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ATREE FALLS IN LITWALTONby CRAIG M. Kn.BY'"

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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 RichmondCounty. It is currently owned by Larry E: Brewer, who coined its currentname. Th'e hOusefaces Morattico Road. October 2004 photo, courtesy ofPeggy J ](jlby.

Inhabitants of, and frequent visitors to the northwest section of LancasterCounty will have no trouble identifying this stately and seemingly tranquil oldhome at the comer of River and Morattico roads, adjacent.to the LancasterCounty Moose Lodge. Its manicured lawn and gardens belie the lesser-knownfact that this property was the center of a once thriving, bustling and oftentimesnotorious 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.

* CraigKilbyisa nativeofSt.CharlesCounty,Missouri.He holdsa B.S.degree inPublic .Administration from the University ofMissouri-Columbia. He served three terms in the MissouriHouse of Representatives. While living in the St. Louis area, he was a real estate appraiser anda commercial real estate broker. He moved to the Northern Neck in 1995, where he is activelyengaged in professional genealogy, historical research and real estate. 'He is a volunteer at theMary BallWashington Museum and Library, a member of the Richard Henry Lee Chapter ofthe Sons of the American Revolution and currently serves on the Northern Neck ofV1l'giniaHistorical Society Publications Committee.

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7036 Northern Neck of Virginia Historical MagazineTHEMITCHELLS (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. The1781 will of Richard Mitchell left all the land in Lancaster County whereonhe lived to his nephew, another Richard Mitchell. The heir to the land died in1818, 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 ofRidgefield Farm. 1The small parcel, now known as Falling Oaks, owes its existence to the will

of William Ball Mitchell, written "at Ridgefield this 25th day ofJanuary 1843and wholly written & subscribed with [his] own hands."2 After leaving each ofhis fivesons enormous tracts ofland between Morattico, Nuttsville, Deep Creekand the Richmond County line (including Epping Forest), the sixth item of hiswill carves out a small portion of his Ridgefield farm, and reads:I giveto allmy sonsherein namedjoindy andequallytheLitwaltonEstab-lishmentthat is to say the lot and the lots being between the old and newroads and the lands devisedto [sons]Richard,Julius and Liweton with its

variousbuildingsviz:storehouse,grocery,mechanic'sshop,smalldwellings,gardens,etc. [emphasisadded]The fivesurviving sons ofWilliam B.Mitchell and his wifeMargaret 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 DOWnmanMitchell (1821-1897) and Julius WIlmothMitchell (1824-1859).3From this will,we can readily see that William Ball Mitchell already had

. establisheda commercialoperation on this comer, and that in his viewit wasa family operation. In 1841, he became postmaster of Litwalton, which is thefirst reference to the place name. At present, we do not know the source ofthe name.41. Lancaster County, Virginia Will Book 20, 209 (willof Richard Mitchell); Lancaster CountyWill Book 28, 183 (1818 will of Richard Mitchell); and Lancaster County Will Book 29,26 (willofWilliam B.Mitchell). The emigrant ancestor of this family was Robert MitChell, who died inLancaster County in 1704.2. Lancaster County Will Book 29, 26.3. Mitchell Family Bible, transcript, FamilyResearch Center, Mary BallWashington Museumand Library, Lancaster, VA (MBWM). A sixth son died in infancy. It is beyond the parametersof this article to present a genealogy of the Mitchell Family, who were closely allied with theDowmnans, Balls, Sydnors and other leading families of that era.4. Mary R.Miller, PlaceNameso/the NorthernNeck (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,"NorthernNecko/VirginiaHistoricalMagazine(1952).The oft-told legend that Litwalton wasnamedfor tWosons of one Fairfax Mitchell-Littleton and Walter-is not supported by any historicalevidence. There was a Fairfax Mitchell, but he was part of the Richmond County family (sonofWtlliam Bladen MitChell). The story originated with Miss Louise Lewis in a 1982 interviewwhen she was 89 years old.

(

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A Tree Fallr in Litwalum 7037In addition to other enterprises, William B. Mitchell was granted a licenseto sell "ardent spirits" at Litwalton in 1840, and continuously until his death in1843. His five sons received a license in 1843.5The license, however, was not

renewed until 1847 when Benedict Hammond obtained a license to sell spiritsat Litwalton.6For reasons unknown, the fiveMitchell brothers mortgaged the Litwaltonproperty in 1848 to the trustees of the Lancaster County Glebe Fund, in thesum of $1,000. County glebe funds were established byAct ofAssembly in 1802to manage proceeds from the sale of confiscated properties of the disestablishedand out-of-favor Church ofEngland aftet the Revolutionary War. These fundswere independendy managed by each county's Overseers of the Poor, and usedfor whatever purposes they felt would best serve the indigent.. Prior to the

disestablishment of the Anglican Church as the official religion of the colony;care of the poor was a function of the church. How each county chose to useor manageits glebeproceedsvaned widely.7 .' . .The treasurer ofthe Glebe Fund in 1848wasAddison Carter who, ironically;had been the post master at Nuttsville (established in 1818)until it was movedto the newly' created Litwalton in 1841 in favor of William B. Mitchell.8 Thetrustees ofthe Glebe Fund were John Chowning, John B. Bramham, William F.Jesse,CharlesH. Leland,JamesSimmonds,SamuelGresham,RalphEdmonds, .Addison Hall, and Joseph P.Flippo.9The property contiIiued to be taxed as four acres to "Richard B. Mitchelland 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 29of that year, Thomas D. Ficklin, a native ofRichmond County,and a former lieutenant (and sometimes post commander) in the 40th VIrginiaInfantry in the Civil War,11purchased the property. Soon after the war, he ap-parendy wasleasing the Litwalton property. In October 1865, 'T.Ficklin & Co.received a license to "retail wine or ardent spirits or amixture 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 cOuntyglebe funds, see "The Episcopal Church inVIrginia1607-2007, Like Phoenix from the Ashes:The Reinvention ofthe Church inVu-ginia1760-1840,"VzrginiaMagazine ofHistoryandBiography,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.

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7038 Northern Neck o/Virginia Historical Magazinehis liquor license until his death in 1888. In later years, the license pennittedhim to sell it out of his home, and also.to operate a bar room.12The 1869 grantors of the Litwalton property were not the Mitchell broth-ers who had inherited it, but the Lancaster County Glebe Fund to whom theyhad mortgaged it. The sale price was $1,500, with Ficklin borrowing $1,000of that amount from the Glebe Fund, pledging the property as collateral. Boththe 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 wasoriginally built in 1870; Construction was four rooms over four rooms, witheight 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 thehouse during Hurricane Hazel in 1954, destroying the original wrap-aroundporch, the gingerbread trim around the eaves, and the attic window which isnow walled over. The picket fence surrounded the entire house and was torndown later. (photo courtesy of Larry E. Brewer)

property devised by the will of William B. Mitchell to his five sons, who arenamed in both documents.13In 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 fouracres 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. LancasterCountyDeedBook43,251-253.14. LancasterCounty RealPropertyTaxList, 1870,District ofW 'T.Carter, 9.

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A TreeFalls in Litwalton 7039can 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 to1871..ISIn addition, the architectural style ofF alling Oaks affirms the conclusionthat the house was built in1870. The six over six windows, 8 x 12 inch panes,double hung, combined with the fourpanel doors, pegged and mortised, clearlydate 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 ofRichmond County, were married there onJanuary 25,1869, justprior to their pUrchase of the Litwalton property.16They needed a permanenthome. Miss Lyell might have brought some wealth to their union, for it wasonly twomonths later that the property waspurchased. .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 werefraternal twins John and Jennie Ficklin, born October 1882YOne gets a vivid mental image of the vitality of the Village of Litwalton

during its heyday by reading Cbataigne'sVirginia Gazeteerand ClassifiedBusinessDirectory,1888-1889 (which used data from 1886)}8 Twenty-two businessesare listed, as are thirteen "Principal Farmers." [For a list of the businesses atLitwalton 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, byProfessor William Taylor Thom, the Litwalton and _Morattico (then known asWhealton's Wharf) area had a permanent population of about 400 blacks and250 whites whose economy centered around agriculture and carpentry. Thefortunes of the area, however, rose (and fell) with one industry-oystering-bywhich relatively large amoUnts ofmoney could be quickly earned bya lime hardwork and a lot of luck-and just as quickly spent.During the oyster season of October through early spring, the local popula-tion swelledwith the arrival of about 500migrant Negro families, from tongersto shuckers, nearly all of them from Maryland. Of the permanendy basedpopulation, only a handful of them, black or white, worked in this seasonalenterprise. Most of the migrants lived in houses supplied by companies, andtraded at company stores. During their free time, they had fun-lots of it. Thisincluded consumption ofcopious amounts of alcohol.According to Thorn, their15. LancasterCounty RealPropertyTaxList of 1871,White ChapelDistrict, 2.16. RichmondCounty,VirginiaMarriageRegister,1854-1905,4.17. FederalCensusofLancasterCounty,Virginia,1900,ReelT623-1714, 8A,WhiteChapelDistrict, EnumerationDistri~ 45. Internet site,dtttp:l/www.ancestry.con1>.18. Jeffrey C. Weaver,New River Notes,

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7040 Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Magazineeconomic situation was not as good as it could have been, for most of themsquanderedtheir money instead of savingit. .

A colorful version of this otherwise dry statistic~ report was written in anarticle byJames Wharton, and published in the Mary BallWashington Museumand Library newsletter in the fall of 1988. He entitled it, "'Come-Here'-ALancaster First? Word Used Throughout County is Strange Elsewhere. "19Thesalient part of this article reads:

Now we must make a small journey to the north-west comer of Lancaster. Countywherethe lovelysettlementofMorattico lies.It wascalledWheal-ton's Wharf in the [1890s]and it was notorious, so much so that at theturn of the century the U. S. Department of Labor thought it worthy of asociological study, which ran to 25,000 words and was published with ananalyticaltablein a specialbulletin. .What made the subject distinctive was the oyster industry surrounding Lit-walton, the village on the hill overlooking its subsidiary Whealton on theRappahannockriver. . . .The article isan in-depth report on the phenomenonthat might appropriately go down in county history as the "oyster rush."The gold fieldswere the oyster beds and the prospectors were the tongmen.The laborers at the end of the line were the shuckers, nearly one hundredpercent Negro, who came each year, for the sixmonths of the season only,mostly from Maryland.The labor study says the oyster workers made money easily and spent itfreely. 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 wascheap and plentiful and remained so even after local option was brought tobear heightened the extremes. Remember that in the season Whealton wasa black Klondike and out of the season it was a ghost town. There you havethe spotlighton 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. Ficklindied on March 2, 1883 at the age of 53. The inventory of his estate shows thathis "bar room".stock included 42 gallons of rye whiskey and an equal amountof common whiskey, with 22 gallons of rum, and 15 kegs of an unidentifiedliquor. His tobacco supply was impressive, with 64 packs of cigarettes, 875 ClaraBell cigars, 50 Chesapeake cigars, 100 Victor cigars, 100 Silver Brown.cigars,

19. The term "come-here," attimes, issomewhat derisively applied by a "born here" residentto persons not born here, particularly if the "come-here" is criticizing or attempting to changea 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 ResearchCenter.

. 21. Jones, Stores,mss.

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A Tree Falls in Litwaltun 704150Target cigars, 8.pounds chewing tobacco, 9 pounds and 2 boxes of Planter'sChoice tobacco,and 7 pounds of lump tobacco.22 .

. The fascinatinginventory of his store included jars of candy (placed,nodoubt, at the proper height above floor level to entice children); bolts ofvariousfabrics; clothing items for men and women, boys and girls, including boots andshoes; medicines and remedies for variouS ailments; powders and emollients forman 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 onApril 28,1888,and brought$1,235.05. Unfortunately, this amount, with the cash on hand, totaled roughlyone-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 Ficklinfamily was bankrupt. The widow Ficklin took advantage of the Homestead Actto 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 byMiss Louise Lewis in 1982,when she was 89 years old. As to who actually operated the store, the recordsare both sporadicand hazy. .The 1900census for Lancaster County shows that Ann Ficklin's occupationwas hotel keeper, but it is unclear whether her own house was doubling as ahotel. 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 mighthave been occupying her "hotel. There seems to have been little room in thehouse 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 adaughter-in-law(listedas daughter).26 .

Ann Lyell Ficklin, in 1920, lived with her son, "f.Dorsey Ficklin. (Her namewas given asMary, apparendya transcribing error). Her son, John Ficklin, andhis wife, Mittie, were living in her home, as renters. Jennie Ficklin also livedwith 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 Herwill, written on April 11, 1921, bequeaths and devises her property as follows:22. Lancaster County Estate Book42, 444-449, estate ofT. D. Ficklin. The administrator wasL. 1: Rock. The estate was appraised byJames 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 Book46,52.25. Federal Census of Lancaster County, 1900. Internet site .26. Federal Census of Lancaster County, 1910. Internet site .27.. Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Lively, VA, gravestone ofAnn Lyell Ficldin:,born 17April 1846.

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7042 Northern Neck of Virg;nia Historical MagazineI give my household and kitchen furniture and all my personal property ofevery kind and description to my children 'T. Dorsey Ficklin, Mrs. AnnieMarston, John Ficklin and Jennie Ficklin and to my grandson, R. L. Ficklinand to the four children ofmy daughter Mrs. Lula Bass, dec'd. to be dividedequally among them, except that the children ofMrs. Lula Bass shall havewhat would have been her share were she now living, i.e., one sixth of theproperty 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 resideat Litwalton in Lancaster County, V1I'giniato my daughter Jennie Ficklin,my purpose in giving to my daughter Jennie my real estate is because ofthe fact that she has remained with me and has no other means of supportexcept through her own efforts.29This 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 thisreal estate in fee simple is an unanswered question. By the inheritance laws ofthat time, she had no legal right to do so without deeds from all the heirs ofher 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 storeto 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 whoreceived the fees for operating it, so long as it was still at Litwalton.. Fromthe timeofhermother'sdeathin 1921,MissJennie ownedthepropertyin her own right, and ran it as a boardinghouse. What became of the-remainingenterprises is not known. In 1927, she sold an unused half-acre parcel ofland toG. B. Dodson. That lot is shown in the following plat. It is uncertain whetherany building was ever erected on this lot. The plat does, however, provide someinsight into how the old road to Morattico, mentioned inWilliam B.Mitchell'swill, ran along the boundary of the Falling Oaks property.On the 1930census of Lancaster County, only MissJennie 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 ofAnn, predeceased her mother, dying onJune 18, 1920(alsoburied at BethelMethodist.Church).29. Ibid.30. Federal Census ofLancaster County, VIrginia, 1930, Internet site, .

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A Tree Fa/Js in LitwaJton 7043

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