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Accotink United Methodist Church

GPS Coordinates: 38.7110681, -77.1591372
Closest Address: 9043 Backlick Road, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060

Accotink United Methodist Church

Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2007 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

ACCOTINK … by Marjorie E. Baggett Tharpe

Accotink United Methodist Church is located in the Village of Accotink, surrounded by the Fort Belvoir military base. Most of the property around the village was taken by the U.S. Government during World War I, and then even more in World War II. However, Accotink Village was spared.

Before I write about the church, I should tell a little bit of the history of Accotink Village. Long ago it was a quiet place, with families living there who were mostly related. I remember going there as a child with my parents and brother to visit my Uncle Jim and Aunt Etta Baggett. It seemed to us like going to a big city. Aunt Etta would always take my brother and me to her sister Lizzie France's store. There she would proudly show us off, and treat us to ice cream. It really was a treat for we didn't get ice cream then, as often as is the custom today.

At one time Accotink was a thriving little town with a Post Office, a blacksmith shop, a grist mill, and a little later a lumber mill. This was mostly due to the fact that a large Quaker group came from Philadelphia and New Jersey around 1847, to buy up lots of land in the Mount Vernon area. They built homes, and since there was lots of timber on the land, it was ideal to go into the lumber business. A lumber mill was built beside the grist mill in Accotink, to process the lumber.

Among family names of the Quakers familiar to many of us were Gillinghams, Troths, Waltons, Meros, Ballingers, and many more. Jacob Troth was one of the main businessmen of the Quakers. He and Chalkey Gillingham bought over 2000 acres, including Woodlawn Plantation, and formed a partnership named "Gillingham-Troth." Jacob Troth then bought the Grist Mill in Accotink, repaired it, and built a lumber mill beside it. The lumber was to be used for shipbuilding.

Jacob Troth had a son, Paul Hillman Troth, who became a prominent resident of Accotink Village, after moving from the Woodlawn Mansion. At the time, there were no churches or schools in the village. People probably had church services in their homes in Accotink, and some possibly attended Pohick Episcopal Church. Paul Hillman Troth gave land to build a church, and establish a cemetery under the Methodist Conference. The deed was signed in February, 1880, and recorded in the Fairfax County Land Records. A church was built, becoming known as Accotink Methodist Episcopal Church South. The church building was a two story building in the beginning. School was sometimes held in the church.

In a small room upstairs in the church, the Order of the Accotink Odd Fellows was chartered, and they met there until they built their own building across the road from the church. My grandfather and one of his brothers were charter members of the Order.

Later a school was built beside the church. The church building was later converted to a one-story building. When the school was torn down in later years, the bell was installed in the church. We still ring it on Sunday mornings.

My Dad attended Accotink Church before World War I. It was a place for many social activities including pie socials, ice cream socials, Christmas programs, etc. Attendance was good. Most of the people in Accotink Village attended. Years after World War I, my Dad contacted Rev. John Seay, one of the ministers who had moved on from Accotink, to have him come back and perform the wedding ceremony for my parents. I believe Rev. Seay had also served at Franconia Methodist Church, and he was the minister who baptized and christened me.

When Potters Hill School burned down, students were sent to Accotink to finish the school year. I was in the first grade at the time. The first, second, third, and fourth grades went to the Odd Fellows Hall for school. The fifth, sixth, and seventh grades finished the year in Accotink Church. The next year I was transferred to Franconia School, and a lot of the students went to Woodlawn School.

In 1978, after having been a caregiver to my family for many years, I decided to find a small church to become involved in. I chose Accotink United Methodist Church, and become involved I did! I have been Lay Leader since 1979, and this past June I attended the Virginia Annual Conference as a delegate for the 27th consecutive year.

The church has been involved in bazaars, fairs, dinners, and various fund-raising activities. Shortly after I joined I was put on the building committee. The sanctuary was very much in need of repairs. After an extensive search, we found a young man named Gary O'Neil, who was in the building trade. Even though several others had told us the building could not be repaired, Gary O'Neil was able to make the necessary repairs. He carefully took up half of the flooring in the sanctuary, saving it to be re-used. He then repaired the supports underneath, repaired the outside wall, put the original flooring back, painted, and did a very good job. We had several fund-raisers to obtain the money to pay for the repairs, and were quite proud of ourselves!

There are only a few of us at Accotink right now, and we love the church. Some of us are descendants of the original families, and somehow we feel a connection with the past when we are there.

The original Bible, Communion Set, and pump organ are still in the church. When Jean Reynolds, the wife of one of our former pastors comes to visit, she plays the refurbished pump organ. It reminds me of my Aunt Etta, who played that same organ for many years. It still sounds great!

My great-grandparents, John Baggett and Sarah Pettit Baggett, were probably among the first buried in Accotink Cemetery. Grandpap John Baggett was killed by a runaway team of horses in 1884, and Grandmother Sarah died in 1888. They are buried on the very back row. Other church members also have relatives buried in the church cemetery. Our Trustee Chairman, Clayton Dawson, has a grandfather buried there, who was a Civil War veteran. Marjorie Simms also has relatives buried there. Her grandmother lived in Accotink and attended the church, as did Clayton Dawson's family.

One of the most prominent residents of Accotink was Samuel Mason, who came from New Hampshire. He and his wife are also buried there in the cemetery. He started the first Sunday School at Accotink Church. We have a very large picture of him in the Fellowship Hall. He also had a blacksmith shop and a carriage shop years ago in the Village of Accotink. Some other familiar family names of folks who have attended the church and lived in or near the Village are Anderson, Dove, Cawman, Grimsley, Pettit, Shepherd, France, Deavers, Carver, and a number of others.

The attendance has dropped down considerably over the past year for several reasons. Two of our long-time members, Kathleen Pettit Lee and Jane Dawson Simms passed away, but things are definitely looking up! We had a new pastor appointed the first of August, Rev. Hilary "Pete" Costello, Jr., and everyone likes him very much. We hope this coming year will be one of revival for Accotink Church. Our new Pastor is laying the groundwork already. Keep us in your prayers!

For more on Accotink Village of long ago, I recommend you read the books, "Potomac Interlude" by Dorothy Troth Muir and "This Was The Potomac River" by Frederick Tilp.


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Here follows an excerpt from Donald Hakenson's "This Forgotten Land" tour guide:

This small white frame church was built in 1880. The cemetery contains ninety or more headstones and many unmarked burials. The cemetery is clean and well maintained.

The Alexandria Gazette, dated March 22, 1865 stated, "It is said that a portion of Mosby's command visited the neighborhood below Accotink, on Sunday night last, and carried off some horses and stock, etc., belonging to Mr. Ezra Troth, Mr. McAllister, and others." No other information could be found regarding this raid.

UNION SERGEANT JOHN W.S. CAWMAN.
Buried in the Accotink cemetery in Sergeant John Weslie Stuart Cawman who was born in Blackwater, New Jersey on April 4, 1842. John Cawman enlisted in 1862 as a Private in Company B, Twenty-fourth New Jersey Infantry. On August 31, 1864 until June 30, 1865, he was a Sergeant in Captain Spaulding's Company, Thirty-eighth Regiment of New Jersey Volunteers. Sergeant Cawman married Jane E. Pettit circa 1873 and became a resident of Accotink, Virginia. Sergeant Cawman died near Accotink, Virginia on June 22, 1916.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2008 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

A Ghost Story
by Marge Baggett Tharpe

Just beyond the Quonset hut and on the right is a dirt road. Worcester drove down the road about a city block and told Bertha and I that a house had stood there on the right of the dirt road and was known as "The Ghost House." A lot of big trees were still standing where the house had probably stood. It seems that a family lived there by the name of "Whitely." The man fell off of some steps and broke his neck. His wife, known as "Aunt Fannie," stayed with Worcester 's mother when a baby boy was born. The baby died at age 6 months. He was born about 1901. Worcester said his sister Katie was born in 1903, Dorothy in 1905, and he was born in 1907.

He told us that they had a very shallow well at their house, and sometimes it went dry. He and Dorothy used to go over to Whitely's house and wind water from the well there. There would be "eerie" sounds like "bang, bang" as if something was falling down in the old house. He said both he and Dorothy would hear it. That is why they later called it "The Ghost House." The place was full of cherry trees. Later some of the Knights or Hullfish who owned the hardware store in Alexandria owned the property. Then still later, Martin Dunne owned it.

Near Grandmother's house was a big old tree, and at night there was a noise coming from it like a woman crying. Everyone said it was haunted. Worcester said he later thought it might have been a screech owl.

Another time, after attending church services at Accotink Methodist Church , Worcester was driving up the hill with his mother in the front with him, and his sisters Katy and Dorothy were in the back seat. Suddenly a man in a brown suit appeared on the hill, and as they drove up the hill about 20 mph, the man walked beside them and kept up with the car. Worcester said he asked his mother if she saw that man and she said, "What man?" He had disappeared just as they reached the top of the hill.

ABOUT ME

Award-winning local historian and tour guide in Franconia and the greater Alexandria area of Virginia.

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ADDRESS

Nathaniel Lee

c/o Franconia Museum

6121 Franconia Road

Alexandria, VA 22310

franconiahistory@gmail.com

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