Second Street School est. 1867
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A Message from the Executive Director
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Greetings from Waterford as we celebrate Black History Month! As many of you know, Waterford was a haven for free blacks in antebellum times, but did you know Waterford had the largest free black population in Loudoun County before the Civil War? Those residents, along with those who were later emancipated, grew into a thriving community that built their own one-room schoolhouse, church, Oddfellows hall, and many private homes and businesses. Many of those buildings still stand today as a reminder of their many contributions to the Waterford community and landscape.
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In this month’s newsletter you’ll find an article on the Second Street School Living History program, a day-in-the-life experience for elementary aged students at the school formerly known as “Colored School A”. Join us in Waterford on February 17th for an entertaining lecture on the path to the 15th amendment given by Asa Gordon, Secretary General of the Sons and Daughters of the United States Colored Troops. Read on to learn about one Nathan Minor, a free black resident of Waterford in the early 1800s. Finally, don’t miss an informative presentation on the draft of the new Loudoun County comprehensive plan, to be held here at the Old School on February 13th!
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Stephanie Thompson
Executive Director
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p.s. Still looking for the perfect treat for your Valentine?
The Waterford Craft School
has a wide range of class topics that is sure to include something that your Valentine is interested in. Sign them up for a class, or register to take a class together!
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WATERFORD, VA — The Waterford Foundation announces the appointment of Stephanie C. Thompson as Executive Director.
As Executive Director, Thompson will be responsible for the Foundation’s educational programs and development outreach. Ms. Thompson has been Interim Executive Director since July 2018. Previously, she held several positions with the Foundation, including as the Foundation’s President; Chair of the Foundation’s Education Committee; and member of the Executive Committee and the 2016 Strategic Planning Committee. These experiences have given her a thorough understanding of the Foundation’s history and operation, and its needs for the future.
“We are delighted that Ms. Thompson has agreed to accept this this position. She knows the organization well, so the transition will be seamless,” said Waterford Board President Joe Goode. To read the complete article in Loudoun Now,
click here.
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Please Join Us!
for African-American History program
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Bullets to Ballots
The Voting Rights Legacy of the
United States Colored Troops
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Sunday February 17, 2019 at 3:30pm
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Asa Gordon
Secretary-General, Sons & Daughters of the United States Colored Troops (S&DUSCT)
Recipient of the National Civil Rights Conference (NCRC) Civil Rights & Social Justice Award
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Discover how Black Civil War Veterans, Freedmen, and their White Congressional Allies redeemed the nation’s founding Declaration of Independence and transformed the U.S. Constitution during Reconstruction. The presentation is inspired by, and will highlight, new Exhibits at the African American Civil War Museum in Washington, D.C.
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John Wesley Church
at 40125 Bond Street, Waterford, VA
(Free parking is available at Waterford Old School at 40222 Fairfax St.)
Free & Open to the Public
For more information on events,
click here
or call 540-882-3018
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Save the Date! The 75th Waterford Fair is Friday-Sunday October 4-6, 2019!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Inga Wood
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Some of our volunteers give so much of their time for our community that you wonder how they are able to hold down a job and manage their family obligations. One of our volunteers is somehow able to juggle her responsibilities as a nurse, a parent to three amazing children, and a volunteer for the PTO, the Foundation, and Catoctin Presbyterian Church, and she still finds the time to tend a huge garden and bake fresh bread and desserts for community events! About three years ago, Inga Woods came to us with an idea for a new annual fundraiser for the Foundation that would engage young families and a new group of supporters. Through Inga’s vision and hard work, we are looking forward to hosting our third annual Historic Waterford Trail Run/Walk in April 2019. (To learn more about the Fun Run Walk,
click here
!) Thank you Inga, for all you do for our community!
For information on volunteering with the Waterford Foundation,
click here
.
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May 2019 Craft School Classes
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Click the Image to Register for the Class!
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Use Early Bird Discount Code
WCS-2019-EARLY-1
for $15 off April Classes!
HURRY. Discount Code Expires February 18, 2019!
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Celebrate Black History Month With a
Gift to the Lantern Light Fund!
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John Wesley Church Congregation circa 1910
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Contribute to the Lantern Light Fund to shine a light on Waterford's African American heritage. The Lantern Light Fund preserves the sites, stories, and artifacts of Waterford's African American community. Previous Lantern Light Fund donors have funded indoor plumbing at the John Wesley Church as well as operating expenses for the Second Street School living history program and other educational programs such as the Bullets to Ballots presentation featured in this newsletter. Learn how you can get involved by
clicking here.
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Upcoming!
Loudoun County Comprehensive Plan Meeting
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February 13, 2019
6:30 – 9pm Old School Auditorium
40222 Fairfax St, Waterford, VA
The Piedmont Environmental Council is offering a series of informational presentations on the new
Comprehensive Plan
for Loudoun County (also known as ‘
Loudoun 2040
,’ or ‘Envision Loudoun.’) There will be a presentation in Waterford on Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at 6:30pm.
The Comprehensive Plan is revised periodically. The Plan guides the community vision for the future and should reflect community values and desires It should be a blueprint for orderly growth that doesn’t outstrip the County’s fiscal or physical capacity so as to maintain a high quality of life in Loudoun. The Plan will govern all land use and transportation planning for the County for the next two decades.
Come join your neighbors for a detailed discussion of the draft Plan. The Board of Supervisors will begin reviewing the draft soon prior to voting on it. It is one of the most critical decisions they will make during their four-year tenure. Find out what you can do to ensure that your elected officials hear your priorities.
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In Memory Of Bruce Wynkoop
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On January 13, 2019, the Waterford community lost a dedicated Fair volunteer. Bruce Wynkoop taught Social Studies for 31 years before joining FEMA as a program specialist. But we know Bruce for his dedication to our annual Waterford Fair. He and his wife, Billie, have provided support to the Fair for over 34 years. For the past 23 years, they co-chaired the Dried Flower Market at the Fair. Many of the everlasting arrangements on sale were made by the Wynkoops including collecting the flowers and drying them. Bruce was always there starting several weeks beforehand setting up the displays and getting ready for sales. He knew many of the customers and knew some returned each year for a new arrangement or a new wreath to hang.
Bruce will certainly be missed by all of us and the many returning fairgoers. Our thoughts are with Billie and the rest of his family at this time.
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35th Anniversary of the Second Street
School Living History Program!
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On March 11, the Waterford Foundation will welcome the first of 41 classes attending the 2019 spring session of the Second Street School Living History Program. This program has served school children in Loudoun and surrounding counties since 1984. Students come from public, private, parochial, and home-based schools.
The Second Street School
, previously known as Colored School A, dates from 1867/68, when it opened under the auspices of the Freedmen’s Bureau, with additional funds provided by the Friends’ Association of Philadelphia, Waterford’s local Quaker meeting, and a "colored educational board." This group consisted of area African-American parents who were desirous of providing educational opportunities for their children, who had been prohibited from participating in state or community supported instruction prior to the Civil War. This school served the black population until 1957. It is known that some of the 1880s students were ‘in service,’ living with and working for white families. They attended school when their employers allowed them. The building also served as a house of worship for the black community for many years.
Students participating in the experience at the Second Street School assume the roles of actual
children who attended in 1880
. Extensive research has recorded information about these long-ago students, which is provided to participating classes. Today’s students enter the classroom "in character," and are taught by a reenactor portraying Miss Aura Nickens, who taught there in the 1880s. Singing, recitation, seat work with slates and copybooks, and a spelling bee are part of the 2 ½ hour experience.
The impact on children from portraying an actual African-American child who attended this school in 1880 should not be underestimated. Every attempt is made to ensure that the experience is as authentic as possible. Activities provided before and after the visit, as well as the trip itself, encourage the children to think about the many differences between their lives and that of the African American students who attended the school almost 140 years ago.
Since the inception of the program, feedback from students that participate in the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. There is still no charge for attendance. The success of this endeavor is a tribute to the many Waterford Foundation volunteers, both past and present, whose dedicated involvement has made this possible.
For more information on the Second Street School program,
click here
:
-Judy Jackson, Chairman of the Second Street Living History Program
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Nathan Minor's home on Water Street stood to the right of the Weaver's Cottage.
(pictured here in a 1937 HABS photo)
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An Unusual Solution
"
In at least one household in Waterford, a free black man owned a slave. Nathan Minor, who owned a house and lots on Water Street [in Waterford] appears to have purchased his wife--there was a woman of his approximate age living with him in 1820. In some cases, this practice was meant to ensure the slave did not fall back under white ownership.
Source:
Divine, J. (1997).
When waterford and i were young
.
p. 40. Waterford, VA: The Waterford Foundation.
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Rock In Weary Land In Reprint - Preorder Now!
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Rock in a Weary Land
tells the story of the African-American experience in Waterford, Virginia, from their arrival in the mid-1700s to their gradual exodus in the latter half of the 20th century. They experienced in their small world much of the worst, but also the best, that American society has offered.
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Hiram Price (born circa 1847) and family
standing outside cabin on Scotland Farm
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