As part of the Outdoor Lab’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, we’re launching a Cultural History Project during Black History Month.
The goal of this project is to research, document, and share the stories of ALL the families who called the mountain gap home..
On a visit with the Afro-American History Association of Fauquier County, Outdoor Lab staff learned that part of the Underground Railroad went through our property. The oral history was that enslaved people escaping through Fauquier were told “Follow the Pine Mountains” to freedom.
Recent research into our Land Records revealed the names of property owners of our parcels back to the founding of the Colony of Virginia. These names are a key fact that kick started the research project. By finding the families, we can reconstruct who lived on and worked the land through time. We can then build the stories of these families through the artifacts they left on the property and ways they shaped the land.
We will partner with other researchers, families and organizations as we progress with the Cultural History Project. Please check back to see our progress. If you have an interest in helping please contact president@outdoorlab.org.