Little Master Tommy and Pretty Miss Polly. Massachusetts: Worcester, 1787. The Colonial Society of Massachusetts: 18th century Massachusetts Songsters, Volume 54, Music in Colonial Massachusetts, 1630-1820: Music in Homes and Churches)

While the “colonial girls” will not respond to repeated queries (naturally), they and all the ghosts, such as the enslaved persons, represent our quest to understand everyone living in Dumfries. While essays and books are continually written about the white male society, they are not the ghostly figures people claim to see in this town – instead, it is the ones whom society did not equate as equal.

Note: While our closed season begins on 11/01/2020, we will continue to offer online virtual tours! The online tour includes a meeting with the staff and a video of the house. Stay tuned for special virtual November Member programs along with news of possible holiday outside walking tours! Click here to access info regarding our latest & upcoming programs and tours!

(Sources: The Republican Journal and Dumfries Advertiser, No. VI, Vol 1, 06/19/1795; HDVI Archival Files: Dumfries – Town Lots, Newspaper Notices; University of Michigan Digital Text Collections: Evans Early American Imprint Collection Text Creation Partnership; MET: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Peck, Amelia. American Needlework in the 18^th Century, 10/2003; Library of Virginia & Virginia Humanities: Encyclopedia Virginia. Bly, Antonio. Slave Literacy and Education in Virginia)

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

 After the 1820s, travelers to Dumfries noted the deteriorating and decline of a once prosperous nautical town. From stagnant to “God forsaken” our town collected a hard reputation. From the perspective of an enslaved man, the Town of Dumfries was outright dangerous and could have ended his escape to freedom.

Born enslaved around 1815 in North Carolina, James Curry worked as a domestic servant, hatter, and tobacco farmer until 1837. His early years witnessed remarkable change as officials enslaved and sold his free father elsewhere, while his mother remained enslaved to Moses Chamber. Curry grew up with his mother’s third husband and children and learned to read, first taught by the slaveowner’s son until forbidden, then self-taught when the family was away. He worked several different trades depending upon the month/season and married a free black woman without Chamber’s approval leading to threats to either re-sell or outright kill Curry (an overseer’s intervention saved him). He recorded frequent and horrific abuse, such as Chamber’s wife savagely beating a young child for breaking a comb – she eventually died from her injuries.  “…although I have myself no doubt of their truth, I forbear; assuring all, however, who may read this narrative, that there is no sin which man can commit, that those slaveholders are not guilty of.” He also witnessed repeated beatings of his mother. On 06/14/1837, Curry and two of his brothers escaped and ran North, forcibly separated outside of Washington, D.C. after pursuit from white persons and their dogs.

(Source: Gale: 19^th Century Newspapers: The Liberator, 01/10/1840)

This separation occurred right before reaching Dumfries – while the dogs chased his brothers a separate way, Curry soon encountered another wild animal he successfully fought. After he crossed a branch of the Potomac, he had a stroke of luck – a tame horse. ”Just before I reached the town of Dumfries, I came across an old horse in a field with a bell on his neck. I had been warned by a colored man, a few nights before, to beware of Dumfries. I was worn out with running, and I took the bell off the horse’s neck, took the bell collar for a whip, and putting a hickory bark round his head for a bridle, I jumped on his back, and thus mounted, I rode through Dumfries. The bull-dogs lay along the street, ready to seize the poor night traveller, but, being on horse-back, they did not molest me. I have no doubt that I should have been taken up, if I had been on foot. When I got through the town, I dismounted, and said to my horse, ‘go back to your master, I did not mean to injure him, and hope we will get you again, but you have done me a great deal of good.’ And then I hastened on, and got as far from him as I could before morning.” Due to his own perceptiveness, intelligence, and courage, he escaped to Pennsylvania. He claimed to be from the state but presumably was not very convincing as a women he encountered, “Said she, ‘I didn’t know but you came from Virginia, or Maryland, and sometimes, some of our colored friends come from there hither, and think they are free, but the people about here are very ugly, and they take them and carry them back; and if you haven’t sufficient free papers, I would advise you not to stay here to-night.’” He eventually found the Society of Friends and continued his journey North with their assistance, distressed he was unable to “send” for his wife.

At the time of his escape, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 allowed a slaveowner or their agent to pursue a supposed “fugitive” and bring them before a judge to weigh the “proof” to determine their status – free or enslaved. If deemed a fugitive, the agent would then transport them back to the state they fled. This act also punished any white person for aiding black persons. The more well-known Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 greatly strengthened, expanded, and empowered commissioners and agents but also greatly heightened tensions between Northerners and Southerners. Although Curry fled before 1850, he still had to worry about slave patrols – groups working to chase and apprehend supposed fugitives and instill fear in the black population, often beating and abusing those caught whether physically, psychologically, or both. While newspaper ads from the 1850s indicate that slave agents and patrols utilized dogs, it is unclear if the dogs in Dumfries were part of a slave patrol. Curry received advanced warning about the Town of Dumfries but did not elaborate leading to so many questions: Who warned him? What was the warning? What part of Dumfries did Curry ride through? Who owned the horse and did the horse go back?

(Source: Library of Congress: John Arrowsmith, The American atlas, exhibiting the post offices, post roads, rail roads, canals, and the physical & political divisions of the United States of North America, 1839)

Curry wrote his short narrative in Massachusetts while waiting to complete his journey to Canada. The famous newspaper, The Liberator, published the autobiography on 01/10/1840 giving it a full feature. Antislavery activist Elizabeth Buffom Chace claimed to have narrated the story for Curry and reported she received a card from him indicating he made it safely to Canada.

Note: Thank you for your continued support in our academic research! We greatly appreciated the donations and participation in our first virtual presentation and are currently planning the next one. If you would like to learn more about our organization and mission, please click here to link to our website.

(Sources: Curry, James. Narrative of James Curry, A Fugitive Slave,” The Liberator (Boston, MA), January 10, 1840; Documenting the American South: Buller, Erin Bartels. Summary for Narrative of James Curry, A Fugitive Slave; National Law Enforcement Museum: Blog: On the Beat: Hansen, Chelsea. Slave Patrols: An Early Form of American Policing, 2019; George Mason University & City University of New York: History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web: “Negro Dogs”; Library of Congress: A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875: Annals of Congress, 2^nd Congress, 2^nd Session, An Act respecting fugitives from justices, and persons escaping from service of their masters”, Pages 1413-1414)

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

On 09/05/1808, an enslaved woman named Fanny presumably stood in front of George Williams’ Ordinary as Valentine Peyton, the executor of the late James Murray, Jr., put her up for sale. Selling enslaved persons was a common practice in Dumfries and usually happened in front of the courthouse, homes (such as the Henderson house), and taverns. However, thanks to Fanny’s strength and endurance, we can find her in other places as well.

Fanny, identified only as a “mulatto woman”, appeared before Prince William County Court on 08/06/1805 petitioning for her freedom. Complaining against illegal detainment in bondage she sued “in forma pauperis” Valentine Peyton, the executor of the late James Murry, Jr.’s, without cost. As executor of Murray’s estate, Peyton claimed she was liable for the deceased Murray’s debts. On this day, the court was divided on its opinion as Peyton’s counsel urged her to be “delivered to the said Peyton on his giving bond with security to have her forthcoming” to answer the judgment of the court. Given that this one record referred to her as Frances, Fanny, and Franny (assuming no transcription error), how can we find her again if her name is even ambiguous? Did she identify herself as any of those three names or were those given to her by the deceased James Murray, Jr.?

While this could be a frustrating example of how little we know about what happened to people after they appeared in court, Fanny reappeared two years later in the Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political on 08/24/1808 when Valentine Peyton announced her sale in Dumfries. This time, we learn more about her through the perspective of Peyton’s advertisement, “Fanny is an excellent cook, seamstress, washer-woman, and house servant, and will be a valuable acquisition in any family”. Clearly, Fanny did not gain the freedom she petitioned for as Peyton continued to administrate Murray, Jr.’s estate. Besides for those details, Peyton also noted the “Embargo” and the financial considerations made within a certain time if lifted. He referred to the Congressional “Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves “on 03/02/1807, effective 01/01/1808, which essentially stopped the importation of Africans. This was not an advocation for emancipation or equality for black persons. Instead, this calculated move furthered the domestic trade in enslaved persons, having people purchase enslaved persons from Virginians versus a different country. By banning the transatlantic slave trade, Virginia planters further cemented their holds and filled their pockets with profit as Virginians started becoming major sellers in people.

(Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political, Vol. VIII, No. 2259, 08/24/1808 via Library of Congress: Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers)

Although we do not have the records from the day of the sale, Peyton’s advertisement identified her as a skilled domestic enslaved person, not listing the event as an auction. As the transatlantic trade ended at the beginning of 1808, traders throughout Virginia and the upper south networked to sell and transport people to urban centers where the enslaved could be confined for weeks awaiting possible auctions and sales to new traders or even established firms. For the more than 1 million enslaved men, women, and children sold from the upper south (mostly Virginia), to the lower south from 1790-1860, southern agents frequently traveled to purchase, transport, and then resale the persons for forced labor.

So, what ultimately happened to Fanny? If someone in Dumfries or in Prince William County purchased Fanny, we may find her again in an estate sell, will, or inventory in our archives. Wonderful new online resources can greatly help such as the database “Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade”, which strives to identify all persons associated with the slave trade. Fueled by archival fragments and freely shared records, it is possible to start to reconstruct the lives of individuals. For more local records, The Virginia Museum of History & Cultures database “Unknown No Longer” can also further narrow the search with record type and locality. These are just two examples of how scholars, educators, and descendants continue to contribute and expand our knowledge on early Virginia, particularly those that may not have had anyway to preserve their voice during their lifetime.

Note: The Potomac District of Prince William County is celebrating “Batestown Road Family Reunion: Remembering When” this Saturday at Merchant Park! This Juneteenth celebration for the street renaming and dedication will feature local history, Batestown archival material, and special guest speakers. Although this is a ticketed event and numbers are limited, you can learn more about how to stream this event here!

(Sources: Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political, Vol. VIII, No. 2259, 08/24/1808 via Library of Congress: Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers; Prince William County Order Book 1804-1806, Pages 206 & 212 via Slave & Free Negro Records from the PWC Court Minute & Order Books: 1752-1763; 1766-1769; 1804-1806; 1812-1814; 1833-1866 A Source Book for African-American Family History Research, Part 1, Compiled by Joan W. Peters; Miller, Joseph. “Transatlantic Slave Trade, The” Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (05 Feb. 2021). Web. 15 Jun. 2021; Zaborney, John. "Slave Sales" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (10 Jun. 2021). Web. 16 Jun. 2021)

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

Works Project Administration (WPA) agent Susan Morton must have had a fascinating time exploring the Town of Dumfries and surrounding regional area for the WPA of Virginia Historical Inventory project. She traveled to each site, talked to people from the area, and consulted everything from court records to engravings on tombstones. Besides her poetic descriptions of the sites, her historical summaries, and her inclusion on everything from local folklore to knowledgeable town residents, she included documents and ledgers that caught her eye. She located and transcribed the “List of Slave Expenditures Kept by B. Grayson” from a book kept at “The Shelter,” home of Bailey Tyler, Haymarket, Virginia. It is possible the copies we have are missing an additional page as we were not able to locate a document containing the final sum & overall transaction.  

“List of Slave Expenditures Kept by B. Grayson” from a book kept at “The Shelter,” home of Bailey Tyler, Haymarket, Virginia.

This document most certainly was connected to the influential Grayson family. William Grayson (1742-1790) led many military & prominent political positions during his long service to the state of Virginia. While it might look like a simple list, there are many clues contained within it that could help someone locate one of the enslaved persons the Grayson family owned. For example, note the difference in fee between Davy and Peter, both working on holidays. This likely was from a perceived disorder or injury, although the recorder could have been vague and neglected time differentials. Everything from bees to clothes peppered the above expenditures detailing what the enslaved persons had access to and their possible priorities on the plantation.

Note: This blog will temporarily go on hiatus as HDVI interviews applicants for the position of Executive Director! I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these weekly articles and will miss the wonderful local history contained within our precious archives.

(Sources: WPA Historic Survey: Town of Dumfries, 1937)