|
|
NYONE who knows H. Stewart Jones would not be surprised to learn that the gray cat who shares her Stafford County home is named "Hartwood," or "Woody" for short.
You see, Jones lives in the house in which she was born on Hartwood Church Road. She resides across the street from her beloved Hartwood Presbyterian Church. From her living room windows, she can watch children enjoying recess at Hartwood Elementary School. And her view from the other side of the house looks toward the Hartwood Volunteer Fire Department.
Given these facts, if you conclude that the Hartwood community represents Jones' pride and joy, then this retired educator probably would give you an A-plus.
"I haven't always lived here," Jones said of the white, two-story building that was first lived in by her grandparents in the 1870s. "But this house has always been home. I always came back for Christmas, summer breaks and holidays, no matter where I was working."
So, what makes Hartwood--a tiny crossroads off U.S. 17 about six miles west of Falmouth --so special?
"It's the peopleoh, my, yes," said Jones. "Plus, we have an historic church and we're in a very historic area of Stafford."
Jones is a tiny woman who retired from Stafford County public schools in 1980. But don't be fooled by her small stature or advanced years. She is respected throughout the region as a historian, preservationist and community activist--and as a person who gets things done.
"I'm 35 and holding," Jones said, although she admits to being one of the oldest members of the Hartwood church--both in age and in years of service.
It is largely through Jones' efforts that Hartwood Presbyterian Church is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. It also is an American Presbyterian Reformed Historical Site.
Jones also sponsored a roadside marker from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources that was dedicated in January and documents both the history of the church and a Civil War battle fought on the grounds in 1863.
Jones has helped to preserve other historic buildings in Stafford and also has worked to oppose development projects--including a quarry and an automobile race track--that threatened Hartwood's scenery and rural atmosphere.
"She's an icon in Stafford County--especially in Hartwood," said Anita Dodd, the chairman of the Stafford County Historical Commission, of which Jones is a member.
"It seems like she knows just about everyone in Stafford. And when Stewart says she wants something, people listen. Sometimes, all it takes is a phone call from her to bring about a change in the system."
John Pearce, the director of the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library in Fredericksburg, has worked with Jones on a number of projects.
"She's one of the most stick-to-it people I know," he said of Jones. "She's just one of those folks who can make people of any age perk up their ears when it comes to history."
Pearce recalled when he joined with Jones in seeking official recognition for Hartwood Church.
"She had been gathering information and writing letters back and forth for about 15 years," Pearce said. "She found an amazing number of documents and references to the present church and its predecessor. She was very determined to get as much data as she could."
Pearce also remembered when he took an interest in the history of gold mining in the area a few years ago.
"Stewart knew about that, as well," he said. "And she was able to point out several locations where that took place. She's just a remarkable historical resourceand a neat person."
Barbara Kirby, a county historian and a member of the Stafford Planning Commission, said she frequently directs people to Jones when they are seeking details of Stafford's past.
"They always come back saying the same things about how knowledgeable Stewart is, and how helpful," Kirby said. "I've never heard an ill word about her. She's just a marvelous womanone of a kind, really."
Bob Gibbons, a longtime Stafford County official and current supervisor, also has fond memories of his dealings with Jones over the years.
"She's just a real treasure for all of Stafford," he said. "She has a way of not letting you forget about things--especially history and preservation. And she does it in a nice way. She has a way of reminding you where you come from."
The episode of the Little Red Barn is typical of Jones' knack for preserving history in a way that is both practical and purposeful.
For years, the barn stood on the school grounds at Hartwood Elementary and was used for storage. When Jones learned in 1993 that this symbol of Stafford County's farming past was to be demolished, she offered to have it moved onto her property across the street.
"I didn't need a barn," she said with a smile. "But I didn't want to see it destroyed."
Jones approached David Major, a neighbor and contractor, about the project.
"He had never moved a barn before, but he was willing to try," she said.
And the barn was indeed moved, to the applause of a small group of Hartwood residents--some proudly wearing T-shirts that featured an image of the building.
Since then, Jones, along with neighbors Ruth and Mike Carlone and other members of Citizens to Serve Stafford, have used the barn to host a party for neighborhood children during the Christmas holidays. The popular event offers music, refreshments, presents and a visit from Santa Claus.
"Sometimes there's just an ignorance about the value of the past," Jones said. "If we do away with things that may be history now or in the future, then you can never get them backthey will be lost forever."
Jones said her most immediate goal is to complete a book on the history of Hartwood Church, titled "A View from the Hill." The project began as a collaborative effort between Jones and her cousin George D. Taylor, who died in 1996. Jones said the first eight chapters of the book are finished.
"I do want that to happen, for the Lord and for the church," Jones said of the project. "And I know the congregation wants it to happen too."
Jones enjoys discussing the history of the stately, red-brick Hartwood Church, which was built in 1858, and its predecessor, Yellow Chapel Church, which stood nearby.
During the Civil War, "the Blue were not very nice to the church," said Jones of the area's occupation by blue-clad Union troops. Anything that would burn--including the pulpit, carpet, seats, blinds, window sashes, doors and flooring--was consumed by fire before Federal troops departed.
Left with a hollow brick shell after the war, a dedicated congregation gradually reconstructed the interior of the church through small donations.
Jones said that at the first service at Hartwood Church after the war, "the congregation sat on planks over logs." And she said it is important for newcomers today to appreciate the sacrifices that were made during those difficult economic times.
Among Jones' successful projects was the creation in 2003 of a museum exhibit at Hartwood Church called "Pieces of the Past." The display is adjacent to the sanctuary and includes old photos and church memorabilia, including a Bible that dates to the 1700s.
"Every church should be so lucky as to have a Stewart Jones," said Pearce.
Helen Stewart Jones was an only child and was raised by her mother, Sarah Stewart, known as "Sadie," and members of her mother's family.
She went to school in Fredericksburg and often stayed in town during the week. During one school session, young Stewart and her mother lived upstairs in the historic Rising Sun Tavern on Caroline Street.
"I guess that experience contributed to my love of history," Jones said. "But I always enjoyed reading about historyand then when I was older, teaching it."
Jones graduated in 1936 from what is now the University of Mary Washington with a degree in English and social science.
"I loved school and I have fond memories of wherever I've been at the time. I guess I got my love of education from by mother--and all of her family, really. They all wanted me to go to college."
Jones began her career by teaching both English and history in Gloucester and then Emporia. From 1942 to 1964, she was a teacher and guidance counselor in the Alexandria public school system.
While there, Jones attended night classes and received a master's degree from George Washington University in 1950. She came home to Stafford in 1965 and served as director of guidance at Stafford Senior High School until her retirement.
Meanwhile, she earned a doctorate in education from American University in 1970 after spending several years on her thesis, "A Historical Study of Public Education in Stafford County from 1865 to 1965." She is still often addressed as "Dr. Jones."
More than 400 pages in length, Jones' thesis offered the first thorough study of Stafford education, including details of early school buildings--for both blacks and whites--plus data on funding, salaries, enrollment and curriculums.
Shirley Heim, who retired in 2003 as assistant superintendent for finance with Stafford County public schools, recalled using figures from Jones' thesis in her budget presentations as late as the 1990s.
"It was a lighthearted thing, like comparing the cost of a number of new buses with the number of wagons used in the past," Heim said.
"Then people would ask, 'Where did you get that bit of history from?' And that's really what inspired me to start the Hall of Memories that we have today in the school administration building.
"Dr. Jones' dissertation was one of the best sources available. You could tell by the quality of her work that she was a very detailed personand a person well-steeped in history."
Jones was one of the founding members of Historic Falmouth Towne and Stafford County Inc., which has since become the Stafford County Historical Society.
Other organizations of which Jones has been a member include Citizens to Serve Stafford, the Northern Neck of Virginia Historical Society, the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, The Wilderness Society and the Fredericksburg Area Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Virginia.
In 1991, Jones received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Mary Washington College.
In 2001, she was selected for the Stafford Historical Society's Keepers of the Knowledge program, which honors individuals "whose dedication, special witness and enduring contributions are a vital link in recording and understanding our local, regional and national history."
Former society president Jane Conner said Jones never ceases to amaze her.
"Despite some physical problems over the years, Stewart still keeps on working to help Stafford and her beloved Hartwood Presbyterian Church retain their histories," Conner wrote in an e-mail.
"I call her Stafford's Energizer Bunny."
LEE WOOLF, a longtime reporter and editor with The Free Lance-Star, is bureau manager at the newspaper's North Stafford office. Contact him at 540/720-5470, or lwoolf@freelance star.com. SUZANNE CARR is a staff photographer with The Free Lance-Star.
