Government Island

Today's weather was pretty and warm, so Daddy decided to go exploring. After a quick stop to buy a fishing license, Daddy drove south to see what he could find.

Not far from home, Daddy spotted a large highway sign. The sign was brown, shiny, and new, and read "Government Island. Turn left at Signal". Not knowing what Government Island was, and having some time to fill, Daddy made the turn.

After some investigation Daddy found that Government Island is a newly opened Stafford County Park that showcases "the historic 18th century sandstone quarry from which stone was extracted to build the White House and the U.S. Capitol". Alright, that sounds interesting...time to explore!

The park begins with an asphalt trail that leads to a very long, raised wooden trail. These pictures only show a few feet of the almost 1/2 mile long wooden walkway.

Government Island turns out to not really be an island - it's more of a peninsula that occasionally becomes separated from the surrounding land by raised water levels, usually extreme amounts of rain or wacky tides. The "island" is bracketed on three sides by marsh-like land.

Daddy crossed the wooden walkway over the marsh and followed a dirt trail that led off to the right. After several hundred yards along this trail Daddy became worried that his steps were being wasted. There really wasn't much to look at.

After several hundred more feet, Daddy turned a corner in the trail and was able to see out over the water. Government Island sticks out into Aquia Creek and is across the water from a large housing development. One of the houses you can see from the island is quite large. The retaining wall that is below this house is made of brick. Lots of brick - that wall is almost as tall as the three story house it lies below.
Finally, after some more hiking, things started to get more interesting. The northern side of the island has a large amount of rock. The rock formation below is typical of the terrain that covers approximately ten acres of the northern side. The southern side was the featureless, flat terrain you saw in the fourth picture. Perhaps the southern side of the island was quarried first? Or maybe it is just got the short end of the geological stick.

These slabs are left from the quarry operations. You can still see the tool marks on the rock face.

Master masons oversaw daily operations on the island. Stone cutters and carvers were the skilled laborers that cut the rocks into moveable blocks. Several blacksmiths were employed full time on the island to make and sharpen the many tools needed to remove the stones. The common laborers were the ones doing the heavy work. These laborers (usually slaves) received housing and food, which included "one pound of good pork or one pound and a half of beef and one pound flour per day..." along with a half pint whiskey.

The workers would cut two vertical channels on each side of a block. These channels were about 20" wide - just big enough to allow a man to work along the edges of the block. Once the block was defined on the sides, wedges would be inserted along the rear of the block to pry the rock away from the bigger mass. Once freed, the block would be placed onto a skid or cart and moved to the wharf on the northeastern side of the island.

Apparently the Stafford County Parks and Recreation crew is worried about someone defacing the rocks. To guard against the threat of a late night graffiti attack they have installed several game cameras. These cameras are motion (or time) activated and can provide the police with a decent photo of the offending vandal. Only there is a problem with the installation. The crew gave the cameras great sightlines and locked then down with security cables, but the camera itself is only about six and a half feet off the ground, and is very visible. A graffiti artist could easily approach the camera from behind and use a short blast from his spray can to block any view of vandalism. Way to go, guys!

According to a nearby sign...
"Down the trail there is a large pit, lined with cut stone, which measures approximately 50 feet by 150 feet. It's purpose is currently unknown. However, due to it's proximity to the quarry, the pit was likely connected to the quarrying operations."Thanks guys! That was informative!

This is Daddy's favorite bit of info learned on the walk around Government Island. "In 1791 the property was purchased by the federal government, which bought all but one acre. That one acre parcel had been sold previously in 1786 to Robert Steuart, a stone mason from Baltimore, Maryland. Steuart delineated his parcel with four stone boundary markers, the largest of which still remains and is clearly marked with his initials, "R.S.".

That is about all there is for the tour of Government Island. The exploration was quick but it was nice to "find" something neat like this so close to home!