Burke: A History of Pies, Racing and Summer Fun

Burke Connection
By Victoria Ross
February 2, 2012

Burke — When Mike Copperthite dug into his family’s history last year, he struck pies. Fifty thousand of them.

His quest for information about his great-great grandfather – Henry Clay Copperthite – led him down a path that included a rags-to-riches story, connections to President Theodore Roosevelt, a pie empire and an era when Burke was a resort town for Washingtonians.

Col. Silas Burke (aka Burke Historic Society president Jon Vrana), Suzi Fowler-Neal, whose family owns the Silas Burke House, and Mike Copperthite stand in the parlor of the historic home. Copperthite gave a presentation on his great-great-grandfather, Henry, who owned the mansion in the early 1900s (read more).