White’s Ferry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding to the fun, it appears that the man who owned the Ferry since the mid 1940’s died earlier this year. Can’t have helped the relationship. Good luck to the wedding venue collecting its $100K from what is now a defunct operation with no revenue stream. Greedy people on both sides.

Wow, and the plaintiff - Betsey J.S. Brown - died last year. So this case was decided after both of the main parties died. The land has been in the family for over 200 years!

Her obit: https://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Betsey-Brown/#!/Obituary

The family who have owned Rockland literally invented the money market fund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._R._Brown

This was the husband of the plaintiff. Yeah, they are probably gonna buy the ferry and close it down.

Woah....and the son (and presumably current heir of the Rockland Trust) is the CEO of Renaissance Technologies (!!!!)

https://www.geni.com/people/Peter-Brown/6000000077988737711

Jesus h christ, this is serious huge money. The ferry is over.

Interesting, if they are so wealthy I wonder if this is about the money, or perhaps they just want the ferry gone?

No way is this about money. They want the traffic and the ferry gone.

I bet they've been complaining for 130+ years about the crummy deal that their ancestor, A.T.M. Rust, was forced into by Loudoun County back in 1871. These folks have enough money to donate to every local and statewide politico. They knew the land records were inconclusive and kept up the lawsuit for 12 years. They knew they would win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding to the fun, it appears that the man who owned the Ferry since the mid 1940’s died earlier this year. Can’t have helped the relationship. Good luck to the wedding venue collecting its $100K from what is now a defunct operation with no revenue stream. Greedy people on both sides.

Wow, and the plaintiff - Betsey J.S. Brown - died last year. So this case was decided after both of the main parties died. The land has been in the family for over 200 years!

Her obit: https://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Betsey-Brown/#!/Obituary

The family who have owned Rockland literally invented the money market fund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._R._Brown

This was the husband of the plaintiff. Yeah, they are probably gonna buy the ferry and close it down.

Woah....and the son (and presumably current heir of the Rockland Trust) is the CEO of Renaissance Technologies (!!!!)

https://www.geni.com/people/Peter-Brown/6000000077988737711

Jesus h christ, this is serious huge money. The ferry is over.

Interesting, if they are so wealthy I wonder if this is about the money, or perhaps they just want the ferry gone?

No way is this about money. They want the traffic and the ferry gone.

I bet they've been complaining for 130+ years about the crummy deal that their ancestor, A.T.M. Rust, was forced into by Loudoun County back in 1871. These folks have enough money to donate to every local and statewide politico. They knew the land records were inconclusive and kept up the lawsuit for 12 years. They knew they would win.

1. Everything is about money in the end.

2. The Facebook posts says exactly opposite of your claim.

3. See point $1 above. $$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the Rocklands Facebook page...

“OTHER POSTS
Historic Rockland
2h ·
In 1871, Loudoun County condemned a landing at Rockland Farm of 1 perch by 16 perches for a Ferry landing called Conrad’s Ferry. At that time there were many ferries that crossed the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland such as Edward’s Ferry and Sphinx Ferry. Unfortunately, there are no records that show where the condemnation for Conrad’s ferry occurred. In 1947, Elijah White wanted to reopen Conrad’s Ferry under the name White’s Ferry after a terrible flood which had closed Conrad’s ferry for a long time. They sent a letter to Rockland Farm acknowledging that they had no right to use Rockland’s property for the landing and asked the owners of Rockland Farm, for an agreement. In 1952, Elizabeth Rust Brown and Stanley Noel Brown, owners of Rockland Farm entered into a licensing agreement with White’s Ferry for $5.00 per year for the use of a landing at Rockland Farm so long as the ferry landing was never changed or enlarged under its current configuration. Since that time, White’s Ferry evolved from being a small operation of a few cars per day to a major commuter route.
Sixteen years ago, on July 4th weekend, White’s Ferry (without prior notification or permission from Rockland and without obtaining any government permits) unlawfully enlarged the ferry landing and built structures on Rockland. So doing violated a license agreement between White’s Ferry and Rockland that had been in place for more than half a century. Since then Rockland has been attempting to work out some fair arrangement with the owners of White’s Ferry. In response, all White’s Ferry has done is to delay, delay, delay, all the while making millions of dollars off the use of Rockland. Finally, after being stonewalled time and again by White’s Ferry, Rockland had no choice but to file suit on December 2, 2009. After many attempts to settle the case out of court which delayed the trial by years, the suit was decided in Rockland’s favor on November 23rd, 2020. The court definitively ruled that the owners of White’s Ferry had been and are trespassing and are no longer able to make use of Rockland without Rockland’s permission.
Since that decision over four weeks ago, Rockland Farm has made numerous attempts to reach White’s Ferry in order to negotiate a fair and equitable solution that will keep the ferry running. Rockland has offered to purchase White’s ferry, to be paid rent for its land, and to consider other arrangements that will keep the ferry running. On multiple occasions, White’s Ferry told Rockland Farm that it would get back to Rockland on certain dates, but missed their own deadlines. Multiple attempts to reach White’s Ferry have gone unanswered. All the while White’s Ferry continued, unjustly and now in violation of a court ruling, to make money off of the use of Rockland.
Rockland Farm knows that it is in everyone’s best interest to keep the ferry running and sent White’s Ferry an interim licensing agreement so that the ferry operation could continue without interruption until a deal between the two parties could be negotiated. Rockland Farm received no response from White’s Ferry. Having not gotten a response from White’s Ferry, Rockland Farm wrote to them last Wednesday letting them know that if Rockland did not hear back from them by noon on Monday, it would send a final notice of entry of Order to the court. Instead of engaging with Rockland Farm to negotiate a fair and equitable arrangement to keep the ferry running, the response by White’s Ferry was to close the ferry and walk away from the business.



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https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2834490796789093&id=1580811552157030

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding to the fun, it appears that the man who owned the Ferry since the mid 1940’s died earlier this year. Can’t have helped the relationship. Good luck to the wedding venue collecting its $100K from what is now a defunct operation with no revenue stream. Greedy people on both sides.

Wow, and the plaintiff - Betsey J.S. Brown - died last year. So this case was decided after both of the main parties died. The land has been in the family for over 200 years!

Her obit: https://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Betsey-Brown/#!/Obituary

The family who have owned Rockland literally invented the money market fund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._R._Brown

This was the husband of the plaintiff. Yeah, they are probably gonna buy the ferry and close it down.

Woah....and the son (and presumably current heir of the Rockland Trust) is the CEO of Renaissance Technologies (!!!!)

https://www.geni.com/people/Peter-Brown/6000000077988737711

Jesus h christ, this is serious huge money. The ferry is over.

Interesting, if they are so wealthy I wonder if this is about the money, or perhaps they just want the ferry gone?

No way is this about money. They want the traffic and the ferry gone.

I bet they've been complaining for 130+ years about the crummy deal that their ancestor, A.T.M. Rust, was forced into by Loudoun County back in 1871. These folks have enough money to donate to every local and statewide politico. They knew the land records were inconclusive and kept up the lawsuit for 12 years. They knew they would win.

1. Everything is about money in the end.

2. The Facebook posts says exactly opposite of your claim.

3. See point $1 above. $$

What do you want to bet Rockland asked for an insane number from White's Ferry that could never be affordable?

They offered to buy White's Ferry operation....and I bet they won't keep it open. The post is BS written by their lawyer and a PR team. Notice that they don't admit that their ancestor was compensated for the land in 1871.

The ferry is gone, folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rock land farm owner will make between 600k and 1million?

But in turn destroys a 200 year old business and the sympathy of locals. Time for the farm to move out?
Are y’all depositing your money there considering the events?

Don't give the farm your business.
What a greedy nasty person.

Did any of you actually read the article? The landowner on the VA side that filed the lawsuit, “Rockland” is NOT the same Rocklands Farm in Poolseville that you all seem to be referring to.

I think that is an important point.

But the Rockland Farm in VA is also a business, they are a wedding venue and planner.

Yeah, I feel really bad for “Rocklands Farm” which is a lovely winery and event space and is now having its name dragged through the mud through no fault or knowledge of its own. They have been posting on social media this has nothing to do with them.

The MD Rocklands Farm was also the site where Richard Spencer’s think tank hosted a luncheon in 2017. The venue management figured out who he was halfway though the event and asked them all to leave. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/richard-spencer-hosted-an-event-at-a-maryland-farm-halfway-through-everyone-was-kicked-out/2017/11/21/1cd92dfe-9f33-40c4-b6f5-a271a8874c5d_story.html

[Anonymous]

Lol. They are going to end up with a bridge instead. That’s a state road and the bridge could have their little square of land under it and still useable by them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol. They are going to end up with a bridge instead. That’s a state road and the bridge could have their little square of land under it and still useable by them.

Not likely. Rockland VA has been fighting the expansion of I-15 for years. They are winning the fight there too. Money buys power.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adding to the fun, it appears that the man who owned the Ferry since the mid 1940’s died earlier this year. Can’t have helped the relationship. Good luck to the wedding venue collecting its $100K from what is now a defunct operation with no revenue stream. Greedy people on both sides.

Wow, and the plaintiff - Betsey J.S. Brown - died last year. So this case was decided after both of the main parties died. The land has been in the family for over 200 years!

Her obit: https://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Betsey-Brown/#!/Obituary

The family who have owned Rockland literally invented the money market fund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_B._R._Brown

This was the husband of the plaintiff. Yeah, they are probably gonna buy the ferry and close it down.

Woah....and the son (and presumably current heir of the Rockland Trust) is the CEO of Renaissance Technologies (!!!!)

https://www.geni.com/people/Peter-Brown/6000000077988737711

Jesus h christ, this is serious huge money. The ferry is over.

Interesting, if they are so wealthy I wonder if this is about the money, or perhaps they just want the ferry gone?

No way is this about money. They want the traffic and the ferry gone.

I bet they've been complaining for 130+ years about the crummy deal that their ancestor, A.T.M. Rust, was forced into by Loudoun County back in 1871. These folks have enough money to donate to every local and statewide politico. They knew the land records were inconclusive and kept up the lawsuit for 12 years. They knew they would win.

1. Everything is about money in the end.

2. The Facebook posts says exactly opposite of your claim.

3. See point $1 above. $$

What do you want to bet Rockland asked for an insane number from White's Ferry that could never be affordable?

They offered to buy White's Ferry operation....and I bet they won't keep it open. The post is BS written by their lawyer and a PR team. Notice that they don't admit that their ancestor was compensated for the land in 1871.

The ferry is gone, folks.

There are a load numbers being chucked around on social media but it seems they wanted a load in back payment plus $16k per month going forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol. They are going to end up with a bridge instead. That’s a state road and the bridge could have their little square of land under it and still useable by them.

Not likely. Rockland VA has been fighting the expansion of I-15 for years. They are winning the fight there too. Money buys power.

Obviously want it nice and tranquil for their wedding venue. But surely shutting the ferry makes 15 expansion more likely due to the increase in traffic up to Point of Rocks bridge?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol. They are going to end up with a bridge instead. That’s a state road and the bridge could have their little square of land under it and still useable by them.

No way. The family that owns Rockland are worth crazy money. They can buy every politician in the state and Loudoun County. They will get a future MD-VA bridge placed elsewhere.

The Brown family just rid themselves of a stream of traffic and now get a private boat landing. Win-win. They apparently asked for $18K/month in rent and $600K in back-rent. The $18K is more than the operators of White's Ferry make in a month.

Apparently the Brown family/Rockland also funds the "Friend of Route 15" astroturf group that has anti-development agenda for the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the issue is that White’s Ferry Road crosses land that is owned by Rockland farm, so they have sued to stop them using it for ferry access

No idea why they would do that after all this time but presumably money is involved somehow.

Yep. Ferry is not paying rent or licensing fees......havent for a decade.

+1

I'd be pissed if the Ferry was making money docking daily on my property - creating wear & tear on my property (that I have to pay for), no rental fee for me, no user fee for my inconvenience, etc....and this has all been since 2004. 16 years!

[Anonymous]

They better watch it. I think Md wants the ferry there and Md has jurisdiction over the entire river bed. Md could cause all kinds of mischief. A river recreation zone for the homeless comes to mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the issue is that White’s Ferry Road crosses land that is owned by Rockland farm, so they have sued to stop them using it for ferry access

No idea why they would do that after all this time but presumably money is involved somehow.

Yep. Ferry is not paying rent or licensing fees......havent for a decade.

+1

I'd be pissed if the Ferry was making money docking daily on my property - creating wear & tear on my property (that I have to pay for), no rental fee for me, no user fee for my inconvenience, etc....and this has all been since 2004. 16 years!

This is not true at all. The Brown family does not maintain the road or the ferry landing. There is no "wear and tear."

The Brown family used the re-building of the retaining wall to declare the agreement between the estate and White's Ferry null & void. The fee was $5/month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They better watch it. I think Md wants the ferry there and Md has jurisdiction over the entire river bed. Md could cause all kinds of mischief. A river recreation zone for the homeless comes to mind.

Lol. A campsite for the homeless, the addicted, illegals criminals avoiding ICE, juvenile detention with access to unlimited boating and rec equipment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They better watch it. I think Md wants the ferry there and Md has jurisdiction over the entire river bed. Md could cause all kinds of mischief. A river recreation zone for the homeless comes to mind.

Lol. A campsite for the homeless, the addicted, illegals criminals avoiding ICE, juvenile detention with access to unlimited boating and rec equipment.

The ferry can stop 1 inch short of the Rockland property for a on the half hour “visit Dixie” excursion program for the addicted/criminal half way/destitute / undocumented and those with incurable infectious diseases.