APRIL
April 22nd, Saturday at 1:00 PM: Special Program- (Open to the Public) A historical highway marker, on Route 6 just west of the James River Correctional Center, was unveiled commemorating the 1936 visit of John Lomax to the State Farm Prison and the State Penitentiary to record quartets, banjo tunes, work songs, spirituals and blues. Jeffery Mabry, a Goochland County Historical Society board member served as coordinator and emcee for the event. Jeffery, Kathleen Kilpatrick, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; Jan Ramsey, President of the James River Blues Society, and Sam Pruett, Warden of the James River Correctional Center, unveiled the marker.
After the dedication ceremony, a reception program was held at the Department of Corrections Academy for Staff Development. Remarks were made by Jim Eads, Chairman of the Goochland County Board of Supervisors; Kathleen Kilpatrick, Jerry Eggleston, Training Manager for the Department of Corrections Academy for Staff Development; and Phyllis Silber, Executive Director of the Historical Society. Gregg Kimball from the Library of Virginia gave a multimedia presentation entitled "The Prison Recordings" featuring original recordings from the Library of Congress. Kimball also provided a display of vintage items and photographs. The Emmaus Baptist Church Choir sang selections from the recordings. The Society wishes to thank all who participated, including its member volunteers and Clover Forest Plantation for their assistance in making the event a memorable occasion.
MAY
May 7th, Sunday at 3:00 PM: Program Meeting- (Open to the Membership) The meeting was held at Rock Castle, home of society member Ellen Cabell. The speaker was Calder Loth, senior architectural historian for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Although it was a rainy day, we had 76 members in attendance for the Spring Program Meeting. Our speaker, Calder Loth, talked about the people, the land and the buildings of Rock Castle, mixing current day conditions with historical observations. This took place in the main house, and was followed by refreshments and a chance to walk through the Queen Anne Cottage on the grounds.
Rock Castle was probably named for a large outcropping of rock on nearby James River that resembles a rock castle. Important Indian settlements were located nearby, centuries before the colonies existed. In 1732, William Byrd persuaded Tarleton Fleming, an ancestor of Loth, to move from New Kent to the frontier at Rock Castle. The property was passed down through the Flemings for several generations, then changed hands several times. In the 1930's the owner was James Osborne and his wife, who was a cousin of Mrs. Cabell's husband. There are many Goochland family connections to the Flemings.
On the Rock Castle property, a house now called Queen Anne Cottage was built during the reign of George II. This cottage is an example of classic Virginia traditional colonial architecture, patterned on English homes, with several modifications mainly due to the different weather in England and Virginia. The Virginia homes had smaller and fewer windows, higher ceilings and were higher off of the ground. Virginia is much hotter and dryer than England. The house is smaller than current houses, but one must remember that for safety reasons and creature comforts, functions such as cooking and refrigeration took place in out buildings. If all of the outbuildings of the time were attached to the house, it would have been a 15-20-room home. Some of the walls were covered in damask rather than paneled, as was the normal practice. An insurance policy written in 1802 valued the house at $2500, "a fine house" said Loth.
History not only affects people, but also homes. In 1781, during the Revolution, Banastre Tarleton, a British officer know as the Butcher, contemptuous of Americans and distant relative of own Tarleton Fleming III, set the house on fire when he saw the Tarleton coat of arms on the wall. Rock Castle slaves put out the fire. During the Civil War, Union troops led by General Sheridan raided the plantation and ransacked the house. Once again, the servants saved the home by preventing it from being set on fire.
In the 1930's, owner James Osborne decided to move the cottage to a different location on the property and built a Norman style house where the cottage had been. Currently, a peacock named Peac is a resident who flew in one day about 8-10 years ago and hasn't left.
In 1970, Rock Castle was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both houses and about 145 acres were placed into a perpetual historic easement, which means it can never be developed or subdivided. The Queen Anne Cottage can never be demolished or changed without permission of the Commonwealth.
Contributed by Sharon Perdue
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