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Today mosquitoes are a nuisance and pose only a limited health risk. Until the mid-19th century, however, mosquitoes carried a variety of potentially deadly diseases including malaria. From the time the first colonists arrived in the early 1600s until well after the conclusion of the Civil War, mosquito-borne diseases were some of the most feared…

The MacGregor Overlay is displayed on a modern aerial photograph of Falmouth, showing roughly where the town’s original streets and lots would be located today. In 1728, the Falmouth town trustees sold 27 lots to various individuals. More sales quickly followed. Almost immediately, the new owners subdivided their lots, selling or leasing small parcels to…

John Waugh (1630-1706)—the first rector (minister) of Overwharton Parish, a position he held from 1668 until 1701. He lived at Overwharton plantation, which is now known as Waugh Point in King George County. An educated man, he attended to the spiritual needs of frontier people from what is today King George County all the way…

The Manahoc Indians, who had a village above the site of the present Belmont Estate, used fish caught in the Rappahannock as “barter goods.” They caught these fish in traps located near the “fall line” in the river where the present Falmouth Bridge is located. They strung the fish on green willow poles and smoked…

The small log building in Falmouth that we know as Hobby School is one such place where little documented history exists, but a wealth of oral tradition abounds. For decades, locals have claimed that, as a lad, George Washington attended school in this building and was taught by John Hobby. In truth, Mr. Hobby served…

Colonel Giles Brent arrived in Maryland from England in 1638. He became Lt. Governor, Lord of the Manor at Kent Fort, Magistrate and Chief Captain of the Providence of Maryland. He married Kittamaquad, a Native American Piscataway Princess. At the death of her father, Brent claimed all Piscataway lands, which was most of Maryland. After…

George Washington was born at his father’s plantation on Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 22, 1732. His father, Augustine Washington, was a leading planter in the area and also served as a justice of the county court. Augustine’s first wife, Janet Butler, died in 1729, leaving him with two sons, Lawrence and…

The town of Falmouth was established by act of Assembly in 1728 on land owned by William Todd (c.1685-1736) who in 1721 had built a tobacco warehouse there. Typical of these types of towns, the Assembly appointed a small group of men to act as trustees. They were responsible for selling lots and overseeing the…

The famous George Mason IV, namesake of the university, was a fourth generation Staffordian. His great grandfather, George Mason I, left Staffordshire, England around 1652 and settled near the Potomac River. His home, Accakeek Farm, was located on the southeastern corner of today’s Brooke Road and Marlborough Point Road. (State Routes 621 and 608) All…

Augustine Washington (1694-1743)—was the father of George Washington. As a very young man he became interested in iron making and worked briefly with the operators of Bristol Iron Works in King George County. In 1720 a group of English investors established the Principio Iron Company and sent representatives to Maryland to seek deposits of iron…

These two concepts divided the Founding Fathers more than any other. Federalists argued for a constitutional central or national government which would provide for finances, defense, and foreign policy for the new republic. The liberty and rights of the people would be secured by common values. Federal, state, and local governments would thus be defined…

Alexander Scott (1686-1738)—was rector (minister) of Overwharton Parish from 1706 until his death in 1738. Alexander followed John Waugh (1630-1706) as rector of Overwharton. Scott was born in Dipple Parish, Scotland and named his Stafford farm Dipple. This stood at the junction of Chappawamsic Creek and the Potomac River. During the years that Scott lived…