Elzy Burroughs

Who was Elzy Burroughs?

Elzy Burroughs was an American stonemason, engineer, lighthouse builder and keeper.

Elzy Burroughs was born and raised in Stafford County, Virginia. Elzy Burroughs' family leased and operated a sandstone quarry in the Aquia Creek area of Stafford County. Known as Aquia sandstone, material from quarries in this area was utilized in the construction of Mount Vernon, the United States Capitol building, the White House, and the first lighthouse constructed at Cape Henry in Princess Anne County, Virginia, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

As a child, Elzy would have grown up playing near sandstone quarries. He would have been surrounded by expert stonemasons and by all of the tools, equipment and skills that are necessary to that profession. So it was no surprise when he, too, grew up to join in the mason's craft.

As a young man, Burroughs worked as a mason and builder across the Tidewater Virginia region. He had a young wife, the former Miss Lightburn, also of Stafford County, and a growing family. During his travels he built stone and brick structures, including the county clerks' offices in York and Middlesex Counties. His oldest son, John Jay Burroughs, was born during this period in 1798 in Middlesex County, Virginia.