The View from Little Washington

If I write any more posts about the town of Washington, I may have to give it a Label of its own! This small town is quaint and beautiful, with plenty of special events to draw tourists. It was surveyed and platted by young George Washington in 1749. 

When I was there for a Garden Week tour, I walked through the town until my poor ankles were sore. (I really need to find shoes that support my ankles because I have weak ligaments.) It was a beautiful day and the town was lovely.

Below we see a sign telling the story of Kitty Payne, born into slavery in 1816.

Freedom Lost and Regained.

In the years before the Civil War, Virginia’s laws restricted free blacks and also tightened the legal grip on slaves. Some blacks, however, struggled through the system to freedom, just as many slaves wended their way to Union lines during the war. Katherine “Kitty” Payne, born into slavery in 1816 near present-day Huntly in northern Rappahannock County, and her family are one example.

Kitty Payne was the daughter of her owner, Samuel Maddox, and one of his slaves. She married Robert Payne, a free black, in 1836, and they had four children. Maddox died in 1837, leaving them to his wife Mary, who emancipated them in 1843 and moved with them to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where Robert Payne died in 1844. Maddox’s nephew, Samuel Maddox Jr., however, alleged that Mary Maddox was not the rightful heir and not entitled to Payne and her children. On July 24, 1845, he and five accomplices kidnapped and returned them to Rappahannock County.

While Payne fought Maddox’s allegations in the courthouse here, the judge confined them in this jail for their safety. A year later, after complex court proceedings, she regained her freedom.

See Historical Marker Database for more.

The Rappahannock County Courthouse was built in 1833. Local lore has held that it was built by by James Leake Powers, who built nearby Trinity Episcopal Church. This was questioned in 2017 when a record was found stating that Malcolm F. Crawford was paid for constructing the courthouse. Crawford had worked as a carpenter on buildings at the University of Virginia, and was one of the partners who built Madison County Courthouse and the Page County Courthouse in Luray. It is thought that he and his partners also built the Caroline County Courthouse. 

Links: Washington Historic District.
Young George Washington.
Virginia Places: Piedmont Region.
Linkups: Signs, Fences.
 

Note: After posting this, I decide to create a label called Piedmont in order to classify my Rappahannock County posts and other posts from the rolling hills east of the Blue Ridge.