Hello,

I saw a reference recently that indicated that an aerial photo of the Garrett home exists. It was taken in the 1930s. Has anyone seen it?


Michael Gambuzza

I believe that it is in the James O. Hall files at Surratt House. I may be confusing it with one done in the 1970s by Dan Bergentino, however. Bergentino used infra-red photography to try and find foundations, etc. I haven't looked at that one for thirty years, so I don't remember details. I was amazed because the house would sit in the median strip of Rt. 301 today, and the land around it would have been greatly disturbed in putting the road through in the 1940s-50s.

Shoot me an e-mail at work, laurie.verge@pgparks.com, and I'll check with the keepr of our photographs. Copies are reasonable.

Laurie. The original references to The Garrett Farm used the terms "Locust Hill". From that I have trouble relating the Farm House to the lanes of Rt. 301. I would hardly call that a "Hill". So, I poked around beyond the North-Bound lane , readily accepted as the Front of the farm, and found another "Lane" well down in the woods. (East of the House site). It is level, but much overgrown with trees. From this I conclude that both lanes of 301 are "New Roads". I went to that new found lane and looked back at where the house was. Now, that is a hill. I doubt if you could see the first floor of the house - you could not see the yard. Both lanes of 301 have been excavated in the Garrett Farm property, and straddle the house. The barn then would have been located somewhere IN or BEYOND the South bound Lane. (To the west of the house site.) The land beyond the south-bound lane is higher than the house site, so that lane is considerably below the level of the original farmyard. It would not suprise me to learn that the VDOT (Va. Dept. of Highways) set that road to miss the housesite, but it didn't miss the barn site. If this information is needed for some reason, I can check with VDOT to see if the original plans for the road are available to us. I am positive they exist - but can we look at them?

(04-10-2013 09:47 PM)John Stanton Wrote:  Laurie. The original references to The Garrett Farm used the terms "Locust Hill". From that I have trouble relating the Farm House to the lanes of Rt. 301. I would hardly call that a "Hill". So, I poked around beyond the North-Bound lane , readily accepted as the Front of the farm, and found another "Lane" well down in the woods. (East of the House site). It is level, but much overgrown with trees. From this I conclude that both lanes of 301 are "New Roads". I went to that new found lane and looked back at where the house was. Now, that is a hill. I doubt if you could see the first floor of the house - you could not see the yard. Both lanes of 301 have been excavated in the Garrett Farm property, and straddle the house. The barn then would have been located somewhere IN or BEYOND the South bound Lane. (To the west of the house site.) The land beyond the south-bound lane is higher than the house site, so that lane is considerably below the level of the original farmyard. It would not suprise me to learn that the VDOT (Va. Dept. of Highways) set that road to miss the housesite, but it didn't miss the barn site. If this information is needed for some reason, I can check with VDOT to see if the original plans for the road are available to us. I am positive they exist - but can we look at them?

John, Great work. I had talked to Gilbert Brittle and Herb Collins about the construction of 301 and both said alot of dirt was moved around. I has assumed that the northbound lanes were the general proximity of the road and thought it ran very close to the house.

It would make sense that an ariel picture would exist from about the time A.P. Hill came into being.

JOhn,

Mr. Hal l(and probably Mike Kauffman) knew about the other road and farm lane because Hall pointed it out to me through the woods on the northbound side one time when the leaves were off. For some reason, I remember a one-lane, "modern" road in the vicinity that crosses under 301 somehow?

Mike climbed down the south lanes years ago and poked around for evidence of the barn's remains, Luckily, he did not get arrested since he was definitely on a military reservation. I believe he said he found some charred wood, but nothing that could be authenticated.

My parents were stationed at Langley Field during WWII and traveled that section of 301 frequently. Mom used to talk about the steep hill that was there before the new road cut the elevation down so much.

That said, I would definitely pester the Army for more information and also VDOT

It's been a hectic time with report cards for me, but here's that aerial shot of the Garrett site from 1937, I believe:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b427yxtqz7x17u...30%27s.jpg

(04-11-2013 09:23 AM)Dave Taylor Wrote:  It's been a hectic time with report cards for me, but here's that aerial shot of the Garrett site from 1937, I believe:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/b427yxtqz7x17u...30%27s.jpg

Great work Dave....wait a minute, I should be the Garrett family expert!!! LOL

None of those structures exist today, correct?

(04-11-2013 03:31 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  None of those structures exist today, correct?

Bill,

Sadly, no, there is nothing left of the house or barn(s) at the Garrett site. The house collapsed in on itself in the late 1930s. The new barn was either demolished when Fort AP Hill was made or eventually collapsed in on itself as well. Up until the early 1960s an outline for the foundation of the house could still be seen. After the southbound lane of Route 301 was put in however that too disappeared.

Very impressive photos -

Thanks!

(04-11-2013 04:11 PM)Dave Taylor Wrote:  

(04-11-2013 03:31 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  None of those structures exist today, correct?

Bill,

Sadly, no, there is nothing left of the house or barn(s) at the Garrett site. The house collapsed in on itself in the late 1930s. The new barn was either demolished when Fort AP Hill was made or eventually collapsed in on itself as well. Up until the early 1960s an outline for the foundation of the house could still be seen. After the southbound lane of Route 301 was put in however that too disappeared.

Dave: I agree. It is sad that a site of such historical significance should be vanished. I don't know the particulars of how it happened, but wish it could have been different. Maybe it was thought that the place might become a shrine of sorts to Booth?

Re. Post #11.You nailed it when you said that the site may become a shrine of sorts to Booth. Well made signs pop up now and then at the House location containing "fair words" for Booth. But they are gone by my next visit.
BTW - is Rt. 301 a "structure"? That has survived.

Thank you Dave for the photo.

Laurie sent these images which were done years ago:

Today I was down in Culpepper Virginia and went by the Grafitti House at the Brandy Station Battlefield. One of the volunteers was stationed at Ft. A.P. Hill (born in Culpepper) during the 1960's and was sent over to the area of 301 where there was a bulldozer. There was a group there doing an archialogical dig on the place where someone named Wilkes died.

That's pretty good archialogical work with a bulldozer!