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The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 25th to September 17th in 1787. Following our country’s independence from Great Britain the new United States of America had continued operating under the Articles of Confederation (1777). These articles had been used throughout the Revolution and, while satisfactory in many respects, were intentionally left…

Books Read in Falmouth in 1770s Books ordered from printers in England to be sent to Falmouth citizens through Anderson’s Trading Post in 1770. Anderson’s Trading Post is now called Amy’s Café. (Complied from notes of Dr. Oscar Darter) Beauties of Nature and Art Johnson’s Dictionaries Easops (Aesops) Fables The Free Thinker Gentlemen’s Instructions Gospel…

Scion of a prosperous and powerful Virginia family, William was born in 1741, the only son of Henry and Lucy Carter Fitzhugh. His father died before William’s second birthday, leaving him the young heir of a vast fortune. His mother, daughter of extremely wealthy Robert “King” Carter of Williamsburg fame, soon remarried. She wed Colonel…

By Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor As a historian, I sometimes become aware of trends or patterns as I piece together Stafford’s past. My occasional work with the dedicated volunteers of Stafford County’s Cemetery Committee helped me to recognize one such pattern. As we traveled around to cemeteries recording the inscriptions and other data from gravestones, I…

James Garrard (1749-1822)—son of Col. William Garrard (c.1715-c.1786) of Stafford. James resided at Hampstead on Poplar Road (Route 616) in Stafford. During the American Revolution, James served as a captain in the Stafford militia. From 1779-1780 James represented Stafford County in the Virginia House of Delegates. From at least 1779-1784 James was a justice for…

Nestled close to the shore of Aquia Creek, near the Aquia Harbour Yacht basin, is a small island. It appears to be an extension of land as its western shore is actually joined to the mainland by a marshy bog. For years leaving Aquia Harbour Marina pass by the inconspicuous island. This unpretentious piece of…

Thomas Towson (1779-1861)—was born near Baltimore, Maryland. A marble cutter and quarrier by trade, Towson was much involved in cutting and supplying sandstone, also called freestone, for the building of the city of Washington. During the early 1800s, Thomas split his time between Baltimore and Stafford. Around 1806 he married Eleanor Norman of Edge Hill,…

On March 20, 1847, the Washington and New Orleans Magnetic Telegraph Company incorporated and began construction of a telegraph line between those two cities. The previous year lines had been run from New York to Washington. The company’s intention was to build the line along the railroad, though in some areas, such as Stafford, that…

Slavery was part of the way of life for Stafford County. It is known that enslaved people worked on Brent’s Island (now known as Government Island) quarrying stone from 1694 to 1791. Sandstone, called Freestone or Aquia Stone, was used throughout Colonial America for architectural trim, making grave markers, and foundations. In December of 1791,…

Colonial Time In Europe, silk was a prized commodity during the seventeenth-century. France had a thriving industry and King Charles II of England wanted to have one in his own colonies. In the late 1630’s, experimentation with silkworm farming began in Virginia. It was encouraged by two Royal Governors, Sir William Berkeley and Edward Digges.…

Paved roads are a relatively recent convenience in Stafford County, the first one not having been constructed until 1921. From the early 1600s, Stafford’s rather unique geography impacted transportation. The county is bounded on the north by Chappawamsic Swamp, on the east by the Potomac River, and on the south by the Rappahannock River. Throughout…