The Culpeper Historian
News of Historical Research, Resources and Events
for Culpeper County, Virginia
Volume 2, number 1 February 17, 2009
February SPCH Meeting Will Feature Germanna Foundation President Marc Wheat
The next general meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Culpeper History will be held Saturday, February 28, 2009, at 2 p.m. in the community room of the Culpeper County Library. The program will feature a presentation by Marc Wheat, President of the Memorial Foundation of the Germanna Colonies. Among the Foundation’s properties is Salubria, the former home of the widow of Governor Spotswood. More on the Germanna Foundation and Salubria can be found at http://www.germanna.org/.
Marc Wheat will speak on "The People of Germanna: 300 Years in the Virginia Piedmont." He will include Daniel Boone who, for a time, lived near Salubria in the Stevensburg area.
Mr. Wheat received his Bachelor of Arts degree (majoring in Spanish) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1987, and his Juris Doctor degree in the Corporate and Securities Specialty Track at George Mason University in Virginia. He also frequently lectures on parliamentary tactics and strategy.
A member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia, Wheat has been listed in The Almanac of the Unelected, Who's Who in America (57th edition), and Who's Who in the World (20th edition). Mr. Wheat is Deputy Assistant General Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel, U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He and his wife Marie G. Wheat, formerly the Chief Operating Officer of the Peace Corps, raise their young son and daughter in Arlington, Virginia.
Following the presentation by Mr. Wheat, there will be a period of general discussion and reports regarding current SPCH activities, topics of historical interest and upcoming events. Visit the SPCH website at www.culpeper-history.org for an updated meeting agenda prior to February 28.
Light refreshments will be served.
Culpeper Remembrance Days Scheduled for April
The Annual Culpeper Remembrance Day festival will be held on the weekend of Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26, 2009. A lively schedule of tours, demonstrations, lectures, re-enactments, historical displays and concerts is planned. The Society of the Preservation of Culpeper History, the Museum of Culpeper History, and the Brandy Station Foundation are among the many local groups supporting the Culpeper Department of Tourism in planning and carrying out the event. Details and schedules can be found at www.visitculpeperva.com.
The Tourism Office recently added an RSS Feeds capability to its website, enabling technologically advanced subscribers (the rest of us can skip this paragraph) to receive updates via computer and RSS enabled mobile phones as new events are added to the schedule.
The Society for the Preservation of Culpeper History is planning an active schedule of events in connection with Remembrance Days. Tentatively these include displays related to historical sites and preservation efforts, possibly at the Museum, a history lecture featuring a timely history research topic at the Library, and a public information event on Sunday.
War Is Hell:
Museum of Culpeper History Exhibit Opens in February
An important new exhibit, “War Is Hell: A Tribute to Culpeper’s Veterans” will open February 22, 2009 at the Museum of Culpeper History.
The exhibit will feature the memorabilia, letters, diaries, photos, medals, and other military trappings of the men and women from Culpeper (and the region) who fought on the battlefield or worked for the war effort. Culpeper citizens were engaged in every war in American history, and artifacts from each are featured. After seeing a preview of the exhibit, SPCH President Mary Jo Browning said, “This is truly a national class exhibit; people will want to come to Culpeper from far and wide to see the unique photos, records and artifacts on display.”
For more information go to the Museum of Culpeper History website at www.culpepermuseum.com.
The Museum of Culpeper History is located at 803 S. Main Street, Culpeper, VA 22701. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 10 to 5 and Sunday 1 to 5. The Museum is closed in January. Admission is free to members and to residents of Culpeper County (others $3 for adults, $1 for children). Basic membership is $20 per year.
Genealogical Society Website Offers Links to Your Past
At the November SPCH history forum Donna and Harold Boyd presented an overview of the activities and resources available through the Culpeper Genealogical Society. Donna Boyd is the President of CGS and Harold is the Webmaster. The Culpeper Genealogical Society meets quarterly (usually third Saturday of the first month of each quarter from 2 to 4) at the Culpeper County Library. Meeting schedules are posed on the CGS website which is accessible at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~vacgs/. The CGS website has many useful resources for researches, including an index of Culpeper County cemeteries.
CGS provides access to a list of members who will do research at the office of the Culpeper Clerk of Court (the Clerk’s staff is unable to respond to research/copy requests) $5 per hour for C.G.S members and $10 per hour for non-members + the cost of copying & postage. Persons interested in this service should contact the C.G.S Research Team at P.O. Box 1326, Culpeper, VA 22701 or by email at cgsresearch@yahoo.com. Among the records available at the Culpeper Courthouse are Births - 1853-1896; 1912-1917, Deaths - 1853-1896; 1912-1917, Marriages - 1781-present, Deeds - 1749-present, Wills - 1749-present (except for books G (1814-17) and L&M (1827-1833 which are missing and believed to have been stolen), Chancery Records prior to 1900 have been transferred to the Library of Virginia in Richmond for microfilming. The money earned from research is invested in genealogy material for the Local History Room at the Culpeper County Library.
Antioch Church Celebrates 150 Years
In 2009 Antioch Baptist Church in Culpeper will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its organization. The church building is located at 202 S. West Street, Culpeper, Va. 22701, 540-825-2768. The historic marker in front of the church provides an informative statement of the historic importance of the Antioch congregation to the Community:
“Among the oldest churches in Culpeper, Antioch Baptist Church originated in the 1850's. Separated from the Mount Pony Baptist Church, Antioch was first called ‘The African Church,’ organized in 1859. The first congregation, also referred to as free worshippers, met at a Confederate barracks located near the railroad station. According to Church records, the Antioch Baptist Church was founded in 1865, and under the direction of Reverend Harrison Blair, Henry Lightfoot, Alexander Hart and Alexandria Jackson, the Church was relocated to a lot near Locust Street. The Locust Street Church was destroyed by fire around 1873. The Trustees then relocated to a brick warehouse building near the railroad station until 1886. The fourth and final move, to this site occurred in 1886 and the current sanctuary was constructed. Historic Antioch Baptist Church has enjoyed a long history in Culpeper and continues to serve the community. This Church is a place of spiritual and social life and serves as a monument of religious freedom. Antioch Baptist Church is located in the Town of Culpeper's National Register District and the Virginia Landmarks Register and is a significant landmark within the Town's Historic District. Antioch's Growth can be attributed to the following pastors: Harrison Blair - William E. Barrett, Welsh Blair, Robert C. Davis, Samuel Toliver, Howard Anderson, Willis J. Madden, Ulysses Martin, Isadore Richards, Milton L. Branch.”
For information about services call the church office at 540-825-2768.
Culpeper Has 28 Sites on National Register of Historic Places
Adding to Culpeper’s claim that “history happened here,” three new sites in Culpeper County were added to the prestigious National Register of Historic Places in 2008, bringing to 28 the total number of Culpeper County Sites listed. The new additions were the Pitts Theatre (State Theatre) in Culpeper Town, Auburn, near Brandy Station and Clifton about 15 miles from Culpeper.
The State Theatre is a classic 1930s Art Deco movie house that fell into disuse in the 1980s and 1990s. It is now being restored and expanded to serve as a venue for stage and musical productions as well as motion picture screenings by the State Theatre Foundation (http://www.culpepertheatre.org/). The restoration is expected to be completed in 2010.
Auburn is a circa 1813 house located off Rt. 685 west of Brandy. President Monroe is said to have been a visitor. General Lee reviewed troops from a knoll on the Auburn estate prior to the Battle of Brandy Station.
Clifton, also known as the “Old Billingsley Place,” located 15 miles east of Culpeper Town, is a circa 1850 house build by A. T. Gordon on land that formerly belonged to the Lovell’s and Underwood’s. The property derived from tracts granted to Governor Spotswood.
A full list of National Register sites in Virginia, arranged by county, is available at
http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/RegisterMasterList.pdf
A story by Alison Brophy in the Culpeper Star Exponent (January 24, 2009, at
http://www.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/article/history_happened_here/28558/) presents an excellent overview of historical sites in Culpeper and the importance of historical preservation for economic prosperity. Brophy wrote, “From the State Theatre and Fairview Cemetery to the Hill Mansion, Army of the Potomac winter encampment sites and Burgandine House, Culpeper has its share of properties and districts important enough to have made it on the acclaimed National Register of Historic Places.” The article also focused on the economic benefits of history, quoting Culpeper Tourism Director Beth Burns on the importance of history is one of the state’s attractions for tourists: “The more historical stuff we have for people to come look at, the more interested they are going to be to come to Culpeper,” Looking forward to the Town of Culpeper’s 250th anniversary in September, Burn said, “I think people have that nostalgia for coming home. The 250th will give them that reason to make that extra effort to come back home.”
Library Displays Revised Colonial Culpeper Map
The draft revision of Eugene M. Scheel’s map of Colonial Culpeper County is on availabe for public viewing and comment at the Culpeper County Library. The map will be on view for several weeks before final edits are made and it goes to print. If the map is not on display on a table in the history reference room, then ask at the reference desk for it to be brought out. Later this year copies of the new map will be on sale.
The Culpeper County Library, located at 271 Southgate Shopping Center, Culpeper, VA 22701, provides history researchers with a wide variety of resources in a dedicated historical research room. In addition, the library website at http://tlc.library.net.culpeper/ provides online access to tools for history and genealogical research.
Historian’s Notebook: There is need for a well-researched history of dairy faming in Culpeper County to preserve the memory of what existed before the pastures were subdivided for houses. Anyone interested in leading or participating in this project please contact Ronald Bird by email at rbird@culpeper-history.org.
Copyright © 2009 by Society for the Preservation of Culpeper History (SPCH). Send questions or comments to historian@culpeper-history.org. For additional information on Culpeper history, resources and events visit the SPCH website at www.culpeper-history.org.