History – Social Studies

This page is created as a repository/outline for developments of the History of the Outdoor Lab property and a framework for study of Social Sciences.

The families that inhabited the Gap can be found on ancestry.com at link below:

ODL Family Tree

Since the “Families” who lived in the Gap are not themselves related (ie not blood family) names below will mention if they are in the Tree by (ancestry.com) appended to their names.

Pre Contact Europeans

Native Americans

Various Tribes over time, Gap a crossroads or meeting place (seasonal?)

From WikiPedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauquier_County,_Virginia:

Colonial Virginia treaties with Native Americans

SIOUXAN

Monacan Nation Manahoac (Whonkentia)

resources:

–Monacan Millennium: A Collaborative Archaeology and History of a Virginian Indian People

–The Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia: The Drums of Life (Contemporary American Indian Studies

-John Smith noted

-Sioux created pastureland in Fauquier Washington Post

  • five major Indian nations: Sioux, Algonkian (mainly Powhatan), Iroquois, Susquehannock and Piscataway
IROQUOIS

–Susquehannock (Conestoga)

-Beaver Wars Treaty of Albany

ALGONKIAN

–Piscataway (Conoy)

-Powhatan

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • Clovis points, arrowheads made from white quartz (white quartz found on property)
  • Native Drum
  • Sioux Tipi rebuild
  • tbd- Long House Build

Colonial Period (17th, 18th centuries)

1608- The area we now know as Fauquier County today was listed as part of the Northern Neck of the Colony of Virginia by Captain John Smith.

1697- Mention of the (Thoroughfare) Gap was first recorded by a group of Marylanders passing through in search of a band of Piscataway Indians. Later, Tidewater planters used the Gap as a route to the rich Shenandoah Valley. (https://www.chapmansmill.org/history)

1720- German colonists/ironmakers moved to Fauquier County creating Germantown. (See Weeks/ Holtzclaw families below)

1731- Prince William County created from parts of Stafford and King George County.

1742 –Chapman’s Mill created by father/son partners.

1759- Fauquier County was formed from a portion of Prince William County. (Chapman’s Mill noted as the border between the Counties) The name Fauquier was chosen in honor of Francis Fauquier, the Governor of Virginia from 1758-1768. The county encompasses 666 square miles of land in the Piedmont region of Virginia.

Artifacts/ Recreations

Revolutionary War

Any links?

  • future research into families to see Rev War soldiers, or aid to soldiers by local farmers
  • Chapman’s Mill made flour for all US wars

Living in the Gap were members of Lambert, Weeks, Smith, Flourance, Hall (nearby Beverly & Dulaney)  The Civil War greatly changed their lives and fortunes.

19th Century

Pre Civil War

Farming and Slavery

Just prior to Civil War, Fauquier County highest number of slaves in Virginia!

Families in Gap (Glascock, Weeks, Chapman, Dulaney, etc) owned enslaved people (Us Census Slave Schedules 1840, 1850, 1860;  ancestry.com)

Blacksmithing & Iron Works-

Joseph Weeks (1801-1881)  lived in Gap, occupation Blacksmith

  • ( listed in US Census 1850-1890; ancestry.com)

Mary Holdsclaw (1805-1886) married John Weeks 1825 in Fauquier (from German Iron workers Germanna, Germantown;  ancestry.com)

  • The Holtzclaw Family 1540-1935  SO FAR as I have been able to learn, all the Holtzclaws in the United States are descended from one man, Hans Jacob Holtzclaw, or Jacob Holtzclaw, as he was called after coming to America. He was a schoolmaster by profession, following the same calling as his father and his elder brother, both of whom were teachers. He landed in Virginia in April, 1714, with 11 other families, all coming from the principality of Nassau-Siegen in Germany, and most of them related to each other. This little band of German immigrants settled first at Germanna in Orange County, Virginia, built the first iron-furnace and manufactured the first pig-iron in America for Governor Spotswood, their patron, and founded the first German Reformed Church in America. After working for six years at Germanna for Governor Spotswood the colony was granted land farther to the north, in what is now Fauquier County, Virginia, removed there about 1720, founded the settlement known as Germantown, and became prosperous Virginia citizens.

Underground Railroad

Follow the Eastern Side of Pond/Pine Mountains (Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County: AAHA)

  • find names of enslaved people in later census, any move to Thoroughfare with other Freedmen?
  • find local families with Quaker roots (Beverly Family?)

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • Iron relics (axe heads, froe, draw knife, etc; dated to Weeks?
  • need to find more proof Jos Weeks had blacksmith shop on property
  • Parcel 3 Deed Book 250 pg 496 (old Lambert’s Gap Rd, old (Weeks) lot, old Florence or Hall lot)
  • Heflin’s store, built 1845 (part of Broad Run-Little Georgetown Rural Historic District)

Civil War

Mosby’s Rangers

Mosby kept fresh horses in the meadow.

JEB Stewart

Delay getting to Gettysburg and effect on outcome of battle.

Battle of Thoroughfare Gap

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • Artifacts from both Union and Confederate soldiers (Need Display)
  • Re-enactors at Open House?
  • ruins of families homes in Gap (Flourance,Weeks, Lambert)
  • enlistment records of young men in Gap on CSA side
  • maps from both sides Civil War (US Archives)

Post Civil War (Reconstruction)

Free People of Color at Thoroughfare

-probably renamed Lambert’s Gap (& Lambert’s Gap Rd) since Glascocks moved to city

1876- Beverley’s buy Chapman’s Mill, operate until 1896.

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • General Store on property(what dates?, similar to Heflin’s store in Little Georgetown?)
  • Artifacts from store, create kiosk near ruins

20th Century (World Wars)

1898, at the time of the Spanish-American War 10,000 American troops were stationed at the Gap to avoid a typhoid epidemic in Camp Alger near Falls Church

By the time Chapman’s Mill ceased to operate in 1946, it had ground cornmeal and flour for American troops during seven wars: The French and Indian, the Revolutionary, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II.

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • Anthony found artifacts from soldiers gear and cans from food
  • Lambert’s House Ruins? and spring?
  • 1906 Lambert’s Deed’s book 100, pg 96-97; Henry P Lambert (d1901) his children survey land (at request son John CS Lambert) became parcels 1 (now parcel 3) & 2 (ridge top)
  • Aerial Maps, Fauquier Historical Maps

Post World Wars (late 20th century)

Shellenberg Family

Theodore R Schellenberg (1904-1970 Warrenton) & Mary Groenig (1904-1970) (ancestry.com)

-1935 Lives on North Military Rd,  Arlington per 1940 census (meets Kniplings his neighbors)

  • Kniplings found ODL land by tip from Schellenbergs, Knipling kids played other side mountain, walked on old road
  • Apple Orchards (Karl Schellenberg remembers orchards in his youth)
  • pond built by Mr Schellenberg with Bull Dozer in 1940s
Striker Family

196x?- Mr Stryker retires and buys AOEA property for “camp?”, has heart attack and dies soon after (oral history Anthony)

1968- Mary Rose Stryker sells land to AOEA under market value

Rice Farm

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • Apples for students (Stribling family orchards stills exists, family from colonial German settlers)
  • Old ODL Building that was burned?
  • Pond created

Outdoor Lab AOEA history

Knipling Family
  • Phoebe led students on Nature Hikes, needed access to land as Arlington built up
  • both Phoebe and husband were Scientists
  • Phoebe Hall Knipling

obit Phoebe Washington Post

Edward F Knipling entymologist

Artifacts/ Recreations

  • Apples for students (Stribling family orchards stills exists, from colonial German settlers)
  • Old ODL Building that was burned?
  • Pond created
  • Arlington Library, Virginia Room, has archive of AOEA/ODL