THE FATHER OF LAKE BARCROFT
By Tony Bracken
Barcroft News Staff
Looking back on the early days when a not-very-hardy handful of us bought lots and built houses, we can remember the maps that showed nice paved roads where there were no roads; sketches of white sandy beaches where there were no beaches; gas mains on the charts where there was no gas . . . Much of what we saw was in the fertile mind of that super salesman, Colonel Joseph V. Barger. All you had to do with that guy was show up at his office and you were as good as sold, money or no money.
- - Reflections of Rex Chaney
Who was this gentleman who came to town and started the development of the Lake properties? Joseph Vincent Barger was called the Colonel, but some wondered if that was an honorary title. One source said Barger bragged about being a bush pilot in Alaska. His obituary in the Washington Post described Barger as "an early aviation enthusiast and . . . a colonel in the Massachusetts Air National Guard."
Colonel Barger was born about 1900 and raised in Brockton, Mass., a blue-collar town outside of Boston. He attended Boston College. Before coming to Lake Barcroft, Barger and his colleagues had developed more than 30 projects, most with waterfront properties. One associate described him as a "typical land salesman . . . a vanishing breed." He once said that he moved to Virginia simply because, "I ran out of waterfront in Massachusetts."
Barger had a swashbuckling air about him. He usually sported a cane and dressed in a coat and tie, addressing some Barcrofters in a jaunty brogue as "me lad." Most days found him lunching at the Marriott restaurant at Bailey's Crossroads. His courtly manners impressed the ladies, especially when he showed up with a bouquet of flowers for new homeowners. He kept an expensive set of golf clubs in his office but only putted on the rug.
To some the Colonel was a fast-talking salesman who would take your last nickel. To others he kept the community's best interests at heart. In fact, he coughed up the necessary funds when needed, for example, $113,000 for dredging in 1960. He also funded a causeway over Tripps Run to join the north and middle areas at the request of homeowners. One of his schemes envisioned a high-rise hotel on the Beach 5 property, and he was disappointed when residents told him the community would revolt if the idea came up.
Lake Barcroft was well along in development by the time Barger moved on to other projects, Tantallon-on the-Potomac Country Club in Fort Washington, Md., and several subdivisions in the Washington area. The Barger family never resided in Lake Barcroft. When he died in 1969, Barger and his wife were living in the Windsor Park Apartments in Washington. Colonel Barger maintained offices in Washington, Lake Barcroft and Tantallon and was in daily communication with the Barcroft office right to the end, supervising affairs of the lake as president of Barcroft Beach Inc.
Colonel Barger was controversial at best and avoided confrontation on many issues important to homeowners. For at least five years prior to 1969, he refused to negotiate his $1.8 million asking price for the lake, dam and beaches, which later sold for $300,000. However, some saw him as a true visionary. Ellen Oshins, the first president of the Lake Barcroft Association, wrote in the December 1969 Newsletter:
"It's been said that the hardest person to like is your landlord--but I found Joseph Barger such a warm, real person that it was impossible not to feel warm towards him. He thought of Lake Barcroft as the crowning achievement of his Horatio Alger-ish career. He wanted to make it the finest community of its kind anywhere. Many times he moved contrary to his own economic interest to help make this a community for gracious living. He was a good friend."
For a copy of the book, Lake Barcroft History, which describes more about Colonel Barger, contact any member of the Woman's Club or call 703-941-4614.