Historic Resource Study Short Hill Tract Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Andrew S. Lee, Archeological Technician Archeology Program Harpers Ferry National Historical Park 2003 Historic Resource Study Short Hill Tract Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Prepared by Andrew S. Lee, Archeological Technician Formatting by John W. Ravenhorst, Archeological Specialist Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Archeology Program 2003 ii Contents List of Figures..................................................................................................................................v Preface........................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................ ix Part One: Historical Background.................................................................................................1 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................................1 2. Short Hill as Native American Territory.....................................................................................3 The Everhart Fish Trap and other Native American Vestiges.............................................4 3. Early Exploration, Settlement, and Land Ownership .................................................................7 The Shannondale and Piedmont Tracts..............................................................................11 4. George Washington and Short Hill...........................................................................................13 5. Short Hill and Transportation ...................................................................................................17 River Crossings..................................................................................................................17 Roads..................................................................................................................................21 The Canal and Railroad .....................................................................................................27 The Egg Path......................................................................................................................28 6. Industrial and Agricultural Use of Short Hill ...........................................................................31 Peacher's Mill.....................................................................................................................32 Quarrying ...........................................................................................................................41 Wood Lots and Timber Management ................................................................................43 Orchards And Distilleries ..................................................................................................45 Limekiln on Falls Branch...................................................................................................49 Springs and Water..............................................................................................................50 7. Short Hill and the Civil War .....................................................................................................53 Guerrilla Warfare and the "Burning Raid" ........................................................................55 8. The 20th Century and the National Park Service.......................................................................61 The Creation and Expansion of a National Historical Park...............................................66 iii Part Two: Chain of Title .............................................................................................................73 9. Mill Tract ................................................................................................................................75 10. Stubblefield Tract....................................................................................................................87 11. Evolution of the NPS Short Hill Tract....................................................................................95 Sources Consulted..........................................................................................................................99 Appendix I – Chain of Title Tables ............................................................................................. I.1 Appendix II – Timeline................................................................................................................II.1 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Short Hill location map..................................................................................................1 Figure 2. Short Hill landmarks......................................................................................................2 Figure 3. Alexander Spotswood, Governor of Virginia. ...............................................................4 Figure 4. Payne's Falls, from South Mountain. .............................................................................5 Figure 5. Survey map, Northern Neck of Virginia, 1736..............................................................7 Figure 6. Thomas 6th Lord Fairfax. ...............................................................................................9 Figure 7. Detail, Section A "Loudoun County, Virginia – Original Land Grants – In Six Sections." ...................................................................10 Figure 8. George Washington as a surveyor. ..............................................................................13 Figure 9. Patowmack Canal Company seal.................................................................................14 Figure 10. Dixie Bottom shoreline and fording spot.....................................................................18 Figure 11. The Shenandoah River ferry. .......................................................................................19 Figure 12. Hillsborough and Harpers Ferry Turnpike, 1863.........................................................22 Figure 13. Falls Branch road trace. ...............................................................................................23 Figure 14. Showing the route of River Road.................................................................................24 Figure 15. River Road near Devil's Elbow....................................................................................25 Figure 16. River Road drill mark. .................................................................................................26 Figure 17. River Road retaining wall. ...........................................................................................26 Figure 18. Detail, Yardley Taylor map of Loudoun County, 1853...............................................28 Figure 19. Sketch, Peacher's Mill lot and Everhart tracts. ............................................................33 Figure 20. Peacher's Mill millrace.................................................................................................34 Figure 21. Peacher's Mill ruins......................................................................................................35 Figure 22. Peacher's Mill, first floor joist pockets. .......................................................................36 Figure 23. Peacher's Mill, corner fireplace....................................................................................36 Figure 24. Miller's house foundation.............................................................................................37 Figure 25. Dam on Falls Branch. ..................................................................................................38 Figure 26. Detail, Civil War-period map depicting Peacher's Mill and Shover's Distillery. ........38 Figure 27. Site of Weverton, from Peacher's Mill millrace...........................................................40 Figure 28. Detail, S. Howell Brown map of Jefferson County, Virginia, 1852............................41 v Figure 29. Short Hill quarry, from South Mountain......................................................................42 Figure 30. West side of Short Hill, from South Mountain............................................................45 Figure 31. Remains of Still House Farm structures. .....................................................................47 Figure 32. View from Loudoun Heights. ......................................................................................48 Figure 33. Limekiln on Falls Branch.............................................................................................50 Figure 34. View from bridge at Brunswick, Maryland. ................................................................51 Figure 35. View from 100-Pounder Battery on Maryland Heights...............................................54 Figure 36. Confederate cavalryman, John W. Mobberly. .............................................................56 Figure 37. Lt. Col. Caspar Crowninshield.....................................................................................58 Figure 38. 1872 engraving: "Jefferson Rock, Harpers Ferry"; 1876 photo...................................62 Figure 39. 1936 flood water, Harpers Ferry..................................................................................64