Early Charlottesville recollections of James Alexander, 1828-1874. Reprinted from the Jeffersonian republican |
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May 13, 1874 |
 | Early Charlottesville |  |
May 13, 1874
Random Row.—The present boundary of Charlottesville,
west, is on the lot of John C. Wood, where
we concluded our last number.
From the "Delavan" formerly "Mudwall" house to
the "Midway," at our first recollections, there were no
dwellings; a small brick blacksmith shop stood on the
corner of the old Lynchburg road, and a few years afterwards
farther west, there was put up another brick
blacksmith shop, now transformed into a dwelling
house. At the present day between these two points,
Delavan and Midway, there are eight wood dwellings
and eight brick ones. Mudwall took its name[151]
from the
adobe walls that surrounded the entire lot of an acre or
two, which were made of a mixture of clay, lime and
straw. One of the posts of this material was standing in
a good state of preservation till within a year or so past,
nearly fifty years. Dr. John H. Cocke, of Fluvanna
of the University of Virginia, and for many years one of
the Board of Visitors of this Institution, had this building
erected soon after the opening of the University,
and intended it to be used for a classical boarding school,
expecting to put at its head a distinguished teacher from
New Jersey, but being disappointed in obtaining him,
the house was vacant for a time. H. A. Garland, afterwards
a distinguished man, had a very successful school
here. William B. Napton, afterwards a distinguished
lawyer and judge of the courts in the State of Missouri,
also was principal of the classical school taught here.
Dr. Charles Minor, for many years afterwards, a successful
physician in this county and town, was also the
principal of a large boarding school in this house, Mrs.
Spencer being the matron. Dr. James L. Cabell, Professor
at the University, was also, we believe engaged in
this school. At the breaking out of the late war, this
building was used as barracks for troops, and then as a
hospital to the end of the conflict; on either side of it
were erected long wooden houses for the sick and
wounded. Since the war the colored Baptists, 800 of
whom had been members of the old Baptist church in
this town, were dismissed in 1864 to form a new church;
and the church now occupies the building as their house
of worship, and is known as the Delavan Baptist church.
Rev. M. Lewis is at this time pastor. On the lot on the
corner of the street of the old Lynchburg road, for the
past twenty years or more, is the iron foundry and agricultural
machine manufactory[152] of R. F. Harris. In
present depressed state of business in the country, he has
not more than half that number employed. Mr. Harris
is a native of Albemarle county, and has great mechanical
genius and skill, and has built up for himself and our
community quite a lucrative and extensive business.
His foundry turns out castings three times a week, and
what any other man is capable of making or moulding,
Mr. Harris can do or have done. His mowers, rakes,
drills, corn shellers, ploughs and plough castings, cutters,
mill machinery, cider and wine presses, harvesters,
threshing machines, grain fans and innumerable others
of his works are known all over the State and Southern
country. We consider Mr. Harris one of our best citizens
and greatest public benefactors as well as an invaluable
acquisition to any country, and he should receive
from our community, and especially the farming community,
a steady generous and hearty support and encouragement.
A few more similar establishments, and
such men as R. F. Harris, would add materially to the
business of the town, as well as enhance the value of the
property of its owners. Support your own mechanics
and they will support you.
Ridge street in 1828 to 1835, was without dwellings,
and scrub oaks and chincapin bushes grew, where now
private residences. This street is becoming quite a
prominent drive for belles and beaux, as well as for pedestrian
promenades. The Zion Baptist (colored) congregation
have quite a large and flourishing church on
the north side of the bridge that spans the railroad track.
Dr. Dice has a large and beautiful brick mansion[153] west
of the bridge; this house was erected by the late Elijah
Dunkum, and has been the residence of Th. J. Wertenbaker,
and the late Jacob R. Stevens. The brick Methodist
parsonage house[154] is south of the above house; next
is the residence[155] of G. Wallace Spooner, for several
and his family. The next fine house[156] and beautiful
garden is the property of E. M. Wolfe, and was, we believe,
built for and once occupied by John H. Bibb.
There are a few small wood dwellings south of this
house. Crossing over the street are three large brick
houses,[157] built for, and occupied previous to the war, by
the late Col. John B. Strange, who for many years was
principal of the large and flourishing "Albemarle Military
Institute." Artillery, as well as infantry, tactics
were taught in it, and several of the pupils became officers
in the Confederate army, some of whom lost limbs,
and others were killed in the battles. Col. Strange himself,
a brave and patriotic officer was killed in the battle
of Antietam in Maryland. His remains now repose in
the Charlottesville cemetery. It was in one[158] of the
occurred some three years since. Mr. William Darrow
has a pretty residence north of the institute, which he
bought of Wm. Morris, now of Mississippi. This property
was at one time owned by John H. Bibb, and was
built by Wm. Hodges. Mr. A. C. Brechin has, within
the past two years, erected adjoining Mr. Darrow's lot,
a tasteful and neat brick residence. Wm. Brown, colored,
has a residence here. East of this the Lutheran
church has been erected with a parsonage attached. Mr.
Balz, the confectioner, has also on Ridge street, a new,
fine brick residence, and the handsome cottage next,
with variegated slate roof, is the property of Wm. J.
Parrott. We cross over the bridge and come to the
"Midway," a large, substantial and elegant three-story
house, the residence of Dr. J. E. Chancellor. This
house was built by Albert Chewning for the late Alexander
Garrett, the former clerk of the courts in Albemarle
county, and whose residence,[159] now the property of
his grand-son-in-law, Rev. Mr. Ware, stands east of it
on South street. The house was built expressly for a
at the University would make their Summer residences
here. Fleming Boyd, Louis Xanpi, the dancing
master, and John Keller for years occupied this hotel,
but the travelling custom did not come up to the expectations
of its owner, and it was used for a classical boarding
school. Pike Powers and Alexander Duke, the sonin-law
of A. Garrett, first commenced a school for boys
and young men, which was quite successful, Mr.
Strother having the management of the boarding department.
Mr. Powers was for a session, after the
death of Professor Bonnycastle, Professor of Mathematics
in the University, at the end of which he settled in
Staunton and had a very large and flourishing male
classical academy there. Mr. Duke was afterwards associated
with Charles Slaughter in the continuance of
this school at Midway, Mrs. Mary Slaughter, now of
Lynchburg having charge of the boarding department.
Charles Slaughter shortly afterwards attended the law
classes of the University, and Dr. A. R. M'Kee assisted
Mr. Duke in the school until its discontinuance. Mr.
Williamson had in 1850 and 1851 a school in this house.
During the war the house and grounds were used for
hospitals for the sick and wounded of the Confederate
army.
East of Midway, on Main street, was a one-and-half
story brick dwelling,[160]
built by the late William Booth,
pump maker and occupied by his family; since his death
Thomas Farrar, a colored man, also a pump maker,
owns this property, and has raised and enlarged the
house, and has also built the adjoining house east of it.
and for years his widow kept a house of private
entertainment here. Mrs. S. was a lady of refined taste
and education, the daughter of a surgeon of the Revolutionary
Army, and she, at one time, was the owner of
many sections of public lands in Ohio, which her father
received for his services in the army; but, unfortunately
for her and children, her husband sold them for trifling
sums; the possessors of these lands realized fortunes
from the sale thereof. The next house was the property
of George Toole, for whom it was built; when we first
knew it, in 1828, the late John Keller kept a confectionery
establishment here; afterwards a Mr. Weidemyer
had a store in this house. Mr. Toole himself
kept store here, and died in the house. It is now a private
dwelling. The next building, lately occupied by
Mr. Mangum,[161] carriage-maker, was also used for the
same purpose by the late T. R. Sullivan. The late B.
Ficklin once had a tobacco factory in this building, in
connection with Geo. Slaughter and Mr. Goodloe, now
of the Goshen Hotel. The family of Mr. Ficklin lived
in the brick dwelling east of the factory. This latter
house William P. Farish, William L. Dunkum, James
T. Poindexter and William W. Tompkins occupied for
dry goods and grocery stores. The next house, now the
property of C. L. Fowler,[162] was built by Charles Spencer
foot of the hill, and the beginning of Random Row, or
"Vinegar Hill." The latter name we have since been
informed, was given to it by George Toole, and he
named it in honor of the Vinegar Hill in Ireland,[163]
where the O'Toole's lived, an account of which can be
seen in Lever's novel of Charles O'Malley, The Irish
Dragoon.
Woods, Albemarle County, p. 170, states that General John
H. Cocke of Fluvanna County, Virginia, a member of the first
Board of Visitors of the University, in an effort to guard students
against dissipation purchased nearly fifty acres on the south side
of University Street, extending from the corner near the Dry
Bridge to the Junction Depot, and built a large hotel where no
liquor was allowed. He named it The Delavan after the eminent
reformer of Albany, N. Y. "The hotel had a wall in front, flanked
with heavy pillars, and covered with stucco stained with the tawny
hue of the Albemarle clay; and from this peculiarity it acquired
the popular soubriquet of Mudwall." (Philip A. Bruce, History
of the University of Virginia, 1819-1919 (5 vols., New York,
[1920]-22), Vol. II, pp. 328-29, confirms this.) The hotel failed,
and later the building was used for a private classical school and
for a Confederate Hospital.
This property, long a landmark, consisted of a foundry and
residence, and covered the sites now occupied by the Whiting Oil
Co. and the MacGregor Motors, Inc., 416-420, West Main Street.
Mr. R. Frank Harris was succeeded by his son, the late Mr.
Charles P. Harris, their combined period of business covering
seventy-eight years. The residence was built by Nimrod Sowell,
about 1839, and purchased from John J. Pace by R. F. Harris and
H. Taylor, Oct. 4, 1858. When the house was razed, it was found
that the timbers were hand-hewn and the corners mortised, without
the use of nails.
301 Ridge Street, now the residence of Albert S. Yancey.
This was long the home of Dr. R. B. Dice, a well-known Methodist
minister and editor. At the turn of the century it became for
some years the home of the family of General Fitzhugh Lee. General
Lee was a nephew of Robert E. Lee and had been a MajorGeneral
in the Confederate army. As Consul-General at Havana
he was present at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, and
was given command of the Artillery forces in Cuba. He thus wore
the Union blue, and threw his considerable influence toward healing
the remaining scars of the War between the States. It was,
however, too early for complete acceptance, and one old Confederate
Colonel, standing on the curb to watch him drive by in full
uniform upon the occasion of Theodore Roosevelt's address to the
University Alumni in June, 1903, voiced the minority emotion by
saying "he had been taught in childhood to regard heaven as the
natural destination of a Virginian and had always hoped to go
there, but now he felt he had rather watch the devil burn the Yankee
pants off of Fitz Lee." General Lee removed to Norfolk shortly
before his death in 1905.
The chief of these, a four-story house no longer standing,
was later known as the Barksdale place, and gave its name to
Barksdale Street. The local organization of Confederate Veterans
was named the Col. John B. Strange Camp in honor of this
officer.
632 Ridge Street, long the home of E. F. Markwood. A
glimpse of this street during Sheridan's raid is given in A. B. Warwick's
Reminiscences of Charlottesville [Charlottesville, 1929?],
pp. 4-5. He tells us that his family at that time were living in the
house later the home of Mr. J. E. Gleason, Sr., now occupied by
H. Cooper Gleason, No. 510. He recalls that many of the plunderers
were foreigners, unable to speak English intelligibly. One
of them said frankly, "I care not, which side wins; for I am fighting
only for my bounty." When the troops departed the guard at
the Warwick home and another in the neighborhood remained a
day or two to protect the families from stragglers. Later, news
came back that while attempting to rejoin their command they were
captured and shot by the mountain population at some point between
Charlottesville and Lynchburg.
This dwelling has been converted into a warehouse. It is on
Garrett Street, facing the end of 2nd Street, E., and may be seen
by looking south from Main Street. At the time of Mr. Garrett's
death in 1860 it was named "Oak Hill" and was upon a farm of
117 acres, bounded by South Street, Ridge Street, and the old
Farish's Mill Road (Albemarle County Deed Book 67, p. 730). Mr.
Garrett came to the county from Louisa in 1794. He served as
county clerk and was an active man of affairs, a large dealer in real
estate, and financial adviser to Jefferson during the building of the
University. He was first bursar of that institution.
A part of this building still stands at No. 234 West Main
(now occupied by the Washington Times), and is believed to be
one of the oldest remaining buildings on Main Street. The larger
portion has been razed. (Authority: Mrs. E. H. McPherson.)
Still owned by the third generation of this family, it is now
Fowler's Valet Cleaners, 228 West Main Street.
Vinegar Hill was near Enniscorthy, in Wexford, Ireland.
It was here that the brief and desperate agrarian revolt of 1798 was
crushed. The Catholic "Defenders" or "United Irishmen" in this
campaign were led by Father John Murphy against the Protestant
"Peep-o'-day Boys" or "Orange-men." After severe cruelties
and torture on both sides the "Defender" insurgents encamped,
fourteen thousand strong, on Vinegar Hill. English troops under
General Lake attacked them there, June 21, and were completely
successful. Father Murphy was captured in Wexford, and hanged
June 26. This uprising was followed in 1800 by the Act of Union.
Vinegar Hill was thus for long a "fighting word" for both Irish
parties. See J. R. Green, A Short History of the English People
(4 vols., New York, 1895), Vol. IV, pp. 1784-85; Sir Sidney
J. M. Low and F. S. Pulling, Dictionary of English History (London,
New York [etc., 1928]), p. 1078.
| Early Charlottesville | |