Do any of you descend from Cecils of Giles county, Virginia? Major Wm. P.
Cecil was, I believe, a veteran of the Civil War, and is buried in a
cemetery near Ripplemead which I recently visited. Heres my report, and a
raising of some concerns. . .
In early August of this year, I went to Ripplemead, Virginia to revisit the
old Chapman property, original home of my great-great-great-great-great
grandfather John Chapman (1740-1813). I was accompanied by my father (Dr.
Cecil Chapman), my wife (Dr. Stephanie Corn), and our daughter (McKensey
Chapman, age 8). We arrived mid-afternoon on Sunday August 1, took the
Pearisburg exit off route 460, and found Virginia Heights Road (which
becomes Riverbend Drive), following it over a mile until it crested a hill
overlooking the New River and the old Chapman property. Visible above the
river and the railroad tracks is a pasture (30+ acres), in which are the
rusted roofs of old barns. Above the road are a number of nice homes, each
with what is likely a grand view of the pasture and river valley below. I
had obtained permission over the phone a few days before from Mr. Dennis
Wade, who I was told owns the property containing the cemetery and ruins of
the old home, so we drove onto the pasture road and down into the field.
The chimney of John Chapman's home, plainly visible when I visited some
thirty years ago, now cannot be seen from the pasture. It is perhaps twenty
yards into the forest, and a dirt road has been newly bush-hogged past it; a
bobcat was parked nearby. In fact, if my father hadn't been looking
carefully, we could easily have walked right past it. Old stone steps rising
from the road disappear into bushes, and the concrete foundation of a newer
porch juts out within a few feet of the dirt road. From atop the stairs, a
large rectangular stone-walled pit can be seen, the original basement, above
which rises a three-story stone chimney with brick fireplaces at the 1st and
2nd floor levels. Otherwise, nothing still stands from the home. The
basement, containing several trees, is filled with old bedframes, fuel
tanks, metal trash - but I imagine an excavation would reveal layers of old
artifacts, perhaps dating back to the mid 1700s.
Heading across a lower corner of the pasture and an old dirt road (leading
down to the new river) and along another strip of pasture - south, I
believe, along Walker Creek which can't be seen from there - we approached
the graveyard. A pink ribbon hung from a treebranch, perhaps 150 yards from
the chimney, marking an opening in the weeds and brush, and the walls of the
graveyard can be seen after walking about ten yards into the woods. The
facing wall to which the rusted iron gate attaches is pitched forward,
looking as though it will soon fall. The cemetery is about 50 feet square,
and the ground inside is covered with some cover such as periwinkle. Many
trees, a few looking to be over a hundred years old, stand in the cemetery
and shade the entire area. Perhaps a dozen headstones are clearly visible
above the groundcover, along with several footstones, and the majority have
readable enscriptions. A few are fallen over, or broken. Names I could
discern included John Chapman (b. 1740), Isaac Chapman (b. 4-19-1764),
Eliane Chapman (b. 1761), Ann Mather Chapman (b. 2-22-1833), Isaac William
Chapman (b. 12-11-1839), William Jackson Chapman (b. 2-13-1857), Mary
Chapman (b. 4-1-1784), Manilius Chapman (b. 10-14-1806), Susan Bierne
Chapman (b. 6-13-1813), Henley Chapman (b. 5-25-1843), Mary A. Chapman (b.
3-29-1841), Mary Ann Mullins (b. 1815), Alberta Pendleton (b. 1-30-1882),
Elvina Pendleton (b. 4-30-1811), Albert Gallatin Pendleton (6-28-1801),
Major Wm. P. Cecil (b. 1820), and Sadie Viola Strother (b. 2-23-1874).
(Dates come from a recent accounting by Robert Pretat.) The gravemarker of
Henley Chapman appears to have been moved some distance away from its
original site, as it is over twelve feet from what appears to be the
footstone reading H.C.
On our way out, we visited Lynn and Linda Hayes, who operate the Inn at
Riverbend, a bed
and breakfast perched on the hillside above the pasture with a remarkable
view of the old Chapman property; their website is
www.innatriverbend.com.
Lindas father, Mr. Pretat, has researched the Chapmans and prepared an
impressive report about the history of the Chapman property - he has even
explored and documented the cemetery.
The Hayes were the first to tell us of the potential crisis regarding the
historical site. Apparently, Mr. Wade has plans to develop the pastures
surrounding the cemetery and Chapman homesite, over the protests of the
other neighbors, who want the pasture to remain open space. Some were told
by the original developer that the property would remain undeveloped, a
promise Mr. Wade apparently denies. While my phone contact with Mr. Wade was
pleasant and productive, others visiting the cemetery have reportedly been
rudely asked to leave Mr. Wade's property. I understand the cemetery cannot
be desecrated in any way, but a convenience store could certainly be located
next door if approved by the county planners. And I'm unclear what
protection could be given the ruins of the Chapman homesite. The potential
for archeological study is, of course, significant. John Chapman was an
early settler of Montgomery county, which subsequently became Giles county,
and served in the Revolutionary War; the Daughters of the American
Revolution erected a marker in the cemetery in 1928, and a lengthy article
appeared in the Pearisburg newspaper The Virginia on March 15, 1928. Major
Wm. P. Cecil was, I believe, a veteran of the Civil War. And at least one
of these Chapman descendants was a Mason. Certainly, thousands of Americans
can trace their lineage to someone buried in the cemetery, and who lived in
the home that is now in ruin.
A busy doctor living in Georgia, I cannot devote a great deal of time or
energy into preserving the site. I am hoping to call the attention of
others, those with particular expertise and authority, to the situation, and
to start a process leading to the preservation of this historical treasure.
Please let me know if you are aware of the situation, and (if you are)
your understanding of it. More importantly, please tell if you know what
can be done about it, and if you are aware of any actions pending. I would
appreciate some guidance and direction.
Rees Chapman, Ph.D.