Tourism
Many local sites exist today that help to connect the dots and paint a vivid back drop of life in the colonial, revolutionary, and early federalist periods while Peter Burr, George Washington, and many well-known people were alive in this area.
Note:
This
page is a work in process that will hopefully continue to grow as we are
able to identify and describe sites that exit today in the local area
that via tourism can help to add dimension and understanding about life
during the time of Peter Burr.
History the House Saw
If These Old Walls Could Talk
If Peter Burr's House had the faculties to see, hear, and know, it would have dynamic stories to tell about history as it was experienced by those who lived inside and those who passed through the doors. Rather than dates and impersonal facts, it could tell also of the motivations, the emotions, the personal conflicts, and the stories that lead up to the history that was being made.
This web page has as its objective to begin to connect the dots that paint the picture visually and helps to bring forward a time in history that sheds light on the community where real life was played out. The house could not go to these sites, but as the spirit of its first inhabitants is embedded in the house's existence, then it seems reasonable that the house as the embodiment of the family held the culmination of all that was experienced by these family members as they shared their experiences. Our attempt is to bring forward the fullness of the 18th century into the 21st century from the perspective of what the house knew if the wall could know and tell the stories.
The Peter Burr House was built when
the local
area was still untamed frontier and the French & Indian War had not
yet begun. A father and son, both named Peter Burr, came to the area
about 1748, as 16-year-old George Washington was just beginning his
surveying in the area for Lord Fairfax. George too recognized the value
and beauty of the land and chose the area for his first land
purchase.
Peter Burr and son traveled down the Philadelphia Wagon Road
from their ancestral home in Fairfield, the community founded a little
over 100 years earlier in the Colony of Connecticut by their ancestor,
Jehue Burr, who arrived in 1630 with John Winthrops'
famous fleet.
Wild and Wonderful West Virginia
Colonial settlers began their migration into the northern end of the
Shenandoah Valley in the early 1700s. Many crossed the Potomac River at
Pack Horse Ford, about one mile down river from the area we know today as Shepherdstown, WV. The Colony of Virginia began
issuing Valley land grants in the 1730s. Many of these grants were
later to become in conflict with the grants being issued by Lord Fairfax, who
actually still owned the land.
Settlers came primarily from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey.
Past the beautiful but untamed Blue Ridge
Mountains ... they came.
And across the Potomac River, they came on foot, by horse back, and in wagons. By 1734, the ford became known as pack Horse Ford and was being used by the earliest settlers to cross the Potomac River.
This is where both Peter Burrs crossed the Potomac. Prior to the existence of ferries or bridges, a section of the Old Philadelphia Wagon Road crossed the Potomac at this location. Notice the location where the ripples are seen in the image? Limestone shelves provide a walkway when the water level is low. Today, dams and modern utilization of the river may have somewhat changed the natural flow of the river and limited times when the water level is low enough to cross. The early settlers followed the same paths Indians had used for several centuries. Indians camped seasonally along the shores of this section of the Potomac before colonial settlers arrived to claim the land. They called it “Cohogoroota” for the sound of the wild goose. The remains of an old cement mill are close by.
A natural rock formation, Pack Horse Ford, traverses the Potomac River, about a mile east of (downstream from) town. Today, on the second Sunday of each September, an annual River Walk takes place at this site. Adults, children, and even animals are able to walk across the Potomac as part of an organized group.
The two Peter
Burrs did not fit into the category of typical early settlers to this area. They came from Connecticut for reasons not yet known.
They traveled up roads past scenes that look like the ones to the left.
They traveled across creeks, large streams, and made their way through rugged terrain.
(These shots were taken along a still somewhat untamed path today between Pack Horse Ford and Shepherdstown.)
Sometime about 1747 or 1748 they began to make friends with some notable friends. One of the Peter's is named on several occasions in court records where he was awarded compensation for testifying in a case involving a member of the Hite family, a name known among the earliest land speculators in the area.
Perhaps with the help of new-found friends such as Thomas Rutherford or others, they scouted out the land in their first several years and then in 1751 purchased two uncontested land
grants totaling 886 acres from Lord Fairfax. The first land grant was
not far from the location where the Potomac converges with the
Shenandoah River at a location then known as "The Hole."
A few miles down stream from Shepherdstown, "The Hole" in the Blue Ridge (as seen above)
where the two rivers converge is known today as Harpers
Ferry, WV. About the time the Burrs arrived, Robert Harper had just acquired the
land from a squatter, Peter Stevens, and was preparing to obtain a
rightful grant ... also from Lord Fairfax.Harpers Ferry is very close (within a good walk) to the first land grant the Peter Burr purchased.
We do not know the full history of
what
Peter Burr and son did and saw but we can speculate that they may well
have seen the bright orange pumpkins floating down the swollen Potomac River in October
1753 when flood waters washed ripe pumpkins out of Indian gardens from
up stream and caused what recorded history calls the Pumpkin Flood at
Harpers Ferry.
Imagine the Potomac above swollen and alive with . . .
plump ripe pumpkins . . . bobbing past . . . carried by rapid currents.
How fun would it be to recreate this event?
Harper Cemetery
The marker at Harper Cemetery states:
"Passing through this region in 1747, Robert Harper – a Pennsylvania architect contracted to build a Quaker church in the Shenandoah Valley – was so impressed by the beauty of this place and the water-power potential of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers that he settled here and founded Harpers Ferry.
When Harper died in 1782, there were only three houses in the town. Optimistic about the community’s potential for growth, however, Harper had set aside this 4-acre cemetery. Childless, Harper left most of his estate to his niece, Sarah, who subsequently married a Wager. As you wander around the cemetery, you’ll find descendants as well as stones of Irish and German immigrants who settled in this area during the 1830’s."
Looking the other direction from Harper Cemetery we can see in the distance the same scene Thomas Jefferson saw from his near by rock.This view overlooks the confluence of the
Potomac and the Shenandoah Rivers at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountain
where the area once known as "the Hole" lets the waters drain through
to the Chesapeake Bay and on to the Atlantic Ocean. Jefferson County is
the only county in the state where either the Blue Ridge and Shenandoah
can be seen. So, John Denver's song can only be relevant to one county
in West Virginia.
Almost heaven, West
Virginia
Blue Ridge
Mountains
Shenandoah River –
Life is old there
Older than the
trees
Younger than the
mountains
Growing’ like a
breeze
Jefferson's Rock
Several of Peter Burr's descendants below enjoy the scene from Jefferson's Rock. Do we have any reason to believe that Peter Burr (father or son or members of their families) ever actually saw this site? No. We only have rationale as to how absurd it would be to live within an easy walk to such a site and to never visit it.
To the left is a view of Jefferson's Rock and below is the scene (minus modern intervention) that Jefferson wrote about.
Jefferson Rock
“On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain a hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac [Potomac], in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they run together against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea. . . . This scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic.”This is how Thomas Jefferson described the view from here during a visit to Harpers Ferry in 1783. Around 1860c the U.S. armory superintendent ordered red sandstone supports placed under “Jefferson’s Rock” because it was “endangering the lives and properties of the villagers below.”
Twenty years later Meriwether Lewis came to Harpers Ferry inspired by the words his mentor wrote about the view from this rock. Jefferson’s comments on the landscape were published in Notes on the State of Virginia. That book provided a model for Lewis as he recorded his observations of the west. Many suspect that Lewis may have visited the rock in order to see what his mentor had found so extraordinary.
What Thomas Jefferson, Meriwether Lewis, Robert Harper, and even Peter Burr would see today. This is Harpers Ferry from the Maryland point overlooking the town and the convergence of the Shenandoah River with the Potomac.
Shepherdstown Today; Mecklenburg Then
Upstream from Harpers Ferry on the Potomac River is Shepherdstown. First named Mecklenburg, today's Shepherdstown was probably the first community Peter Burr visited. Near the location where he built his home, it was most likely a community he visited often.
This is the way Shepherdstown looks today. Imagine it as Peter Burr must have known it without the bridges and hundreds of houses and paved roads.
This scene is an iconic view from Shepherdstown. It also pictures the location of Pack Horse Ford, the area where the two Peter Burrs and family crossed the Potomac as they entered what is now Jefferson County, West Virginia.
The same bridge from another view.
Trains did not exist in Peter Burr's day, but the B&O Railroad tracks came through in the 1830s and passed over the Potomac River and then cut through Peter Burr's property. Notice the monument on the hillside to the right of the trains. This is the location where hundreds of people gathered on December 3, 1787. Peter Burr and his family could have been among his neighbors as they watched James Rumsey's first successful demonstration of the steam boat (twenty years before Robert Fulton got the credit).
The 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries are vividly seen in these photos. What a wonderful area.
Rumsey Monument
At the end of North Mill Street The Rumsey Monument commemorates the inventor of the Steamboat. On December 3, 1787, James Rumsey conducted a successful trial of his new invention, the steamboat, on the Potomac. This demonstration occurred a full 20 years before Robert Fulton’s steamboat.
The steam boat was launched at the Ferry landing at the north end of Princess Street. Among the hundreds of spectators and notables for the first successful steamboat trial was General Horatio Gates who famously cried: “My God, she moves.” Mr. Rumsey attracted the attention and support of many of the important leaders of the time, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, who set up the Rumsean Society in Philadelphia to support him. The monument is a Greek column with a globe on top. Erected 1915.
Inscription on the monument: “In Honor of James Rumsey - Inventor of the Steamboat who in October, A.D. 1783, on the Potomac River near the mouth of Sir John's Run made the first successful application of steam to the practical purpose of navigation and who on December 3rd, 1787, made a further successful demonstration on the Potomac River at Shepherdstown, Virginia about three hundred yards above this site.”
Crazy Rumsey's Walk
James Rumsey often paced along the edge of this bluff
contemplating his many inventions. For years this area was known as
“Crazy Rumsey’s Walk.”From this perspective the monument is directly behind and in the distance ahead, the James Rumsey can be seen.
The “Old Road to the Ferry”
Princess Street makes a steep decent to the Potomac River. The old road comes in by the right side of the tobacco warehouse following the course of Town Run on the left. In Several operations – gristmills, sawmills, manufacturing mills, and warehouses – were positioned in the ravine. Near the bottom of the hill a bridge (built in the 19th century) spanned the river with pilings still visible. The only building left today is the old Tobacco Warehouse.
The Old Ferry LandingAt the River's edge is the old
ferry landing. It was used 1790-1939 and is used today as a boat
ramp. This is the site where James Rumsey launched his steamboat twice
in 1787. The old bridge piers were not there until 1849 when they began supporting the first of several bridges. The old piers are located in the same area
where James Rumsey conducted his experiment. To the far left, the James Rumsey Bridge between Shepherdstown and Sharpsburg, MD can be seen.
Mecklenburg Tobacco WarehouseThis 1862 view from the Maryland side
of the Potomac shows the location in the distance (2nd large building from the left) of the Tobacco Warehouse and Town Run (between the first building and the Tobacco Warehouse) as it flows down to the river. At the bottom of the road is the old Ferry landing near location where Town Run empties into the Potomac.
Some of the buildings on the river front are still visible in this image. Smaller buildings above the tobacco barn are hidden by trees. Most likely some of the other buildings existed
in Peter Burr's day. To the left is the tobacco warehouse as it looks today, after some restoration has begun.
Built ca. 1789, the oldest stone tobacco facility in present day WV is the only standing commercial building today on the once busy Shepherdstown riverfront. Peter Burr’s name appeared on the tobacco tax list. Peter Burr's tobacco crops would have been taken to this Tobacco Warehouse.
Per Virginia General Assembly, November 19, 1788:
“Whereas . . . the establishment of inspection of tobacco on the lands of Abraham Shepherd, near the town of Mecklenburg, on Potowmack river in the county of Berkeley, would be of public utility and the proprietor of the land is willing to erect the houses necessary for that purpose at his expense: Be it enacted . . . to be known by the name of Mecklenburg Warehouse.”
Town Run
The little bridge (to the left) crosses Town Run where the faithful stream empties
into the Potomac. Falling Spring Branch (now known as the Town Run) is located a short distance below the
Tobacco
Warehouse. More than 20 natural springs feed Town Run before it enters the south end of town. It never floods, nor runs dry; it meanders through backyards, under houses, across alleys and beneath five streets. This setting was conducive to millers, tanners, potters, smiths and other artisans. During the Revolutionary War the town flourished as a commercial center growing to 1000 residents.
Thomas Shepherd Grist Mill
Peter Burr Jr would have known about and probably used the Shepherd grist mill. Peter Burr Sr also had built at least one grist mill in Fairfield, CT in 1737 when junior was but 10 years old. Such mill may have caused both father and son some nostalgia and brought back memories from earlier days.
Thomas Shepherd built this mill in 1738. Because Robert Harper also had a grist mill possibly by the time either Peter Burr needed one (and there may have been others), it is not certain that they used this one. But it is probable that they knew about this one and most likely used it at some time.
The mill sits along side of Town Run and is located on High Street nearer the top of the industrial area that lined up and down the side of Town Run. The overshot wheel is one of the largest in the world. A 2-story stone mill was built ca. 1738. The third story was not added until 1835.
High StreetOn the side of High Street (nearest the river) and near the RR tracks are some of the oldest homes in town. Each house had to be at least 20’ wide, 17.5 deep, 1½ stories high with a stone or brick chimney on one end. The house to the left was supposedly built about 1740. It seems obvious that the house has been added to, because the chimney is no longer on the end of the house. The houses were built close to the street leaving deep back yards for gardens and possibly a few smaller animals.
The clay soil in the area was conducive to brick making. By the late 1790s, there were several commercial brickyards. Bricks were plentiful and cheaper than nails. Fires starting in wooden shingles destroyed many brick homes, mills, stores and out-buildings, so buildings roofed with tile were much more valuable then those topped with shingles. Many homes and buildings in Shepherdstown today bear the bricks of the 1790s. The one above does not and shows the signs of modern intervention.
Entler Hotel
In the mid 1770s, the empty lot of today's Entler Hotel served as a drill area for troops preparing to join George Washington on the battlefield near Boston. The first phase of this structure was built in 1786. Today the first floor of the museum, formerly the ladies' and gentlemen's parlors, is now decorated as a formal reception room. The second and third floors include a room furnished as a hotel bedroom, a Victorian sitting room, and five rooms containing local artifacts including a fine display of American Indian tools. Today the Entler is the headquarters for Historic Shepherdstown. Built ca.1786, the Entler features Shepherdstown artifacts including early Indian tools, Victorian furnishings, and a half scale model of James Rumsey’s Rumseian Experiment. Reception rooms are available for social gatherings,
meetings, art exhibitions and other programs and office space is
available for professional and non-profit organizations.
National Register PlaqueEntler Hotel Built 1786
has been entered in the
National Register of Historic Places
by the United States Department of the Interior
Behind the Entler Hotel but inside the gate are the George Washington Heritage Trail Marker and the Rumsey Museum.
George Washington Heritage Trail MarkerInscription.
“In
1775, Shepherdstown (formerly known as Mecklenburg) was asked to
furnish one company (about 100 men) to assist patriots fighting the
British around Boston. In July, the company marched in high spirits down
German Street with the entire town cheering them off to war.”
We
can imagine the excitement in Mecklenburg when the weary express
rider,his horse drooping and wet with exhaustion, was ferried over the
Potomac to the market place in the village and in every settlement all
the able-bodied men were formed into militia companies.
The
peaceful streets of Mecklenburg resounded to the music of fife,
bag-pipe, and drum; the parade ground was the vacant lot behind the old
Entler Tavern, still standing on German Street, and the companies
marched, paraded and exercised from morning until night.
-Historic Shepherdstown by Danske Dandridge.
Rumsey Museum
In a small barn
in the garden behind the Entler Hotel, the Rumsey Museum houses a half-size working replica of the first Rumsey steamboat and a text display of James Rumsey’s life and invention. James Rumsey, encouraged by George Washington, came to Shepherdstown in September 1786 to demonstrate his latest invention, the steamboat. Confident of success, he invited the townspeople to watch the demonstration and asked several of the leading citizens aboard the boat. He launched his 48-foot flat-bottomed boat from the ferry landing on Princess Street and operated the steam engine himself. The boat traveled about one quarter of a mile upstream, at about 3 knots, before turning back to the cheering crowd.
Wood Carving of the James Rumsey Experiment This large wood carving depicting the scene of James Rumsey's experiment was produced by local craftsmen and now hangs in the Rumsey Tavern of the Clarion Hotel in Shepherdstown.
Mecklenberg Historic District
In 1734, Thomas Shepherd was granted, by the Colony of Virginia, 222 acres on the south side of the “Potowmack” river. From that tract he selected fifty acres and laid out a town. Thomas Shepherd obtained a King’s patent, and by 1762 his new village named Mecklenburg was incorporated, chartered by the Virginia Assembly. Shepherd was the sole trustee: he owned the town and was responsible for its government. In 1798, the corporate limits were extended and the name was changed to Shepherd’s Town. During the founding of our country, George Washington recommended and strongly urged that Mecklenberg (or Shepherdstown) be the location of the nation’s Capitol.
Historic German Street
As Peter Burr visited Mecklenburg in the later years of his life, he may have actually seen the first unaltered structures of some of the buildings pictured below. These are located on or near German Street. The buildings have been modernized and enlarged, but several of them are in their current locations as they would have been when Peter Burr passed by.
Mecklenburg Innc. late 1790s was at first a stately
residence. It is the only building in town that has not been significantly
changed or replaced.
Baker House
John Baker, a Federalist from Shepherdstown, was one of the defense attorney's during Cousin Aaron Burr's treason trial (1807). Apparently, he and his fellow attorneys did a good job, because Cousin Aaron was found not guilty of treason.
John Baker brought this house in 1800 which was shortly after Peter Burr died. However it would be relevant in that Baker was one Aaron's defense attorneys and there was a Baker who was granted land adjacent to Peter Burr’s Bardane property.At this time, we are uncertain whether or not the two Bakers were related.
John Baker was an American politician who represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives from 1811-1813. He was born in Frederick County and attended Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), Lexington, VA for 3 years. Later, he studied law. He was admitted to the bar and began practice in Berkeley County, VA (now Jefferson County, WV). Baker was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, 1798-1799. He was one of the lawyers who defended Aaron Burr when he was tried for treason. He was elected as a Federalist to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811-March 3, 1813). After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law. He was the Commonwealth attorney for Jefferson County. He died in Shepherdstown 1823 and is buried in the Old Episcopal Church Cemetery.
Michael Rickard House
This two-story brick building is divided into 2 residences. The west portion (left) is the Michael Rickard House and the east portion was his locksmith shop. In 1795 they began making locks at this location. The screw lock, used as switch locks by railroads, was invented here, and the handcuffs worn by John Brown at his trial in Charles Town (1859) were crafted here. Those handcuffs are said to be located now at the Jefferson County Museum.
Conrad Shindler House
Conrad Shindler, a coppersmith, built the house in the late 1790s, and used the cellar to forge his pieces. His kettles can be seen at the town’s museum located today in the Entler House. The Shindler House is also known in town as the George Tyler Moore Civil War Center. In 1995 Mary Tyler Moore (a direct Shindler descendant) purchased the property and deeded it to the Shepherd College Foundation in honor of her father.
Billmyer Building
One
of the oldest businesses in town. A log building was here in 1776; the
third story and the brick facade were added later. The intersection was
known as “Billmyer’s Corner” for generations.
Weltzhimers Tavern
The Potomac Guardian and Berkeley Advertiser, started publication here in 1790. The building did not become a tavern until the early 1800s.
Market Square
Notice anything unusual? This odd little building is in the middle of the street. It is now the library and is also where the DAR meets. But long before there was a building here, this area was used as the Market Square since the mid 1700s.
Defending the Homeland
Mecklenburg (as other parts of the evolving new area) furnished many soldiers to fight in the
French and Indian War and again in the Revolutionary War. Burial
sites containing the remains of casualties from these wars are abundant
in Shepherdstown.
Above is one of numerous grave sites that will be found in numerous cemeteries that have been marked by the DAR as those of soldiers from the American Revolution.
The Lutheran Graveyard
To the left is the Lutheran Cemetery and close by is the site of the first St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.
The church was moved from here in 1908, but the graveyard is still in tact and contains some of the oldest visible gravestones. It was established in 1774, but is no longer used.
The Reformed Graveyard
Across the street from the Lutheran Cemetery is the Reformed Graveyard also established in 1774.The
Lutheran graveyard is no longer in use, but the cemetery at Christ
Reform Church is still used.
Old Trinity Church“Mecklenburg Chapel,” built of logs in 1747, was the first church building in Shepherdstown. Some believe it could be the first Christian church west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The “English Church” was improved in 1769 and the nave of that church is still in this building. The town’s founder, Thomas Shepherd, willed the property to the church parish (1776). After the American Revolution, it became Trinity Church of the Episcopal denomination. The graveyard for this church contains 9 Revolutionary War graves. Several members of the founding families are interred here.
Trinity Episcopal Church
Soldiers
drilled on the property of today's beautiful Trinity Church. While the
congregation was established 1747, the church was not built in this
location until 1859. This location was however the eastern end of the old Parade
Grounds
where the local militia drilled in preparation for the French and Indian
Wars and the Revolutionary War. Below is a lovely view of the old church.
Shepherdstown Presbyterian ChurchShepherdstown
is the oldest town in West Virginia and is believed to be the location
where the first group of Presbyterians attempted to establish as congregation. Some believe this failed attempt dated back to 1707. While
that belief remains as speculation, it is well documented that one of
the first Presbyterian churches did exist at Mecklenburg. To the left is the the current Shepherdstown
Presbyterian Church which is a testimony of what happened to that early
documented congregation.
The congregation was officially chartered in 1743, making it the oldest continuous denomination. The original building was destroyed by fire and the present building was constructed in 1836. At that time, the Shepherd family still collected a legal ground rent (a type of property tax). The annual tax on the church property was “one ear of Indian corn.”
When Peter Burr’s Church (Elk Branch Presbyterian dissolved in 1792), part of the congregation (including John Cowan, husband of Abigail Burr) started attending this church. Peter Burr went to the Charles Town Church.
Morgan Grove Park
Rally Point for the Beeline March to Cambridge.
The monument located at the park reads as follows:
Shepherdstown Rally Point
Near this site in July 1775, then part of Berkeley County, VA., two
companies of riflemen, led by Captains Hugh Stephenson of Berkeley
County and Daniel Morgan of Frederick County, VA. Rallied prior to their
600-mile journey to join General George Washington in the defense of
Boston MA. These frontier patriots were among the first to answer the
call to arms by the Continental Congress resolution of June 14, 1775,
authorizing the raising of 10 companies of riflemen. This was a
beginning of what was to become, under the Constitution, the United
States Army.
Dedicated in
Ceremony September 17, 1988, during “Constitution Week,” by the
Honorable John O. Marsh, Jr., Secretary of the Army; Major General John
A. Wilson, III, Adjutant General of West Virginia; the Audrey Egle,
Mayor of Shepherdstown; and Mr. Charles Freelend, President of the
Shepherdstown Men’s Club.
Warm Springs Road
We know that George Washington walked
on Peter Burr's land. He surveyed an adjoining land grant, mentioned
Peter Burr by name in that survey, and would also have passed through Peter Burr's property
as he traveled up Warm Springs Road to his famous baths in the area
known today as Berkeley Spring, WV.
To
the right is Warm Springs Road
as it looks today passing through Peter Burr's old land grant near the
area where T. A. Lowery Elementary School also is on the old property.
Near the entrance to the school is the site of the old Burr School where
Mr. John Tone was the instructor in the early 19th century.
General
Edward Braddock marched his troops up Warm Springs Road in summer of
1755 just before his final battle. He likely did not pass through this
section but accessed the road a little to the north, but with approximately 2000 men gathered near Charles Town for
several weeks prior to the march, it is possible some of them found
their way into this area from time to time.
Anyone
passing
through this section could have seen Peter Burr's house as from the
following angle. This shot of the house (the white building at center
right) was taken in 2008 from Warm Springs Road near the area that was
originally the entrance to the property.This is the view (minus the
modern interventions, the water tower, and Burr Industrial Park in the
background) anyone traveling on Warm Springs Road would have
seen. Did they also see children playing in the fields or Peter Burr
himself working? Did they see animals grazing? Might one of the Burr
children playing near the road have spoken to the passers-by? Most
surely, the travelers saw
life as it was at the time.
To
the is Shenandoah Junction Road at Warm Springs Road. Shenandoah
Junction Road forms the southern boundary of Peter Burr's property. The
property to the right to the road from this perspective is now the
location of T A Lowery Elementary School.
Though
Braddock probably did not march his troops
through this section, it is very likely that some of the troops passed
this way in July 1775 as local Virginia volunteer riflemen assembled at
the nearby rally point to answer General George Washington's call for
two Virginia companies. Captain Hugh Stephenson's militia of 97 men
assembled at Morgan's Spring near Peter Burr's home and from there
covered 600 miles on
foot in 24 days during what has come to be known
as
the Beeline March to Cambridge. By the time of the Revolutionary War,
Peter Burr had several daughters in their late teens. One would wonder
how many sweethearts were left behind as these men embarked on what
might be considered the most important battle of our nation's history?
Might any of the sweethearts left behind to worry have been a Burr
daughter?
Elk Branch Presbyterian ChurchIn 1769, Peter Burr's name shows up on the deed that provided the land upon which the first Elk Branch Presbyterian Church was built. Presbyterian records show that the church fell into difficult time after the Revolutionary Was and was unable to recover. In 1792, the church dissolved until about 1830, when it reorganized and built the new building at the current location approximately one half mile east of the first building.
Horatio Gates' Travelers Rest - 
Traveler's Rest is the home of General Horatio Gates. Gates and his family sailed from England to Virginia in 1772 and bought 659 acres on the Potomac River near Shepherdstown in what is now West Virginia. He built this limestone house and became a slave owner, a local justice, and a lieutenant colonel in the militia. In 1790, he sold the home, freed his slaves and moved to New York City. Travelers' Rest is located south of Kearneysville on Bower Road about a mile on the right. It is visible from Bower Road.
Prato Rio
The property was originally acquired in 1731 by Han Yost Heydt (or Hite), who built a log cabin on the property he called "Hopewell". Heydt's son Jacob expanded the cabin in 1733. In 1774 Jacob Heydt sold the 3,000-acre plantation to General Charles Lee, who renamed the estate "Prato Rio." General Lee, having fell into disfavor with General George Washington, was "retired" from military duty and led a life of solitude with his dogs, servants and butler here at Prato Rio. Considered eccentric, his will stipulated that he not be buried in any churchyard or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist meeting house, stating: "I have kept so much bad company while living, that I do not wish to continue it when dead". During the nineteenth century a number of additions were built onto the house.
Charles Town
Jefferson County Museum
Jacob Croft Clock
Belonged to Peter Burr's son, James, and was donated to the museum by a descendant. It is located near the entrance of the museum beside the portrait of George Washington.
Sarah Burr McGarry Dress
This dress from about 1840s belonged to one of the Burr descendants (probably of Peter Burr's daughter, Ann Burr MGarry) and was donated to the museum by a family heir.
Charles Town Presbyterian Church
The modern-day result of one of the churches Peter Burr helped to found. The building is Greek Revival architecture; built in 1851 to replace the original Charles Town Presbyterian Church that was built on property deeded to the congregation by Charles Washington. A framed copy of that deed is currently located in the Jefferson County Museum. It contains the name of Peter Burr, who signed as one of the four elders for the church in the transaction that provided for the original building that was located on the NW corner of today's West Street and Congress Avenue.
Culture Differences as Reflected by Religions
Only two church denominations have been represented in the presentation: Presbyterian and Anglican/Episcopal. Other denominations existed in the area and were equally important. But the two we are dealing with herein reflect the culture differences that existed for the Burr and other protestant families in contrast with the prevailing religious culture of the area prior to the American Revolution.
The Anglican Church was the state church of the Colony of Virginia. Understanding the role of this church helps with understanding life during the time. Because the Anglican Church and leadership of the colony were connected, then it becomes relevant that mandatory taxation and record keeping were also tied to the Anglican Church. From the Anglican perspective, marriages conducted outside the state church were not considered legal. So until about 1780 or 1781, we do not find marriage records among county records. Instead, they would have been kept in church records.
While Peter Burr and family came from New England where the Congregationalist Church was often the state church, the Washington and other Tidewater area families were the leaders recognized by the state church of the Virginia Colony. This may well be described as some culture shock for Peter Burr and may explain why he apparently never sought civic leadership as his ancestors before him.
St. George's Chapel RuinsSamuel Washington was one of the leaders in this Anglican Church which was located near his home at Harewood. The remains are visible today and the graves that were once there in the cemetery were moved to a new location where they could be better cared for.
The inscription on the near-by marker reads:
St. George’s Chapel
This chapel was built by devout people of (then) Frederick Parish. Frederick County, Virginia joined Col. Robert Worthington in completing it in 1769. It was first called the English Church, then Berkeley Church, then Norborne Chapel, as the parish was Norborne, 1770–1815. The Rev. Daniel Sturgis was its first minister of record 1771–1785. The Washington, Nourse, Davenport and Throckmorton families worshiped here
Zion Episcopal Church
The remains of over 70 members of the Washington family are buried at this church.
Harewood
The first of the existing (and probably the first ever) Washington family homes built in this area. Samuel Washington, the oldest of George's younger full brothers, moved to the house with his wife and children in the fall of 1770.
This was a full ten years before their brother, Charles Washington,
built his house, Happy Retreat that also still stands in Charles Town.
Samuel’s house, Harewood, is not far from town, and is the only one of
all the Washington homes in Jefferson County that is still owned and
occupied by direct descendants of the Washington family who still bear
the Washington name. It is the private residence of Walter Washington,
an attorney in Charles Town (who has been a very gracious help to efforts related to the Peter Burr House). The central section of Harewood and the
kitchen wing are original to 1770. Harewood’s parlor still boasts the
original paint from the time Samuel lived there, and is also the site of
the 1794 wedding of Dolley Payne Todd and President-to-be James
Madison. Samuel and Charles were neighbors for only a year before
Samuel’s untimely death in 1781. Harewood is on the National Historic
Register.
Note: James Madison married Dolley here at Harewood in 1794 shortly after her close friend, Aaron Burr, introduced them to each other. Dolley had asked Aaron Burr to be the godfather to her children. It is doubtful that Aaron attended the wedding, but it is likely people in town, including Peter Burr, knew about the event.
Walter Washington (left), direct descendant of Samuel Washington, gives a guided tour through his home, the wonderfully historic Harewood, built by his ancestor Samuel circa 1770. Here Walter shows one of the most interesting artifacts, a carving that can only be viewed with a light shinning behind it.
The historic marker in front of the house reads: Harewood, Erected in 1771. The home of Colonel Samuel Washington, county lieutenant. His brother General George Washington visited here and General Lafayette and Louis Phillipe of France were entertained here. In this house James Madison and Dolly Payne Todd were married. Samuel Washington died in 1781 and is buried in the grave yard south of the house.
Happy RetreatCharles Washington built his home, Happy Retreat, in 1780. He also donated eighty acres of his adjoining land and laid out the streets of Charles Town, naming many of them after his
brothers and one after his wife Mildred. He provided that four corner
lots at the Town's center would belong to the Town, if it became the
seat of the county separated from Berkeley County. Jefferson County was formed in 1801 as he anticipated and Charles' town became known by his name, Charles Town. The Court House stands on one of these lots, as did the jail until 1919
when it was demolished to be replaced by the post office.
Of the numerous Washington family homes that were built in Jefferson County, WV, only Harewood, Happy Retreat, and Beallair were built by the late 1700s. George and his brother Charles died within a few months of each other in 1799. Charles Washington's grave site is at Happy Retreat.
Beallair While there are eight surviving Washington family homes in Jefferson County, Beallair is the third and last one built in the 1700s about the time (or shortly after) Peter Burr died. The house played a
significant role during the adventures of John Brown shortly before the
Civil War in the 19th century, but it has a difference importance for the Burr family.
A Mystery Unfolds
Family lore and several written records from the 1800s state that Peter
Burr and wives were buried on Beallair Farm. It appears to be a long-held, widely-believed, and consistently-stated notion that Peter Burr and both his wives were buried near Halltown and on Beallair Farm. That raises an interesting question: Why would the Burr family take loved ones to another area for burial when they had 406 perfectly good acres of land upon which to bury their dead?
Our only logical answer is speculative at best but nonetheless very likely. Peter Burr Sr purchased his first land grant (480 acres) very near the location of today's Beallair Mansion. The mansion is not located on Peter Burr's original land grant but a good quarterback could probably throw a long pass from one to the other. It is probable that by the late 18th century or early 19th century Beallair farm may have overlapped onto land that was earlier part of Peter Burr's first land grant. It is possible that Peter Burr Sr laid claim to the land up to a few years prior to transacting the original land grant in June 1751. From the time of his arrival until he sold the land in Dec 1754 (and returned to Fairfield, CT), it is also possible that one or more family members (perhaps even a small child) could have died and been buried on that first property. If the boundary lines of Beallair farm overlapped Burr's original grant then the location where there is overlap (or very near that area) could be the location of the since lost grave sites.
But that too raises more questions. If both Peter Burr's lived many more years, then what family members might have been buried in today's Jefferson County prior to 1754?
Some believe that other family members may have come to the area with Peter Burr (father and son). We know that Peter Sr's wife Rebecca was in Fairfield in late 1754, too ill to travel. We also know from family genealogy that she was well into a pregnancy at that time. So, had she come to the area earlier with her husband? Had others of the many children in that family have made the trip? And what about Mary Stewart, who married Peter Burr Jr? There already exists controversy over different speculations as to whether or not Peter Burr met Mary locally after he arrived here, or in Fairfield County, CT possibly in the Wilton/Norwalk areas where a family line of Stewarts are known to have lived. Speculation exits about the date they married based on the date of birth of their first know child. Some speculate that if they had been married about 1747, when Peter Burr Jr was about 20 years old (and Mary Stewart was about 17), then likely they would have had a child earlier than the Oct 28, 1756 birth of their first known child, Mary. A haunting unproven notation was found by a descendant that implied Peter Burr and wife Mary may have had an earlier son, Stewart, who did not survive.
Well, numerous questions exist with no documented answers. But logic says that one very good reason to take his first wife back for burial to a plot of land that the family no longer owned would be if one or more loved ones were already buried there. So mystery, family lore, and a few written words from well-respected historians still lead back to a likely overlap of Beallair Farm property and Peter Burr original land grant as a very likely location for the graves of Peter Burr, both wives, and possibly other family members. There may have been an understanding that the burial
plots would be honored and would continue to be available for future
burials.
The map shown here is of the land grants during the mid 1700s.
The two yellow areas on the map show the location of Peter Burr's two
land grants.The blue section is Sewell property (note Peter Burr III married a Sewell). And the pink area is Cowan property (note Abigail Burr married a Cowan).
The existing Peter Burr house is located on the land grant shown in the yellow space in the upper left of the map.The
lower right tip of the yellow space in the middle of the map is close to
Beallair Mansion. In the photo below the
map, descendants of Peter Burr stand on the steps of Beallair Mansion
and look out past the tree line into the area that is most likely near (somewhat to the left of) possible grave locations of Peter Burr Jr, his two wives, and possibly other
family members.
The rest of the story to be
continued . . .
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