Brucetown is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in northern Frederick County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 274. Brucetown lies at the intersection of Brucetown and Sir John Roads. A post office was established in the community in 1819. Brucetown also had its own school in operation from 1871 to 1941.

History

Brucetown was named for the Bruce family, some of the earliest Europeans that settled there. Sir John Robert Bruce, I came to the area between 1731 and 1737, and built a

grist Grist is grain that has been separated from its chaff in preparation for grinding. It can also mean grain that has been ground at a gristmill. Its etymology derives from the verb ''grind.'' Grist can be ground into meal or flour, depending on ho ...

and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

that established the village. John Bruce (son of Thomas Bruce and Mary Christian Bruce of Scotland) was christened in the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) on September 7, 1690. In Aberdeen Scotland, three of John's children were also christened in Scotland: James Bruce on May 20, 1720, George Bruce on April 27, 1722, and Margaret Bruce on March 5, 1727. He willed 150 acres each to his sons George and James. His son George Bruce continued the operation of the mill in Brucetown, Virginia and also operated a tavern. This became known as Bruce's Mills and later, Brucetown.

Historic Village Marker "Brucetown 1740"

There exists today (at roughly coordinates 39.2546921,-78.0671202, near 1955 State Rte 672, Clear Brook, VA) a historic town marker for Brucetown, VA which reads as follows: "BRUCETOWN 1740. Originally known as "New Design" the area was settled by Quaker John Littler (1708-1748) in 1740. Littler operated several mills nearby until his death in 1748. During the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

, Littler's wife Mary (née Mary Ross, 1707-1741) operated the "Blue Ball Inn" near the village and hosted officers of the 44th British Regiment. In 1761 George Bruce, Mary Littler's son-in-law (married to Rachel Littler, 1737-1821) and the son of John Bruce a Scottish immigrant, established the village formerly known as "Bruce's Mill" or "Bruce's Village". During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Generals

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his U.S. Army commissio ...

, and

Fitzhugh Lee Fitzhugh Lee (November 19, 1835 – April 28, 1905) was a Confederate cavalry general in the American Civil War, the 40th Governor of Virginia, diplomat, and United States Army general in the Spanish–American War. He was the son of Sydney S ...

were known to have frequented the village. With the establishment of the first area post office in 1819, the village became officially known as Brucetown. Virginia Governor Charles T. O'Farrell (1894-1898) was born (here) in 1840." Masons

References

Unincorporated communities in Frederick County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia Census-designated places in Frederick County, Virginia Census-designated places in Virginia Populated places established in 1819 {{FrederickCountyVA-geo-stub