The Union Church Preservation Project

Falmouth Cemetery Photos

The cemetery that adjoins the Union Church Historic Site is maintained by the Falmouth Cemetery Trustees and is not associated with the Union Church Preservation Project.

They have graciously allowed us to publish these photos.

Click on the photos below for a larger version

Photo Credit: David Perrussel for Union Church website

The following is taken from “Culpepper Minute Men patriots”:

James Hunter was the owner and operator of the Hunter Iron Works at Falmouth, which provided the overwhelming majority of muskets and iron cooking implements for the Virginia troops in the Revolutionary War. He produced: muskets, rifles, bayonets, swords, pistols, and large-bore wall guns. For the Virginia Navy he produced: anchors and ship fittings. He outfitted the Virginia troops who played a vital role in the Battle of Cowpens, and also those who were at Yorktown. Hunter’s Iron Works were so valuable that Governor Thomas Jefferson ordered special military protection for the industry. Hunter was never adequately paid for his services and he suffered serious financial setbacks as a result. James Hunter sacrificed his fortune for the cause of independence and is considered a true patriot.

The site of the Hunter Iron Works is situated on the Stafford County side of the Rappahannock River slightly upstream from Falmouth. It was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The following is taken from “African American History in the Rappahannock Region”:

John DeBaptiste...served as a sailor on board Fielding Lewis’ ship, The Dragon, which patrolled the Rappahannock River and parts of the Chesapeake Bay during the Revolutionary War. The Dragon was built in Fredericksburg in 1777. She had the distinction of having more African-Americans serve on her than any other ship during that time period. John DeBaptiste, a native of St. Kitts, served on The Dragon which later saw action in the Chesapeake Bay. He was later prominent in local business, owning much property and running the ferry at Falmouth.