Lancaster
Lore
Well, which
was it: "Pitch
Penny," "Catch Penny,"
"Lively Oak" or "Belwood
Mills"?
According
to historian Mary
R. Miller, the small community
of Lively went under these four
different names at various times
in the past. The post office
set-
tled the matter in 1896, how-
ever, when it gave us the name
we all know today. Just Lively.
From the Mary Ball
Washington
Museum and Library
from the Rappahannock
Record 29 March 2001, A4
Top
Lancaster
Lore
When settlers
first began ar-
riving in what is now Lancaster
County in the mid-17th century,
many brought indentured ser-
vants with them. As the
inden-
ture system began to disappear,
however, more slaves were
needed and slave ships began
ar-
riving.
One spot where
many
African-Americans began a life
of involuntary solitude in Lan-
caster was just inside the Corro-
toman River. Slave auctions
were held there at Merry Point,
near where the ferry now oper-
ates.
From the Mary Ball
Washington
Museum and Library
from the Rappahannock
Record 12 April 2001
Top
Lancaster
Lore
Although
you can't see a
trace of it today, there once
was
a substantial fort guarding the
entrance to the Corrotoman
River.
In the late
17th century,
England and the Netherlands
were at war, and Dutch ships
began showing up on the
Chesapeake Bay. Fearing
an
impending attack, Lancaster res-
idents began work on the fort
in
1667. When finished it
had
walls ten feet high and was fur-
nished with eight cannons.
Soon, the threat of attack was
over and the fort abandoned.
No
one seems to know for sure, but
a cannon might still be at the
site, which may now be under
water.
From the Mary Ball
Washington
Museum and Library
from the Rappahannock
Record 26 April 2001
Top
Lancaster
Lore
During the
latter part of the
19th century, a visitor to Lan-
caster would have been surprised
by the absence of oak
trees. With the advent
of the
wide use of railroads following
the Civil War, they were felled
to make ties for train tracks.
Although Lancaster has never
been serviced by rail, its
timber played a major role in
furthering this new mode of
transportation.
From the Mary Ball
Washington
Museum and Library
from the Rappahannock
Record 3 May 2001
Top
Lancaster
Lore
Approximately
500 free Vir-
ginia African-Americans fought
in the American Revolution,
some of them from Lancaster
County.
Because much of
the front
line of defense was the Atlantic
Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay,
many black Lancasterians who
had experience as sailors served
in the Continental Navy on
such ships as the "Patriot,"
"Hero," "Diligince," and others.
Some 16 African-Americans
from Lancaster fought side-by-
side with their white counter-
parts. They were from such
well
known families as Haws,
Weaver and particularly Nick-
ens, whose family boasted
seven members who served on
different vessels.
Source: "The Journal of Ne-
gro History," July
1943.
From The Mary Ball
Washington
Museum and Library
from the Rappahannock
Record 10 May 2001
Top
Lancaster
Lore
Contrary
to popular belief,
the early settlers in Lancaster
County did not undertake to
buildimpressive residences for
themselves and their families.
Because they planned to get rich
on tobacco and then return
home to England, as did their
Tidewater counterparts, they
built only modest structures
that soon deteriorated.
The
building of the big houses did
not get under way until almost
a century later.
From the Mary Ball
Washington
Museum and Library
from the Rappahannock
Record 17 May 2001