Evening star., 1931-12-27


y ization of it's kind in existence.
In the troubled days immc-
diately following the War Between the States
there was formed in Fairfax County, Va, ad-
joining the Nations Capital what was prob
ably the first cooperative association for the
insurance of property that was known in this
country. While mutual companies were Or
ganized as early as 1s43, when the Mutual Life
Axarance Co. of New York began to write life
insurance policies, theft insurance, as SUCH was
not written in the United States until 1892.
The "Woodlawn Society for Mutual Protec-
ton and Insurance Against Horse Thieves" or
as it was commonly known. the "Woodlawn
Horse Company was organized October 7,
1865, to serve that portion OF Fairfax County
lying south of Alexandria City. With historic
Woodlawn Mansion. the beautiful home erected
In 1905 by Lawrence Lewis, nephew of George
Washington, as a focal point, the territory
served by the organization extended over an
8-mile radius in all directions
In the reconstruction which followed the
cessation of hostilities there was little attempt
at real law enforcement in Virginia. The only
authority was furnished by the carpet bag gov
ernment at Richmond. Fairfax County was
overrun with camp followers and disbanded
soldiery from both the Northern and Southern
armies. The loss of farm live stock particular
" horses, became SO great that the citizens ii
desperation were forced to organize themselves
into vigilance committee to protect their
property and to maintain form of local self
government
The Woodlawn Horse Company did the work
in Fairfax County performed elsewhere by the
Ku Klux Klan and undoubtedly was the reason
why the klan never obtained foothold here
and why Fairfax County was spared most of
the evils of reconstruction days. Imitation is,
they say, the most sincere fattery. As mute
testimony to the success of the Woodlawn
Company. a similar organization known as the
Horse Protective Association using substan-
TALLY the same rules, was later formed, also in
Fairfax County, to cover the territory between
Alexandria and Falls Church. This association
formally disbanded in October 1890.
HE first meetings of the Woodlawn Horse
Company were held in the Old Friends
Meeting House near the present entrance to
Fort Humphreys. Most of the charter mem
bers of the company were Quakers members
ot the colony of Friends who emigrated to
Wcodawn in 1850 from Pennsylvania and New
Jersey, to settle on part of the former Mount
Vernon estate. Since 1874 meetings have been
held in the Woodlawn School House. known in
the early days the Lukens School, in honor
OF CORTLAND Lukens, first president of the
Horse Company, Who gave to Mount Vernon
district the land which the present school
building was erected.
During the early days the company num-
bered constantly between 40 and so active men,
bers, pledged to protect each others property
by active measures, by rewards for the capture
of thieves and recovery of stolen property and
by reimbursement for actual loss. The So
ciety's roll included practically every property
owner of consequence in the region.
Only one membership was permitted in each
family. membership being constituted q right
that was transferable, either by the member
himSeif or by his executor, to q person ap-
proved by majority of the members attend
ing the annual business meeting The horses
OF any member were under the cempany,s pro-
lection for one year after his decease, or until
sold. Occasionally widow was admitted to
the protection OF the society without being re-
quired to participate in the active work of
hunting horse thieves or attending business
meetings.
The first woman member was admitted in
1881. when the rights of Chalkley Gillingham,
deceased were transferred to Hannah w. Cox.
Her membership was later passed to her son.
Joseph w. Cox, who is now and has for wears
been an active member of the board of directors.
In 1907 woman was admitted in her 1wn