In February 1990, Washington Town Council enacted an ordinance in which the town vacated the part of Jett Street located east of Gay Street. This was enacted because the council felt that it was in the public interest to change the land to have no status as a public street or public right of way.

This week in my column, I am writing about a good dear friend who will leave a legacy behind at the Atlantic Union Bank in her own way. When a special friend or co-worker retires, a part of the community leaves with them. You miss the camaraderie and laughter enjoyed by all.

With Thanksgiving behind us and the Christmas holiday right around the corner, it’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday and forget to give thanks for all the gifts each of us has been blessed with. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Giving thanks for what you have

I was very amused when Susan Longyear came into the office Tuesday morning holding a giant sweet potato like it was a baby. I asked her if that was her baby. With laughter from both of us, she said yes.

Last week, Thursday, Nov. 4, friends and neighbors joined Mrs. Betty Buntin to celebrate her remarkable life and her 105th birthday. Tea and lunch were enjoyed in Trinity’s parish hall, during which Mrs. Buntin reminisced about having met and married her Southern Gentleman, the renowned Sheriff Buntin, in 1941 at Martha’s Vineyard. 

It all started with David “Scratch” Clanagan, known to many of us as “Scratch,” and that is who I know him as. When he was younger and living at home with mom and dad, Scratch had this passion that when he got old enough to work, he was going to get a construction job, building roads.

Halloween is the time for the young (and not so young) to hit the streets and visit your doorstep for trick-or-treat, so best be ready with candy — and if you’re driving, be on the lookout for those little princesses, witches and goblins.

I’m not sure if anyone saw the beautiful sky last Friday morning, Oct. 15,  when the sun was beginning to come up. Needless to say, I wish I had taken a photo of it. Amanda Alther from Harris Hollow took a photo.

Remember that on a clear night the October sky offers a display of stars, constellations, and bright planets, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, constellations, and the beautiful Milky Way and sometimes meteor showers. For those who have telescopes, be sure to look to the sky and see what you can find.

Gay Street Gallery’s newest exhibition opens Saturday, Oct. 23, with a reception with artists from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Beverages and refreshments will be served.

Fall found its way here in Harris Hollow this past weekend. I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful autumn weather we experienced this past weekend. At my house we mowed the yard, and power washed the house.

Little Washington was hopping this past Saturday, Sept. 18. The nice weather brought many charity bike riders out for the Rappahannock Rough Ride — a fundraiser for the Fauquier and Rappahannock Free Clinics. One could not have asked for a more perfect day for a ride through the hills of Rappahannock County.

September is upon us, when we begin to think of the summer ending and fall being just around the bend. The signs are all around us: school started, dogwoods are changing color and nights are cooler.

In 1964, more than 50 people met at the Rappahannock County courthouse to organize the Rappahannock Historical Society. Judge Raynor Snead chaired the meeting, and William Carrigan and Dorothy Davis helped run the meeting to explain the reasons for the formation of the society.

The Celebration of Life for Olivia Grace Clatterbuck that had been scheduled for Sept. 4 at the Washington Fire Hall has also been postponed due to the recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Rappahannock County.

Over the years, in my Washington column, I have expressed feelings of sympathy many times for people who have passed away in Rappahannock County. I never once imagined that I would ever be writing a column such as this in regards to my precious granddaughter. My heart aches. Something I will never get over.

I always think that summer is finally winding down, farmers getting their last cut of hay, Halloween displays are already in some of the stores! Last week was a harbinger of fall, if not a teaser, with the blue sky and white fluffy sheep clouds in the sky and cool temperatures early in the mornings. For some people I am sure that summer has just started for them, but for me I always think of fall just around the corner when I see Roger Jenkins’ stand open in Sperryville. I’m sure there will be some more hot days in the forecast, for example this week. Overall, I am ready to switch gears here to welcome the autumn weather, shorter days and cooler nights.

I always knew him as Pete. He was a good man with a kind heart, who loved taking care of stray cats. On my road, stood an old shed where stray cats made their home.

Edna Pearl Chapman once said: Loved ones may leave this world, but they never leave our hearts. Our community is deeply saddened by the death of John Marshall Clark Jr., 76, of Washington, who died on Friday, July 23, at his home.

This Friday, July 23, from 1 p.m.to 5 p.m. the Book Barn at 4 Library Road, Washington, will host an open house in honor of Lois Snead. Lois helped found the Book Barn.

Our community is deeply saddened by the death of Lois Doran Snead and Patricia Ann Foster Jenkins. Rappahannock has lost two rare jewels that can never be replaced. 

The Child Care and Learning Center held a luncheon to welcome newly hired Department of Social Services Director Gail Crooks at Trinity Episcopal Church on June 22.

There were three churches in the town of Washington during the first half of the 1800s. Around 1815, a building was erected on town lot 18 that served as the Old Free Church.

The town had been without a resident physician for many years until 1974, when Werner Krebser, M.D., and Jerry Martin, M.D., purchased a 0.871-acre parcel straddling town lots 42 and 43. Krebser and Martin obtained permission from the Washington Town Council to build a full-time medical clinic on the property and, in January 1975, the new brick building housing the Rappahannock Medical Clinic was opened.

There is a brand new trophy in the trophy case at Rappahannock County High School. It has a statue of a girl running on it and it says “Skyline District Champions 1978.” The Rappahannock Varsity girls track team brought good news back with them from JMU.

In 1850, Robert Mackey Heterick paid Sarah Booker of Wayne, Indiana $15 for a 1.5-acre lot in the town of Washington. The property, located at 417 Middle Street, is still owned by his descendents. Heterick was born in Frederick County, Va., in 1810.

Built of brick in 1834, the courthouse was constructed with double front doors and deep recessed windows. Some of the windows were originally false to give the building a more uniform appearance from the outside. 

In the early 1920s, African Americans in Rappahannock County’s Hampton District organized the Parents’ Civic League with the intent to erect a public school building for their children, who were excluded at the time from attending school with white children.

Feb. 4, 1998: John and Libby Byam became the new owners of the Foster-Harris House when they bought the property from Phyllis Marriott in December. “We enjoy being home and sharing our home with others,” said Libby.

R. H. Ballard is having a sale in the shop and on the website this weekend May 28-31, with 30 to 50 percent off select items throughout the shop, including vintage items, tablecloths, placemats, towels, home decor, puzzles and children’s items. Rugs will be 20 percent off. If locals purchase online, they can choose local pickup and receive free shipping.

In 1964, more than fifty people met at the Rappahannock County courthouse to organize the Rappahannock Historical Society. Judge Raynor Snead chaired the meeting, and William Carrigan and Dorothy Davis helped explain the reasons for the formation of the society.

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 specified 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 benefit of the said church.”

The whole upstairs of the Washington School could be converted to a dance hall, and dances also took place on the second floor of Thornton’s Garage. The expansive upper space in Thornton’s building evolved into the town’s first community entertainment and recreational center. Over time, there was a barroom, poolhall, poker and cardroom, dance hall, basketball court and a theater to show movies. 

After many petitions to the Virginia General Assembly, Madison became a new county in 1792, but it was not until 1833 that petitions, counter petitions and political maneuvering resulted in the creation of Rappahannock County.

On Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to noon at Rappahannock County Park, 7 Park Lane,  join the Rappahannock County Recreational Facilities Authority (RCRFA), Rappahannock County Park Foundation, Friends of the Rappahannock, Piedmont Environmental Council, Old Rag Master Naturalists, Rappahannock Fauquier Master Gardeners, and local volunteers as they clean up the Rush River to ensure its safety for our community.

CCLC welcomes Book Club donation

Baldwin’s Grocery has a new face working at the store: Lori-Anne Moss of Castleton. She has been in the cashier business for five years. I got to know her when she work at Hillsdale. With Ashley Mills showing her the ropes at Baldwin’s, she will catch on fast.

Several churches in Rappahannock County will hold sunrise services this Easter Sunday.

In 1935, a new waterworks system provided potable water to the town, and that led to the organization of the first Washington Volunteer Fire Department. Franklin Clyde Baggarly was elected chief of the new department and was asked by the Town Council to develop a constitution and bylaws. 

Join Gay Street Gallery this Saturday, March 20, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. for a Virtual Artists’ Talk. The event will showcase the gallery’s newest exhibition featuring Barbara Heile, a Rappahannock resident who is well known both locally and nationally. This is her first show at Gay Street Gallery and they are very excited to be presenting her new, non-objective work. 

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … a kite! March is traditionally the month for kite flying in my family. Let’s get ready to fly them high.

By the year 1930, Rappahannock County had struggled through the chestnut blight, the loss of many apple crops from frost and the clear-cutting of the mountains whose woods had provided major income to many families. The brutal drought of the early 1930s and the Great Depression were two more blows to this rural population. 

The Book Barn is happy to announce that it will be reopening on Saturday, March 6. Temporarily the hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please come by to select reading material for the rest of the winter. There are lots of books, CDs, and DVDs available at great prices. Please wear masks and practice social distancing. Hope to see you there!

In 1861, Virginia seceded from the Union. Which is not to say any battles or even skirmishes were fought in the Town of Washington during the Civil War. But the War did not bypass the town. 

Six more weeks of winter weather? That’s what the little groundhogs at the Child Care and Learning Center are predicting, given they saw their shadows on Feb. 2.

The ‘old’ Washington Post Office

Firehouse Fred (our resident groundhog) invites you to our 2021 Grand Reopening of Firehouse Treasures on Tuesday, Feb. 2, from noon to 4 p.m. Come shop and check out all of the great new inventory. They are so excited to reopen and welcome back their awesome customers!