Deed: Myer & c. to Ayers: Stone House

Myer &c. to Deed. Ayers
PWCo Deed Book 51, pg. 26

THIS DEED made this 20th day of September, in the year 1902; between Henry A. Myer and Irene E, his wife, William H. Cather and Mary E, his wife, Benjamin N. Merchant and May B. his wife and John B. Pridmore, the heirs at law of Benson L. Pridmore decd. of the first part, and Henry J. Ayres, of the second party;

Witnesseth:- that the said parties of the first part in consideration of the sum of One thousand six hundred dollars in hand paid to them by the said Ayers, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, have given, granted, bargained and sold and do by these presents give, grant, bargain, sell and convey with general warranty, unto the said Ayers, all that certain tract or parcel of land lying and being situate in the county of Prince William, containing 164-3/4 acres, and is composed of the following tracts of land, to wit:

1st. a tract of land lying in the said county, known as the "Stone House property" on both sides of the Warrenton and Alexandria turnpike, and adjoining the lands of Henry F. Lynn, James Robinson, Martin Matthew, and others, and on the east of Sudley Mill and Manassas road and containing 137 acres more or less; and is the same land conveyed to the said Benson L. Pridmore decd. by George E. Starbuck by deed of bargain and sale recorded in the county court of the said county in Liber 33 page 147.

2nd. A certain tract of land lying in the said county on Youngs Branch, and containing 21 acres and 31 poles, and is the same land conveyed to the said Benson L. Pridmore decd. by Q. L. Sanford, by deed of bargain and sale recorded in the said county in Liber 32 page 614, and

3rd. A part of the tract of land known as "Rosefield" of which John D. Dogan died seized and possessed, and contains 6-1/2 acres more or less and is the same land conveyed to the said Benson L. Pridmore decd. by John Cross and wife by deed of bargain and sale recorded in the said county court in Liber 34 page 509.

And the parties of the first part covenant that they have the right to convey the said tract of land, that they have done no act to encumber the same, and that they will execute such further assurances as may be requisite.  Witness the following signatures and seals.

Henry A. Meyer (seal)
Irene E. Meyer (seal)
William H. Cather (seal)
B. N. Merchant (seal)
M. B. Merchant (seal)
John Benj. Pridmore (seal)

In Clerks Office Prince William County, September 20th. 1902.

This deed from Meyer wife &c. to Ayres, was received, acknowledged by the grantors, and was admitted to record.

Teste.

Edwin Nelson, Clerk

Those Places Thursday: View of Henry Hill from Stone House (Manassas Battlefield)

This is a modern-day view of Henry Hill, Manasas Battlefield, from inside Stone House on the Old Warrenton Turnpike (modern Route 29).

Stone House, once a tavern on a major thoroughfare, is better known for its service as a hospital during the battles of First and Second Bull Run.

After the Civil War, one of the owners to modify the structure into a private home was Benson Pridmore, the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth "Lucy" [Lynn] Pridmore.

Stone House is now part of the Manassas National Battlefield Park and open to the public during the spring/summer.

Photo by Carolyn G. Lynn

Those Places Thursday: Ghosts of Manassas Battlefield

View of Stone House from Henry Hill
Photo by C.G.Lynn

Manassas National Battlefield Park is located at 6511 Sudley Road (Rte. 234) in Manassas, Virginia.  The Visitor Center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas.

As noted on the Battlefield's website, "On July 21, 1861, two armies clashed for the first time on the fields overlooking Bull Run.  Heavy fighting swept away any notion of a quick war.  In August 1862, Union and Confederate armies converged for a second time on the plains of Manassas.  The Confederates won a solid victory bringing them to the height of their power."

Two original buildings, the Stone House and the Brawner Farm are open to the public.  Henry House, on the hill named for the family, is a reconstruction of the home where 85-year old Judith Henry was killed by gunfire.  The family cemetery still stands behind the house site.  It was on Henry Hill that Brig. Gen. Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. is quoted as saying "There is [Thomas Johnathan Stonewall] Jackson standing like a stone wall.  Let us determine to die here, and we ill conquer.  Rally behind the Virginians!"

The Battlefield, twice the scene of bloody turmoil, is now a pastoral setting in the midst of urban Manassas.

Is Manassas/Bull Run Battlefield haunted?

Seriously -- do you need to ask?  Search any popular internet book site and you will find dozens of books on ghosts of Civil War battlefields.  Like Gettysburg, Manassas appears in just about all of them.

One book in particular is devoted to a Manassas Battlefield ghost, "A Yankee Roams at Dusk," by Paula Ann Kirby [ISBN 978-1-61364-194-1].  In 1862, the 5th New York [Zouaves] lost 123 men, "the greatest loss of life in any single infantry regiment in any battle of the Civil War."  The book's author was first introduced to the story of a phantom Zouave soldier on New York Avenue Field in an October 1978 Journal Messenger Halloween article, which claimed, "An indistinct figure wearing a colorful Zouave uniform was claimed to have been seen about two years ago and has been reported by others in later times."  Kirby's book chronicles her search for eyewitnesses that ultimate leads her to a paranormal investigation in search of the spectral Zouave.

Not far from the New York Avenue Field, the old Stone House is also rumored to be haunted.  Originally a tavern on the old Warrenton Turnpike, the house served as a field hospital during both battles.  The October 31, 1990 Weekly Messenger notes that "folk have reported seeing house lights where there is no house and sometimes strange noises come from the Stone House that sits on the corner of Routes 28 and 29."  The October 2011 edition of Prince William Living notes, "There is one story about a seasonal worker who was sitting in Stone House, waiting for any visitors who might have questions.  The employee was reading, and soon fell asleep on what seemed like a quiet day.  Upon waking, the individual's glasses were lung across the room, landing at the opposite end of the hallway."

It should be noted that, sightings and visitor experiences aside, the Park Service does not officially endorse ghosts.  (Which doesn't seem to bother the ghosts.)