What Happened to Looney's Ferry

<body topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td valign="top" height="90" BGCOLOR="#99CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0a776bc1egdyqn.gif"><div><b><font SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial"><p>Looney Book</font>   |   <a HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Looney Book"><u>home</u></a></b></p> </div><div><a HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Exactly where and when was Robert Looney"><u><p>Exactly where and when was Robert Looney's first...</u></a>   |   <a HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where was Looneys Mill?"><u>Where was Looney's Mill?</u></a>   |   <b>What Happened to Looney's Ferry</b>   |   <a HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Exactly where was the Looney Land?"><u>Exactly where was the Looney Land?</u></a>   |   <a HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What was the importance..."><u>What was the importance...</u></a>   |   <a HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why 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</font>What happened to Looney's Ferry?</b></p> </div><div><b><p>     </b><font SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial">Although some histories state that Robert Looney established Looney's Ferry in 1742, the first record which names such a place appeared in the Augusta County Court orders on May 25, 1750.</font></p> </div><div><p>     On February 28, 1744-45 the Orange County Court granted James Patton, who owned the land on both sides of the James River, permission to operate a ferry at Cherry Tree Bottom (which is on the north side of the river across from the mouth of Looney's Mill Creek).  It is possible that Robert Looney had a private ferry at this location before this, so the ferry rights belonged to him.  Since the Great Road crossed the James River at this location, the ferry became not only a needed service to the community, but also an important commercial operation.</p> </div><div><p>     By 1750 Looney's Ferry was named on the Fry and Jefferson map of "the INHABITED Part of VIRGINIA containing the whole Province of MARYLAND with Part of PENNSILVANIA (sic), NEW JERSEY and NORTH CAROLINA."  The name Looney's Ferry would continue to appear on maps well into the 1800's (even though it had gone out of existence by 1766) because cartographers just copied what was on earlier maps.  The importance of the name Looney's Ferry on Fry and Jefferson's map cannot be over emphasized.  Since the map is so historically significant, the places (like Looney's Ferry) named on it also become historically important.  One writer (Stoner)) even notes that Looney's Ferry is the only landmark named on the Fry and Jefferson map which is in present day Botetourt County, Virginia.</p> </div><div><p>     The writers identify Looney's Ferry (business), Looney's Ferry (a landing), Looney's Ferry (a community), and Looney's Ferry (a historical site).  Only the one that was a business is discussed in this article.</p> </div><div><p>     The success of Looney's Ferry depended upon a well traveled road making a crossing of the James River where it was located.  From 1745 or earlier until the early 1800's, the Great Road (Indian Road) crossed just above the mouth of Looney's Mill Creek.  Until 1766, when David Looney sold 140 acres (which included the former Robert Looney home-site and Looney's Ferry) to William Crow, Looney's Ferry was at this location.</p> </div><div><p>     By 1759 and 1761, two events occurred that may have interfered with the success of Looney's Ferry.  First, in 1759 Robert Looney made the Agreement of 1759, which turned his 250 acres (except the part on the south side of Looney's Mill Creek) over to his sons  David Looney and Peter Looney.  There were conditions to this agreement -- that the sons pay an annual rent, that they would build Robert and his wife,  Elizabeth, a new house, that they would furnish Robert and Elizabeth with firewood, etc.  By 1762 Robert, dissatisfied that David and Peter had not carried out their part of the deal, sold the same land to John Bowyer.  A long lawsuit resulted between 1762-65, in which the court ordered John Bowyer to deed David and Peter the land.  During the time of this land controversy (1759-65), Looney's Ferry certainly experienced difficult times (who owned it during this time?).</p> </div><div><p>     The second event which certainly disturbed the operation of Looney Ferry took place in 1761 when Col. John Buchanan received permission to operate a ferry 1 1/2 miles downstream (across the river from what is now Buchanan).  From the opening of the area to settlement by whites, the road (sometimes called the "Main Road"), had crossed the James River where Buchanan located his ferry.  This road by-passed Looney's Ferry, so even during the 1750's and especially after 1761, the use of Looney's Ferry diminished because settlers were using the "Main Road" (see map).                                                                                                                     </p> </div><div><p>          <img SRC="0c5710a0.gif" border="0" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" width="625" height="778"></p> </div><div><p>         By 1765 David Looney was awarded 140 acres as a result of the court case against his father, Robert Looney, and John Bowyer.  This land included the Robert Looney homestead and the land where Looney's Ferry was located.  In 1766 David and Mary Looney sold this land to  Captain William Crow.</p> </div><div><p>     By 1772 "William Crow's Ferry" was mentioned in a petition to the Virginia General Assembly.  Looney's Ferry became Crow's Ferry, although there may have been some lapse in its operation due to the chancery suit already mentioned.</p> </div><div><p>     In 1785-86 the road at Crow's Ferry was changed (see map).  The new landing for Crow's Ferry was about 100 yards upstream from the earlier Crow's Ferry landing (originally Looney's Ferry landing).</p> </div><div><p>     On February 24, 1792, William and Margaret Crow sold the 140 acre tract to John Miller.  Three years later, on February 25, 1795, John and Precilla Miller sold this land to John Beale.  By December 19, 1804, Beale petitioned the Virginia legislature for permission to build a bridge as follows: "That your petitioner is the proprietor of the Land on James River at the place lately called Crows Ferry now Pendleton and likewise of the Ferry which is established from that place to the land of Andrew Boyd on the other side of the River on whose land your petitioner has a right to land passengers..." This reveals that the Ferry was still there by 1804 (originally Looney's Ferry, although about 100 yards upstream).  By about 1805 Beale's Bridge was completed and this was the end of a ferry at this location.</p> </div><div><p>     Looney's Ferry, and the road that led to and from it, faced competition from the start -- first from the road often called the "Main Road," then from Buchanan's Ferry.  Both of these took business away from Looney's Ferry.  The land controversy that resulted after Robert Looney made the Articles of Agreement of 1759 also did not add to the success of Looney's Ferry. By the time the land was sold to Crow, the ferry was probably discontinued, although the right to have a ferry at this location still existed.</p> </div><p><br> </p> <div><p>                              <font SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial"><a HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WHATS NEW IN LOONEY BOOK?"><u><b>BACK TO WHAT'S NEW</b></u></a></font></p> </div></td> </tr> </table> </body>