Chopawamsic

For other places called Chopawamsic, see Chopawamsic (disambiguation).

Chopawamsic Island is the only island in the Potomac River within the territorial boundaries of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Introduction

Chopawamsic Island

The 13-acre (53,000 m²) Island features a main house, guest house, caretaker’s house, and other structures. (All were constructed prior to World War I and need 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 documents indicate that the Confederate States of America 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 base may include historic photographs of Chopawamsic Island.

Rare Plants & Wildlife

The island is home to a mix of different wildlife habitats. Wetland species include flocks of swans, geese, and ducks that use the sheltered area for feeding and resting. Migratory songbirds abound during the temperate months, with intense activity in the spring. Ospreys and bald eagles settle here, as do waders such as green heron, great egret, and great blue heron.

Owners

The first English resident of the island was Giles Brent, who settled here in 1649 with his wife, Mary Kittamaquund. She was the daughter of the paramount chief, or Tayac, Kittamaquund, who led the Piscataway 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. 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). 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.

• 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 Ducking Society, of which Theodore Roosevelt was a member.
• October 11, 1903 - Samuel Langley conducted a manned flight experiment. One of the 1896 (source? conflicts with previous date) test planes, launched near Chopawamsic Island, covered a distance of about three-quarters of a mile and achieved a speed of more than 25 mph (40 km/h). Langley's model planes for those experiments had a wingspan of about 14 feet (4.3 m) and were powered by a small steam engine. The 1896 tests were witnessed by Langley's friend and colleague, Alexander Graham Bell.^{[citation needed]}
• The National Geographic Society 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.
• June 14, 1983 - Columbia Tours International bought the island.

John Lennon considered purchasing the island for his home.

External links

• Langley Aerodome A
• Main content copied with permission from: http://www.chopawamsic.com/

Coordinates: 38°30′29″N 77°17′49″W / 38.50806°N 77.29694°W / 38.50806; -77.29694