CCLC welcomes Book Club donation
Child Care and Learning Center teachers are excited and thankful that the Rappahannock Book Club donated $500 for educational books. This valuable donation allows the center to purchase curriculum books to enhance its early childhood education program for all ages, from infants to school age kids.
“As a school that treasures outdoor learning with hands-on activities we are always looking for innovative educational ideas to share with our classes,” CCLC writes. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the Book Club for being so generous to us!”
HOW WASHINGTON BECAME A HISTORIC DISTRICT
With the widening of the highway through the town in the 1930s, some of the town’s historic buildings were severely compromised and were dismantled in the 1940sthree. In the 1950s four commercial cinder block/ masonry buildings were constructed on town lots 13 and 14 that were uncharacteristic of the historic buildings in the town. As a result, e orts began to recognize and preserve the Town’s historic buildings.
In the 1970s, Peter Kramer, then mayor of the town, held discussions with the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission about designating the town as a historic district. This came to fruition on April 15, 1975, when the “Washington Historic District’ was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Register, established in 1966, is the U.S. government’s o cial list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical signi cance. In both the Virginia Register and the National Register, the Washington Historic District encompasses the entire town and many properties are considered as contributing to the historic nature of the town, but no individual building has been designated.
On Aug. 14, 1985, the Town Council passed a Historic District Ordinance and created an Architectural Review Board with the stated purpose of protecting the style and historic character of the town and to restore and preserve the town’s architecture.
In July 2004, the Washington Town Council approved funding for a survey of the town’s buildings in response to prior questions about the validity of its Historic District Ordinance. The study cost $20,000 and was conducted by Cheryl H. Shepherd of Millennium Preservation Services in Warrenton. She toured the town with o cials from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and they concluded that the town indeed had historically signi cant architecture and strong historic associations. Shepherd’s ndings led to a reapplication for the Washington Historic District. On Sept. 6, 2006, the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission again recognized the historic signi cance of the town by approving an amendment to the town’s Historic District designation. This amendment extended the period of historic signi cance to 1945 and included many additional buildings located within the corporate limits of the town and constructed up to that year. The National Register of Historic Places was also updated.
Over time, many of the town’s neglected buildings have been rescued from deterioration in an e ort to preserve Washington's early character. Private owners, including the Inn at Little Washington LLC, and the Clopton House LLC have spent millions of dollars renovating properties and restoring them to their original beauty.
Editor’s note: This information was culled from Maureen I. Harris’ book, “Washington, Virginia, a History, 17352018.”
BOOK BARN OPENING ITS HOUSE
The Book Barn would like to extend an invitation to come by on Saturday, April 24, for an open house. Hours are 10 a.m. to noon. Snacks will be available as well as an opportunity to discuss volunteer opportunities.
As usual, the Book Barn o ers a unique collection of books, CDs, and DVDs at great prices. All proceeds go to the Rappahannock Public Library.
Stop by and have a look!