James Albert Spicer and His Mill by the Rapidan1
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Contents Foreword ix Introduction xi Lord Fairfax, Virginia’s #1 All-Time Real Estate Salesman 15 Octonia Revisited 23 St. Thomas’, An Unusual Colonial Parish 27 The Marquis Comes to Orange County 35 Glossary of Certain Civil War Military Terms Used in this Book 48 “Yes, We’ll Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys, We’ll Rally Once Again” 51 Orange County’s Reluctant Tourist 61 The “Fighting Parson” from Orange, Virginia 69 Fredericksburg 1862: Decision in December 75 Some Observations on the Mine Run Campaign 82 An Orange County, Virginia, Timeline 98 James City in Madison County, Virginia 112 Jacob Estey Comes to Orange County 117 James Albert Spicer and His Mill by the Rapidan 125 Maria Marshall, an Orange County “Mission Lady” 131 Orange County, Meet Thailand 138 A Silent Sentinel Passes 146 “Head with Wings” 149 About the Author 150 Index 152 vii James Albert Spicer and His Mill by the Rapidan1 Close to where Pop- lar Run empties into the Rapidan River in Orange County, Virginia, stands an old grist mill building.2 It has been decades since water last turned its wheel, and the structure was long ago converted into a pictur- esque residence. It is known locally as “Spicer Mill,” or “Spicer’s Mill,” or “Spic- Spicer’s Mill. This small overshot wheel mill ers Mill,” and in the 1950s is located at the junction of Poplar Run with when Mr. and Mrs. Wood- the Rapidan River. No construction date for bury Ober developed the it is known. Painting by Mr. Gary W. Spicer, property adjacent to it, they a retired art professor and a collateral de- appropriately named their scendant of James Albert Spicer. Used with project “Spicer Mill Farm.” permission. Both the people and the property of Spicer’s Mill have left us interesting stories. We know that the Spicer namings refer to James Albert Spicer and that some of the oldest long-time residents of Orange County remember when Spicer or several of his descendants still lived in the area. For most of us, however, “Spicer” exists only as a name. Who was James Albert Spicer, and what is his connection with the mill? We begin by calling him “Albert,” the name he answered to, and by briefly tracing his ancestry. Albert’s great-grandfather was Moses Spicer. Moses is thought to have been born between 1726 and 1730 and that around 1750, he married a 1 This article reflects the blending of numerous sources of information. I am particularly indebted to Ms. Elizabeth Spicer Goodloe, Spicer family historian, who shared her findings with me; to Mr. Gary Spicer, artist and art teacher, for his information and the portrait of his ancestor’s mill; to Martha Caldwell, Orange County Historical Society researcher; and to Mrs. Alan D. McClung, present owner and conservator of Spicer’s Mill. 2 By the time that stream reaches the Rapidan, it is carrying the combined flows of Baylor Run (paralleling Spicers Mill Road for much of its length), Poplar Run (from Montpelier), and Laurel Run (of Fat Nancy wreck fame). Some maps call it “Laurel Run,” others call it “Poplar Run.” I have opted for the latter. 125 About the Author Frank Walker’s connections with central Virginia began in 1736 when an ancestor moved from Caroline County to a farm less than two miles from the settlement that would be- come the town of Orange. Almost exactly two centuries later, in 1935, Frank was born at Rosni, the fam- ily dairy farm in Madison County, just across the Rapidan River from Orange. On his mother’s side, he could claim descent from Thomas Jefferson and relations with the ac- tive and noisy clan of Shackelfords Frank S. Walker, Jr. Photo by of Orange. On his father’s side, he Bernice Walker. Used with permis- could claim one grandparent who sion. was a Confederate cavalry captain and another with connections to the hard-working Goss family of Somerset. Walker’s early focus in life, however, was farming, not history. After graduating from Woodberry Forest School, Walker attended Vir- ginia Tech, receiving both a military experience in its Corps of Cadets and a degree from its School of Agriculture. The next two years brought him a M.B.A. from the Darden School at the University of Virginia, a brief stint in the U. S. Army, and a bride, Bernice Spathey of Richmond. Then it was back to the farm, forever he thought. As Walker puts it, dairy farming was “a fantastic life and a hard living.” His business training made him focus on its economic realities, and in 1978, he decided to leave the land. A stint in the military police and eleven years on the Madison County Planning Commission had given him an interest in law, and he now elected to pursue it. At age 42, he was the oldest member of his entering class at the University of Virginia School of Law. In 1981, he received his Juris Doctor degree and set up a practice in the town of Orange. Forever he thought. At this point, the history bug finally bit Walker. Hard. He began reading and researching, and in the process began to understand and relate things he had long known about the region where he had spent virtually all of his life. He served on the boards of the James Madison Museum, the Orange County Historical Society, and the Monticello Association, serving terms 150 About the Author 151 as president of the latter two, all while building a late-in-life law practice. Work on the Orange County Comprehensive Plan Review Committee also helped to further connect the things he was learning. As time passed, Walker became increasingly concerned by the fact that the history of the region was largely forgotten. Development was coming to the area, and people needed to know the history of what they were consid- ering selling, paving over, and pulling down. Finally in 1994, Walker con- cluded his law practice, formed Tourguide, Ltd., and began working as a free-lance regional tour guide, speaker, and writer. To his other experiences, he added that of working closely with the Orange County Department of Tourism and local tourism-related businesses. The prospect of failing eye- sight and a call for a modern county history motivated Walker to write Remembering: A History of Orange County, Virginia, published by the Or- ange County Historical Society in 2004. Since the publication of Remembering, Walker has written short pieces on a number of local history subjects. Several years ago, he decided to collect and offer them, plus additional new material, to the Historical Society. This book is the result. It too is a product of the body of knowledge that Walker has accumulated over his years of “learning about where I have lived all my life,” and he is pleased to share it with his readers..