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A TREE FALLS IN LITWALTON

by CRAIG M. Kn.BY'"

t
'
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Falling Oaks at 2160 River Road as it looks today. It was built in 1870 .
by Thomas Dorsey Ficklin, a.Civil U7tzrveteran a'!ld native of Richmond
County. It is currently owned by Larry E: Brewer, who coined its current
name. Th'e hOusefaces Morattico Road. October 2004 photo, courtesy of
Peggy J ](jlby.
Inhabitants of, and frequent visitors to the northwest section of Lancaster
County will have no trouble identifying this stately and seemingly tranquil old
home at the comer of River and Morattico roads, adjacent.to the Lancaster
County Moose Lodge. Its manicured lawn and gardens belie the lesser-known
fact that this property was the center of a once thriving, bustling and oftentimes
notorious commercial crossroads still known generically as Litwalton. .
Today, the only remaining non-agricultural enterprises in Litwalton are
Bunny's Garage, the Moose Lodge, and a private landing strip.
Here, then, is its story.

* Craig Kilbyis a nativeof St. Charles County,Missouri.He holds a B.S. degree in Public .
Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He served three terms in the Missouri
House of Representatives. While living in the St. Louis area, he was a real estate appraiser and
a commercial real estate broker. He moved to the Northern Neck in 1995, where he is actively
engaged in professional genealogy, historical research and real estate. 'He is a volunteer at the
Mary Ball Washington Museum and Library, a member of the Richard Henry Lee Chapter of
the Sons of the American Revolution and currently serves on the Northern Neck ofV1l'ginia
Historical Society Publications Committee.
 7036 Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine

THEMITCHELLS (ANTE-1781 TO 1869)

Definite ownership of this tract ofland, prior to 1781, by the Mitchell fam-
ily cannot be ascertained, but it was in the Mitchell family at that time. The
1781 will of Richard Mitchell left all the land in Lancaster County whereon
he lived to his nephew, another Richard Mitchell. The heir to the land died in
1818, leaving it to his son, William B. Mitchell, with whom this article begins.
The wills and land tax records prove that the subject land was a small part of
Ridgefield Farm. 1
The small parcel, now known as Falling Oaks, owes its existence to the will
of William Ball Mitchell, written "at Ridgefield this 25th day ofJanuary 1843
and wholly written & subscribed with [his] own hands."2 After leaving each of
his five sons enormous tracts ofland between Morattico, Nuttsville, Deep Creek
and the Richmond County line (including Epping Forest), the sixth item of his
will carves out a small portion of his Ridgefield farm, and reads:
I giveto all my sonsherein named joindy and equallythe Litwalton Estab-
lishment that is to say the lot and the lots being between the old and new
roads and the lands devisedto [sons]Richard,Julius and Liweton with its
variousbuildingsviz:store house,grocery,mechanic'sshop,smalldwellings,
gardens,etc. [emphasisadded]
The five surviving sons of William B. Mitchell and his wife Margaret Down-
man, as named in his will and Bible, were.Richard Ball Mitchell (1816-1873),
Robert Joseph Mitchell (1817-1888), William Laurence Gunyon Mitchell
(1821-1897), Littleton DOWnman Mitchell (1821-1897) and Julius WIlmoth
Mitchell (1824-1859).3
From this will,we can readily see that William Ball Mitchell already had
. establisheda commercial operation on this comer, and that in his viewit was
a family operation. In 1841, he became postmaster of Litwalton, which is the
first reference to the place name. At present, we do not know the source of
the name.4

1. Lancaster County, Virginia Will Book 20, 209 (willof Richard Mitchell); Lancaster County
Will Book 28, 183 (1818 will of Richard Mitchell); and Lancaster County Will Book 29,26 (will
of William B. Mitchell). The emigrant ancestor of this family was Robert MitChell, who died in
Lancaster County in 1704.
2. Lancaster County Will Book 29, 26. (~.
3. Mitchell Family Bible, transcript, Family Research Center, Mary BallWashington Museum -.'
and Library, Lancaster, VA (MBWM). A sixth son died in infancy. It is beyond the parameters
of this article to present a genealogy of the Mitchell Family, who were closely allied with the
Dowmnans, Balls, Sydnors and other leading families of that era.
4. Mary R. Miller, PlaceNames o/the Northern Neck (Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1983),
88. Also, see Christine Jones' unpublished manuscript, "Virginia Postmaster Appointments,"
Family Research Center, MBWM; and Col. Otis K. Sadler, "Post Offices in Lancaster County,"
Northern Neck o/Virginia HistoricalMagazine(1952). The oft-told legend that Litwalton wasnamed
for tWo sons of one Fairfax Mitchell-Littleton and Walter-is not supported by any historical
evidence. There was a Fairfax Mitchell, but he was part of the Richmond County family (son
ofWtlliam Bladen MitChell). The story originated with Miss Louise Lewis in a 1982 interview
when she was 89 years old.
 A Tree Fallr in Litwalum 7037

In addition to other enterprises, William B. Mitchell was granted a license

to sell "ardent spirits" at Litwalton in 1840, and continuously until his death in
1843. His five sons received a license in 1843.5The license, however, was not
renewed until 1847 when Benedict Hammond obtained a license to sell spirits
at Litwalton.6
For reasons unknown, the five Mitchell brothers mortgaged the Litwalton
property in 1848 to the trustees of the Lancaster County Glebe Fund, in the
sum of $1,000. County glebe funds were established by Act of Assembly in 1802
to manage proceeds from the sale of confiscated properties of the disestablished
and out-of-favor Church of England aftet the Revolutionary War. These funds
I were independendy managed by each county's Overseers of the Poor, and used
for whatever purposes they felt would best serve the indigent.. Prior to the
disestablishment of the Anglican Church as the official religion of the colony;
J care of the poor was a function of the church. How each county chose to use
or manage its glebe proceedsvaned widely.7 .' . .

The treasurer of the Glebe Fund in 1848 was Addison Carter who, ironically;
had been the post master at Nuttsville (established in 1818) until it was moved
to the newly' created Litwalton in 1841 in favor of William B. Mitchell.8 The
trustees of the Glebe Fund were John Chowning, John B. Bramham, William F.
Jesse,Charles H. Leland,James Simmonds,SamuelGresham, RalphEdmonds, .

Addison Hall, and Joseph P. Flippo.9

The property contiIiued to be taxed as four acres to "Richard B. Mitchell
and brothers" through 1869, in which year' the improvements were valued at
$1,000 and the land at $220.10.

THE FICKLINS (1869 TQ 1947)

On March 29 of that year, Thomas D. Ficklin, a native of Richmond County,
and a former lieutenant (and sometimes post commander) in the 40th VIrginia
Infantry in the Civil War,11purchased the property. Soon after the war, he ap-
parendy was leasing the Litwalton property. In October 1865, 'T.Ficklin & Co.
received a license to "retail wine or ardent spirits or a mixture thereof," and beer,
at their store at Litwalton. In 1866, the license was in his name only. He kept

5.. Christine Jones, "Stores 1799-1848" (Mss., n.d.), MB"WM, 3, 5,6.

6. Ibid., 6, 10. .
7. For an in-depth discussion of cOunty glebe funds, see "The Episcopal Church in VIrginia
1607-2007, Like Phoenix from the Ashes: The Reinvention of the Church in Vu-ginia 1760-1840,"
VzrginiaMagazine ofHistoryand Biography,vol. 115, No.2 (Richmond: VIrginia Historical Society,
2007),212-215.
8. Miller, PlaceNames, 88.
9. Lailcaster County Deed Book 40,472.
10. Lancaster County Real Property Tax List, 1869, District ofB. George, 14.
11. Robert E. L.Krick, 40th VzrginiaInfantry (Lynchburg, VIrginia: H. E. Howard), 82.
7038 Northern Neck o/Virginia Historical Magazine

his liquor license until his death in 1888. In later years, the license pennitted
him to sell it out of his home, and also.to operate a bar room.12
The 1869 grantors of the Litwalton property were not the Mitchell broth-
ers who had inherited it, but the Lancaster County Glebe Fund to whom they
had mortgaged it. The sale price was $1,500, with Ficklin borrowing $1,000
of that amount from the Glebe Fund, pledging the property as collateral. Both
the deed and the deed of trust refer to the property as Litwalton and as the

Falling Oaks, circa 1935, shows the house as it probably looked when it was
originally built in 1870; Construction was four rooms over four rooms, with
eight fireplaces. 10 the right of the house is the kitchen, and the meat house.
at far right. (Both n07J)are gone.) The oak tree in the center crashed into the
house during Hurricane Hazel in 1954, destroying the original wrap-around
porch, the gingerbread trim around the eaves, and the attic window which is
now walled over. The picket fence surrounded the entire house and was torn
down later. (photo courtesy of Larry E. Brewer)

property devised by the will of William B. Mitchell to his five sons, who are
named in both documents.13
In 1870, L D. Ficklin paid tax on the four acres called "Litwalton Village"
at the same values for land and improvements as in 1869,14In 1871, the four
acres at "Litwalton Village" were taxed for land valued at $300 and improve.,.
ments valued at $2,500. It is from this tax record that the erection of the house

12. Jones, "Stores1799-1848,"13, 15-17,20-21,26-27,40,42,28,53,65.

13. Lancaster County Deed Book43, 251-253.
14. LancasterCounty Real Property Tax List, 1870,District ofW 'T.Carter, 9.
 A Tree Falls in Litwalton 7039

can be dated. In fact, we can surmise that the cost of the house in 1870 was
$1,500-the difference in the assessed value of improvements from 1870 to
1871..ISIn addition, the architectural style ofF alling Oaks affirms the conclusion
that the house was built in1870. The six over six windows, 8 x 12 inch panes,
double hung, combined with the four panel doors, pegged and mortised, clearly
date this house to the vernacular style of the 1870s. Shortly after this period,
architectural styles in this area changed, bringing in the Victorian influence;
The reason for building the house is obvious: L D. Ficklin and Ann Lyell,
both natives of Richmond County, were married there on January 25,1869, just
prior to their pUrchase of the Litwalton property.16They needed a permanent
home. Miss Lyell might have brought some wealth to their union, for it was
only two months later that the property was purchased. .
It was at Litwalton that they raised their three sons and three daughters,
operated their stores and a boarding house, sold their "ardent spirits,» and oth-
erwise ran their comer of Litwalton Village. The youngest two children were
fraternal twins John and Jennie Ficklin, born October 1882Y
One gets a vivid mental image of the vitality of the Village of Litwalton
during its heyday by reading Cbataigne'sVirginia Gazeteerand ClassifiedBusiness
Directory,1888-1889 (which used data from 1886)}8 Twenty-two businesses
are listed, as are thirteen "Principal Farmers." [For a list of the businesses at
Litwalton in 1886 see Appendix A of this article.]
According to a 1901 United States Department of Labor study, entided
"The Negroes ofLitwalton, VIrginia: A Social Study of the Oyster Negro,» by
Professor William Taylor Thom, the Litwalton and _Morattico (then known as
Whealton's Wharf) area had a permanent population of about 400 blacks and
250 whites whose economy centered around agriculture and carpentry. The
fortunes of the area, however, rose (and fell) with one industry-oystering-by
which relatively large amoUnts of money could be quickly earned by a lime hard
work and a lot of luck-and just as quickly spent.
During the oyster season of October through early spring, the local popula-
.-- tion swelled with the arrival of about 500 migrant Negro families, from tongers
to shuckers, nearly all of them from Maryland. Of the permanendy based
population, only a handful of them, black or white, worked in this seasonal
enterprise. Most of the migrants lived in houses supplied by companies, and
traded at company stores. During their free time, they had fun-lots of it. This
included consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. According to Thorn, their

15. LancasterCounty RealProperty TaxList of 1871,White Chapel District, 2.

16. RichmondCounty,VirginiaMarriage Register, 1854-1905,4.
17. FederalCensusofLancasterCounty,Virginia, 1900,ReelT623-1714, 8A,White Chapel
District, Enumeration Distri~ 45. Internet site, dtttp:l/www.ancestry.con1>.
18. Jeffrey C. Weaver, New River Notes, <http://www.ancestry.com.ls/netl-newriver/val
lancl888.htm>
 7040 Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine

economic situation was not as good as it could have been, for most of them
squandered their money instead of savingit. .
A colorful version of this otherwise dry statistic~ report was written in an
article byJames Wharton, and published in the Mary Ball Washington Museum
and Library newsletter in the fall of 1988. He entitled it, "'Come-Here'-A
Lancaster First? Word Used Throughout County is Strange Elsewhere. "19The
salient part of this article reads:

Now we must make a small journey to the north-west comer of Lancaster

. County where the lovelysettlement of Morattico lies. It was calledWheal-
ton's Wharf in the [1890s]and it was notorious, so much so that at the
turn of the century the U. S. Department of Labor thought it worthy of a
sociological study, which ran to 25,000 words and was published with an
analyticaltable in a specialbulletin. .

What made the subject distinctive was the oyster industry surrounding Lit-
walton, the village on the hill overlooking its subsidiary Whealton on the
Rappahannockriver. . . .The article is an in-depth report on the phenomenon
that might appropriately go down in county history as the "oyster rush."
The gold fields were the oyster beds and the prospectors were the tongmen.
The laborers at the end of the line were the shuckers, nearly one hundred
percent Negro, who came each year, for the six months of the season only,
mostly from Maryland.
The labor study says the oyster workers made money easily and spent it
freely. Any time was frolic time. The impact on the staid and placid com-
munity was by way of being a deadly shock. The fact too that liquor was
cheap and plentiful and remained so even after local option was brought to
bear heightened the extremes. Remember that in the season Whealton was
a black Klondike and out of the season it was a ghost town. There you have
the spotlight on the inflow,in short, the "come-heres."20 .

One of the places to buy liquor was at Ficklin Store. He held a license to
sell ardent spirits at retail from 1869-1873, 1878, 1881-1887.21L D. Ficklin
died on March 2, 1883 at the age of 53. The inventory of his estate shows that
his "bar room".stock included 42 gallons of rye whiskey and an equal amount
of common whiskey, with 22 gallons of rum, and 15 kegs of an unidentified
liquor. His tobacco supply was impressive, with 64 packs of cigarettes, 875 Clara
Bell cigars, 50 Chesapeake cigars, 100 Victor cigars, 100 Silver Brown.cigars,

19. The term "come-here," at times, is somewhat derisively applied by a "born here" resident
to persons not born here, particularly if the "come-here" is criticizing or attempting to change
a long-established way of life. Not to be outdone, the trenchant response by the "come-heres"
was a quasi-serious proposal to publish a separate "come-here" telephone directory.
20. A copy of this report is on file in the LitWalton vertical file at MBWM Family Research
Center.
. 21. Jones, Stores, mss.
 A Tree Falls in Litwaltun 7041

50 Target cigars, 8.pounds chewing tobacco, 9 pounds and 2 boxes of Planter's

Choice tobacco, and 7 pounds of lump tobacco.22 .
. The fascinatinginventory of his store included jars of candy (placed, no

doubt, at the proper height above floor level to entice children); bolts of various
fabrics; clothing items for men and women, boys and girls, including boots and
shoes; medicines and remedies for variouS ailments; powders and emollients for
man and beast alike; and a myriad of other household and £ann items.
The appraised value of Mr. Ficklin's estate (excluding real property) was
$1,275.9~. All, or most ofit, sold at public auction on April 28, 1888, and brought
$1,235.05. Unfortunately, this amount, with the cash on hand, totaled roughly
one-fourth of the debts against the estate--$4, 787.19. Each creditor was ap-
portioned a little less than 10 per. cent of the amount owed,23and the Ficklin
family was bankrupt. The widow Ficklin took advantage of the Homestead Act
to exclude the family home ttom seizure for debt. 24The store, however, contin-
ued to operate ~ Ficklin's Store, according. to a hand-drawn map of Litwalton,
reflecting her childhood village as remembered by Miss Louise Lewis in 1982,
when she was 89 years old. As to who actually operated the store, the records
are both sporadicand hazy. .

The 1900 census for Lancaster County shows that Ann Ficklin's occupation
was hotel keeper, but it is unclear whether her own house was doubling as a
hotel. Five of her six surviving children, and one son-in-law (Rosser L. Bass)
were living with her. Following the names of her own household members,.
there were two single men, listed as merchants, and as renters. They might
have been occupying her "hotel.» There seems to have been little room in the
house for renters.2S
In the 1910 census, Mrs. Ficklin's occupation is listed as "boarding house.»
Again, there appear to be no boarders other than her own children, and a
daughter-in-law(listedas daughter).26 .
Ann Lyell Ficklin, in 1920, lived with her son, "f. Dorsey Ficklin. (Her name
was given as Mary, apparendya transcribing error). Her son, John Ficklin, and
his wife, Mittie, were living in her home, as renters. Jennie Ficklin also lived
with Dorsey when the census taker called. Ann Lyell Ficklin died on August 20,
1921, and was buried next to her husband at Bethel Methodist Church.27 Her
will, written on April 11, 1921, bequeaths and devises her property as follows:

22. Lancaster County Estate Book 42, 444-449, estate ofT. D. Ficklin. The administrator was
L. 1: Rock. The estate was appraised by James P. Saunders, William Chilton, and R. L. Peirce.
23. Ibid., 450ff. Account and sale of estate of1: D. Ficklin.
24. See, for example, such a declaration made in 1889, in Lancaster County Deed Book
46,52.
25. Federal Census of Lancaster County, 1900. Internet site <http://www.ancestry.col11>.
26. Federal Census of Lancaster County, 1910. Internet site <http://www.ancestry.col11>.
27.. Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Lively, VA, gravestone of Ann Lyell Ficldin:,
born 17 April 1846.
7042 Northern Neck of Virg;nia Historical Magazine

I give my household and kitchen furniture and all my personal property of

every kind and description to my children 'T. Dorsey Ficklin, Mrs. Annie
Marston, John Ficklin and Jennie Ficklin and to my grandson, R. L. Ficklin
and to the four children of my daughter Mrs. Lula Bass, dec'd. to be divided
equally among them, except that the children of Mrs. Lula Bass shall have
what would have been her share were she now living, i.e., one sixth of the
property above named. 28 .

The third item in the will pertains to the Litwalton property:

I devise all of my real estate consisting of the home place on which I reside
at Litwalton in Lancaster County, V1I'ginia to my daughter Jennie Ficklin,
my purpose in giving to my daughter Jennie my real estate is because of
the fact that she has remained with me and has no other means of support
except through her own efforts.29

This will also makes her daughter Jennie her executor. It was witnessed by
'T. L Rock and 'T. B. Marston. Exactly how Mrs. Ficklin was able to devise this
real estate in fee simple is an unanswered question. By the inheritance laws of
that time, she had no legal right to do so without deeds from all the heirs of
her deceased husband, none of which are of record.
At this time, Litwalton was still a viable crossroads community, but heavily
dependent on the increasingly-regulated oyster industry. The post office re-
mained at Litwalton, under various patronage operators, bouncing from store
to store, depending on the political party in power at a given time. Rock's Store,
Ficklin's Store, Saunder's Store: It really didn't matter, except to the person who
received the fees for operating it, so long as it was still at Litwalton.
. Fromthe time ofher mother'sdeath in 1921,MissJennie ownedthe property
I
in her own right, and ran it as a boardinghouse. What became of the-remaining
enterprises is not known. In 1927, she sold an unused half-acre parcel ofland to
l
G. B. Dodson. That lot is shown in the following plat. It is uncertain whether
any building was ever erected on this lot. The plat does, however, provide some
insight into how the old road to Morattico, mentioned in William B. Mitchell's
will, ran along the boundary of the Falling Oaks property.
On the 1930 census of Lancaster County, only Miss Jennie and her nephew,
Thomas A. Bass, inhabit the Ficklin household.30 On this census, her occupa-
tion is showri as "none."
According to the current owner, known tenants of Miss Jennie's boarding
house shortly thereafter were TallyJackson; Ryland Barnes and his wife, Abalee;

28. Lancaster County Will Book 30,352-353, will of Ann Lyell Ficklin. Lula Ficklin Bass,
daughter of Ann, predeceased her mother, dying on June 18, 1920 (also buried at Bethel Methodist
. Church).
29. Ibid.
30. Federal Census of Lancaster County, VIrginia, 1930, Internet site, <http://www.ancestry.
com>.
 A Tree Fa/Js in LitwaJton 7043

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This suroey of the one-half acre of land sold by Miss Jennie Ficklin to G. B. Dodson
in 1927 shows what modern readers wiD recognize ~ the northeast corner of the "no-
mans-land" at the corner of Morattico and River Roads, where are frequently parked
heavy equipment and state highway vehicles. What is lessnoticed is the abandoned state
road way, which can be stiD be seen where it meets the now-wooded hedgerow, which
was the sunken "old highway to Morattico" mentioned in WiDiam B. Mitchell's will
of 1843, along the northern boundary of Falling Oaks. (Source: Lancaster County
Deed Book 66, p. 2)

Willie Hutchins and wife, Fannie (Smith) Hutchins; and Catherine Stephens,
the aunt of one Mr. Kent, who stayed with Miss Jennie in the summer, and who
gave the circa 1935 photo, shown in this article, to the current owner.
Ironically, it was Ryland Barnes whose automobile accident resulted in
the death of Jennie Ficklin on the foggy Wednesday evening of August 18,
1943. The RappahannockRecord gave the incident front-page coverage with
the headline,
Injuries Fatal to Miss Ficklin
Several Ladies of Litwalton Injured in Automobile Accident Wednesdat1

31. RappahannockRecord, issue of August 26, 1943, p. 1. microfilm reel 19 at Rappahannock

Recordoffice, Kilmarnock, VA.
 7044 Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine

The story relates that a group of ladies were on their way to a meeting of
the Bethel Methodist Women's Division of Christian Service when a car driven
by Ryland, Barnes pulled out in front of them at Somers. Mrs. Julian (Alice)
Crabbe was driving the car that held the ladies. In addition to Miss Ficklin, the
other passengers were Mrs. W A. Mathews, Mrs. L R. (Annie) Marston (Miss
Jennie's sister), Mrs. Henry Brown, Mrs. L W Richardson and Mrs. Crabbe's
daughter. Both Miss Ficklin and Mrs. Mathews were thrown from the car. Mrs.
Crabbe wasslightlyinjured, the others sustainedbruises,fractures and sprains. .
Mr. Barnes was dazed and didn't remember what had happened. He was arrested,
but no charges were brought against him.
The story also includes next of kin as her brother L D. Ficklin of Kil-
marnock and a sister, Mrs. Annie Marston of Litwalton, three nephews who
were Thomas Bass of Lively, Rosser Bass of Baltimore and Dorsey Ficklin of
Aberdeen, Maryland. There were other relatives, but if named in the article,
this researcher missed notice of them. Particularly poignant is the .r~porter's
statement that Miss Jennie "was the mother of her sister's children."
The newspapers article also states that Miss Ficklin died in Richmond at the
Medical College on August 20. The current owner of Falling Oaks, however, is
adamant that she died in her house at Litwalton. A third account comes from
Doris Bowie, whose mother, Mrs. Henry Brown, related to her that Miss Jen-
hie died at the scene. .

She is buried beside her parents at Bethel Methodist at White Chapel. Her
. tombstone givesher date of birth as October 8, 1882,and her date of death as
August 20, 1943.
Untimely and unexpected as her demise was, it was not unplanned. Nine
years prior to her death, Jennie Ficklin wrote what is perhaps the world's short-
est will. It was witnessed July 24, 1934 and reads: "I, Jennie Ficklin, being of
sound mind, do bequeath all of my property and money after debts are paid, to
my niece Anne Lyell Bass and my nephew Thomas Bass."32

THEMcMINNS (1947-1951)
On May 19, 1947, Jennie Ficklin's two heirs and their spouses sold the
property to E. W McMinn and his wife, Marie B. McMinn. In the deed, the
grantors are named as Thomas A. Bass and his wife, Linda, and Anne Lyell Evans
and her husband,John. The acreage conveyedwas given as 4.41 acres.This is .

the first deed that gives explicit metes and bounds for the property description,

32. Lancaster COUD!yWillBook31, 305. The will was witnessed byC. 1: Pierce and
Mrs. 1: B. Marston at Litwalton, Vll"ginia,and proved 27 AugtI!it 1943. The handwrit-
ing was proved by C. 1: Pierce and Harry Lee Towles, and administration, with will
annexed, was granted to Thomas Bass with H. L. Towles his surety.
 A Tree Falls in Litwaltun 7045

N.B. Line run b7 Gor,

/(0.b"1"("
-",/,,0 ~ - Bl'Wldon in 1911 des-
~Dtell'" cribed as tol10ws
Beginning at Gate po
R~4!rence- Iron rod corner to Easterl,. and 1!clA1nn on W. side of road
is in place of stone, original corner to Bass and thence S. 78E 14.85
Ficklin cbains to stone
1- N.E.Cor. Ficklins store foundation
2:s.W.Cor.store porch toundation(Johnson) Hlip ot property ot
3:. S.E.Cor. sto.re" " n E.W.HCUinnof L1twal
. 0 Lancaster, Co. Va.
From 1 to iron rod 1s N. 19 55 teet
n 2 " n n "So $43t E 60teet' Surveyed by T.B.Uayo
.. 3 .. " " "S.l4t E 621-teet Regl,~~~d:surve,.or
!lay 3- 1947
scale 200 teet ::1 In'
..

The first and onlj known survey of Faning Oaks, made for E. U( McMinn by 'T. B.
Mayo on 3 May 1947. The Northeast corner is the "Fick/ins Store foundation. " The
western boundary is a line "run by Gordon Blundon in 1911." (Source: Lancaster
County Deed Book 82, p. 456)
and are taken from the accompanyingsurvey made by T. B. Mayo for E. w:
McMinn on 3 May 1947.33 .

Not much is known 9f the McMinn's tenure except that they used the
house as their personal residence,34 and their tenancy did not last long. On
September 1, 1948, they took out a $6,000 loan against the property from the
Bank of Northumberland, payable in five years.35The only personal account
comes from her neighbor, Doris (nee Easterly) Gill, who remembers that Mrs.
McMinn was a wonderful cook, and that as a young girl she was frightened of
Mr. McMinn.

LITWALTON'S FIRST DEATH BLOW

The purpose of the McMinns' loan against the property is not stated, but
they might have envisioned a commercial enterprise. If so, they soon sent the
idea to the dustbin when the highway department decided to redirect Route

33. LancasterCounty Deed Book 82,455.

34. Asrelated byJames E. (Dick)Brewer.
35. LancasterCounty Deed Book84.324.
7046 Northern Neck o/Vlrginia Historical Magazine

3 from Lancaster Court House to Warsaw. The old main route snaked from
Lancaster Court House over Court House Road to Alfonso, then to Lively, then
to Nuttsville and Litwalton, and .back to modem day Rte. 3 at the Lancaster/
Richmond County line at Chinn's Mill Pond. .
A newspaper article tells us that the McMinns should have known better.
There had been a long-standing dispute among the property owners at Litwalton
and Nuttsville, who bitterly opposed the proposed new route. This culminated
in a 1949 decision by the VIrginia Supreme Court in favor of the VIrginia De-
partment of Transportation. The following article, extracted in 1989 by John
C. Wtlson from 1949 issues of the RnppahannockRecord,tells the story:

ROUTE 3 WILL CHANGE; BRIDGE PLANS ADVANCE

Along-standing suit involving the old-and new-Route 3 appeared to have
been settled once and for all time. [in 1949].

The Vll"giniaSupremeCourt ofAppealsupheld the right ofthe statehighway

department to build a new section of the road which bypassedNuttsville
and Litwalton, thereby removing homes and businesses there from the
mainstream. Opponents had held that the highwaydepartment could not
alter the road, whichwasestablishedin 1923.Butthe court allowedplansto
straighten, shorten and improve the road to continue, sayinga community
cannot expectto have 'a changelessroad
. .in a changingworld.' 36

Litwalton certainly found itself in a changing world. The raucous, free-

wheeling daySof the oyster industry chang~d dramatically with regulation and
licensing and the expanding crabbing industry. The formerly busy crossroads
slowly expired. The post office was discontinued on 30 September 1960.37

w: w: PAYNE (1951-1956)
Three years after receiving their loan from the Bank of Northumberland,
the McMinns had made no payments on it. The bank subsequendy foreclosed
and, at a public auction held on May 5, 1951,sold the property to w: w: Payne
'ofSharps, VIrginia(Richmond County) for $6,650.38
Mr. Payne held the house as a rental property. His investment proved to be
a minor catastrophe, but through no fault of his own. .

.1

36. Litwalton vertical file, Family ReSearch Center, MBWM, clipping from Rappahannock
Record,February-March 1989, Volume 34.
37. Miller, PlaceNames, 88.
38. Lancaster County Deed Book 91,468.
 A Tree Falls in Litwalum 7047

LITWALTON'S SECOND DEATH BLOW

What the changing economy and the Virginia Department of Trans porta-
tion hadn't managed to dismantle, Hurricane Hazel did.
On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel swept the Eastern seaboard in one
of the most devastating hurricanes to hit North America in the 20th century.

-,

Hurricane Hazel damage in October, 1954. The first of three tall

oaks to tumble down at Falling Oaks. (photo courtesy of Northern
Neck Electric Cooperative, ~rsllW, VA)

It made landfall at the North Carolina/South Carolina border and quickly pro-
ceeded to wreak havoc up the Atlantic seaboard, as far inland as Ohio, finishing
its whirlwind tour in eastern Canada where it finally blew itself out.
In Lancaster County alone, 97 per cent of the households were left without
electricity, due to fallen trees, fierce winds, and salt water sprayed onto trans-
formers. The devastating damage the storm left in its wake was felt for years
to come. One casualty was FaIling Oaks, as captured on film by the Northern
Neck Electric Cooperative, shown in the photo above.

THE BREWERS (19S6-PRESENI)39

Horrific weather and fatal traffic accidents seem to playa recurrent theme
in the tale of FaIling Oaks. Nine months after Hurricane Hazel blistered the
eastern seaboard, a much more personal tragedy occurred in Suffolk, VIrginia.
This event would presage the fate of Falling Oaks until the present day.

39. Except where otherwise noted, the balance of this account comes from interviews with the
late Bernice C. Brewer and her surviving children Lois Holley, Dana Maddux, Larry E. Brewer
(the current property owner), and family papers.
 7048 Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazine

The morning of September 2, 1955 in Suffolk started out like any other foul
and stormy day. Bernice Baines sent her two eldest children, Earl and Lois, off
to school. She packed her husband Wilbur's lunch, and kissed him good-bye as
he went on his way with fellow carpenters to bid on a new job.
An hour later, while bathing her baby daughter Dana, she heard a loud knock
at the door. She went to the door but no one was there. This happened several
times. Upon the fifth knock, she again went to the door, knowing that whoever
it was, it could not be good news.
Not only was it not good news, it was the worst news possible. A visibly
shaken and choked-up policeman, with tears streaming down his face, reluc-
tantly informed her that her husband and his fellow passengers had been killed
in a fiery car crash. Worse still, her older children had seen the accident while
en route to school, not knowing it was their own father inside the wreckage
behind all the flashing lights from the emergency crews.
. As a young widow with three young children, Beniice did the only thing
she could-she came home to the Northern Neck. Bernice Clark Baines (1927-
2005) was born in Richmond County, the youngest of 13 children born to
Walter Charles Clark and Esther Dunaway. She rented W W Payne's house in
Litwalton, half-destroyed as it was from Hurricane Hazel, and was soon wooed
by her. former beau, James E. "Dick" Brewer.
~ charming romance ensued. The handsome, but shy Mr. Brewer had his
cap set on the comely young widow, chaps and all.40The couple had been a
"serious item" before he enlisted in the army infWorld .War II, after which all
communication from him ceased. But soon after her return home, he summoned
. the courage to pay her a visit.This couragewasfueled by the sameardent spir-
its that once had flowed freely at Litwalton. He knocked on her door, breath
reeking of bourbon and his.speech seriously slurred.
He was greeted by a furious and insulted Bernice, who told him to never
darken her door again unless he was sober enough to ~ake enough sense to
deserve her attentions. The next time he came, he was indeed sober, with
apologetic cap in hand.41

40. The word, chaps, is a Northern Neck colloquialism, meaning children (both male and
female).James.E. Brewer was one of the 10 children (or chaps) ofJames 'T. and Clara Belle (Smith)
Brewer. He was a native ofMorattico, and a veteran ofWWII. Wounded in the campaign against
Germany,he receivedthe Purple Heart. .

41. But for one exception many years later at a wedding reception, he remained that way.
Since moving to the Northern Neck in 2005, this "come-here" researcher has had the privilege of
meeting scores of persons who knew Dick Brewer. We should all be so fortunate as to be remem-
bered.so fondly and with the kindest of sentiments as by those who knew and worked with him.
 A Tree Falls in LitwaJtun 7049

Bernice Baines arid Dick Brewer were married at the parson's house at
Calvary Methodist Church in Emmerton on]uly 12, 1956.42Now there was a
family to consider, and financial issues needing attention. Most important .on
this list was finding a permanent home.
After exploring several
options, they approached W
W Payne about buying the
house at Litwalton. A deal was
quickly struck, on October 22,
1956;W W Payne, "widower
of Sharps, Richmond County,
VIrginia,» sold the property to
the Brewers for $5,000.43
The children loved their
new home. Son Earl named
the property Seven Oaks.
A new addition to the fam-
ily came in October of 1957
with the birth of Larry E.
Brewer, the current owner.
Dick Brewer made his living
as a waterman and a skilled
carpenter. In addition to rais-
ing four children, Bernice
Dick and Bernice Clark Baines Brewer on their
had many different jobs, and
eventually became a Certi- front steps at Falling Oaks. This picture was
fied Nursing Assistant. The taken on Easter Sunday of 1961 or 1962 by Earl
Baines children married and Baines, Bernice'sfirst-born son, with his Brownie
box camera.
moved elsewhere. In 1993,
Dick and Bernice de~dedthe property.to their son, Larry E. Brewer. .
Dick Brewer died in the home in February of2003. Bernice died in the same
room in December of 2005. .
. It wastheir son, Larry,whore-named the property FallingOaksin the 1980s
after several storms toppled two more of the mighty oaks. Hurricane Isabelle
destroyed coundess pines, pyracanthas, and other trees.
Another of the oak trees was struck by lightning in]uly of 2005, and its days
are now numbered.

42. Both of Bernice Clark's marriages were conducted at the parson's house at Calvary Meth-
odist. The reason is unknown. Bernice was a member ofFa:mham Baptist Church in Richmond
County, and Dick Brewer was a member of Norwood Baptist Church in Morattico. The marriage
license was issued in Lancaster County.
43. Lancaster County Deed Book 108,51.

"
7050 Northern Neck ofVirg;nia Historical Magazine

Behind the attractive sign at the entrance to the Falling Oaks property, the Moose
Lodge building can be seen. It is one of the two commercial buildings that remain from
the once-busy heart of the village of Litwalton. PhotocourtesyofCarolynJett.

EPll..OGUE
Paradoxically-prophetically even-as this compiler writes the finishing
touches to this article, a loud crashing sound is heard nearby. Investigation
shows that a huge branch of a large pine tree behind the summer kitchen has
inexplicably fallen to the ground on this warm, windless, sunny day.
A tree does indeed fall in Litwalton!
,

A 7TeeFalls.m Litwalton 7051