HISTORIC WINCHESTER & CHARLES TOWN -

JUDGE RICHARD PARKER

(WINCHESTER, VA) Today was a mixed bag when it came to weather. As I left the hotel temps were in the 80's and it was very humid. I spent the night in Martinsburg, West Virginia because the hotel rates here are better than in either Hagerstown, Maryland or in Winchester.

I drove back to Winchester this morning and made my first stop at Mount Hebron Cemetery. This is a very old and historic cemetery. The earliest graves date back to 1769. 

THE BYRD FAMILY

Because of it's size and age, I know that the grave stones would be weathered and hard to read so I did a little bit of research last night and had a pretty good idea where some of the more historic graves are located.

My first stop was at the grave of Judge Richard Parker.  Judge Parker was the jurist who presided over the Trial of John Brown following his raid on the arsenal at Harper's Ferry.

The Ashby Brothers

Mount Hebron is also the final resting place of the Byrd Family who were a noted political family in Virginia.  Harry Flood Byrd, Sr., was the brother of Richard E. Byrd, Jr., who was the famous naval aviator who led an expedition to the South Pole.  Harry went on to enter politics and served as the 50th Governor of Virginia and then served in the United States Senate from 1933-1965. He was succeeded in the Senate by his son Harry F. Byrd, Jr., who served from 1965 - 1983.


In the rear of the cemetery is the Stonewall Jackson Confederate Cemetery. Here confederate dead from the Civil War are resting. Some of the more notable Confederate Veteran that are resting here are The Ashby Brothers. General (a rank that was never confirmed) Turner Ashby was a member of the 7th Virginia Cavalry and was killed in action at the Battle of Good's Farm near Harrisonburg, Virginia on June 6, 1962.

Turner Ashby is buried with his brother, Captain Richard Ashby, who was killed in 1861 during a
skirmish near Harper's Ferry.

The Patton Brother

Resting next to the Ashby Brothers is the grave of The Patton Brothers.  Waller Tazewell Patton and his brother George Smith Patton both served during the Civil War and both were killed in Battle.  Waller Patton died on July 3, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg, while George died on September 25, 1864 during the Third Battle of Winchester. They are resting together under the same marker.  George S. Patton is the grandfather of the famed World War II General by the Same Name.

My final stop in Mount Hebron is at the grave of Revolutionary War General Daniel Morgan. General Morgan was present at a number of Revolutionary War Battles and was at Yorktown when the war ended.  He also served as a teamster during the French and Indian War with his cousin Daniel Boone. He died on July 6, 1802 at his daughters home in Winchester.

After finishing my visit to Mount Hebron, it made a stop at the Stonewall Jackson House in downtown Winchester. This house served as General Jackson headquarters from November 1861 through March 1862. It was here that he planned the Valley Campaign.  The tour take about an hour and is conducted by a couple of wonderful ladies in period dress.  The house is furnished with a mix of Jackson artifacts along with period pieces.  They is no photography permitted inside the house.

Jefferson County Courthouse

After my tour of the Jackson House I headed over to Charles Town.  I did manage to visit the grounds of the Jefferson County Courthouse. This is where John Brown was tried following his raid at Harper's Ferry.  The courthouse is still an active courthouse and is only open Monday-Friday.  Today
I was only able to walk around the outside of this Historic Building.

The site where John Brown was Hanged

Just a few block away on South Samuel Street is the site where John Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859.  A month after his trial John Brown, with his arms tied, rode to this spot in the bed of a wagon sitting on his coffin. He was escorted to the gallows that stood on this spot and hanged.

While walking around downtown Charles Town, the sound of thunder and a couple of flashes of lightening cut my visit short and I headed by to the car and made my way to the nearby casino.  I waited out the storm by pumping a few buck into the slot machine. Having quickly reach my $20 limit I called a halt to gambling and hit the buffet for an early supper.

After spending a couple of hours at the casino, I made my way back to Martinsburg, where I am again spending the night.