Town Hall: The backstory

This building is located on the eastern half of the original town lot 22. On 12 May 1856, Tamar Spiller sold lot 22 to Robert Deatherage and Robert S. Bell, trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Washington, for $350. The deed speci ed that the eastern half of the lot, measuring 132 feet along Gay Street and 82.5 feet along Calvert Street, should be held by Deatherage and Bell in their capacity as trustees of the Presbyterian Church of Washington for the purpose of establishing “a house of worship for the use and bene t of the said church.” Construction occurred between 1856 and 1858 under the direction of James Leake Powers, nanced in part by collections taken up in all congregations in the Presbytery. The 1-1/2 story 5-course American brick building is in the Doric architectural style.

During her lifetime, Lucy A. Kirk attempted to raise funds to acquire the western half of lot 22 to provide a manse for the church minister. She was unsuccessful but, a er her death, her funds and additional money that was collected amounted to $200 which was su cient in 1883 to purchase Bell’s one-half interest in the western half of lot 22. However, the Chancery case of Deatherage V. Bell ensued, and by a decree of the Rappahannock County Chancery Court, John F. Lillard purchased the western half of lot 22 and the house on this land for $275.

The minister during 1853-1866 was Thomas S. Witherow but a er that time it appears that only lay individuals ministered to the congregation. Over time, church membership declined. The church continued until 1891, when only two active church members remained, and the church building was o cially closed the following year. During the next

half-century, shrubs and trees grew wild, eventually hiding the building from view.

The Presbytery of the Potomac directed Charles W. Warden, T. E. Bartenstein, and Alfred Thomason, trustees of the church, to petition the Rappahannock County Court for permission to sell the property “since attendance made it impractical to maintain the building and there was no hope to revive or reestablish membership within the town.” In 1939, the lot and building were purchased by Franklin Clyde Baggarly who was the owner of Avon Hall adjacent to the town and a former attorney for the town.

A er Baggarly was declared incompetent in 1959, his wife, Frances Trott Baggarly, sold the lot in 1960 to the trustees of the County Free Library System, who were Q. D. Gasque (the superintendent of Public Schools), Elisabeth Johnson, Freer Wilson, T. J. Pillar and Virginia Miller. This group of dedicated Rappahannock County residents rescued the old building and turned it into a public library which was dedicated in 1963. The fact that the building was still sound a er nearly 75 years of disuse and neglect is a tribute to Mr. Power’s construction ability. Except for repairs, no changes were made to the exterior of the church building; bookcases were installed in the interior but the original pulpit was retained.

The library remained in the old church building until the end of 1989, when it was moved to a newly erected building on Lee Highway just outside of the town. The church building and land were sold to the Town of Washington.

Now, the church building serves as the Town Hall. Editor’s note: This information was excerpted from Maureen I. Harris’ book, “Washington, Virginia, a History, 1735-2018.”

BIRTHDAY WISHES

Former Rappahannock News editor Sarah Latham reaches the august age of 100 on May 21. If you’d like to help her celebrate, daughters Nancy Hoadley, Elizabeth Streagle, Susan Hu and Sally Haynes invite you to send a card to her home at 14753 Lee Hwy, Amissville, 20106.

MEET THE ARTIST

Silver Maples Gallery, located at 12720 Lee Hwy., Washington, would like to invite their friends and supporters to a “Meet The Artist” event on Saturday May 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Gallery will present artists Lori Wallace-Lloyd, Anita ZymolkaAmrhien, Rollin Stanton and Deja Newton-Grant. Refreshments will be available and all are welcome to bring a blanket and nd a cozy spot on the grounds to enjoy, if weather permits.

Also on display will be Anita Zymolka-Amrhein and Rollin M. Stanton, III.

“OTHER’S DAY”

This Sunday, May 16, is “Other’s Day” when people celebrate the “others” in their lives. Farmer Mike McCormick has plenty of beautiful freshcut, fragrant, locally/organically grown peonies for sale. Give him a call at 540 675-1115 or email michaelmccormick47@yahoo.com