history’s stories: FATHER’S DAY

By Ralph “Tuffy” Hicks

I was recently thinking about the upcoming issue of Front Porch and at once thought of FATHER'S DAY, and my father's birthday which is also in June. My dad will have been gone twentyfour years this year, however, I think of him daily. Many of my friends as does FP readers I am sure share the same memories of their parents. We just celebrated Mother's Day which was set up well over a hundred years back in 1914 as an official United States holiday. It was not until 1972 when President Richard Nixon finally signed the Father ' s Day resolution that would become law in 1974.

In 1909, a young girl by the name of Sonora Dodd, began a campaign to honor her father who raised her and her five brothers after her mother had died. She produced the idea of June as it was her father's birthday month. She had support from several churches in the Spokane Washington area and she started a movement that would take well over a half century for her dream to become law. Sonora would travel all across the United States campaigning for the Father's Day holiday. Many of the countries in Europe celebrated a holiday called Saint Joseph' s Day in March of each year in honor of Joseph the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph was the example of the ideal father, as far back as the 1300's. This day is still celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church which may include their spiritual father the Parish Priest

There is also a holiday called International Men ' s Day, celebrated on November 19th of each year. This is celebrated in several countries in Europe. Sonora never gave up on her idea of Father's Day and in the 1930's she began a campaign that included making smoking pipes, ties and even glass mugs to celebrate and advertise Father's Day. She came up with the idea as being economically beneficial to the business community as a way to sell gifts for men. It was President Lyndon Johnson who issued the first official Father ' s Day proclamation from the White House in 1966.

Many people have tried to take credit for the idea of the Father's Day holiday; however, it was Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington that received the honor. Her father a Civil War veteran raised her and five brothers, he did not live to see her dream come true. Sonora lived see her idea become a Holiday and she died in 1978 at the age of 96. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Dedicated to: Sandy Tierney, Terry Smith, Liz Hooe, ichard Pates, & Ralph Hicks (MY DAD above)

Tuffy is Front Porch’s Resident Historian

where it all comes together

By jon gerlach

"Where it all comes together" is Fredericksburg's new brand. This moniker can mean many things, and it perfectly describes the newly re-opened Chatham Bridge.

The bridge (see photo) offers a pedestrian overlook with a great view of the historic Rappahannock River, Scott' s Island and the Old Stone Warehouse. It's also a walking/biking connection between the public trails on the Stafford and Fredericksburg sides of the river.

This area is rich in history. George Washington grew up nearby and was said to hurl a silver dollar all the way across the river. Nearby, the Union army built pontoon bridges to get into Fredericksburg, and back out again. During the Civil War, Enslaved Americans crossed to freedom on the opposite shore and started new lives. Today, kayakers, canoeists and stand-up-paddlers enjoy the river's beauty, and hopeful fishermen congregate in Spring for the shad run. See "What's in a Crossing" in the Oct. 2020 issue of Front Porch Fredericksburg magazine for more history of the Chatham Bridge.

Scott's Island, sitting underneath the bridge, is a special place that saw over a century of festivities. 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! 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. See "What's in an Island" in the May 2021 issue of Front Porch Fredericksburg magazine for more on this fascinating place.

At the City's end of the bridge is the Old Stone Warehouse, which closed to the public in 2019 in preparation for the bridge rehabilitation. The front of the building appears to be a full story shorter, thanks to the raising of Sophia Street just before WWII to match the grade of the bridge, but the entire building is still visible when viewed from the river side (see photo). The three-story masonry building (four counting the attic) was constructed of locally-sourced Rappahannock Freestone, with massive chestnut timbers and a slate roof. City records, and research by Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI), indicate that the structure was built around 1813 by Thomas Goodwin, atop an earlier stone foundation dating from the 1750s which probably supported a tobacco warehouse in the Colonial era. See "What's in a Photograph" in the Nov. 2019 issue of Front Porch Fredericksburg magazine for more on this wonderful building.

Time marches on, as they say. In the future, the Bankside Trail will cross the rear yard of the Old Stone Warehouse giving trail users the view shown in the photo. Folks of all ages will walk or bicycle along the riverbank, enjoying views of the island, the warehouse, and a connection to the rest of the trails in the City and south Stafford County.

So … what's in a Connection? Here … truly a place where it all comes together.

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