Bill Text: VA HR364 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Rippon Lodge Historic Site.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed House (HR364ER) [HR364 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR364-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Rippon Lodge Historic Site, built prior to the American Revolution and currently located in what is now Woodbridge, is the second oldest residence in Prince William County and plays an important role in preserving the history and heritage of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, situated between Neabsco Creek, the Potomac River, and what is now Route 1, Rippon Lodge was built for Richard Blackburn by enslaved workers, with construction commencing in 1747; and
WHEREAS, the Blackburn family maintained extensive land holdings in the region and grew wheat, tobacco, and other crops, and the location of Rippon Lodge allowed the family to easily deliver their commodities to the nearby port in Dumfries for export back to England; and
WHEREAS, Richard Blackburn was an active leader in the community and served as a colonel in the French and Indian War, and his son, Thomas, served as a member of the House of Burgesses and joined the local militia during the Revolutionary War; and
WHEREAS, in 1785, Thomas Blackburn's daughter, Julia, married the nephew of George Washington, Bushrod Washington, who later inherited Rippon Lodge and sold the property to the Atkinson family; and
WHEREAS, Rippon Lodge was subsequently owned by the Marron family from 1911 to 1923, when prominent attorney and former special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States, Wade H. Ellis and his wife, Dessie, purchased the 500-acre property and began extensive renovations that revitalized the home while preserving its unique architectural character; and
WHEREAS, Admiral Richard Blackburn Black, a descendant of the Blackburn family, who served in World War II and the Korean War, became the last private owner of Rippon Lodge in 1952 and continued the preservation efforts begun by Wade and Dessie Ellis; the site was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1971; and
WHEREAS, Admiral Black's daughter, Debra Black Decko, sold Rippon Lodge to Prince William County in 2000, and the property reopened in 2007 as a historic site consisting of the original home, the Blackburn and Atkinson family cemeteries, and the surrounding 43 acres of land; and
WHEREAS, the purchase of the Rippon Lodge Historic Site spurred the creation of the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation; and
WHEREAS, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rippon Lodge Historic Site has served more than 4,000 Prince William County Public Schools students through special educational programs, field trips, a traveling trunk, and online resources; and
WHEREAS, the Rippon Lodge Historic Site provides a vital connection to the early history and heritage of the Commonwealth and the nation from the Colonial era through the Revolutionary War and beyond, offering interpretation of the property, its owners, and enslaved and indigenous people from the 1700s to the 1970s; and
WHEREAS, the Rippon Lodge Historic Site also strives to protect the Commonwealth's natural resources by using ecologically friendly methods to care for the grounds, using trees from the property to mill lumber for restoration projects, and serving as a sanctuary for animals, honeybees, and other natural pollinators; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Rippon Lodge Historic Site hereby be commended on the occasion of the 275th anniversary of the construction of Rippon Lodge; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Rippon Lodge Historic Site as an expression of the House of Delegates' appreciation for the historical significance of the property and for its contributions to historical education and interpretation in Prince William County and the Commonwealth.
