[Home] [Robert Mackay Clan Links and Information] [McKay Family Homes] [Robert McKay Jr. Home]Oldest structure in Warren County partially destroyed by fire(From The Northern Virginia Daily dated Wednesday 3 June 2009.)
Patrick Farris, executive director of the Warren Heritage Society, said Tuesday that the structure was built by Robert McKay Jr., possibly the first settler in Warren County, between 1731 and 1734. "It's not only the oldest surviving structure in Warren County, it's easily one of the very first structures ever built in what is now Warren County," Farris said. "It is one of a handful of structures that are of this age that survived or were ever built in the entire state of Virginia, west of the Blue Ridge. About 50 percent of the house has been destroyed." The stone portion of the house off U.S. 340-522 near Cedarville remains intact, while the portion built from chestnut logs was destroyed, Farris said. "It's a tragic loss," Farris added. "This house is over 270 years old. If you think about it, it witnessed over a quarter millennium standing in the same spot, in the same knoll, in the same bend of Crooked Run. "I can tell you immediately in the short term I would very much like to see the structure stabilized and the town and county committed to maintaining it in a stabilized form initiating a preservation plan for it that would involve the heritage society." It's difficult to put a price on the loss, Farris said. "You could place a dollar amount on a restoration or a reconstruction, but I do not believe you could place a dollar amount on what has been lost," he said. "Again, the significance of this site to local history is very important and there are descendants today, plenty of descendants of the McKays, still in the county and the area." Warren County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard E. Mabie said the fire was spotted by personnel from the North Warren Volunteer Fire Department at 12:28 a.m. on Sunday morning when someone saw "a column of smoke and a glow." It took about a half hour to find out where the fire was, Mabie said, adding that personnel had to walk back into the woods to find the house. "By then it had taken pretty much possession of whole second floor and roof," Mabie said. "Right now, the fire is still under investigation by the Warren County Fire and Rescue Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the town of Front Royal Police Department," added Warren County Fire and Rescue Department Lt. Gerry Maiatico. Maiatico said authorities have not ruled out any possible cause, including arson. "We're still leaving it as an open investigation because the structure is actually unstable and unsafe for us to make an entry," he said. "We don't want to commit any personnel inside of the structure with the stability that it's in right now." Farris said the property was last occupied around 2004, just before it was purchased by the town and county. Maiatico said there has been a history of the house being vandalized since the purchase. One of the reasons for the joint venture is that the town owns the water rights to McKay Springs, which is located on the property. Supervisors Chairman Archie A. Fox and Mayor Eugene R. Tewalt said both governments will consider ways to preserve the remaining portion of the house. "We just need to look at the overall picture now," Fox said. Your webmaster was also interviewed for a story done on TV 3 Winchester. Click here to view the transcript. More photos of the damageAfter the fire your webmaster visited the site to be interviewed by a reporter from TV 3 Winchester about the fire. I took the opportunity to take a few more photos of the damage.
[Previous page] [Next page]© 1997 steer_family@hotmail.com |
