Ellen L. Anderson

“ Even before Jacob's death, William Smoot, Sr., had taken over management of the farm while his unmarried sisters kept house. Each of the sisters took one of William's sons to raise. Jennie, William's wife, according to the Smoot descendants, acted as hostess, greeting visitors and entertaining them. Their son John moved to Georgetown; William Jr., went to Waterford to be the miller there; Gilliam stayed with his parents and gradually took over the farm operations. Life at Salona went on as usual, with no question of selling the farm or dividing its acreage. ”

“ George still returned to Salona for vacations, because in July 1819, Harriotte Maffitt wrote to him:
It is now my time to write to you my Dear Brother. We are glad the time is so near when we expect you. When you come home we will go to George Town to meet you. Dr. Muir has been here and he preached here. Aunt Whann and Aunt Sally Maffitt have been here. Uncle Whann has gone to travel. I hope you will be well acquainted with the History of the Bible and particularly the life and miracles of our Blessed Saviour. We have not heard from Chantilly for some time, I hope we will go up soon. ”

“ At the edge of the busy commercial area of the community of McLean, hidden from the heavy traffic on Dolley Madison Boulevard by a natural screen of trees and shrubs, stands the substantial brick dwelling known as Salona. Only a portion of the original 466 acres surrounds the house; the rest of the land has been converted into church properties, shopping centers, residential subdivisions, and other appurtenances of development. ”

“ It is interesting to note that by 1881, at least half of the households in Fairfax County had such a machine. [110]
Salona was a working farm with a large barn, smokehouse, ice pond, and cabinetshop. Hogs, sheep, cattle and fowl were raised as well as wheat and corn. The old stone house, thought by the family to have been the oldest structure on the place, was surrounded by a peach orchard. The Smoots grew scuppernong grapes, plums and apricots. Italian grape vines adorned the arbor between the house and the brick privy. ”

“ Because it was a sound, comfortable, gracious old house with historical associations and community significance, they decided to grant a permanent historic and scenic easement to Fairfax County in 1971, preserving the house, its brick outbuildings and eight acres of land surrounding them in perpetuity. A temporary easement for 44 additional acres of the Salona property was granted at the same time, fitting in with the county's stated purpose to shape the character, direction and timing of community development through the preservation of open space land. ”

“ No major grading or topographic change shall be accomplished except by express permission, in writing, from the Director of County Development of Fairfax County, or the successor to his duties. Such permission shall only be granted by reference to a grading plan prepared by or at the direction of the grantor or his successor in interest. Major grading shall be deemed to mean any grading performed by machine, other than hand-operated machines. ”

“ Do you know Mr. Harrison of Alexandria? He is coming here to preach for us in August. Do you love me? I pray to God to bless and preserve you. Old Mrs. Randle is very well we went to see her yesterday. When you come home you must go to see her with us. I saw Miss Betty Jones last Sabbathe. She asked me when I had heard from you answer my letter very soon if you please. Tell me how the deaf and dumb are and if they improve. You must love and obey your teachers. Papa Mama and all the girls send their affectionate love to you.
I am your affectionate sister.
Harriotte Maffitt. ”

“ A number of early outbuildings are still in use at Salona. Close to the house on the south is the outdoor brick kitchen, used by the Smoots as a "summer kitchen," now by the DuVals as a guest house. Diagonally opposite the east wing is a former brick smoke house now used for storage. Farther to the southeast is a board and batten corncrib. Some distance farther east are the ruins of a large bank barn, whose thick stone foundations testify to its former size and sturdiness. At the west end of the house, some distance away, is an old three-hole brick privy, once approached through a grape arbor. ”

“ Salona became a place of hospitality, where social, political, arts and educational events were held. The Woman's Club of McLean, the McLean House Tour, the McLean Ballet Company, Children's Hospital, the Fairfax YWCA, the McLean Boys Club, the Northern Virginia Democratic Women's Club, Yale University students and the Historical Society of Fairfax County, were among the many beneficiaries of the DuVals' generosity in making Salona available for special events. ”

“ Fairfax County tax records provide no clue to a possible date of construction. In 1790, the Langley tract was carried on the rolls as the property of the Ludwell Lee heirs and was so listed for more than 20 years. Only two significant changes appeared: one in 1792 when more than 500 acres were sold, and again in 1811 after the sale of a 466-acre tract to Herbert. When William Maffitt first appeared on the tax rolls as a landowner in 1813, the 466-acre tract was assessed at $880 and his smaller tract at $79. ”

“ As other residents of Salona had been before them, the DuVals were well educated, above the average level of Fairfax County residents. Mrs. DuVal is a graduate of Vassar, DuVal of Yale University Law School. And like some of their predecessors, their income, cultural interests and extent of community involvement are also well above the average for the time in which they live. ”

“ After William Maffitt's death, his widow must have found life difficult. She had to keep up the farm, care for the slaves, and support her children and stepchildren. There was an outstanding debt on Salona owed to her sister-in-law in Georgetown. William Maffitt had mortgaged the property with Margaret Whann for $6,000 in 1823, and had paid back almost half of the amount due prior to his death. ”

“ Stumps of trees that have been wrecked by wind or lightning support bark-bound flower boxes. A driveway curves to the left and a gravel path leads straight to the front porch before which the box trees are growing. ”

“ After his uncle returned to Virginia and took over the books, Lee used the knowledge gained from his work with the Fairfax estate to acquire grants of his own, among them, in 1719, the Langley tract of 2,862 acres on the Potomac River between Great Falls and Little Falls. Because of the strategic location of this tract, he hoped to benefit from the economic development of the western lands. ”

“ For many years, William Maffitt had continued to serve as guardian to his first wife's Turberville children. Although Cornelia Turberville continued to live with her aunt in Alexandria until her marriage in 1817, her two brothers seem to have lived at Salona. In June 1815, Richard Turberville drowned in the Potomac while visiting his cousin Matilda Lee Love at nearby Rokeby. ”

“ Apparently Dolley spent the night of August 24 in a tent in the American encampment at Tennallytown, and the next day crossed over into Virginia where she spent the night of August 25 with Matilda Lee Love at Rokeby. The roads were crowded with refugees and the exodus was slow. As the Loves had often been guests at the President's House, Dolley did not have to spend night with strangers. ”

“ In all of Fairfax County that year, only Thomas Fairfax, William Robinson and Bushrod Washington had coaches of higher value than his and their vehicles were evaluated at $500 each.
By the year of his death, 1828, only 13 slaves and 3 horses were listed, and the total evaluation of his personal property was listed at $150. The inventory of William Maffitt's estate did show that he had 116 head of livestock on the place including horses, oxen, sheep, hogs and cattle. He was growing turnips, corn, rye, oats, hay and orchard grass. ”

“ The date of construction and the name of the builder of the house known as Salona are unknown.
There have been many changes to the mansion house, the outbuildings and grounds through the years. The central house now has only one wing instead of the earlier two. The large barn has been torn down; only the substantial foundation bears witness to its size. ”

“ The rear entrance road has been blocked by subdivision construction, although its route remains visible across the south side of the property. Perhaps the most decided changes are in the use of the land itself. As McLean grew, the Salona farm shrank in area and its formerly fertile acres were transformed into shopping centers, subdivisions, streets and roads. ”

“ No building or other structure under the permanent easement shall hereafter be erected or allowed to remain upon the land herein described, provided that buildings and structures existing at the date of execution hereof, and additions thereto which do not increase grade level floor area by more than one hundred percent shall be permitted, and that small outbuildings and recreational facilities, including a swimming pool, may be constructed not closer than 200 feet to the mansion house known as "Salona". ”

“ Some family members migrated to Kentucky, others to Washington, D.C. [99]
Although Jacob Gilliam Smoot of Georgetown, D.C., purchased 208 acres of property—Salona—in 1853, he also held property on High Street (now Wisconsin Avenue) in Georgetown from which he probably obtained income. His family spent winters in Georgetown. Smoot had attended Charlotte Hall Academy in Maryland and his son William was a graduate, in law, from Georgetown. [100] The Salona property was of a size and assessed valuation consistently greater than over half of the properties assessed in Fairfax County at the time. ”

“ As did the majority of married women with children in the decades 1950-1970, in Fairfax County, Mrs. DuVal stayed at home with the children rather than taking a regular outside job, except for her many volunteer projects in which she was regularly involved in the McLean community. ”

“ According to Smoot family legend, Salona was built entirely by slaves, who made the brick from clay on the property. These legends also claim that the woodwork was made by William Buckland who did the woodwork at Gunston Hall in 1758. This seems unlikely as William Buckland died in 1774. Smoot family legends also say [Pg 49] that the house was built by Maffitt, with construction starting in 1790 and ending in 1801, and that the wings were larger than the main house. ”

“ WHEREAS, the grantor is the owner in fee simple of three certain parcels of land situate in Fairfax County, Virginia, containing in the aggregate 52.40897 acres of ground and being shown on the Tax Map of Fairfax County on Sheet 30-2, Double Circle One, Parcel 40, and Sheet 30-2, Double Circle One, Parcel 41, and Sheet 30-2, Double Circle One, Parcel 46A, having acquired said property by deeds recorded in Deed Book 1097 at Page 32, Deed Book 1041 at Page 123, Deed Book 1322 at Page 456, and Deed Book 1322 at Page 453, of the land records of the County of Fairfax ”

“ The T-shaped hall ends on the solid wall behind the stairway on the west side, and on the east leads directly into the post-Civil War wing which contains a small sitting room, bathroom, and the kitchen. The smaller hall, the stem of the T, runs perpendicular to the main hall with opposing entrance doors at each end. The spacious living and dining rooms flank the smaller hall, with entrances from the main hall. ”

“ Originally, the land was part of a large grant of 2,630 acres taken out by Thomas Lee in 1719 from the Northern Neck proprietor, and later named "Langley," a name which persists in the area to the present day.
The Reverend William Maffitt of Maryland purchased the 466-acre parcel in 1812, and he may have been the builder of the brick house at Salona to which President James Madison fled when the British burned the capital in August, 1814. ”

“ WHEREAS, the grantor desires to join in and participate in the maintenance of the character of the land described herein as open space land with scenic, historical and recreational value and to protect in perpetuity the mansion known as "Salona". ”

“ Three single family dwellings not more than 40 feet in height and related outbuildings, facilities and access roads, whether or not occupied by grantor, on lots of not less than one acre, including such grading and removal of trees and shrubbery as may be desirable or necessary in connection therewith. Professional practice of medicine, dentistry, law, real estate or insurance sales, architecture, art or music instruction, engineering or land surveying, by an actual bona-fide resident of such dwelling is permitted. ”

“ A. Uses permitted under the temporary easement shall be:
1. Agriculture, including the tilling of soil, raising of crops, raising of livestock and poultry, and the maintenance and operation of dairies, mills, hatcheries, and/or other processing operations serving and required by the crops and/or livestock or poultry grown or raised upon the land described herein only.
[Pg 88]
2. Nurseries, greenhouses, forestry, and horticultural enterprises, and the sale of the products of such uses, limited, however, to sale of products grown on the land described herein. ”

“ Photo by the author, 1975.
Salona entrance hall. Photo by the author, 1975.
[Pg 50]
The Outbuildings
The old stone house was an enigma which fascinated the young Smoots. They report that the house was built around an oversized stone chimney in its center, with four fireplaces, two back-to-back on each floor. Downstairs was one big room, with a winding stairway at one end leading to the second floor where there were two rooms. Unfortunately the building was in such disrepair when the DuVals bought the property that they later had it razed in the interests of safety. ”

“ An Alexandria historian, Mary Powell, wrote that: "The school was attended by the best classes of Alexandria boys and able instruction was given in the classics, history, and elocution." She also observed: "The Rev. McWhirr and the Rev. Mr. Moffat were both Presbyterian clergymen who taught during the lifetime of General Washington. Mr. Leary succeeded Mr. Moffat ..." [26]
In 1801 the Alexandria Gazette reported that the trustees of the Alexandria Academy:
express their satisfaction at the progress of every branch taught in the academy ... ”