Visit to Wellington (River Farm) on the Way to War

William H. Snowden, Union Army, 3rd Regiment, NJ Infantry, circa 1861

On April 17, 1862, William H. Snowden boarded the steamboat John A. Warner for a trip down the Potomac River. He was traveling for business….with the Union Army. While he was raised in the Quaker tradition, at the first sign of war, he returned to his hometown in New Jersey and enlisted in Company A,  3rd Regiment of the New Jersey volunteers. Snowden and his company spent the fall and winter at Fort Worth (near Quaker Lane) drilling and waiting for their “marching orders” from General George B. McClellan. They were to be part of the Army of the Potomac’s Peninsula Campaign—a mobilization of more than 100,000 soldiers headed toward Fort Monroe in hopes of surprising the Rebels in Richmond.

Excerpt of Map of Alexandria by Private Robert Knox Sneden, Library of Congress.
Fort Worth shown in upper left hand corner.

Snowden was no stranger to Virginia, as he and his brothers had relocated to Fairfax County in 1859. They purchased the home we know as Wellington or River Farm from George Washington’s heirs. William’s brothers, Stacey and Isaac, remained at Wellington to keep the farm operating. Meanwhile, war preparations at the docks in Alexandria were not at all familiar to Snowden. He remarked, “–this unceasing rattling of drays and huge army wagons and swift railway trains–the creaking of derricks and noisy bustle of stevedores, and the steady tide of life from early dawn to set of sun is in strange contrast, with that comparative quiet and loneliness which so lately reigned here at the beginning of the rebellion.”

Transports Embarking Troops at Alexandria, Virginia – Sketched by A.R. Waud, Harper’s Weekly, April 19, 1862
Quartermaster’s Wharf, Alexandria, Virginia,
Library of Congress

The workers Snowden saw preparing supplies for the exodus may have included African-American men as Union-occupied Alexandria had a growing reputation as a safe haven for self-emancipated people who would continue to flood into the city over the next couple of years.

The Steamboat John A. Warner

The John A. Warner was built in 1857 as an excursion boat for passengers on the Delaware River. Like other steamers pressed into service as troop transports, it seemed too elegant for the job. The military bands that played upon departure and decorative streamers that adorned some of the vessels contributed to that feeling. When they were underway, William Snowden leaned into his description, “We have been floating slowly down the stream, and I look back on the city four miles in the distance. We are about to lie to until morning to await some unfinished arrangements of our expedition. The ponderous anchor plunges through the water and we are held fast and firm by its good chain in the hurrying tide.”

Excerpt from “Extract of Military Map of N.E. Virginia showing forts and roads, 1865” Library of Congress

Like some other steamers that departed before them, the Warner paused overnight at the mouth of Broad Creek. It would have been a good place to wait for whatever was needed from Alexandria for their journey. Snowden noted, “Broad Bay is a wide estuary of the Potomac on the Maryland side fronting ‘Wellington,’ making the river at this point nearly 3 miles in width.” It also gave him a chance to wax poetic about the family home.

“Just opposite on the Virginia shore, and but a short distance from our anchorage, is ‘Wellington,’ our Virginia home. From its commanding elevation it seems to greet me, and I am glad to view its dearly cherished localities once more. The sloping lawn is green down to the water’s edge, and the great walnuts and oaks, with their buds fast swelling into foliage, stand like sentinels in its green expanse; and the ‘great porch,’ where in summer and autumn in happier days agone, I have passed so many genial hours in reading, or in converse with good, kind friends, or in watching alone the floating clouds and the sails on the river, looks just as inviting and pleasant as ever to my longing sight.”

Wellington at River Farm, 2022.

We don’t have to work hard to imagine what he saw. Wellington still sits on its commanding elevation 160 springs later. At least one of his arboreal “sentinels” is still there–a Black Walnut that perhaps was not quite as large and lonely at that time. The house and porch were updated in an early twentieth-century transformation of the property into a country estate, but I feel confident that Snowden could easily recognize his old home. 

Wellington’s original front door sits unadorned on the right hand side of the building, 2022

These sights stood out “prominently and temptingly” to Snowden and before long, two officers were with him in a yawl boat swinging away from the Warner. “It is already dark and the lights are lighted in the ‘old mansion.’ A knock at the door is quickly answered and we are kindly welcomed. Our coming is a pleasant surprise. The good folks tell us they were sure we would not go on the expedition before paying a visit. It is not long before we are summoned to a grateful repast served up in a very different style from that of the usual soldier’s mess.” 

They chat late into the night and then head back to their vessel. Snowden reflects on what lies ahead and whether this will be his last visit. “I am hopeful and look with no misgivings into the future. As in all my life before, all is bright and rose-colored in that sky that spans for me the days that are to come after these troublous times in which blood may flow and many graves be made in far off and strange places and many homes be made sorrowful and desolate.”

The next morning Snowden records, “From a refreshing sleep I rise at the drum call, and look first toward the home on the hill. The sun is up and shining brightly over the placid stream, and it gives a beauty to the ‘old mansion’ and its surroundings, it almost transfigures them to my yearning eye. How much I should regret if I had not gone ashore last evening, and once more said ‘good bye’ to the folks I am leaving….But we are weighing anchor, and as we steam away, the inmates of ‘Wellington’ wave to us a parting.”

The future was not quite as rose-colored as the romantic Snowden had foreseen. He did eventually make it back to his family and his home at Wellington after some hardship as a Confederate prisoner. Perhaps as a reward, the “days after those ‘troublous times’” stretched for decades. He saw the the establishment of the Mount Vernon District in Fairfax County, the creation of public schools and the arrival of the electric railway along the Potomac to Mount Vernon. Snowden continued to write expressively, most notably a guide for that same railway, lauding the history and scenery around his home and the post office he founded, which he named Andalusia and Arcturus, respectively. His neighbors and those that came after them called him “Captain” as a sign of respect, many not realizing that it was a rank he had earned in his service to the Union Army. When William Snowden’s end came in 1908 at the age of 84, he was laid to rest at Arlington Cemetery.

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Black Walnut, Broad Creek, George Washington, River Farm, Snowden, Trees, Wellington | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hunter Family of Cedar Hill

Cedar Hill (undated) courtesy of the Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Prior to the Civil War, the southern section of the Waynewood neighborhood in Alexandria, VA was owned by the Hunters, one of the many Northern families that migrated to the Mount Vernon District in the mid-nineteenth century to apply modern farming techniques on land once owned by George Washington. In 1854, William and Margaretta Hunter arrived from Pennsylvania with their impressive crop of 7 Children (4 boys and 3 girls) spanning ages 3-17. They built a home and called it Cedar Hill referring to the abundance of Red Cedar trees (Juniperus virginiana) in the area.

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Fort Hunt Park, George Washington, Potomac, Snowden, Trees, Waynewood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Waynewood Swim Team: Going Strong After Six Decades

On July 14, 1960, a mere 10 days after the grand opening of Waynewood Pool, Robert Lemmon pitched his idea to the Waynewood Recreation Association (WRA). He wanted to create a swim team. The Northern Virginia Swim League (NVSL) was just 4 years old and was growing fast, as suburbs replaced dairy farms in the counties around DC. Lemmon’s proposal was approved and in what would become a Waynewood tradition, a group of parents stepped in to help organize the team. In Spring 1961, John Crumplar (namesake of our lap pool) and William Lesher reported that they had attended an NVSL meeting and had carried out the steps for membership. 

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Waynewood | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Heirs of River Farm

Published in the Mount Vernon Gazette March 31, 2021
Fanny Bassett Washington,
oil on canvas, Robert Edge Pine, 1785, Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association

On October 15, 1785, George Washington’s favorite nephew married Martha Washington’s favorite niece. George Augustine Washington was the son of George Washington’s youngest Brother Charles, the founder of Charlestown, West Virginia. He was a Major in the Virginia Line during the American Revolution, serving first as a member of George Washington’s personal guard and later as an aide to General Lafayette.

Frances “Fanny” Bassett was the daughter of Martha’s sister Anna Maria Dandridge, who passed away in 1777 when Fanny was only 10 years old. Martha had an almost maternal relationship toward Fanny, who came to live permanently at Mount Vernon in the mid-1780’s. It appears that Martha wrote more letters to Fanny than to anyone else. On the couple’s wedding day, George Washington wrote,

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, George Washington, Mount Vernon, Pohick Church, River Farm, Wellington | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Heirs of River Farm

A New Home for an Old Bugle

The pigtail crook.  That’s what caught my attention.  This bugle looked different from the one my trombonist son has lying around his room. It was larger, with that unique twist near the mouthpiece, and —it was definitely older.

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Tree in Fort Hunt Park Commemorates 1939 Royal Visit

Royal Visit Pin Oak, 2006
Historic American Landscapes Survey
Source: Library of Congress

June 1939.  The King and Queen, President and First Lady left the camp at Fort Hunt.  Their visit had been short, perhaps only half an hour, but the young men that they met would not quickly forget the experience.  These lucky members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) recounted their interactions with the Royals for newspaper reporters and for each other.  Sergeant John Draganza, Senior Leader of the camp, accepted tokens (a soda, a shoe shine) from his peers who wanted to shake the hand that shook the king’s hand.  In contrast, Richard St. Barbe Baker, a conservationist and no stranger to the dignitaries, commemorated the visit in a longer-lasting way.  Following their departure, he planted two trees to commemorate both the success of the CCC and the royal visit.   One of those trees, a large Pin Oak, still stands.

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Fort Hunt Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Mount Vernon, National Park Service, Potomac, River Farm, Trees | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Waynewood Summer: A Sixty-Year Tradition

At this time 60 years ago, both the Waynewood Citizens’ Association (WCA) and the Waynewood Recreation Association (WRA) were preparing for their first summer of official activities.  They were, for the first time since the WCA’s inception in 1958, moving forward as separate entities.  The WRA, which began as the Recreation Committee of the WCA, held its first annual meeting on February 8, 1960.  With that success, the WCA discontinued the Recreation Committee tasking the Chairmen of the Youth Activities and Area Beautification Committees to act as liaisons to the WRA.

From a Waynewood Sales Brochure- Park Constructed and Opened in 1960.
Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Belle Haven, Waynewood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Wildflower and Weed: Purple Dead-Nettle Makes Its Annual Appearance

Purple Dead-Nettle growing between the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Bike Path
Dandelions & Purple Dead-Nettle

Perhaps you have admired these purple wildflowers growing in swaths along the George Washington Memorial Parkway and other roads in our area.  You may also have cursed them as a persistent weed that crops up in your lawn as a first sign of Spring every year.  On hearing its dangerous-sounding name, you might think this common plant is poisonous or has a sting to it.  Not true.   The purple (or red) dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum), is a member of the mint family and can be used for similar purposes.  There are plenty of sites on the internet that advocate foraging it for your salad, steeping it as a vitamin C-rich tea or even tossing some in your smoothie.  It is unrelated to the stinging nettle which helps in understanding its name.  This nettle is harmless or “dead.”

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Invasive species | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Love Local History? Explore a Yearbook!

On-line archives house yearbooks from the Mount Vernon area and beyond!

Early Yearbooks from Schools Attended by Mount Vernon Teens

Last fall, in pursuit of a local history lead, I entered the West Potomac High School (WPHS) Library. I was looking for copies of the Fort Hunt High School yearbook, The Fortress.  When you think of historical reference material, your imagination may conjure curled, yellow pages filled with 18th century script. Yearbooks, on the other hand, with their embossed faux-leather covers, may not be the first resources that come to mind, but they are a wonderful aggregation of detail about a community: its people, events, and trends. Even the sponsors and advertisements offer a valuable, thoroughly-enjoyable record of earlier times.

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt High School, Groveton High School, Groveton Tigerama, Luther Jackson High School, Luther Jackson Tiger, The Fort Hunt Fortress, The Mount Vernon Surveyor | 1 Comment

A Bride, A Groom and 23 Children – 60 Years Later

Bill and Gail Chapman are celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary this year, but they’ll be missing some of those who were present at the celebration 60 years ago, namely news cameramen, reporters and Bill’s 6th grade students from Waynewood Elementary. Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Belle Haven, Belle View, Route 1, Waynewood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Bride, A Groom and 23 Children – 60 Years Later

Who Built Collingwood in Alexandria, VA?

Collingwood circa 1966. Photo by Ruth Marler courtesy of the Virginia Room, Fairfax County Public Library

Local tradition, a 1937 Works Progress Administration report on the structure, and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) hold that

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Collingwood, George Washington, Mount Vernon, Snowden | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Telephone Exchange Names in Alexandria, Northern Virginia

In the early days of telephone usage, central offices were built to serve subscribers within a small local area.  Telephone exchanges were groupings of numbers assigned to a central office for switching.  These telephone exchanges were given names that often identified the geographic area to which they were assigned.  Some early exchange names in Alexandria, Virginia were:  Alexandria, Temple and Overlook.  Within these exchanges, each subscriber line had a set of numbers associated with it.  Depending on the local population, central offices needed 4 or 5 digits to keep the phone numbers unique within the exchange.

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Collingwood, Mount Vernon, Telephone Exchange | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Snowden School on Fort Hunt Road: a School Built by a Community and a Community Built by a School

This is the third in a series of posts on the Snowden Family and their contributions to our community.  Previous articles can be found in the archives on the right hand side of the page.

The only known photograph of the Snowden School taken sometime after World War I

On the morning of Tuesday, February 18, 1941, The Snowden School, located at the intersection of Fort Hunt Road and Chadwick Avenue was burning.  High winds whipped the flames as firefighters from Franconia and Alexandria fought in vain to save the building.  Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Collingwood, Dennis McCarty, Mount Air, Pohick Church, River Farm, Snowden, Wellington | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Snowden School on Fort Hunt Road: a School Built by a Community and a Community Built by a School

Stacy H. Snowden: Mount Vernon Supervisor

This is the second in a series of posts on the Snowden Family and their connections to the history of our area.  Of at least 5 homes occupied by the Snowdens from 1859-1949, only two are left:  Wellington and Collingwood.  The current owners of Collingwood have applied for a permit to regrade the property which would involve demolition of the mansion.

Before there was Dan Storck, before there was Gerry Hyland….a long time before these men, there was Stacy H. Snowden.  The Quaker farmer, the inventor, the owner of Collingwood was the Mount Vernon Representative on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors from 1883-1885.   

Continue reading
Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Collingwood, Mount Vernon, Potomac, Snowden | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wellington, Riverview, Andalusia, Arcturus and Collingwood: The Snowden Brothers and their Homes

This is the first in a series of posts on the Snowden Family and their connections to the history of our area.  Of at least 5 homes occupied by the Snowdens from 1859-1949, only two are left:  Wellington and Collingwood.  With the sale of Collingwood to new owners in 2016, its future is uncertain.

Once upon a time, there were three brothers:  Isaac, William and Stacey Snowden.  They lived on a farm in New Jersey with their Mother, Rhoda Hazelton Snowden, brother John, and two sisters, Abigail and Mary Jane.   The Snowdens were Quakers and likely heard about opportunities in the Mount Vernon area through the Mullica Hill Friends Meeting where they were members.  In the late 1840’s, Quaker families from New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia migrated to Virginia to Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Collingwood, Mount Vernon, Potomac, River Farm, Snowden, Wellington | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

John Smith’s Travels on the Potomac River

Engraving of Captain John Smith

John Smith is usually remembered for his leadership role in establishing the Jamestown settlement as well as his often-legendary connection to Pocahontas.  Many are unaware that before he became the third President of the Jamestown colony, he and fourteen men traveled up the Potomac River in search of a passage to East India and

“a glistering metal, the savages told us they had from Patawomack.” Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Dogue Creek, Great Hunting Creek, John Smith, Mount Vernon, Potomac, Tauxenent | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Harrison Dodge: Superintendent of Mount Vernon & Vestryman of Pohick Church

Tombstones of Mr. And Mrs. Dodge in the shade of an historic oak tree at Pohick Church Cemetery

On May 19, 1937,  Harrison Howell Dodge passed away suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage.  This would end his 52 year tenure as the Superintendent of the Mount Vernon Estate, a record of service that stands today.  On May 21st, following funeral services at St John’s Episcopal Church in Washington DC, his body was carried in state down the 5 year old George Washington Memorial Parkway, through the grounds of the Mount Vernon Estate to his final resting place at nearby Pohick church.  Dodge, like George Washington, was a member and Vestryman of this “Mother Church of Northern Virginia”. Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, George Washington, George Washington Memorial Parkway, Harrison Howell Dodge, Mount Vernon, Pohick Church, Trees | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Harrison Dodge: Superintendent of Mount Vernon & Vestryman of Pohick Church

Wisteria in the Mount Vernon Area: Devastatingly Beautiful

Wisteria arbor in a Mount Vernon, VA neighborhood

When George Washington purchased 3 wisteria plants for his Mount Vernon estate in March 1792, William Bartram delivered them with a detailed description that could be read as a friendly warning.  Bartram, a naturalist who inherited his father’s nursery, describes Wisteria frutescens as

“A rambling florobundant climber; the blossoms in large pendant clusters, of a fine celestial blue, well adapted for covering arbors.”   Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, George Washington, GW Rec Center, Invasive species, Mount Air, Mount Vernon, Trees, Wisteria | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Wisteria in the Mount Vernon Area: Devastatingly Beautiful

Lilacs: A Mount Vernon Area Favorite since 1732

Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris in Mount Vernon’s Upper Garden

The Custis and Washington Families both cultivated lilacs in their gardens.  John Custis (1678-1749), the father of Daniel Parke Custis (Martha Washington’s first husband), was an avid gardener.  Custis traded plants and corresponded with notable horticulturists of the time.  His “Brothers in the Spade” deemed the collection of lilacs in his 4 acre Williamsburg garden to be the best in America.  Among his collection were the two varieties that are most prevalent in the area today: common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) and Persian lilac (Syringa x persica). Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Dennis McCarty, John Custis, Lilac, Mount Air, Mount Vernon, pruning | Tagged , | Comments Off on Lilacs: A Mount Vernon Area Favorite since 1732

Historic Trees at River Farm

Washington-era black walnut at River Farm getting ready to leaf out

“I have made up my mind and am making my arrangements to take up my residence at the Walnuttree farm this fall,” wrote Tobias Lear to George Washington on September 8th 1797.  Lear was Washington’s personal secretary and the residence he was referring to was a home on part of George Washington’s River Farm.  It still exists today and is the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society (AHS). There is a single black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) from the Washington-era remaining on the property.  It represents those that defined the landscape for Lear and contributed to the name of the farm. Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Black Walnut, Osage Orange, River Farm, Trees | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Forsythia’s Big Year

Forsythia on April 10th one month after blooming

Forsythia is both revered and despised, often for the same reason.  It is everywhere because it’s easy to grow.  Those who love it, welcome it’s blooms as a first sign of Spring. Its staying power this year certainly reflects the long, cool Spring we’ve had in the Mount Vernon area.  Forsythia’s perky yellow blossoms usually arrive in mid-March and have faded within a week or two. Temperatures this year kept the shrubs in fresh color for a month or more. Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Forsythia, pruning | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Forsythia’s Big Year

Cell Phone Tower at GW Rec Center

Crate with Cell Tower Branches

 

It looked like Christmas in April.  Crates full of artificial branches sat beneath the previously installed section of the monopole. Workmen spent the majority of Wednesday on the George Washington Recreation Center driveway assembling the top section of the Lego-like tree made by Stealth Concealment Solutions, Inc. Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Cell Tower, GW Rec Center | Tagged | 2 Comments

St. John’s Church, Broad Creek, MD

George Washington attended Services here, the sign says as you walk along the path to St. John’s Episcopal Church, also called Broad Creek Church.  This year is the church’s 325th anniversary.  In 1692, the Church of England established thirty parishes in the strongly Catholic colony of Maryland.  Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, Broad Creek, St. John's Church | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on St. John’s Church, Broad Creek, MD

See the Trees, Recite the Poem

There’s still time.  A.E. Housman published his poem in 1896, well before the Mayor of Tokyo gifted the city of Washington, DC 3,000 cherry trees, but his message is universal.  It doesn’t depend on time or location.  You don’t have to make the pilgrimage to the tidal basin to see the blossoms and reflect on the fleeting nature of time. Continue reading

Posted in Backyard Mount Vernon, River Farm, Trees | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on See the Trees, Recite the Poem