Main Street, Waterford VA
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A Message from the Executive Director
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Happy Halloween from Waterford! I hope you were able to come out and join us for the 75th Waterford Fair earlier this October. We had beautiful fall weather to welcome our crowds of visitors, artists, musicians, entertainers, and volunteers, and we all enjoyed the festive weekend. Thank you to all of you that came out to visit, volunteer, or participate! Read more about this year’s Fair in our lead article below.
Also in this newsletter, read about an upcoming archives project supported by a Loudoun Preservation Society grant and find out how to volunteer your time to preserve our local historical artifacts and documents. Keep reading to learn about two recent additions to our Archives and Local History Collection. Find out more about the Historic Structure Report recently completed for John Wesley Community Church. Don’t miss four events coming up in November, and read to the end to learn about Waterford’s only known murder.
Enjoy!
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Stephanie C. Thompson
Executive Director
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p.s.
Now is the time to begin thinking about end-of-year giving! Your donations enable the preservation and education work that we do all year long. Please consider supporting the Waterford Foundation with an end-of-year gift in 2019. Watch for our Giving Tuesday event on Facebook on December 3rd, or visit
www.waterfordfoundation.org/donate
to make your gift today!
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75th Annual Waterford Fair Recap
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Beautiful 75th Waterford Fair Commemorative Quilt by: Kathe Lyndsley
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The 75th Annual Waterford Fair has come and gone, leaving another year of happy memories and dreams of next year's Fair.
This year brought many old traditions as well as new additions. The evening of Saturday, October 5th, the Waterford Foundation hosted its first Feast with Friends dinner (pictured, right) in the Schooley Mill Meadow to honor the 75th anniversary of the Waterford Foundation.The evening featured remarks by Allen Cochran, President of the Loudoun Preservation Society on the past and future of preservation in Loudoun County along with music, food, and beverages by incredible local sponsors. We would like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors, donors, and attendees for making the first Feast with Friends dinner such a success! Be sure to check out our
Events Page
to see a photo gallery from this year and be sure to check back throughout the year for updates about the 2020 Feast with Friends dinner!
*Feast with Friends photo by Rebekah Murray
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Darcy Lane & Andy Conlon of Lincoln, VA
Costume Contest Winners
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Also on Saturday morning, all eyes were on the parade.This year, Fair attendees were welcome to wear period dress and join the Parade. The winners for best costume were Ms. Darcy Lane and Mr. Andrew Conlon (pictured), who looked dashing in their mid 19th-century attire!
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This year we also piloted the Children's Passport program - children visiting the Fair were challenged to learn by earning a "passport stamp" (pictured) for each educational stop they visited.
Look for children's passport stops to return in 2020!
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Thank you so much to all our Fair vendors, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and attendees for pitching in to create a magical 75th Annual Waterford Fair. We hope to see you all at the 76th Annual Waterford Fair October 2-4, 2020!
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Four Events in November 2019!
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Friday, November 8:
Annual Volunteer Party!
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6 PM to 8 PM at the Old School
Enjoy hor d'oeuvres, wine and beer courtesy of the Board of Directors. Mingle with fellow volunteers and stay for the annual Volunteer Awards!
All volunteers and their families are welcome!
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Thursday, November 14:
Community & Business
Sponsors Reception
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6 PM to 8 PM at the Old School
We look forward to recognizing our wonderful corporate sponsors! Join us to make local business connections and explore the many ways that your company can fulfill its philanthropic and marketing goals. while supporting the Waterford Foundation's mission.
Light Bites. Beer and Wine. Bring your business card for door prizes.
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November 16, 3pm: Waterford Reception at GRACE
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Many of you may have noticed
Nate Larson
around the village this past summer, taking photos and recording stories or heard that he worked with village residents and Fair artisans taking tintype images of them with their tools. These works are now on view at the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE).
The Center is hosting a talk and reception for Waterford residents and Foundation members! Please join us Saturday, November 16 at 3 pm.
Shannon Thomas Perich
, Curator at the National Museum of American History, will lead a conversation with Nate about his work and this show, which highlights Waterford as a Centroid Town. To read more about the exhibition visit:
https://restonarts.org/exhibition/nate-larson/.
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There is no better time of year than the holidays to #MakeByHand! Click the class name to register for any of the holiday classes listed on the right.
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November 15 to December 4
Waterford Craft School Holiday Classes
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75th Annual Waterford Fair Ornament
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Approx size is 3'' X 3.5''
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You can still buy your limited-edition 75th Annual Waterford Fair porcelain ornament ($75/ea) made by Fair Vendor Anne Piazza.This makes an excellent pre-Christmas gift for the Waterford Fair lover in your life.
Proceeds support the Waterford Foundation. Due to fragility of item, you must pick-up your ornament Tuesday-Friday at the Waterford Foundation.
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Waterford Foundation Awarded Grant from
Loudoun Preservation Society
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From left to right: Allen Cochran, President of Loudoun Preservation Society, Stephanie Thompson, Executive Director of The Waterford Foundation, and Paul Lawrence, Treasurer of Loudoun Preservation Society.
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Last month the Waterford Foundation gratefully accepted one of the 2019 preservation grants awarded by Loudoun Preservation Society. Thanks to this generous grant, we are able to move forward with organizing and conserving a major collection of historical materials donated by David and Carolee Chamberlin that chronicle significant periods in Waterford’s past.
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We Are Seeking Volunteers!
The Foundation is seeking volunteers to transcribe, catalog and preserve letters, indentures, maps and more. No experience is required; we will be giving workshops in January for interested volunteers in how to repair and stabilize a variety of documents, and also in reading and transliterating texts written in 18th and 19th century linguistic styles. Sound interesting? Contact Edith Crockett at edithcr@icloud.com or call 540-882-3801. We promise you won't be bored!
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Historic Structures Report Completed For
John Wesley Church
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On the first morning of the Fair, we received the final draft of a long-awaited Historic Structure Report on the John Wesley Community Church. This important document was generously prepared pro-bono by SmithGroup, with additional pro-bono support from Robinson & Associates, Inc. and Silman.
A Historic Structure Report provides comprehensive documentation of the current condition of a building as well as its history. Preparing a Historic Structure Report is a critical step in the preservation of a building because it guides all future work by indicating what was original to the property, the historical significance of the property and its features, and what is appropriate for restoration work. The report includes both a narrative history of the property and extensive graphical documentation of the current condition of the building.
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For the John Wesley Community Church, this report will guide all of our future restoration efforts. The report highlights restoration needs such as replacement of the historic plaster finish of the sanctuary ceiling and additional structural assessment of the balcony. The report also details the many clues left behind by changes to the church over time, such as the original altar railing cap that is now embedded in the floor of the current modified pulpit, and the cut in the chair rail in the vestibule that shows the original door location.
It is such a blessing to have this wealth of information now available at our fingertips. We look forward to sharing more of the insights of this report with the community in the future. A huge thank you goes out to all of those at SmithGroup, Robinson & Associates, and Silman who worked on this project on our behalf!
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Antique Wardrobe Returns Home to Waterford!
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Thank you Reverend and Mrs. Brown Morton for generously donating this beautiful wardrobe to the Waterford Foundation! This piece came from the second floor bedroom at the Mahlon Schooley House built in 1817, located at 15550 Second St. in Waterford, pictured above. (The wardrobe was quite possibly made in Waterford by cabinetmaker John Mount or Lewis Hough.) Our staff and visitors are gratefully enjoying this functional and lovely piece of Waterford history!
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A Deed of Sale in Waterford...From 1793!
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Our staff and volunteers are always delighted when we are reunited with a piece of history from Waterford. Recently, a volunteer discovered a deed of sale for a property on Clarks Gap Road that was composed May 25, 1793! The deed, signed by James Hamilton is clearly legible.
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Thank You to Our New & Renewing Members!
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Memberships provide a vital portion of the Waterford Foundation's funds to pay for the upkeep and repair of thirteen properties protected by the Waterford Foundation, as well as programs like the
Second Street School
living history program, the
Waterford Craft School
, the
Waterford Fair
, and special programs throughout the year. We would like to thank the following new and renewing members who have joined or renewed in June 2019!
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New & Renewing Members: September & October 2019
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Ms. Eleanor Adams
Ms. Janelle Banta
Ms. Carrie Beach
Ms. Elena Boras
Ms. Cathy Bullard
Ms. Vicene Caruso
Ms. Susan Cash
Ms. Whitney Chamberlain
Mrs. Adele Chatfield Taylor and Mr. John Guare
Mr. and Mrs. Kent and Dawn Craig
Ms. Kristen Crawford
Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Emily Eig
The Fast Family
Ms. Stefanie Feldman
Ms. Janis Ferrel
Ms. Wendy Foley
Ms. Jeanette Fox
Mr. Ken Giunta
Ms. Christine Gleckner and Mr. Clay Steward
Ms. Mary Ann Good
Mr. and Mrs. Edward and Margaret Good
Mr. and Mrs. Hans Hommels
Mr. William Hooper
Mr. William Hunley
Mr. and Mrs. James and Mary Hutton
Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Mary Lafsky
Mr. and Mrs. Blair and Shannon Judd
Ms. Stephanie Kenyon
Mr. Dwight Kinkel
Ms. Judy Kotch
Ms. Kursten Krawford
Ms. Christine Lamphere
Ms. Cecile Lindell
Ms. Colleen Lovelace
Ms. Elizabeth Lucas
Mr. Luke MacDonald
Mr. John MacLaren
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Ms. Elizabeth Makrokanis
Ms. Susan Maloney
Mr. John McConnell
Mr. and Mrs. William and Sue McGuire
Mr. and Mrs. Doug and Sharon Mesecar
Mr. Joe Miscione
Ms. Abbie Morris
Ms. Kathleen Morrison
Ms. Edythe Nicholas
Ms. Gayle Novak
Ms. Erin O'Leary
Ms. Karen Padilla
Ms. Susan Rapaport
Mr. Rodney Rathmann
Mr. and Mrs. Doug and Holly Roeder
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Sargent
Mr. and Mrs. Pedro and Anne Sauer
Mr. Stuart Schadt
Ms. Karen K. Schwartz
Mr. Paul Seesman
Ms. Patricia R. Shoaf
Ms. Amy Stephan
Ms. Mavis Taintor
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Thompson
Mr. Charles Turner
Mr. and Mrs. Roger and Linda Vasas
Mr. Joe Veltri
Ms. Michelle Venable
Dr. and Mrs. Tom Walker
Mr. Scott Walters
Mr. Michael Williamson
Mr. Benjamin Winn
Mr. Ford Wyatt
Ms. Cate Wyatt
Mr. Thomas Zimmerman
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Our Sustaining Members are: Mr. and Mrs. Goode (Joe and Annie),
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Hale (Bob and Susanne)
, Ms. Joan Kowalski, Mr. Ed Lehman and Ms. Edith Crockett, Robert and Stephanie Thompson, and Ms. Wendy Roseberry and Mr. Brian Whelan. To become a sustaining member,
click here
.
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Next month, we will acknowledge our new and renewing November 2019 members!
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Grave of Warren O'Haira
Union of Churches Cemetery, Waterford, VA
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"..The Village's Only Known Murder"
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Below, Waterford native and author, John Divine, relates the story of a tragic event that occurred at the livery stable on Main Street in the summer of 1900.
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From the book "When Waterford and I Were Young" by John E. Divine, Bronwen Souders & John Souders. 1996. Published by the Waterford Foundation.
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"Waterford's livery stable was the scene of the village's only known murder, if we don't count the wartime bushwhacking of William Grubb in 1861 and a couple other deaths attributed mysteriously to "foul play".
Warren O'Haira [sic], a veteran of the Spanish-American War, had moved to Waterford after his army service because his girlfriend lived there. On the evening of July 24 1900, a summer thunderstorm had driven several people into the livery stable, where an argument arose between O'Haira and Ernest Mullen over O'Haira's girlfriend. Apparently the argument grew heated and Mullen, in fear, picked up a club and struck O'Haira a blow on that head that proved fatal.
Mullen ran but was captured and held overnight in the store building at the west end of the Graham House. He was guarded by men appointed by Decatur Vandevanter, the Justice of the Peace. That one occasion when Waterford's old street lamps burned all night.
Mullen was taken to Leesburg the next day. At his trial, he received a sentence of only seven or eight years and was back in the county within a few years. O'Haira was buried in the Waterford Union Cemetery with a government gravemarker commemorating his military service."
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