Green Spring Farm, Fairfax County, Virginia - free ebook by Nan Netherton

GREEN SPRING FARM

Fairfax County, Virginia by ROSS AND NAN NETHERTON June 1970...

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PREFACE

In the beginning was the land. It drew human life to our rich area of Fairfax County, and sustained us for centuries before we became so self-conscious about it as to make household language of words such as ecology and bio-degradable waste. This is where we are at, however, and thus it is thoroughly appropriate that the publication of historical research reports in this format, a new program for Fairfax County, should commence with a study of the Green Spring Farm. There is no better site for a

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

These notes are part of a series of research reports on the historic and architectural landmarks of Fairfax County, Virginia, prepared pursuant to a resolution of the Board of County Supervisors calling for a survey of the county’s historic sites and buildings. Green Spring Farm was selected in 1967 by the Fairfax County Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission as a subject to be researched, and was later incorporated into a successor research program sponsored by the Division of Planning in

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INTRODUCTION

The land has always had a special value to Virginians. Land was the first form of wealth which the colonists knew; and it was through cultivation of the land that Virginians first enjoyed the heady feeling of prosperity that came with the rise of their tobacco empire. Ownership and cultivation of the land were the goals of those who indentured themselves to come to the New World, and they were the foundations on which Jefferson placed his reliance for the perpetuation of political freedom and ec

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I. GENTLEMAN FREEHOLDERS: THE MOSS FAMILY (1770-1835)

When Green Spring Farm came into being in the middle years of the eighteenth century, it represented the second generation of Virginia’s agriculture. By 1750, the great plantations of the proprietor and his grantees, laid out on land cleared from the virgin forest and planted with as much tobacco as the owner’s supplies of manpower and London credit would allow, were disappearing. In the evolution of farming, another generation of farms and farmers was taking over the Tidewater. Smaller in size

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II. ORCHARD AND DAIRY: FOUNTAIN BEATTIE (1878-1917)

By 1870, Virginia farmers were beginning to recover from the recent war which had completely disrupted normal agricultural activity. The effects of the war had been felt keenly in Northern Virginia where the conflict had not been marked by many of the major battles but had nevertheless afflicted the area with four years of constant raiding and skirmishing. The resultant toll of horses, mules, cattle, and livestock and the dearth of farm machinery were major handicaps facing the farmer, as were h

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III. THE END OF THE FARMING ERA: MICHAEL STRAIGHT (1942-1969)

Fountain Beattie sold Green Spring Farm in 1917. Annie Hathaway Beattie had died the year before, after they had moved from the farm to a house in Alexandria. [71] Beattie’s deed to George R. Sims of Florida is dated January 23, 1917, and conveyed the entire tract of 339 acres. [72] Ownership changed again in 1922, 1924, and 1931, [73] and ultimately led to the subdivision of the tract into smaller parcels. In 1942, one of these parcels, containing the farmhouse and the principal related buildin

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GENERAL SETTING

Green Spring Farm is located in Mason Magisterial District, approximately one-eighth mile north of Little River Turnpike and one-eighth mile east of Braddock Road. Via the Little River Turnpike, the farm is approximately six miles west of Alexandria and approximately two miles east of Annandale. The terrain in the vicinity of the farm is mainly flat, with some very gentle rolling areas. It is well watered, being crossed by Turkey Cock Run. During 1946-50, three ponds were dug in back of the hous

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HOUSE SITE

The mansion house faces south and is connected with the Little River Turnpike by a black-top (asphalt-surfaced) road which passes on the west side of the house and runs north to Braddock Road. Inside the post and rail fence, alongside this road, the driveway up to the house is lined with trees, and the yard in front of the house is open and flat. Between the lawn and the road, a line of cedars in the fence row serves as a screen. The back (north side) of the house faces a semicircular open grass

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GENERAL ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND HISTORY

In its present condition, the mansion house at Green Spring Farm cannot be considered to represent any particular period of American architecture. The original core of the building illustrates a design which was typical of the colonial era in Tidewater Virginia. This portion of the house is of brick construction, two stories plus attic and cellar, with the rooms in each end of the house separated by a center hallway. Large chimneys at each end of the house made possible heating by fireplaces in

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TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION—EXTERIOR.

Overall Dimensions. Width: 78 feet by 25 feet in central section, and 20 feet in wings. Height: central section, two and one-half stories; wings, one and one-half stories; sunporch, one story. Foundations. The central section of the house stands on brick foundations which are carried up through the basement walls. A brick wall extending upward to the second floor divides the basement into two sections and served as part of the original foundations. In the basement, a series of arches in this wal

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TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION—INTERIOR.

Central Block. The central block of the house, comprising the portion which was built first (possibly as early as 1760), is laid out on the traditional pattern used by many colonial Virginia homes—a central hallway with one or two rooms on each side, with chimneys at each end serving fireplaces in each room. In the case of Green Spring Farm, a narrow (4-foot 6-inch-wide) central hallway runs straight through from the front door to an opposing rear door. Floor boards are of random width (5 to 6 i

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ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION: THE MANSION HOUSE

Mrs. Michael Straight, interview December 1969. Certain pieces of the garden sculpture are from Peking, China. Others include “Frog Girl” by Willi Soukop. Alexandria Gazette , November 6, 1839. John Mosby Beattie, interview April 17, 1969. David Condon, AIA; interview December 11, 1969. The earlier room layout of the central block of the house had two rooms, each about 12 by 12 feet, on each side of the central hallway which ran through the house widthwise. Each of these four rooms had its own f

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I. THE TOBEY HOUSE

The Tobey House is located approximately one-quarter mile east-southeast of the main house on Green Spring Farm. It was built in 1954 as a residence for Mrs. Charles W. Tobey, the mother of Mrs. Michael Straight and widow of the late distinguished United States Senator from New Hampshire. Prior to that time, Mrs. Tobey had resided part of the time in Washington and part of the time in Concord, New Hampshire, where she owned a spacious, gabled New England mansion built about 1750. In order for he

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II. THE BARN

Located approximately 200 feet northeast of the main house is a two-story frame barn. Its date of construction is not certain, but it is known to have been present when the Straights acquired the farm in 1942. During the occupancy of the farm by the Straights, the barn was converted into a laundry and a maid’s apartment. As renovated for this purpose, the first floor of the barn contained space and equipment for the laundry, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The second floor contained living quarters a

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III. THE LOG CABIN

Located approximately 90 feet northeast of the main house is a small one-story house of log construction. Its date of construction is uncertain, although it is possible that this building is the “Servants’ House” referred to in the notice of the commissioner’s sale of the farm following the death of William Moss in 1835. [102] During the Straights’ occupancy of the farm, the cabin was renovated and converted into a guest house. During the later years, their son, David, lived in the cabin. The re

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IV. THE SPRING HOUSE

References to a spring house appear frequently in descriptions of Green Spring Farm during the nineteenth century. [103] The well watered character of the farm, possessing springs of its own and traversed by Turkey Cock Run, was an advantage of great value to all its owners. Quite possibly the presence of the springs was decisive in enabling both the Mosses and Fountain Beattie to make dairying a substantial part of the farm’s operations. In the 1830’s, many of the types of equipment and utensil

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ASSOCIATED BUILDINGS

Title to the property on which the house was built remained in Michael and Belinda Straight. “A New House with Young Ideas,” House and Garden , December 1958. David Condon, AIA, interview December 12, 1969. Initially it was proposed to locate the house with its back to a line of trees separating the upper and lower portions of the pasture west of the main farm house. This would have taken advantage of the view to the west of the house, considered to be its best view. Ultimately, however, the hou

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WILL OF JOHN MOSS, 1809

Fairfax County Superior Court Willbook No. 1, pp. 1-3. “In the name of God Amen I John Moss of the County of Fairfax and State of Virginia do hereby make and Ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following to wit I give to my son John Moss the plantation whereon he now lives which was leased by me of the late Rev d Bryan Fairfax and the service of my Negro man Nat until the period arrives when he is to go out free agreeable to a Deed of Manumition Recorded in Fairfax County C

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SALES ACCOUNT OF THE PERSONAL ESTATE OF WILLIAM MOSS—1835

The following list contains the items comprising the personal estate of William Moss, entered at a sale at auction held April 15 and 16, 1835. The original list appears in Fairfax County Will Book S-1, pages 7-18, and shows the name of the purchaser for each item. In listing the items here, the names of the purchasers have been omitted and the items listed by categories for convenience....

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APPENDIX E

Transcript of part of an affidavit from Thomas R. Love and Alfred Moss to Judge John Scott of the Circuit Superior Court. To the Hon b le John Scott Judge of the Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery of the County of Fairfax. Respectfully Complaining Herewith unto your Honor, your Orators Thomas R. Love guardian of Charles R. and Armistead T. Moss, and Alfred Moss guardian of Edgar and John Thomas Moss, the three first infant Children of Thomas Moss dec d &amp; the last named the infant

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Fairfax County (Va.) Will Book T-1, page 223:

December 2, 1839 Thomas Moss’ slaves divided among the several heirs....

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A Visit from Mr. Polevoy

THE NEW REPUBLIC Soviet newspapers are bitter about the insincerity of American visitors to their country. While in the USSR, they say, Americans are lavish with their praise, but on returning home, they speak quite differently of Russia to their fellow Americans. Our newspapers in turn maintain that Soviet delegations to this country wear a mask of friendliness but once back in Russia present a hostile and unrecognizable picture of the United States. Do visiting Soviet delegations present a tru

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Editors’ Note:

There are, of course, some errors in Mr. Polevoy’s story. Many are due, as he notes, to the fact that parts of the conversation were conducted through dramatic gesticulations and incoherent sounds. Bill Seward, the youthful proprietor of Menemsha’s post office and store, for example, may not recognize himself as the ancient Mr. Zur, and the author of Cassandra Bobble, a fictional caricature of society columnists, will be surprised to see her creation re-emerge in Russian as Xandra Babel the neig

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BOOKS

Clarke, E.; Potts, J. M.; and Payton, J. S., eds. The Journal and Letters of Francis Asbury. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1958. Davis, R. B. Intellectual Life in Jefferson’s Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1964. Gutheim, Frederick. The Potomac. New York: Rinehart, 1949. Harrison, Fairfax. Landmarks of Old Prince William. Berryville, Va.: Chesapeake Book Co., 1964. Herndon, M. Tobacco in Colonial Virginia. Williamsburg: Virginia 350th Anniversary Celebration Corporation,

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ARTICLES

Abbott, R. H. “Yankee Farmers in Northern Virginia: 1840-1860.” Virginia Magazine of History and Biography , v. 76, No. 1 (January 1968), pp. 56-66. Funk, W. C. “An Economic History of Small Farms near Washington, D.C.” U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin 848. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1920. “A New House with Young Ideas.” House and Garden. December 1958. Straight, Michael. “A Visit from Mr. Polevoy.” The New Republic , v. 135, No. 3 (July 16, 1956), pp. 12-15. Willis, K.

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OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS AND REPORTS

Annual Report of the President and Directors of the Board of Public Works to the General Assembly of Virginia. 1818, 1819, 1820. Fairfax County, Virginia. Deedbooks. ______. Minute Books. ______. Order Books. ______. Will Books. Hening, William W., ed. Statutes at Large , 1823. Reprint ed., Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1969. National Archives, Military Records Division, Washington, D.C. Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers who Served in Organizations from Virginia. Microc

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NEWSPAPER

The Alexandria Gazette...

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MANUSCRIPTS

The Journal of John Littlejohn , MS. Methodist Churches, Louisville, Kentucky, April 29, 1778. (Copy courtesy of Reverend Melvin Steadman.) Truro Parish Vestry Book , 1732-1803, MS. Library of Congress....

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MISCELLANEOUS

Fullerton, W. Address to Piedmont Agricultural Society, October 1876. Macomber, Walter; Schlebecker, John; and Straight, Michael and Belinda. Tape-recorded interviews. Transcriber’s Notes Original, sometimes very archaic spellings retained. Photographs still under copyright on pages 32, 42, 44, and 56 (Figures 9, 11-13, and 16-18) excluded....

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