Mosby Heritage Area Association Newsletter
January 2010
From the President
I am very pleased to report that the Mosby Heritage Area Association wound up in the black in 2009, one of the roughest economic years in decades. We had a lean budget, and our revenues just barely exceeded expenditures. But we did not scrimp on carrying out our “Preservation Through Education” mission throughout the entire year.
Thanks are in order to our members, to our all-volunteer Board and Advisory Board members, to our other volunteers, and to our two staffers, Executive Director Judy Reynolds and Education Director Rich Gillespie. It took many long hours of hard work from staff, volunteers and Board members, along with generous contributions from members and supporters, but we came through.
What all this shows is that there is strong, unwavering support for what we do. That support is an inspiration to all of us as we begin MHAA’s 15th anniversary year. We will have several special events in 2010 to commemorate our founding in 1995. Stay tuned to our website and to upcoming newsletters for the latest news on who will help us celebrate, and where and when the events will take place.
Thanks to everyone for your support.
Marc Leepson,
President, Mosby Area Heritage Association
MHAA Launches Business/Professional Memberships
As part of the 15th anniversary in 2010, MHAA has launched a Business/Professional Membership category and we are happy to report that responses are coming in.
The first new member in this category is McGregor Craig & Associates of Hume, Virginia,, a 17-year-old firm offering fine residential painting and restoration services primarily in Fauquier and Loudoun Counties, as well as Warren, Clarke and Rappahannock.
“I had been meaning to join MHAA Kenny Craig of McGregor Craig told us a couple of weeks ago. “Now I’m proud to be a supporting member of Mosby Heritage Area Association.”
Business/Professional Memberships are available in several categories, each with membership benefits listed below:
Heritage Supporter - includes press release announcement $250
Heritage Cavalier - adds E-newsletter announcement $500
Heritage Patron - adds Sponsorship of event $1,000
Heritage Benefactor - adds Presenting Sponsorship $2,500
Heritage Silver Circle - adds Title Sponsorship $5,000
Heritage Gold Circle - adds one year E-newsletter Sponsorship $10,000
Gray Ghost Society - adds free admission to any event $25,000
For more information or an application, visit the MHAA website at mosbyheritagearea.org or call 540-687-6681.
CLICK HERE to visit the Membership Page on our website
2010 Cavaliers, Courage, and Coffee Programs
The sixth season of the Mosby Heritage Area Association’s Cavaliers, Courage and Coffee program begins on February 20, at 7:30 pm at the historic Rector House in Atoka, Virginia (4 miles west of Middleburg off Route 50 on state route 713, physical address: 1461 Atoka Road, Marshall, VA 20115).
This family-oriented program, “Tales for a Winter Night,” will include stories about the exploits of Col. John S. Mosby and his Mosby Rangers. The tales will be told by members of the Gray Ghost Interpretive Group, who take on the persona of individuals who lived during the 1860s and lived the stories they tell.
Four programs will be presented this year:
February 20
May 22
August 7
November 6
Details of future programs will be posted on our website, www.mosbyheritagearea.org, on the Events Pages and in future e-newsletters.
Members of the Gray Ghost Interpretive Group
2010 Raffle: Mort Kunstler and P. Buckley Moss
Mort Kunstler and P. Buckley Moss have donated prints for a raffle that will raise funds for MHAA’s educational programs. The prints will be expertly framed by Mark Moore of Framecraft in Warrenton, an MHAA supporting business member.
Both prints have local historic topics as their themes. The P. Buckley Moss print, “Teddy’s Ride”, depicts President Theodore Roosevelt riding to Warrenton to let his army generals know that they were getting too soft, in his opinion. While in Warrenton, T.R. had lunch at the Warren Green Hotel which now serves as Fauquier County’s government offices. After lunch, Roosevelt and his generals returned to Washington, having ridden about 100 miles in one day. It is said that Roosevelt did change horses. This print was commissioned for the 250th Anniversary of Fauquier County.
The second print that will be raffled is Mort Kunstler’s “The Gray Ghost.” This Snow Print Edition depicts Col. John S. Mosby and some of his Rangers riding out of Warrenton with the Fauquier County courthouse in the background
Raffle tickets can be obtained at all MHAA events, from the office at Atoka, from Board Members and MHAA’s website, www.mosbyheritagearea.org. Tickets are $20 per ticket or $100 for 6 tickets. The 6 tickets may be split between the two prints. The drawing will be held on Friday, December 3.
“The Gray Ghost” by Mort Kunstler
“Teddy's Ride” by Mark Moore
In Our Back Yard:
A Celebration of Loudoun's Historic and Environmental Heritage
The Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition, a group of local organizations dedicated to the preservation, enhancement, and celebration of Loudoun’s unique historic and environmental assets, is sponsoring “In Our Backyard: A Celebration of Loudoun’s Historic and Environmental Heritage.” The event will take place on Sunday, January 31, from 2:30 to 4:30 at Loudoun Water (44865 Loudoun Water Way, Ashburn, VA 20146, off Loudoun County Parkway). Directions at www.LoudounWater.org.
Enjoy multiple exhibits, including one from MHAA, highlighting area organizations and their work. Learn how to get involved in preservation and conservation projects in Loudoun County.
Other groups attending include Audubon Naturalist Society, Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Guides, Goose Creek Association, Banshee Reeks Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia, Friends of Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Loudoun County Civil War Roundtable, Lincoln Preservation Society, Loudoun Preservation Society, Loudoun Watershed Watch, Loudoun Wildlife Conservatory, Morven Park, Mount Zion Church Preservation Association, Piedmont Environmental Council, Sustainable Loudoun, Unison Preservation Society and Waterford Foundation, Inc.
There will be a short talk by MHAA Education Director Rich Gillespie on Loudoun’s heritage and there will be an opportunity to visit Loudoun Water’s Aquiary. This event is free and the public is invited.
For further information contact Lori Kimball, lps@preserveloudoun.org or Al Van Huyck, avanhuyck@aol.org.
Site of the Month:
Atoka General Store
The Atoka General Store was built in 1892 by Asa Rector in the village of Rector’s Crossroads along the Ashby Gap Turnpike. The prosperous Mr. Rector also built a new home across the street, known as Kaos. Rector’s Store, as it was known in the neighborhood, replaced an earlier store built by David Denham in 1836.
A post office operated out of the original store in 1838 but closed in 1853. The post office reopened in 1867 but again closed the following year. With the building of the new store, the post office opened again in 1983. It was also in this year when the post office for Rector’s Crossroads was told by the United States Postal Service that itsname had to be changed because of the confusion caused by two villages, Rector’s Crossroad and Rectortown. The name “Atoka” was chosen from a book of suggested names.
The store became the place where elderly Mosby Rangers regaled listeners with stories of their wartime exploits. Rector’s Crossroads served as a rendezvous for many of the raids lead by Col. John S. Mosby.
Mosby came back to visit in 1893. The story, which was passed down by the Rector family, tells of Mosby knocking on the door of the Caleb Rector House and asking the lady of the house for permission to come in to sit. His request was granted. Later when Mrs. Rector came back into the room expecting it to be empty, found Col. Mosby sitting in the parlor with tears in his eyes.
Today, the Atoka General Store is the center of activity in the village, even though the new highway built in 1957, Route 50, the John S. Mosby Highway, bypasses the village. People from the area stop by for a sandwich prepared at the Atoka Store Grill or to get a cool drink on a hot day. The Atoka Store is the nearest thing to fast food for miles around.
Atoka General Store and Angus Brown House, Atoka, VA
Did You Know?
Atoka is an Oklahoma Indian name. There is an Atoka County and town named Atoka in Oklahoma just southeast of Oklahoma City.
MHAA Store
Visit our MHAA Store at our website www.mosbyheritagearea.org to find items for yourself or that Mosby fan in your family. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you may want to purchase our “Got Mosby” t-shirt, a gray shirt with red lettering, for that Mosby person in your life.
Got Mosby?
CLICK HERE to visit the MHAA store on our website.
The Mosby Heritage Area Association
P.O. Box 1497
Middleburg, VA 20118
540.687.6681
click here to email us
Site Designed By:
intelement
Photography By:
Kata Rishel
Illustration By:
Maria Nicklin