LOCATION: 2880 Forge Road (Route 680) Glascow, Virginia.
In Falling Springs Precinct, between Buena Vista and Glascow, and
not far from Buffalo Creek. 





DATE of ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION: Between 1765-1770.
Alexander Beggs is credited with the construction of two houses on
land located between Falling Springs Creek and Mill Creek: the first
built before 1750, and the second --the stone house located on Forge Road-- soon after he purchased land on Mill Creek in 1765.

OWNERS: Ownership of the land on which Alexander built traces back prior to the founding of Rockbridge County. Some early researchers stated that he bought the land from Benjamin Borden, built the
first house and lived in it until his death, but this is not true.
 

In 1937, James W. McClung wrote two reports for the W.P.A.'s
Virginia Historical Inventory about the houses built by Alexander Beggs,
The Home of C.P. Brady, which refers to the house built before 1750,
and The Home of Alexander and Thomas Beggs, built ca. 1765.
When McClung researched the first house built by Alexander Beggs, it
was owned and occupied by D.E. Brady, descendant of county engineer
C.P. Brady who inherited the house from William Weaver ca. 1887.

On Nov. 24, 1750, a young surveyor sold a tract of 250 acres on
Buffalo Creek through which a spring branch tumbled on its way
to the larger stream called Falling Spring. The purchaser of the tract
was Alexander Beggs. -- Dr. George Diehl

Alexander built his first house on this land. McClung described it in
The Historical Significance of Rockbridge County, VA., as a
"...quaint two-story stucture of stone, brick, and stucco, located on
a hill facing Buffalo Creek, which flows by to the east of the house.
A large stream... flows across the front yard.... Diagonally across the
road is an old brick and stone mill of two stories in height, but is now
out of commission, but was once used as a grist mill...."

James' inheritance included a building used by the Falling Spring
Presbyterian Church. The log structure stood on an acre of land
donated by Alexander Beggs. This is evidenced by the will of
Alexander probated March 7, 1786, wherein he bequeaths the
Plantation the Meeting House stands on to his son James, but he
excepted the one acre on which the church was located for the
use of the congregation. The 1787 personal property tax records
include Thomas and James Beggs living on adjacent farms left to
them by Alexander Beggs' will. James sold his house April 1, 1810.
It was sold again on Oct. 30, 1826 to William Weaver. Weaver
was a well-documented industrialist through the Civil War.
                                                                                      --Michael Gardebled 

McClung's reports on these houses is confusing regarding ownership,
residents, and location of the house occupied by D.E. Brady, who is
listed as the informant of both reports. Not all of the confusion can be
blamed on Mr. Brady, who clearly stated that his information came to
him through former generations and, "may or may not be correct," as
McClung added his own errors, one being being reporting the location
of the 1750 house was about three miles from the one built ca. 1765. 
Actually, it is less than a mile north of the stone house, and set back far
from Forge Road.

 

March 7, 1786: Thomas Beggs, inherited the stone house

from his father.
 

The Beggs house at 2880 Forge Road is the house Alexander referred
to in his will as, "the house I now live in." When his will was probated
on March 7, 1786, this house was left to his son Thomas. His son James
inherited the first house Alexander built, which included land where the
Falling Spring Church first met. (Will Bk 1).

April 14, 1786, soon after he inherited the house, Thomas married
Ann Jane Whitley. It's believed Thomas and Ann's children were all
born and raised in this house. Thomas' will, dated April 5, 1838, and
proved February 3, 1840, mentions six children: Samuel, John, Elihu,
Elizabeth, Jane and Ann, also a "grandson William Beggs living with
me." Not mentioned is son James, who may have died before his father.
Thomas' wife Ann was still living, and later in the year, she is listed as head-of-house in the 1840 census. Living with Ann is one male 15-20,
and one female, 10-15. The house apparently stayed in the family for
over twenty years after the death of Thomas, and it took a court case to
determine the new owner.

January 1, 1863: William Weaver, by deed. (Deed Bk. JJ, pg 103).
Following a court case --"J.B. and W.F. Poage vs. William and
Thomas Beggs, heirs"-- the Special Commissioner in Cause
deeded the house and property to Weaver.

 

"J.B." and "W.F." Poage who sued "William and Thomas Beggs,
heirs," have not yet been identified, but they may possibly be
related to the Beggs. Alexander's sister, Jane married John Poage,
and their son Jonathan Poage married his first cousin, Alexander's
daughter Martha. The Beggs and Poage descendants had land in the
same general area, and it's possible the court case was based on an
issue regarding ownership.

It's interesting that following the court case, Thomas Beggs' house
was deeded to William Weaver. Thirty-seven years earlier, William
Weaver had became the owner of James Beggs house; upon Weaver's
death, the house was inherited by C. P.Brady, father of D.P. Brady,
the man who became the informant for McClung's reports. Apparently,
each of the Beggs' houses had been owned by William Weaver. This
may have been one reason D.P. Brady was confused about which
Beggs house was which.

        April 14, 1887: C.A.P. and Annie G. Brady and Sarah Lynch.

The deed to the Brady's and Sarah Lynch was the result of lawsuits
between the Weaver and Brady families