Water Street Meadow, Waterford, Va.
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A Message from the Executive Director
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July is a special time of year to be in Waterford. In between thunderstorms and fireflies, the community comes together for a wonderful old-fashioned 4th of July celebration sponsored by the Waterford Citizen's Association. I hope those of you who live nearby were able to join in the festivities and celebrate the founding of our nation! It is fun to imagine how early Waterfordians may have celebrated the birth of our nation on these very streets!
In this month's newsletter, we are celebrating volunteers and looking forward to the Fair (just 91 days away!). Read below to learn about a play at the Capital Fringe Festival highlighting the civil war story of the Dutton sisters, Sarah Steer and the
Waterford News
. Don't miss your opportunity to get a limited edition 75th Waterford Fair ornament or order your 75th Waterford Fair t-shirt. And, as always, read to the end to for Stories from Waterford. In this month's selection, learn how Waterford residents used to keep cool in the summer before and after the arrival of the modern conveniences of electric power and refrigeration.
Enjoy!
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Stephanie C. Thompson
Executive Director
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p.s. Did you notice our honor roll of new, returning, and sustaining members in our last newsletter? We hope this little reminder will inspire you to join, renew, or automate your membership with a donation today!
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Livery Stable on Second Street in Waterford, Va.
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We appreciate all the Homes Tour owners who spruce up their houses and gardens before the Fair, repairing, planting and painting. Some of them also delve into the history of the house, working with Bronwen and John Souders to discover fascinating new details to share with our visitors.
In 2018 homeowner Peter Thomas went even farther. Last year the Livery Stable came alive as a nineteenth and twentieth century Waterford business. Outside was the ad for the forms of transportation available at the Livery Stable. Inside, where the vehicles were originally stored, docents introduced visitors to the owner Edgar Beans, pictured in a buggy with his fiancée, and told about his horse “Old Ed” who delivered inebriated passengers safely back to the stable. In the backyard a hundred-year-old buggy and buckboard were on display, complemented by horses on Friday.
Thank you, Peter Thomas, for bringing the history of your property alive for our Fair visitors!
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Upcoming in September:
Waterford Craft School Classes
at Sky Meadows State Park
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September 7, 2019, the Waterford Craft School is hosting two popular classes at the beautiful Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, Virginia. Create healing and immune-boosting tinctures, teas and salves with herbalist Jessie Baker in
Introduction to Herbal Remedies
.
Or, bring a chair frame for the all-day class in
Splint Seat Weaving
with Pamela Foster!
Registration is limited for both classes, so register early. Questions? Call us at 540-882-3018 or email oldschool@waterfordfoundation.org!
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Save the Date: August 23, 2019
Waterford Foundation Back to School Community Happy Hour!
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Friday, August 23
5:00 - 7:00 PM
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Join the Waterford Foundation and enjoy a relaxing evening catching up with old neighbors and making new friends! Learn about the 75th Anniversary,
Waterford Fair
volunteer opportunities, Foundation projects and listen to the tunes of bluegrass music!
Bring your family, your favorite lawn chair and an appetizer to share.
Adult beverages and kids drinks will be provided by the Waterford Foundation.
Please RSVP to admin@waterfordfoundation.org
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Last Chance to Register for July
Waterford Craft School Classes!
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Shop the 75th Anniversary
of the Waterford Fair!
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This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Waterford Foundation and the Annual Waterford Fair. Help us continue the legacy with the purchase of a t-shirt, ornament, or 3-day Fair ticket honoring the 75th Anniversary!
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White, short sleeve, Glidan DryBlend 50% Cotton / 50% Polyester.
Available Sizes: Adult Small- Adult 2XL
Youth Sizes also available.
Deadline to order is July 26th.
(Shipping not available for this product.)
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75th Anniversary Ornament
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The 75th porcelain, keepsake ornament was designed and made by Fair artisan, Anne Piazza (size approx. 3.5″ by 3″).
Shipping is not available for this fragile product. Pick up at the Old School at 40222 Fairfax Street, Waterford VA 20197.
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75th Waterford Fair 3-Day Pass
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Includes:
- After-hours champagne reception and tour of the Samuel Hough House on Friday, October 4, 2019
Tickets Go on Sale July 20, 2019!
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All For The Union
A Play Written by Meredith Bean McMath
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Rachel Louis as Lida Dutton. Photo by Craig Thoburn at historic Aldie Mill.
When neighbors became enemies and enemies became soldiers, three pro-Union women
of Waterford, Virginia decided to do much more than just survive the Civil War.
Using wit and iron wills, they fought the Confederacy in their own way.
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Friends of the Waterford Foundation may be familiar with the pro-Union newspaper,
The Waterford News
,
a collection of Civil War-era newspaper issues written by the three young Quaker women, Sarah Steer (age 26), Lizzie Dutton (age 24) and Lida Dutton (age 19) from the village of Waterford, Virginia.
All for the Union,
w
ritten by prize-winning Loudoun playwright and award-winning historian
Meredith Bean McMath
, explores the story of Lida and Lizzie Dutton and Sarah Steer. It is the only play created from the pages of true Loudoun Civil War history.
All for the Union
is the second of McMath's plays to appear at the Capital Fringe Festival
.
Catch the play July 14 as part of the Capital Fringe Festival or in Aldie August 2-4. Find out more about the show and purchase tickets at
RRRtheatre.org
.
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Boy Scout Nick Spokes Cleans Up Old Mill
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Nick Spokes with some of the English ivy he removed from the Old Mill on June 25
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We would like to express our sincere thanks to Nick Spokes, a local boy scout who removed the English ivy from stone walls behind the Mill. Nick spent many hours pulling, cutting, and even sawing away this invasive and damaging plant despite the heat (and a few discovered wasp nests)! Thank you Nick for your hard work! The wall by the Old Mill looks great thanks to your efforts!
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Ground Beneath Us
to Host Summer
Fellowship Institute in Waterford
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Ground Beneath Us, an artist fellowship and institute will hold its first annual Summer Fellowship Institute in Waterford. The first three Ground Beneath Us fellows, along with invited guests, will spend a long weekend in Waterford digging into the history and ecology of the village. On
Saturday August 3rd from 6:30-9:30
the fellows will present a series of short lectures and musical performances to the public. Find more information here:
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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: June 2019
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Mr. John Caron & Ms. Nancy Doane
Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Harriet Dickerson
Mr, & Mrs. Matt & Francie Fetzer
Ms. Natalie Owens
Mr. Paul Pendola
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Mr. Charles Pierce
Mr. Marty Rendon
Ms. Wendy Roseberry & Mr. Brian Whelan
Mrs. Ben Rush
Ms. Mary Lou Steptoe
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Our Sustaining Members are: Ms. Joan Kowalski, Mr. Joe Goode, Dr. Stephanie Thompson, Mr. Ed Lehmann, and Ms. Wendy Roseberry. To become a sustaining member,
click here
.
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Next month, we will acknowledge our new and renewing July 2019 members!
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Over 100 years ago, this ice house on Patrick Street in Waterford, VA
kept ice and food cool during the hot summer months.
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Refrigeration & Electric Light Come to Waterford
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In his book, "When Waterford & I Were Young," John E. Divine recalls Waterford before electric lights and refrigeration.
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"Before modern refrigeration came to Waterford, residents in and around the village relied on spring houses and ice houses to keep food and drink cool during the warm weather months. Spring houses were not common in the town itself, as there were only a few reliable springs to work with, but many families had an ice house. Cutting and hauling ice to stock these structures was a regular winter chore. In a hard winter, any still body of water would freeze thick enough to provide good blocks of ice. If a broad, slow-moving creek or mill pond was not at hand, some farmers would maintain a small pond just for the purpose.
It was another modern convenience, electricity, that eventually ended the era of the ice house - and changed a lot more besides. Service finally reached Waterford in the 1920s, provided by old Leesburg Power, and one by one the families wired their houses.
One of the biggest changes was in lighting. To a village long used to making candles or trimming the wicks and cleaning the sooty chimneys of coal oil lamps, the workings of electricity and even the new vocabulary, took some getting used to. In one family, the elderly maid, on encountering her first electric lamp, tried to extinguish the light by blowing on the bulb. A more forward-thinking resident couldn't wait to "get the church electrocuted."
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