PHASE I ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY OF SELECTED AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORIC RESOURCES, FAUQUIER COUNTY, VIRGINIA by Katherine McCarthy Watts Prepared for Virginia Department of Historic Resources and Fauquier County Department of Community Development, Planning Division Prepared by DOVETAIL CULTURAL RESOURCE GROUP April 2021 Phase I Architectural Survey of Selected African American Historic Resources, Fauquier County, Virginia by Katherine McCarthy Watts Prepared for Virginia Department of Historic Resources 2801 Kensington Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23220 and Fauquier County Department of Community Development, Planning Division 29 Ashby Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 Prepared by Dovetail Cultural Resource Group 11905 Bowman Drive, Suite 502 Fredericksburg, Virginia 22408 Dovetail Job #20-084 April 2021 April 16, 2021 Heather D. Staton, Principal Investigator Date Dovetail Cultural Resource Group This page intentionally left blank ABSTRACT Dovetail Cultural Resource Group (Dovetail) conducted a Phase I architectural reconnaissance survey of selected African American historic resources in Fauquier County, Virginia, between November and December 2020. The project was completed at the request of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) and the Fauquier County Planning Division (the County) in satisfaction of requirements outlined in the DHR Cost Share program contract. The project comprised a Phase I-level investigation of selected African American historic architectural resources, the completion of Virginia Cultural Resource Information System (VCRIS) documentation packets for each studied resource, and this report which provides a historic context for African American resources in the county, the results of the fieldwork, and recommendations for future work, including a potential, county- wide Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) form. Fauquier County is situated approximately 40 miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C. and was historically rural in character, dominated by agricultural properties throughout much of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Segregation laws and housing discrimination caused the establishment of distinct African American communities throughout Fauquier County, usually centered around a church and a school. This project sought to highlight these African American historic resources. The resources selected for this project by the DHR and the County span the entire length of the County. In total, 47 architectural resources, comprising 10 communities and 37 individual resources, were recorded during this survey. Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) and National Register of Historic Place (NRHP) eligibility determinations were outside of the scope of this project, and instead, the focus was placed on the history of the resources and their significance to the local and historic African American communities in which they are located. All of these resources were recommended for further study, with the exception of Public School No. 18 (030-0135), which is already listed in the VLR and NRHP. This report also makes recommendations for future studies of African American resources, and identifies themes and resources types for a potential county-wide MPD form in the future. A full list of resources surveyed in this investigation is provided in the Results of Fieldwork, p. 19. i This page intentionally left blank ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This investigation was conducted with the assistance of state and local funding sources through Virginia’s Cost Share Program. Appreciation goes to DHR staff members, Blake McDonald and Aubrey Von Lindern, along with Fauquier County Planning Division, Preservation Planner, Wendy Wheatcraft for their support of this project. Despite limited in-person access due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are indebted to countless area residents who provided historical information to support this study and to those property owners who gave their time and opened their homes to Dovetail staff, shared historic photographs and other artifacts, and provided access to portions of their properties that would have otherwise been unreachable. Special thanks go to the members of Mt. Olive Baptist Church who led an incredible walking tour in Rectortown and Frogtown, and the congregation of St. James Baptist Church who sent us many founding church documents via email. Oral history and recommendations for research were provided by these residents in electronic communication shared with Ms. Wheatcraft following an official County mailing to area property owners. Additional research and historical data was provided by Karen Hughes White, Norma Logan, and Angela Davidson of the Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County (AAHAFC) and Vicky Ginther of the Fauquier County Library. Local African American residents’ input and oral history will continue to be vital in any future iterations of this project. iii This page intentionally left blank iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 1 SETTING .................................................................................................................................. 3 HISTORIC CONTEXT ............................................................................................................ 5 Historic Period ...................................................................................................................... 5 Contact Period (1607–1750) ............................................................................................. 5 Colony to Nation (1751–1789) ......................................................................................... 6 Early National Period (1790–1829) .................................................................................. 7 Antebellum Period (1830–1860)....................................................................................... 8 Civil War (1861–1865) ..................................................................................................... 8 Reconstruction and Growth (1866–1917) ....................................................................... 10 World War I to World War II (1917–1945).................................................................... 12 The New Dominion (1946–1991) ................................................................................... 14 Post Cold War (1992–present) ........................................................................................ 15 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................. 17 RESULTS OF FIELDWORK................................................................................................. 19 General Survey Findings..................................................................................................... 19 Churches ............................................................................................................................. 19 Cemeteries........................................................................................................................... 32 Schools ................................................................................................................................ 36 Dwellings ............................................................................................................................ 39 Fraternal and Commercial Buildings .................................................................................. 41 Fraternal Groups ............................................................................................................. 42 Stores............................................................................................................................... 46 Employment ........................................................................................................................ 47 Communities ....................................................................................................................... 48 Rosstown ......................................................................................................................... 48 Turnbull........................................................................................................................... 52 Sagetown or The Sage .................................................................................................... 56 Africa Mountain .............................................................................................................. 60 Clevers Oak ..................................................................................................................... 64 Double Poplars ................................................................................................................ 67 Frytown ........................................................................................................................... 70 Hurleytown ..................................................................................................................... 74 Silver Hill .......................................................................................................................