The Gallivanters

Mairi and Dave are avid historians. Having first met many years ago at a series of Civil War seminars you will see an element of the effects of the Civil War on the areas that we visit and write about. Besides living in a state that is unparalleled in historic treasures, we travel it for its magnificent beauty. And, in case you haven’t picked it up, we are devoted Christians and seem always to make it to the local churches. The cemeteries in these churches reveal a great deal of history about the surrounding neighborhood.

Mt. Zion Old School Baptist Church, Aldie, VA
In 1891, having scrimped and saved and prayed for the occasion for a number of years, members of Waterford’s black Methodist Episcopal Church congregation dedicated their new John Wesley Methodist Church.
John Wesley Church Congregation
This church, originally known as “Old Calvary” was consecrated June 20, 1860. “Old Calvary” was to be destroyed by General Grant’s Union troops in March of 1864. All Saint’s Chapel was resurrected on the site with its first service January 8, 1893. 
The beauty of the Virginia countryside is captured in this glorious sunset over Aldie.
Snickersville Turnpike and Northwest Loudoun County Scenic Drive
View from Paris, Virginia in Fauquier County, Mairi’s favorite spot on earth.
Mitchells Presbyterian Church, Mitchells, VA was built in 1879 under the leadership of the Rev. John P. Strider. The frescoes, along with the church, underwent complete restoration beginning in 1979. Several other examples of Oddenino’s work remain in the region; Mitchell’s Church is the finest and most complete.
The simple one-room frame school on Second Street in Waterford, Virginia was built just two years after the Civil War ended. Opened under the auspices of the Freedmen’s Bureau, it was Waterford’s first school for the black community. The Friends’ Association of Philadelphia, Waterford’s local Quaker meeting, and a “colored educational board” provided additional support.
Second Street School, Waterford, Virginia. Mr. Winton Walker and his pupils, circa 1920
The Mount Zion Church Preservation Association erected twelve grave markers in 1997 to honor the twelve Union Cavalrymen who died at the Battle of Mt. Zion July 6, 1964.
As we drove, we caught sight of this hidden away. The unoccupied church building had fell into disrepair and finally collapsed in the later 1940s. Still remaining was the Cemetery and the site of where the First Presbyterian Churn Prince William and later White Hall Presbyterian Church had stood. Pictured is the gated section of cemetery. 12814 Aden Road near Nokesville, VA 20181
Now Abandoned, Winston Chapel was built in 1908 as a memorial to the son of Lucien D. Winston Sr. and his wife Elizabeth McNeil Boddie. In 1907 Lucien donated land for Rising Zion Church and school which is just down the road from Winston Chapel. On their property, the couple built the Winston Memorial Chapel, dedicated in 1909 to the memory of their son, Malcolm Boddie Winston, who died in 1906 from scarlet fever at 22 years old.