Conway House

The Conway House was built in 1807 by Scottish immigrant, merchant and mill owner James Vass. It is one of Falmouth's most historic buildings and has been well preserved. A good example of Federal architecture, it features a full basement, a five-bay front facade, end chimneys, and a semi-circular fanlight above the main entrance. The house is also notable for being the childhood home of well-known abolitionist, minister, writer and lecturer Moncure Daniel Conway (1832-1907), who was one of the South's leading anti-slavery voices. During the Civil War in 1862, the house was used as a Union hospital. It is a private residence today but the owners offer the property to be used for events and historic activities.

By the time James Vass arrived in Falmouth, the town had developed into a thriving milling, trade and manufacturing hub on the Rappahannock River. It was also the main port of entry of the regional slave trade. Vass became a leading figure in Falmouth. He was a member of several organizations, committees and associations (and often served as chairman) and also owned a wheat mill. The size, design and prominent location of the house reflect the status he achieved in the community.

Over time, silt built up in the river which became too shallow for large vessels and as a result, Falmouth's importance began to decline. The Conway House remained a prominent house for notable residents, however, including Walter P. Conway, who served in the Virginia Legislature and as justice of the county court for three decades. He and his wife, Margaret, were Methodists and used a basement room as place of worship. Moncure Daniel Conway was one of their sons. The Conway family moved into the house in 1838.

The Union converted the house into a hospital in April 1862. Famed poet Walt Whitman briefly treated soldiers here and recounted his experience in his journal, noting that those in the house were members of the 20th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Evidence of the soldiers' presence in the house can be seen in inscriptions in the attic. They left items in the house as well.

Like many families during the war, the conflict divided the Conways. Two of Moncure's brothers served in the Confederate Army. Another moved to Fredericksburg as the Union army approached in 1862. His wife opposed slavery and moved to Pennsylvania with their daughter and son-in-law. As for Moncure, he was exiled from home for his abolitionist views. In 1875, he wrote about why he left, saying:

"I departed 17 years ago under circumstances more grievous than any physical cloud or storm. I had offended against the despot slavery by thought and word, and the kindness of a few could not save me from the bittemess and wrath of the many. Under the threats of some who had once been my playmates and schoolmates I was compelled to leave the home of my parents, the land of my birth; and as I sailed away that day on the broad Potomac, and looked back on the state I passionately loved, its beauty was darkened by a sense of that impending tragedy which since has fallen upon it."

Moncure graduated from Dickinson College in 1849 and from the Harvard Divinity School in 1854. It was at Harvard that he met writer Ralph Waldo Emerson and began to develop anti-slavery views. Early in Civil War he moved to Cincinnati and in 1862, led the family's slaves to Yellow Springs, Ohio where they gained freedom. Moncure moved to London in 1863 to lecture on and promote abolitionism in Britain, which was divided on the issue. He traveled around Britain and France for seventeen years (he also went to India). During this time he wrote many books and articles, including biographies of notable figures including Nathaniel Hawthorne and Thomas Paine. He was married and had three children (two sons and one daughter). Sadly, his wife died in New York on Christmas Day in 1897. He lived the rest of his life in London and Paris, passing away in Paris on November 15, 1907.

Fortunately, the Conway House was not destroyed during the Civil War as what happened to most of the homes in the area. This is probably because it was used as a hospital. It has remained largely intact and the current owners have restored it. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

"Moncure Conway House." Stafford Museum. Accessed June 6, 2023. https://staffordcountymuseum.com/artifact/moncure-conway-house.

"Moncure Daniel Conway N-36." Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania Historical Markers. April 9, 2008. https://fredmarkers.umwblogs.org/2008/04/09/moncure-daniel-conway-n-36.

"Moncure Daniel Conway (1832-1907)." Dickinson College Archives & Special Collections. 2005. https://archives.dickinson.edu/people/moncure-daniel-conway-1832-1907.