HISTORIC SITE FILE: 13\AC.-K l°'-nd \it ?ftJ r-1~ !);-_5ft-; c r -PRINCE WILLIAM PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM'l!>1=111!J=r :!. !J!J!J RELIC/Bull Run Reg Lib, Manassas, VA A LESSON IN "In my opinion, properly protected and n an area rife with American history researched. Buckland has the unique I - monuments, President's homes, potential to teach generations to come Civil War battlefields - there is one place nearby that can hold its own much about American values. especially wirh anything anybody else has to offer. the role of free enterprise, in the develop­ You've probably never heard of it, but if ment and growth of the U.S. during its you've lived in the area for any length founding years between the American of time, you've probably driven past Revolution and the Civil War Era. Too it hundreds of times, maybe - if you often, as at Jamestown. no architectural commute to work in Northern Virginia evidence and few documents survive to - even thousands of times. The place? help tell significant pieces of the story as It's Buckland, just over the county line it does at Buckland." in Prince William County. So, exactly what kind of history are William M. Kelso, Ph.D. we talking about here? Well, how about APVA Director of Archeology Jamestown Rediscovery Native American burial mounds to start. Then add in all the luminaries from the birth of this nation - George Washingron, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson. Toss in a couple of foreigners The landscape has not changed much from this October I8 1 1863 drawing by Alfred Waud (scene of calvary engagement with Stuart) and the Buckland Preservation like the Marquis de Lafayette and Society is working hard to keep it that way. Claudius Crozet - Napoleon's bridge ~-' _l 6 T~B Preserving Fauquier's orical Bord B)' George Rowand builder. Then bring it more up tO date route for Native Americans and one of with connections to the Underground several sites in Northern Virginia for Railroad, a battle between forces of Jeb Native Americans. We need to tell the Stuart and George Armstrong Custer, story inclusive of Native Americans. a stop over by Teddy Roosevelt, and We can tell a much richer story, and it's you've got enough history to keep all here. There are cwency-some burial archeologists and prese1Tationists busy mounds around the step mound." for years to come. And, oh, I almost Blake showed slides of some Native forgot, many of the important buildings American artifacts found in the area, from 200 years ago are still standing. one of which looked like it could have David Blake, the owner of Buckland been used in ceremonies involving Farm nearby, said that he was fascinated human sacrifice. to learn all the historical information Blake seated that the town of Buckland about the nearby area when he bought came co be because of Broad Run. che farm. "Europeans came as far inland as A Yankee Town possible by boat, and here's where they Brooke's Tavern (one of two caverns in "There was a town right here," Blake stopped on Broad Run," he stated. "The early American settlements were tlie wwn) once hosted a meeting between said. ':A.. very important town in Virginia General Lafayette and President Monroe. history. When you're whizzing past here established from about 17 47 co 1796. at 60 miles-per-hour, you don't realize Buckland was built by the power of that there's so much history that's here. Broad Run, and it boomed during the I'm hoping that this can be preserved as turnpike road era when everybody was a welcome co Fauquier and as a way co coming through this place. It had pretry keep Gainesville from rolling over us." much everything, a quarry, three mills, a blacksmith, and the largest distillery Blake made a Power Point presentation on the ease coast at the time. That was to show some of the hisrorical facts. He their biggest export, whiskey. And we showed an old map of the t0wn, which have three of the four original taverns showed che location of the buildings. still standing. Williamsburg has only "These are all 18th and 19th century two. A woman of that era [travel writer buildings," he explained. "Ir's the best Anne Royall] said chat Buckland was 'a example of a Piedmont Virginia town real Yankee town for business' because that there is. In Warrenton, the original there was so much activity here." buildings are lose. You don't have the Blake said that he has spent a decade original buildings in their context." doing research into the town that he Just a few feet from what is now Rt. Bur the history of the town goes back has come to know and respect so well. 29, French Engineer Claudius Crozet, bridge builder for Napoleon, inspected a lot farrher than the 18th century, "Buckland was one of the first towns and redesigned the thorough[are between Blake said. to shift from a tobacco economy co a "There is a Native American seep wheat economy," he explained. 'J<\nd in Buckland and Warrenton. In 1823, mound here, which could go back 5000 1797, it became a chartered town with Crozet had been appointed Virginia's state years," he said. "Religious ceremonies engineer, making the turnpike at Buckland were held there. This was a major trade HISTORY Continueo on °age 8 one of his first American projects. N OVB<!BER 2009 7 Buckland Tavern, now the residence of a member of the Buckland Preservation Sociery, was frequemed by many former presidents and politicians. President Van Buren scheduled a meeting at Buckland Tavern in 1838. President Andrew Jackson "passed through this place, in great state, stopping to take breakfast ... while here, some of his friends called on him and had some conversation with him in the [Buckland] Tavern (the tavern porch, by the bye, was once a favorite haunt of his, and the theatre of many of his exploits) ... he held forth most luminously among other matters relating to his administration upon the Bank of the United States." The current resident, a great collector of antiques, keeps the 1 Tavern and its rooms as close to original while keeping it habitable for himself. HISTORY Conunued from Page 7 48 lots with a grid and a cown common, which was unusual in the South. Buckland was established by tradesmen and merchants." All About Trade Blake said that John Love - who said. "On that road, you could get your owned the house known as Buckland manufactured goods to port and then House chat Blake currently occupies - to market. The bridge is gone, but the was a man of business. foundations are still there, and so is the road, covered by dirt now." "John Lo,·e was an attorney who made a lot of money on patents, law and Early presidents came and went land speculation," he said. "He went to through Buckland and Buckland House, Philadelphia and saw all the machinery Blake said, (see accompanying article) there, and he decided to bring it down and another bit of history concerns the here. This guy was following every new role of African Americans in the town. Buckland Post Office - records show piece of technology in the world." "In 1835, there were 130whites and 50 the list of Postmasters dating back to its One of the things he did was t0 scare African Americans in the town," Blake opening in December of 1800. The post a turnpike company from Fauquier to said. "There were freed blacks here, office also served as a store and as a stop Alexandria. He hired Claudius Crozet and they lived among the whites, not for coaches and advertised a fare of $1. 75 co build the bridge over Broad Run. in a different part of town. Some of the freed blacks owned slaves themselves, from Fafrfax Courthouse to Buckland. "Buckland Bridge was built in 1807, and there was a slave auction house and and it leads onto the first McAdam [a hard surfaced] road in Virginia," Blake HISTORY Continued on Page I0 8 wA.RREN TON LIFESTILE Buckland Mill (left: view from across river; center: top floor of mill; right: below ground level). This particular mill was a grist mill for grinding grain to flour. HISTORY Continued from Page 8 but there were 12,000 men fighting, railroad came through, and all this holding pens, so there were good and and the generals said that it was a rout. closed down after the Civil War," Blake bad sides to this history. When the Nat Hundreds of men were killed here. explained. "Then the Great Depression Turner Rebellion [a slave-led rebellion George Armstrong Custer was here, hit, and nothing was touched. It's against their masters] occurred, the and it was the last defeat he suffered pretty rare to have a site like this that is whites got really scared, and they until the Battle of Little Big Hom. The untouched. There are 21 buildings that staned turning the blacks our, so there Confederates marched 200 prisoners to are still standing from that era." was this ugly side. This also was a stop Warrenton, and the Yankees had set up The history that Blake wants co on the Underground Railroad that their command on top of the (Native helped slaves escape to the North and preserve is under a new threat, even American] step mound. It's the highest worse, it seems, than Yankee cavalry.