Chopawamsic Island is one of the few islands in the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

within the territorial boundaries of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

History

Once known as Scott's Island, little is known about its history prior to the 1900s due to Stafford County's records being burned in 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 ...

. The island is accessible only by boat and has served as home to several families over the years. The Island features a main house, guest house, caretaker's house, and other structures. All were constructed in the early 1900s and supposedly patterned after homes in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

in England. The main house has a balcony that opens to the

. All buildings are in need of extensive renovation. Electricity is provided via underwater cable. Water is provided by a 280-foot-deep well on the island. The island is for sale. Some

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

documents indicate that the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

controlled the area until the winter of 1861. They had numerous camps at Quantico, and used the island for rest and recreation. Photographs of the Quantico area on display at Hospital Point on the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

base may include historic photographs of Chopawamsic Island.

Rare plants and wildlife

The island is home to a mix of different wildlife habitats.

Wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

species include flocks of

swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

geese A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...

, and

ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

that use the sheltered area for feeding and resting. Migratory songbirds abound during the temperate months, with intense activity in the spring.

Osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

s and

bald eagles The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

settle here, as do waders such as

green heron The green heron (''Butorides virescens'') is a small heron of North and Central America. ''Butorides'' is from Middle English ''butor'' "bittern" and Ancient Greek ''-oides'', "resembling", and ''virescens'' is Latin for "greenish". It was long c ...

great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and ...

, and

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

Owners

The first English resident of the island was Giles Brent, who settled here in 1649 with his wife,

Mary Kittamaquund Mary Kittamaquund (c. 1634 – c. 1654 or 1700), daughter of the Piscataway chieftain Kittamaquund, helped establish peaceful relations between English immigrants to the Maryland and Virginia Colonies and their native peoples. Life After Jesuit ...

. She was the daughter of the

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arch ...

, or ''Tayac'', ''Kittamaquund'', who led the

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States *Piscataway language *Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community *Piscataway, New Jersey, a township *Piscataway Creek, Ma ...

nation, the most powerful on the north shore of the Potomac and one to which other tribes were tributary. The Piscataway were allied with the

Powhatan Confederacy The Powhatan people (; also spelled Powatan) may refer to any of the indigenous Algonquian people that are traditionally from eastern Virginia. All of the Powhatan groups descend from the Powhatan Confederacy. In some instances, The Powhatan ...

. At the time, they had friendly relations with the English governments in Jamestown and the colony of Maryland. An early owner of the island was the Rev. Alexander Scott of the Church of Overwharten (now known as

Aquia Church Aquia Church is a historic church and congregation at 2938 Richmond Highway (US 1 at VA 610) in Stafford, Virginia, USA. It is an Episcopal congregation founded in 1711, that meets in an architecturally exceptional Georgian brick building tha ...

). He purchased the property from the Brent family in the early 18th century. During the Civil War, the Stafford County Courthouse was burned. This destroyed all the original deed and documentary records related to the island's settlement. Copies may be found in the

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and i ...

. * June 5, 1878 - E.A. Hore sold the island to Levi Woodbury of Washington DC. * June 24, 1887 - He sold the property to the

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

Ducking Society, of which

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

was a member. * 1893 - 1903 -

Samuel Langley Samuel Pierpont Langley (August 22, 1834 – February 27, 1906) was an American aviation pioneer, astronomer and physicist who invented the bolometer. He was the third secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and a professor of astronomy a ...

conducted manned flight experiments from a houseboat moored Chopawamsic Island. Three flights in 1896, using Aerodrome Numbers 5 and 6, covered distances of one half mile (Aerodrome No. 6 on May 6, 1896), 3,300 feet (Aerodrome No. 5 on May 6, 1896), and 4800 feet (Aerodrome No. 6 on November 28, 1896). The official observer for the May 6, 1896 tests was Langley's friend and colleague,

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

. Langley's model planes for those experiments had a wingspan of about and were powered by a small steam engine. * The

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

owned the Island for a time. * November 3, 1915 - Charles H. Pardoe sold the island to Charles J. Butler. * July 29, 1958 - Wilson & Lucy Fisher sold the property to Wesley & Dee Fry. * 1979 - The Frys offer the island for $1,050,000.00 * June 14, 1983 - Sold to Paul N. Temple. * June 16, 1989 - The island was sold to a development partnership.

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

considered purchasing the island for his home.

References

External links

Langley Aerodome A
* Main content copied with permission from: http://www.chopawamsic.com/ {{authority control River islands of Virginia Islands of the Potomac River Former British colonies and protectorates in the Americas Virginia in the American Civil War Private islands of the United States Uninhabited islands of Virginia Landforms of Stafford County, Virginia Uninhabited islands of the United States