Three Chopted Road
On 19th of June 1733,
Goochland County Court issued an order for a road to be started. This central geographical road was the most important stage route in the state for the colonists, including three brothers, Arthur, William and
Abraham Slayden. The road was commonly known as the Three Chopted or Notched Road. The route was originally formed by the Indians and used as a trail that led to the foothills east of the Blue
Ridge Mountains. This road was surveyed out by Peter
Jefferson, the father of the author of the Declaration of Independence. It started from Richmond,
Virginia and expanded to the western borders of
Goochland County, later
Albemarle County.
Two famous historical accounts were attributed to the Three Chopted Road. On 3rd of June 1781, the road served as a gateway for Jack Jouett's famous 38 mile all-night horse ride to warn the
Governor, Thomas
Jefferson, of the approachment of the British
Calvary Officer, Colonel Banastre Tarleton, and his Dragons. Richmond had fallen and
Governor Jefferson had gone to Monticello near Charlottesville as the Legislature was in session there. Jouett while at Cuckoo Tavern, overheard about Tarleton's plan to dash for Charlottesville and surprise the
Governor and the legislature, but Jouett was able to warn them in time.
Later in 1781, General George Washington sent Marquis De LaFayette to march along the Three Notched Road taking ahold near Giles Allegres' Tavern on Mechunk
Creek, to intervene between Lord Earl Cornwallis, who was then in Goochland and Military stores at Albemarle's Old
Court House, near Scottsville. This eventually lead Cornwallis to surrender at Yorkstown.
On 17th of May 1737,
Goochland County Court ordered Michael Wood to clear the road from Blue
Ridge down to
Ivy Creek via Mechunk
Creek and Woods Gap. By 1741, The
Goochland County Court issued an order what apparently was the final part of completing the Three Chopted Road from Secretary's
Ford on the Rivanna River to the D. S. Tree on Michael Wood's road ( D. S. is thought to be the initials of
Davis Stockdon, a landholder near
Ivy).
On Tuesday, 15th of September 1741,
Goochland County Court Order Book 5 (1741-1744), page 3, shows
Abraham Slayden living along the Three Chopted Road. "On the petition of
Davis Lewis, George Taylor, William Hargis, Samuel Stiles, James Ffrazier, Howard Cash, James Treland, David Lewis Jr., Chas Caffry, David
Rees, William Lewis,
Abraham Sladen [
Slayden], and William
Williams, leave is granted them to clear a road from the Secretary's
Ford to the D. S. Tree and that the Petitioners be exempt from working on any other road."
In 1742, the Three Chopted Road became the boundary line between Goochland and Louisa Counties. This
Louisa County Road traverses the county from end to end making westward expansion easily accessible. Charles Allen, Arthur
Slayden, Callum Holman Bailey, William Groom, Edmond Hodges, William
Isbell, Dabney Carr and others were owners on both sides of this road.
On 20th of September 1743,
Goochland County Court Order Book 5, page 244, "David Lewis is appointed surveyor of the road from the D. S. Tree, down to Moor's
Creek and into the Secretary's
Ford and that the tithables (this included
Abraham Slayden) near the said road do clear the same."
Arthur
Slayden moved from
New Kent County,
Virginia to
Goochland County,
Virginia by the 14th of September 1741, where he bought land on the Lickinghole
Creek, near the Three Chopted Road. On the 24th of April 1752, he bought land in
Louisa County which was on both sides of the Three Chopted Road. He later sold this to William
Isbell and his son, William
Slayden.
In 1766, William
Slayden was found living next to John Rodes who is recorded living near the Three Chopted Road in
Albemarle County. All three brothers lived near this road which became the route they would have used in their westward expansion.
