Module 3: Goods and Commodities
A Pastime for Some; a Way of Life for Others
From the 1870s until the Great Depression, Stafford’s Potomac River and Aquia Creek shorelines were destinations for wealthy men in search of good hunting venues. Historically, the creeks and rivers had always provided food for those who lived near them. The waters teemed with fish, crabs, oysters, and a grand assortment of waterfowl. Just up the Potomac River was Washington, D.C., a city that teemed with wealthy professionals and politicians, many of whom enjoyed the sporting life. The R F & P Railroad provided a direct connection between Stafford County and scores of wealthy northerners in search of adventure.
While some county residents chose to sell their land to consortiums of hunters, others derived income as guides or providing lodging, food, and entertainment to hunters. Because duck hunting was a popular winter activity, it provided supplemental income for farmers and waterman in their off-season. The various types of game birds taken during these hunts included mallards, ring bills, bay shufflers, black heads, whisters, and coots.
In 1889, President Harrison took a break from running the country to do a bit of duck hunting in Widewater, followed by President Grover Cleveland at Clifton in 1896.
President Cleveland Hunting, c. 1892Sounds of Stafford
In the News
Alexandria Gazette, December 3, 1892Voices from the Past
“Several of Withers Waller’s daughters heard about President Harrison’s visit to Widewater in December 1889 and took a rowboat out to the president’s steam-powered launch anchored just off-shore. There they “induced the good-natured [colored] man who was left in charge to inspect the craft. They were all nice young ladies and, as the custodian of the launch had some duties to attend to, he allowed them to roam about the boat at their will. They were admiring the cozy little cabin in which the President slept, when the most venturesome of the lot proposed getting into the cot. The proposal was no sooner made than all the party was heartily in favor of it, and wraps and shoes were hastily thrown to one side, while each took a short turn on the President’s couch. The novelty having been enjoyed by all, the bed was neatly made up by most willing hands, and the President was none the wiser when he occupied it that night. This incident is now the talk of Stafford county.”
Washington Post, December 30, 1889
Primary source for Stafford 1896: “Land of Herrings and Persimmons, People and Places of Upper Stafford County, Virginia,” Jerrilynn Eby MacGregor, Heritage Books, 2015