history’s stories: rueben thom

He was one of the most well known and respected members of the Town of Fredericksburg in the 1800's and especially the Civil War years. Today the only reminder of his existence is a marble plaque on the right side wall in ST. Georges Episcopal church. Reuben Thom was born in 1782 and resided and worked in the Town of Fredericksburg all of his life. Thom was a "big man" around town although he stood only five feet in height. Reuben was on the church Vestry for fifty-two years, being Senior Warden forty of those years, according to research by Ben Hicks, Historian of the church. Reuben Thom was the first President of the Aqueduct Company which was one of the first company that provided water to the Town, and continued in existence to the mid 1900's. The water did not come from the river as today's source, but from the springs that are located near Trinity Church on William Street. Thom had a store in Town prior to being appointed Postmaster selling dry goods which he continued after his appointment into the 1850's. Reuben was well known for being the Postmaster of Fredericksburg from 1841-1865, a total of twenty-five years. The only other Fredericksburg Postmaster to have served longer was Lemuel Houston who served six months longer (19471972) than Thom. Murray Forbes Postmaster of the Falmouth office served for thirty-eight years, making him one of the longest serving in the entire state of Virginia. Thom was appointed (June 1861) at the beginning of the Civil War at the age of seventy-nine, Postmaster of the Confederate States post office in Fredericksburg. Reuben like many Postmasters in the southern states continued their duties under the Confederate authorities. The Confederate postal department was said to have made a profit during its operation. The stamps that were issued by Reuben Thom are very collectible bringing prices in the hundreds. Keith Littlefield in his recently published book on the Postal History of Fredericksburg gives a detailed account of how Thom operated with efficiency the change in operations. Littlefield did clear up a longtime misconception that Reuben Thom was in a group of fifty-seven Fredericksburg prisoners sent to Fort Delaware in retaliation for the Town having Confederate officials arrest Union

history’s stories Reuben Thom By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks troops. The fact was accepted all these years since Thom was the only Confederate official in Fredericksburg, making him a likely target for arrest. Reuben Thom is clearly on the Fort Delaware list, however, Littlefield found it was his son (Reuben T. Thom, Jr) who was a captured Captain in the Confederate army. Captain Thom had served in the Confederate Marines on the CSS Virginia. Captain Thom remained defiant refusing to sign the Oath of Allegiance and was not released until after the war was over in 1865. The Thom home was burned during the battle in 1862 having been hit by a Union projectile. I believe he may have moved into the Stone Warehouse adjacent to the Chatham Bridge until he built another home in the Town in 1863 on Caroline Street. There is little information available during this period as fire destroyed many records that had been sent to Richmond or they were looted and carried off. Reuben Thom died at the age of eighty-five in 1868 after a long and productive life dedicated to serving the citizens of Fredericksburg. With over fifty years in his church and over twenty years as the Postmaster. His grave site is located in the Cemetery adjacent to Saint Georges. HAPPY NEW YEAR Dedicated To: Tunny Sullivan, Kenny Blevens, Beatrice Wenger, Wayne Acors, & Tommy Fines Tuffy is Front Porch’s Resident HIstorian

Pleasure ISland

By jon gerlach

An oft-forgotten bright spot in Fredericksburg's history is Pleasure Island, found at the foot of William Street underneath the Chatham Bridge. This place has amazing stories to tell!

It was once called Brown's Island, for its owner, John Brown, a silversmith, Town Council member, and warden/trustee of St. George's Episcopal Church. In the late 19th Century its name changed to Scott's Island. Starting in 1910 this was the home of Casino Island, which boasted electric lighting, arcade games, and a theater seating 700 people for "moving pictures", vaudeville acts and concerts. A bustling amusement park, Richard Southworth's Pleasure Island, operated here from 1921 to 1924.

Let's back up a bit and get a fuller picture of activities on this unobtrusive piece of land. As early as 1805 an Independence Day celebration was held here, including 22 cannon salutes followed by "social mirth and harmony". By 1806 an admission fee was charged: 1 shilling 6 pence (around $5 today), entitling the ticket bearer to "any amount of refreshments he may want". The cost to attend a barbeque here in 1806 was 21 shillings (around $68 today), equivalent to a week's wages for a skilled tradesman at the time. That sounds expensive, but folks kept coming.

Thus began more than a century of festivities on the island. Barbeques, picnics, tea parties, dances, 4th of July celebrations and spectacular fireworks occurred here, along with wrestling and boxing matches and all manner of amusements. At times up to a thousand people would cram onto the island!

Many fascinating newspaper reports about the site were complied in "The Island - Brown or Scott's Fredericksburg, Virginia 1805-1924" by Robert A. Hodge (1990). A pioneering historian, biology teacher and amateur paleontologist who researched and wrote on a wide array of local topics, Hodge was instrumental in creating Alum Springs Park. Later, Sue Stone, a volunteer at Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI), wrote a wonderful article on Pleasure Island (see Front Porch's July 2017 issue). According to Hodge this was a lovely spot, festooned with old oaks, elms and sycamores, and "a velvety tapestry underfoot". It sported a gymnasium, and a "massive greased pole, thirty feet tall with a sum of money at its apex for the successful climber", along with a wooden dance platform, tents, and two saloons: one for women, and one for men. To temper things out a bit, the Sons of Sobriety held alcohol-free events here from time to time.

Pictured here is a cute little relic of Pleasure Island: a cast iron, silverpainted arcade target. It's from the collection of Barry and Ruth Coder Fitzgerald. Ruth authored the book "A Different Story: A Black History of Fredericksburg, Stafford and Spotsylvania, Virginia" (1979). The Fredericksburg Area Museum's recent exhibition, "Pleasure's Past", displayed amusement-related objects from the island including arcade targets identical to the one pictured here.

Today, pedestrians and cyclists enjoy an overlook on the revitalized Chatham Bridge, with great views of the river and island below, connecting us once again to fascinating stories of our little City.

So … what's in an Island? Here, a reminder of good times past, and a bright future to come.

An attorney and retired archaeologist, Jon Gerlach serves on Fredericksburg's City Council, Ward Two.

Photos by Jon Gerlach