Dear Editor,

On May 4th and 5th of this year the village of Rectortown lost one of its six original settlement homes dating to the mid/late 1700's. On those two days workers completely erased all trace of the Rector-Slack log home at 2981 Rec- tortown Rd., including its original stone fireplace, chimney and foundation.

Rectortown is Fauquier County's oldest settlement, established in 1772, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. A comprehensive study of Rectortown's past and historically relevant structures was published by this agency in which the Rector-Slack log home was cited three times:

Page 11: "The Rector-Slack Log House at 2981 Rectortown Road [030-5155-0023] is another 18th-century dwelling in the district (Photo 3). The 1-story, 3-bay, gable-roofed, exposed log (v-notched) cabin features exposed rafter ends, a batten door with a 4-light window, a stone foundation, 6/6-sash windows, weatherboard and attic win- dows in the gable ends, and a large exterior-end stone chimney. To the east side is a 1-story shed-roofed stone wing with an exterior-end stone chimney with brick stack and a mid-20th-century side wing. The building is in relatively fair condition, although it has been empty for sev- eral years. It is believed to have been constructed around 1780 for the Rector family."

Page 32: "2981 Rectortown Road 030-0766 Other DHR Id #: 030-5155-0023
Primary Resource Information: Single Dwelling, Stories 1, Style: Other, ca 1780
This 1-story, 3-bay, gable-roofed (standing-seam metal), exposed log (vnotched) log cabin has exposed rafter ends, a batten door with a 4-light win- dow, stone foundation, 6/6-sash win- dows, weatherboard and attic windows in the gable ends, and a large exteriorend stone chimney. To the east side is a 1-story, shed-roofed stone wing with an exterior-end stone chimney with brick stack and a mid-20th-century side wing. The building is in relatively fair condi- tion, although it has been empty for sev- eral years.

Individual Resource Status: Sin- gle Dwelling Contributing
Individual Resource Status: Privy Contributing"

Page 41:"Another dwelling that may date to as early as 1780 is the Rec- tor/Slack Log House at 2981 Rectortown Road. [030-5155-0023] Architectural evidence in this stucco-over-rubble-stone building supports an 18th-century date and it also has been claimed to be where Asbury stopped during his brief visit to Rectortown. Members of the Rector fam- ily including Maurice Rector owned this house during its early history. Additions and alterations were made to this build- ing in 1820, 1830, ca. 1850 and 1910."

Unfortunately, there are no legal protections for such prominent, recog- nized historical structures in our village, but total demolition can and should get public attention. Even if rebuilt, the origi- nal home has been completely elimi- nated. The Rector-Slack log house was nearly 240 years old.

Sincerely,
Todd Goins