Chopawamsic Island is one of the few islands in the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

within the territorial boundaries of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is on the west side of the river next to

Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southe ...

about 30 miles south of Washington.

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, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. 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 ( 23 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 natio ...

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...

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 is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

documents indicate that the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

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 military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included raiding ashore (often in supp ...

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 semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

species include flocks of

swans Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. 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 (: geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (black geese). Some members of the Tadorninae subfamily (e.g., Egyp ...

, and

ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

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''), historically known as 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 a wingspan of . It ...

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 complex, species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies ...

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, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. R ...

, 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 and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

Owners

The first English resident of the island was

Giles Brent Giles may refer to: People * Giles (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Giles (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Saint Giles (650–710), Christian hermit saint * Giles of Assisi (c. 1190–1 ...

, who settled here in 1649 with his wife,

Mary Kittamaquund Mary Kittamaquund (c. 1634 – c. 1654 or 1700) was a Piscataway woman who played a role in the establishment of the Maryland colony. The daughter of the Piscataway chieftain Kittamaquund, she was sent by her father as an adoptee to be raised ...

. She was the daughter of the

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

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

Piscataway Piscataway may refer to: *Maryland (place) **Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community ** Piscataway Creek, Maryland ** Piscataway Park, historical park at the mouth of Piscataway Creek ** Siege of Piscataway, siege of Susquehannock fort sou ...

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 Powhatan people () are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who belong to member tribes of the Powhatan Confederacy, or Tsenacommacah. They are Algonquian peoples whose historic territories were in eastern Virginia. Their Powha ...

. 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 an 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 th ...

). 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 is located at 800 East Broad Street, tw ...

. * 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 the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

Ducking Society, of which

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

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 Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...

. 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, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...

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 activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

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