Castleman’s Ferry

The General Assembly in 1786 gave a ferry franchise which included landings on both sides of the Shenandoah River and on the road from Winchester to Alexandria. The house at the ferry was thought to have been built in 1816, by Snickers. At the ferry people were taken across in a skiff pushed by means of a pole. The ferry boat was controlled by a cable that was fastened to a windlass on the west side and to a tree on the east side. A person wanting to go across, the person would call the ferryman but when a person on the other side wanted to cross, they would ring a large dinner bell. The boat was large enough to take a four horse team but no tractors were carried … they weighed too much. 

The ferry boats were made, on skids, by Jesse Jenkins of Pine Grove, using white oak on the floors, oak or pine on the sides and iron bolts made in the blacksmith shop.

Maj. David Castleman 1776-1831, a bachelor who liked fine horses. See SOME OLD FAMILIES 68. He left the ferry and “North Hill” to his nephew, James Castleman 1795-1854, who lived at “North Hill”, and was interested in having the river made navigable. James Castleman had large mills and grain and flour were hauled down to Alexandria or they were carried on high water flat bottom boats or gondolas, manned by two or more men, on down to Harper’s Ferry. James Castleman sold stock, bought a steamboat and was making a trip up river, in some instances having his sixteen Negroes pull the boat along using tree limbs. He fell off the boat backwards and had to be cleaned up at the ferryman’s house. Finally, he took the boat up to Front Royal where its use was abandoned and he sold the boat.

There were floods in 1804, 1815, 1837 and in 1852, there was a flood which did much damage.

On December 2, 1852, James Castleman conveyed the ferry and its lands to his son Stephen (Steve) B. Castleman. Ann Castleman used the house as a hotel.

There was a flood in 1859 and in the flood of 1870 water rose forty feet, coming almost to the second floor of the house, washing away its west wing and it came up to the old stone barn where horses for the stage catch were relayed. After that a small one story frame wing was built by Decatur Osburn to house his mercantile business until he built, just opposite the ferry land, a large two story frame building which he soon occupied as general store and bar which was often rented. In the flood of 1877, flood waters almost reached the ceiling of the first floor in the house. In 1889, there was another flood (the Johnstown Flood). In 1896, water ran the family out of the house forcing them to get out of the upstairs window into a boat. 

The ferry was operated by the Castlemans and Osborn’s until 1905 when a bridge was built.

The Castleman house, in the flood of 1936, was moved off its foundation. At about this time, a motor vehicle damaged the bridge which was replaced in 1939. In the forty-eight foot flood of 1942, many buildings were washed away or destroyed and these included the Castleman house. Across from it was the dance hall, pop stand and bath house (River Rendezvous) which was also washed away as was the small stand across from it conducted by “Guinea” Moreland. There was also a flood in 1985.

Annals of Clarke County, Vol IV, CCHA

These photos were taken October 31, 2024. The wooden structure is in very poor condition and quite overgrown.