THE 1700s

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In the 1700s, the land that is today’s Camp Potomac Woods was part of the English colony of Virginia, and was part of two different Colonial-era land grants.

The northern half of the camp (near the river) fell within the borders of the Francis Aubrey 1739 land grant, and the south (roadside) half of the camp was part of the Josiah Clapham 1739 land grant.  Unknown to Clapham, a squatter was living on his land in a log cabin and remained there for some time. 

Both Francis Awbrey and Josiah Clapham were prominent landowners in 18th-century Loudoun County, and each gentleman also operated a nearby ferry business on the Potomac River. 

At that time, the roads in the vicinity of today’s Camp Potomac Woods were very busy, because they led to Potomac River area ferry crossings.  People and wagons and horses used ferries to get across the Potomac River, because no bridges had yet been built.  Just one Potomac River ferry, White’s Ferry, is still in operation today, and does brisk business as a commuter shortcut from the Gaithersburg area to Loudoun County.