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Crow's Nest gets salute
New headstone placed at historic family cemetery at Crow's Nest in Stafford. Efforts to preserve the peninsula continue.Date published: 6/28/2002
AS STAFFORD COUNTY grows with new homes and businesses, a nearly 4,000-acre peninsula along its eastern shore remains virtually un-touched. That was until yesterday when a large truck, weighted down with a hoist, slowly chugged along a rutted path leading to the heart of this environmental jewel known as Crow's Nest. The truck wasn't coming to cut roads or clear the land nestled between Potomac and Accokeek creeks. It was carrying a 300-pound granite headstone to a tiny 19th- century cemetery tucked beneath a canopy of trees. But the new stone doesn't just pay homage to a loved one. "This stone tells the story of the people who lived here," said Travers Daniel, a descendant of Rawleigh Travers, the first owner of Crow's Nest. Chiseled into the rock is a history of the land and its notable residents such as Hannah Ball, aunt of President George Washington, and Mildred Stone, whose father signed the Declaration of Independence. The new stone now stands next to two other marble slabs that have been impressed upon a brick wall. Daniel, his father, Raleigh, who's 88, and other relatives researched the family's background and the history of Crow's Nest over the past year. It was near Crow's Nest in 1607 that famed English Capt. John Smith paid a visit to Indian Point, which lies just across the creek from the peninsula. Six years later, Pocahontas was kidnapped near there and held for ransom by Capt. Samuel Argall. Residents raised a variety of goods, which were shipped back to England. The land got its name from a black, three-masted schooner known as "The Crow" that was harbored there in the mid-1800s. But during the Civil War, the peninsula was pretty much obliterated by Union troops. If its history weren't enough, Crow's Nest is also an ecological marvel. It boasts a variety of rare plant species and is home to a large blue heron rookery and bald eagle nests. But this all could change if the land's current owner, K&M Properties in McLean, develops the property. "Preserving this site is the best thing that could happen," Daniel said. The Crow's Nest Trust was established in January to do just that. The nonprofit group hopes to raise about $200,000 annually to maintain the property.
Date published: 6/28/2002
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