On Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 7:00 pm (ET) Evening with Germanna presents a virtual lecture by Jerilynn Eby MacGregor on the use of Aquia freestone in Virginia.
Join us as we learn about the stone that shaped Virginia and beyond. For some 300 years, Aquia freestone was used for architectural purposes in Virginia and along the Eastern seaboard. Although it was primarily quarried in Stafford County, Virginia, the deposit extends beyond Stafford and early commercial operations raised many tons of stone in Spotsylvania, Goochland, and Fluvanna Counties.
While the stone is best known for its use in the early public buildings in Washington, DC: the U. S. Capitol, White House, U. S. Treasury, and the U. S. Patent Office, it is also found throughout the region and used for a host of other purposes. These include grist mills, tombstones, steps, retaining walls, architectural trim, chimneys, bridge abutments, cider dripstones, flooring, etc.
This program explores the quarrying of Aquia stone in Stafford and elsewhere; summarizes the methods used to extract and shape it; and notes its use in Alexander Spotswood’s Enchanted Castle and at Salubria.
About the speaker:
Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor grew up in Stafford on the back of a horse and, as a teenager, became fascinated with the county’s history. Having spent her youth at Aquia Church (1757) and amongst several of the county’s old families, she heard the oral history and eventually learned that little beyond oral tradition existed due to vandalism by Union troops during the Civil War. In 1862 and 1863, the invading soldiers stole or destroyed about two-thirds of the county’s court records and, as a result, traditional historians had largely ignored Stafford and rarely even mentioned it in their books. In time, she began compiling information from the deeds, wills, tax records, and newspapers that did exist, added to that the oral history, and tracked down other sources of information. Nearly forty years later, she is still researching her beloved Stafford County and publishing her studies so others might better appreciate the activities and families that made the county so special. Most of her research focuses on land tracts, mills, and industries, but she’s grateful for any tidbit that will help to develop Stafford’s unique story. She had published seven books about Stafford prior to working with her husband on The Great Rock of Aquia. This has proved to be the most interesting of any of her research projects.
Jerrilynn retired from the Prince William County Public Schools after working for 31 years as a middle school librarian.
This is a Donate-What-You-Can event. Your donation of any amount will go directly toward supporting this Germanna Foundation program and more programs like it as well as research, archaeology, and preservation of our historic sites. Thank you!
Upon completion of the below form, you will receive the link for this online Zoom webinar.
If you would like to sponsor the lecture, please make a donation with one of the below levels. We will recognize sponsors at the beginning and end of the program
$100 Iron Horseshoe Sponsor
$250 Silver Horseshoe Sponsor
$500 Knight of the Golden Horseshoe Title Sponsor
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