robertmackayclan

From WINC FM 92.5 News page.

Historical House Fire

A house believed to be the oldest in Warren County has been destroyed by fire. Crews responded to the historic Robert McKay House on Route 340 north of Front Royal on Sunday morning. No injuries were reported. Damage to the abandoned structure is estimated between $60,000 and $75,000, which does not include any historical values. The two-story frame and stone house jointly owned by the county and Town of Front Royal is believed to have built in 1734. The fire remains under investigation.

I'll try to get more info. on this.

From The Northern Virginia Daily dated Tuesday 3 June 2009.

By Ben Orcutt -- borcutt@nvdaily.com

Flames destroy much of the 270-year-old McKay House in Warren County on Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of the Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services

Patrick Farris, executive director of the Warren Heritage Society, holds an early 1900s photo from the society's archives of the McKay House in Cedarville that was partially destroyed by fire this weekend. Rich Cooley/Daily

FRONT ROYAL -- Warren County lost a significant piece of history early Sunday morning when the McKay House was partially destroyed by fire.

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.

I met with a reporter from TV 3 Winchester this afternoon and took the opportunity to take three photos of the remains. When he airs the news story on their station:http://www.tv3winchester.com I will post a link to it here as well.

Here's the link to the story done on TV 3 Winchester about the McKay House Fire.

I was quoted in this story.

http://www.tv3winchester.com/home/headl ... 55772.html

I met with a reporter from TV 3 Winchester this afternoon and took the opportunity to take three photos of the remains. When he airs the news story on their station:http://www.tv3winchester.com I will post a link to it here as well.

Sometime after the earlier photos were taken the remaining chimney standing on the left collapsed. Here is what the site looks like now:

From The Northern Virginia Daily dated Tuesday 3 June 2009.

By Ben Orcutt -- borcutt@nvdaily.com

Flames destroy much of the 270-year-old McKay House in Warren County on Sunday morning. Photo courtesy of the Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services

Patrick Farris, executive director of the Warren Heritage Society, holds an early 1900s photo from the society's archives of the McKay House in Cedarville that was partially destroyed by fire this weekend. Rich Cooley/Daily

FRONT ROYAL -- Warren County lost a significant piece of history early Sunday morning when the McKay House was partially destroyed by fire.

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.

From The Northern Virginia Daily dated Wednesday 10 June 2009.


FRONT ROYAL -- Town and county officials have agreed to secure the fire-damaged McKay House so that authorities can search the remains to determine if anyone was in the structure when it burned.

Patrick Farris, executive director of the Warren Heritage Society, has said the house on Winchester Road near Reliance Road was built by Robert McKay Jr., possibly the first settler in Warren County, between 1731 and 1734 and was the oldest surviving structure in the county.

More then 50 percent of the structure has been destroyed.

Following Monday's Town Council meeting, the panel agreed to pay half of the estimated $20,000 to secure the structure with the county paying the other half. The property is jointly owned by the town and the county.

"I think it's a very historic part of Warren County and we'd like to preserve it for the time being until we see if the historical society would be interested in restoring it or maybe some other individual," Board of Supervisors Chairman Archie A. Fox said Tuesday. "I think there's a technicality that would allow us to go forward with that small amount in an emergency situation."

David Beahm, building official for Warren County, said Tuesday that Cline Construction Inc. of Front Royal has been contracted to secure the house and should begin the three-day process on Thursday.

"The main portion that's going to be stabilized is going to be east wall," Beahm said. "What they will end up doing will be encasing that wall with C-Channel. It looks like a piece of steel with two legs on it. The chimney portion of it would be circled in two spots to try to maintain the integrity. The rest of it would have C-Channel in four different locations run vertically."

Fire and Rescue Chief Richard E. Mabie said an animal bone was discovered at the site, but authorities have not been able to conduct a more thorough search because the structure is unstable.

"That's the one thing we really haven't been able to do is get in there and dig through the debris and rock and so forth," Mabie said. "We want to try to be thorough in the investigation, but we want to also make sure that it wasn't a vagrant or somebody that may have been staying in the house that actually set the fire and maybe perished in the fire.

"That's one of the main things that we want to do, and we can't do that unless they stabilize what's left. It's too dangerous to send somebody in there."

Since the May 31 blaze, recent storms have caused the majority of one of the two remaining chimneys to come down, Mabie said.

"The only thing that I can emphasize is that right now it's dangerous," Mabie added. "The walls could still come down. Every time that we get a storm or something, it makes it even weaker. So this is kind of one of those deals that we're in quite a hurry to go ahead and get this thing braced up so we can finish our job and hopefully we'll get a couple of years of stability of what's left up there."

Mabie has said the fire was spotted by personnel from the North Warren Volunteer Fire Department at 12:28 a.m. on May 31 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 has said.

The blaze is under investigation by the Warren County Fire and Rescue Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Front Royal Police Department, according to Warren County Fire and Rescue Department Lt. Gerry Maiatico.

Maiatico has said authorities have not ruled out any possible cause, including arson.

From WINC FM 92.5 News page.

Historical House Fire

A house believed to be the oldest in Warren County has been destroyed by fire. Crews responded to the historic Robert McKay House on Route 340 north of Front Royal on Sunday morning. No injuries were reported. Damage to the abandoned structure is estimated between $60,000 and $75,000, which does not include any historical values. The two-story frame and stone house jointly owned by the county and Town of Front Royal is believed to have built in 1734. The fire remains under investigation.

I'll try to get more info. on this.

From The Warren Sentinel dated Thursday 4 June 2009.


WARREN COUNTY In the days of America's founding fathers, many structures were not built to stand the test of time and as such have been renovated or remodeled as the years press on. One example of a local homestead that lasted over 270 years to preserve the history of this area was the McKay house.

COURTESY PHOTO Original structure

The equipment seen here does not come with the engine when purchased; each hose is purchased separately.

It was early in the day Monday when units were dispatched to the site of the historic landmark up in flames.

"Warren County Fire and Rescue units responded to a reported abandoned structure fire on Sunday morning at the historic Robert McKay, Jr. House at 8378 Winchester Road," said Warren County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Mabie in a press release. "The house was jointly owned by the Town of Front Royal and the County of Warren. While the house had been added on to several times over the years, the original house dates back to 1734 and is considered the oldest house in Warren County."

Robert McKay was one of the very first settlers of what is today Warren County, according to Patrick Farris, executive director of the Warren Heritage Society.

"A Scots-Irish Quaker from central Maryland, McKay came to the Shenandoah Valley in 1731 as the leader of several Quaker families who took up land as part of the famous Joist Hite land grant purchase," said Farris. "McKay built his house and organized the construction of the McKay Quaker Meeting House, the first house of worship constructed in what is now Warren County, the foundation of which still exists and is part of a newer church building in Cedarville."

The house had been constructed in two sections, the log section on the north side and the limestone section on the south side.

"Built atop a hill in the bend of Crooked Run and nearby McKay Spring, the homestead survived as a family home and more recently as a rental for over 270 years. It was standing by 1734, but some records indicate it could have been built as early as 1731. The discrepancy could be accounted for by the two distinct sections of the home - one log, one stone - which could have been built in intervals," Farris said. "The Robert McKay House is not only the oldest house still standing in Warren County, but one of only a handful of structures of its age west of the Blue Ridge in Virginia. It is the sincere hope of the Warren Heritage Society that the County and Town, who jointly purchased and own the property, will commit to preserving the stone section of the home which still stands."

Firefighters arrived on Sunday to find the fire was well involved throughout the frame of the structure and indoors.

"Damage estimates are between $60,000 to $75,000 which does not include any historical values," said Mabie. "At this time, the fire is under investigation by the Warren County Fire and Rescue Department with assistance from Warren County Sheriffs Office and Front Royal Police Department." Once the flames were doused firefighters diligently stayed on scene until all hot spots were cooled and there was no chance of the blaze reigniting.

COURTESY PHOTO
Firefighters found the McKay house engulfed.

From The Warren Sentinel dates Thursday 11 June 2009.


WARREN COUNTY On May 31 tragedy struck the county when the oldest known structure caught fire. The structure was comprised of both wooden and stone features, now the stone remains.

"The Town of Front Royal and County of Warren have tentatively approved funds [Monday night] to be used to shore up the historic Robert McKay Jr. house at 8378 Winchester Road," said Warren County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Mabie. "The funds will be used to stabilize the remaining walls and chimneys of the house, which dated back to 1734. This will render the structure safe for the Fire and Rescue Department to continue it's investigation as to the cause and origin of the fire, as well as stabilizing the remaining structure from further deterioration from the weather, etc."

Mike Graham, town manager, said that the incident is a true historic tragedy.

"Anytime you have a building that old still in existence when a tragedy like this happens we are all saddened," Graham said. "This is a good example of the town and the county working together quickly in order to make the best of a bad situation. We sprung instantly after the fire."

Town and county both came together shortly after news of the fire had reached them in order to start to devise a course of action for the historic location.

"It is still a joint project between the town and the county. We've had several meetings in coming up with what would be the best short term solution. We [decided that] we have to stabilize the current structure," said Graham. "[Stabilizing] will allow safety, because right now the fire department cannot do the research or investigation in it until we actually make the place safe."

The current costs have been approximated in order for both entities to move forward with the stabilization project that will assure firefighter safety while the investigation into the incident takes place.

"We are estimating the cost to be around $20,000 and we hope that the stabilization will last two or three years at the most at which time a decision will be made to either sell the property or turn it over to the Heritage Association," Graham said.

After that point it is the hopes of the town that the building will once again reach its full historic glory.

From The Warren Sentinel dated Thursday 4 June 2009.

Structure built in 1700s; oldest house in Warren County sees damage
By MEGHAN MOESLEIN
The Warren Sentinel

WARREN COUNTY In the days of America's founding fathers, many structures were not built to stand the test of time and as such have been renovated or remodeled as the years press on. One example of a local homestead that lasted over 270 years to preserve the history of this area was the McKay house.

COURTESY PHOTO Original structure

The equipment seen here does not come with the engine when purchased; each hose is purchased separately.

It was early in the day Monday when units were dispatched to the site of the historic landmark up in flames.

"Warren County Fire and Rescue units responded to a reported abandoned structure fire on Sunday morning at the historic Robert McKay, Jr. House at 8378 Winchester Road," said Warren County Fire and Rescue Chief Richard Mabie in a press release. "The house was jointly owned by the Town of Front Royal and the County of Warren. While the house had been added on to several times over the years, the original house dates back to 1734 and is considered the oldest house in Warren County."

Robert McKay was one of the very first settlers of what is today Warren County, according to Patrick Farris, executive director of the Warren Heritage Society.

"A Scots-Irish Quaker from central Maryland, McKay came to the Shenandoah Valley in 1731 as the leader of several Quaker families who took up land as part of the famous Joist Hite land grant purchase," said Farris. "McKay built his house and organized the construction of the McKay Quaker Meeting House, the first house of worship constructed in what is now Warren County, the foundation of which still exists and is part of a newer church building in Cedarville."

The house had been constructed in two sections, the log section on the north side and the limestone section on the south side.

"Built atop a hill in the bend of Crooked Run and nearby McKay Spring, the homestead survived as a family home and more recently as a rental for over 270 years. It was standing by 1734, but some records indicate it could have been built as early as 1731. The discrepancy could be accounted for by the two distinct sections of the home - one log, one stone - which could have been built in intervals," Farris said. "The Robert McKay House is not only the oldest house still standing in Warren County, but one of only a handful of structures of its age west of the Blue Ridge in Virginia. It is the sincere hope of the Warren Heritage Society that the County and Town, who jointly purchased and own the property, will commit to preserving the stone section of the home which still stands."

Firefighters arrived on Sunday to find the fire was well involved throughout the frame of the structure and indoors.

"Damage estimates are between $60,000 to $75,000 which does not include any historical values," said Mabie. "At this time, the fire is under investigation by the Warren County Fire and Rescue Department with assistance from Warren County Sheriffs Office and Front Royal Police Department." Once the flames were doused firefighters diligently stayed on scene until all hot spots were cooled and there was no chance of the blaze reigniting.

COURTESY PHOTO
Firefighters found the McKay house engulfed.

From The Warren Sentinel dated Thursday 18 June 2009.

WARREN SENTINEL PHOTO/MEGHAN MOESLEIN Without the stabilization investigators would be unable to complete their search for the cause of the blaze that nearly demolished the entire building.

WARREN COUNTY - In recent weeks one of Warren County's most historic buildings burned in a fire that left little more than two stone walls standing. With the flames having long been doused investigators are still unable to investigate the premises properly due to the weak structure that was left behind after the blaze.

The property - believed to have been built in the 1700s - was comprised of two components, a wooden structure and a stone structure, neither of which is known to be older than the other. The property is jointly owned by the Town of Front Royal and Warren County.

"Most of the work has been done at this point in time. It was basically just to stabilize the structure, [or] what's remaining at this point in time, so the fire investigators can get in and continue their fire investigation," said David Beahm, building official for Warren County. Beahm said they want to "basically get it to a point during the investigation that allows any of the material that could be reused [to be put] off to one side so when they do decide to restore it they have the original material."

To stabilize what was left of the stone and wood structure crews enveloped the standing stone with steel I-bars and metal framework in order to create a sort of cage that would hold portions in place.

"Originally, right after the fire, the main chimney in the center of the structure was still mostly standing [but] there was a lot of deterioration because of the fire," Beahm said.

Early after the fire, while crews were still assessing the damage, the creaks and moans of stones under pressure could be heard oozing from what was left of the center chimney.

"This portion to the west side was a wood structure and the fire obviously consumed more of the wood. That center chimney originally we tried to save, but because of the weather and the elements it eventually came down," said Beahm. "They did a little bit more to stabilize it so that when people are in there they are not in a dangerous situation."

The center chimney, along with some of the walls, started to crumble from the constant abuse of the elements and the structurally damaged parts slipping loose from one another. Crews had to knock a few feet off of each in order to maintain safety for investigators.

As of now, the structure is safe enough for crews to begin their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the blaze. Currently there are several theories that Beahm has discussed with investigators including the possibility of the fire being started by Mother Nature herself.

At least five different instances of lightning strikes were recorded in the area surrounding the McKay House on the night of the fire. Beahm said it is possible one of those strikes may have struck the historic landmark.