The Muse: February 2001

It’s Time to Celebrate

Plans are underway for the celebration of the Museum’s 25th Anniversary. This coming spring will be brimming with events and activities. We are very excited, and hope all will join us in the fun. Here is a tentative schedule of events through June.

Artifact and Genealogy workshop series.
Do you have some old family items at home that you don’t quite know how to take care of? Have you wanted to learn more about your Amherst County family history, but don’t know where to start? Some of these workshops might be for you.

Each workshop takes place on Thursday morning at 10:30 AM at the Museum.

• Feb. 8 -- Document and Photograph Care and Preservation -- presented by Mrs. Meghan Wallace
• Feb. 22 -- Textile and Quilt Care -- presented by Mrs. Meghan Wallace
• March 8 -- World War II Memories and Artifacts -- presented by Mr. Elmer Loving (a WWII veteran) and Mrs. Meghan Wallace
• March 22 -- Researching Your Amherst County Genealogy -- presented by Mrs. Ruth McBride and Mr. Charles Hamble

Saturday April 7 --Antiques Identification Afternoon.
Bring your family treasures to the Museum where experts will be on hand to tell you about them. A charge of $5 an item or 3 items for $10 will go towards Museum operations. More information to follow.

Saturday May 5 -- Yard Sale

Saturday June 2 -- Big Birthday Bash
Stop by the Museum to see the completed permanent exhibit and have a piece of Birthday Cake. We also hope to have hands-on craft demonstrations. Stay tuned for more information.

Essay and Art Contests
The Museum will also be sponsoring two contests, essay and art, for local students between the ages of 12 and 19. Topics must relate an actual historic event, person or location in Amherst County between 1700 and 2001. Prizes of $100 for first place, $50 for second, and $25 for third will be awarded in both categories. Entrants must be residents of Amherst County and enrolled in an approved course of education. Entries due to the Museum May 15, 2001. Please call the Museum (946-9068) for more information.

Early plans for summer and fall activities include the Annual Open House, Historic House Tour, and several “Get to know your County” field trips to different areas of the county.

New Members

• Mr. Richard Bennett -- Madison Heights, VA
• Dr. William Brown -- Clifford, VA
• Alice Burnett -- Madison Heights, VA
• Mary Curd -- Monroe, VA
• Mary Dodgion -- Amherst, VA
• William Hackett and Nan Dupuy -- Vesuvius, VA
• Toni Hudson -- Amherst, VA
• Mrs. Jake Motley -- Amherst, VA
• Mr. John Payne, Jr. -- Baltimore, MD
• Jackie Prillaman -- Amherst, VA
• Jane Smith -- Charlottesville, VA
• Joe Stinnett -- Lynchburg, VA
• Beverly Voigt -- Amherst, VA
• Mr. and Mrs. Wirt Wills -- Blacksburg, VA
• Meredith Wood -- Piney River, VA

New Mission Statement adopted by Museum Board

In November, the Museum Board met to discuss and adopt a new mission statement. The following result highlights our goals as an organization to serve our county community.

The Mission of the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society is to discover, collect and preserve objects related to the history and genealogy of Amherst County.
The Museum & Historical Society shall exhibit, interpret and offer those collections to provide educational experiences for people of all ages.

Director’s Notes: A Heartfelt Thanks

When working on a recent grant application, I came across a question concerning the value of volunteers at Amherst County Museum. My response -- invaluable. Not only do volunteers play an important role in the everyday operations of the Museum, but during the six month period between directors they were the ones who kept the Museum open. Again, my response -- invaluable.

As I continued to work on the grant, I came up with a list of all the projects volunteers worked on during 2000. They include: greeting and orienting visitors, conducting genealogy and historic research, working with the collections and exhibits, preparing The Muse, grant writing, assisting with financial management and staffing special events. This added up to 1,300+ hours of time donated to the museum. When you take into account what the museum would have had to pay staff and professionals to complete the same projects we saved $9,000+. It is amazing to look at it that way.

I want to thank and recognize every individual who volunteered at the Museum this past year, and let you know that you were truly -- invaluable.

This list does not include the many individuals who worked numerous hours at the Election Day cake raffle and the November Open House. Neither does it include the members of the Village Garden Club who continually work to beautify the Museum’s landscape.

As you can see, volunteers play a very important role here at the Museum. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, give me a call and we can put you right to work.

Saying Goodbye to Tyler’s Duckbill Farm

Amherst County is facing the loss of another historic treasure. "Duckbill Farm" on Rt. 29 in Madison Heights is scheduled for demolition sometime within the next few months. The interior has already been gutted, and what remains is merely a shell of this historic structure.

Duckbill Farm stands on land patented in 1761. The current brick structure was likely built around 1825 by Captain James Lampkin, a prominent county citizen and landholder. Between 1825 and 1885, the property changed hands several times. In 1885, Fielden B. Tyler, a Civil War veteran and champion of education, purchased the farm. A letter written by Fannie Tyler, daughter of Fielden, in 1937 describes the house.

The house had originally six rooms, 2 (in the basement), 2 on first floor and 2 on second floor. It was brick, with brick chimneys at each end, and shingle roof. It has two carved mantles and carved chairboard with paneling below. There were two windows to each room except one basement room had three windows, and the upstairs rooms had a hall between them. Front and back doors opposite each other were in the center. The front porch had a flat top with railing around it and (I think) circular brick columns . . . The windows on the main floor have eighteen and the upper windows fifteen 9” x 12” lights. The floors have the original boards, so far as I know. They are about six inches wide. Four frame rooms were added at the rear by some former owner . . . We added two others. There are also 3 small rooms and two back porches.

Fielden B. Tyler was born Feb. 17, 1842. On March 11, 1862, he enlisted in the Confederate Army and served in the Civil War until he was captured at Amelia Courthouse in 1865. He was held at Point Lookout, Maryland for a short time until his release in June 1865. In 1877, Fielden married Lucy Mary Wingfield, daughter of his friend Samuel Wingfield. Twelve years later, the Tylers purchased Duckbill Farm.

Almost immediately, Tyler had a small one-room schoolhouse built on the plantation property. He hired a teacher, Mrs. Sallie Lee Hunt, for his children. Neighboring families were invited to send their children to the school in return for paying a share of the teacher’s wage. Subjects studied included arithmetic, grammar, geography, history and spelling. Bible verses were also memorized every day. A member of the County Board of Supervisors, Tyler was instrumental in getting a two-room public school built in Madison Heights. In 1903, this school opened not far from the original one-room schoolhouse. It was named “Tyler School” in recognition of the effort put forth by Fielden to advance public education in Amherst County.

In 1887, Tyler was elected Supervisor of Amherst County roads and began improving many of the old county byways. In 1898, he received a letter concerning the repairs of several bridges in the county:
This is to certify that I will repair the two covered bridges across Pedlar River as per specifications for the (price?) of ninety seven and 98/100 ($97.98) dollars, or I will repair the Bridge at mouth of Pedlar for Thirty six and 66/100 ($36.66) dollars & will repair the other bridge for sixty one and 32/100 ($62.32) dollars.

Tyler served on the county Board of Supervisors until he retired as Co-Chairman of the Board in 1911. During that time, he oversaw the growth and repair of much of Amherst County’s infrastructure.

Fannie Tyler felt obligated to save everything built, bought or inherited by her family. Most of her meager earnings as a schoolteacher were spent in this fruitless endeavor. During her life the Duckbill Farm had consisted of the main house, schoolhouse and many other structures including a smokehouse, carriage house, several tenant houses etc. . . Despite Fannie’s efforts, much of the farm was lost to the cruelties of time.

Today, Duckbill Farm, the home of this champion of education and infrastructure stands alone. In 1996, the one-room schoolhouse was saved and graciously donated to the Museum. It was moved log-by-log and reconstructed here, where it could be better preserved and interpreted to the public. In a few months, it will be all that remains of Tyler’s "Duckbill Farm."
By Meghan Wallace. Researched from historical files at the Amherst County Museum

Museum Raffle News

On Election Day, every voter in Amherst County had an opportunity to participate in the Museum’s Cake Raffle before entering the polling place. With a cake at each precinct and the help of 65 volunteers recruited by Raffle Chairman, Dolly Payne, ticket sales amounted to a total donation of $1,966.72 to the Museum.

The Doll Raffle began in the fall and ended in time to make the doll a nice Christmas gift to its winner, Helen F. Smith, daughter of Bob and Helen Feagans. This raffle brought in $150.00.

To Submit Genealogical Queries

Please use a 3x5 index card (one query per card). Try to be clear and concise. Your query may be edited to shorten it. Include name and address so that readers may contact you directly.
One free query is permitted from members of the Museum. Additional queries appearing in the same issue are $1 per member. Queries from non-members are $2 each.

***Yard Sale Alert***

Don’t start that Spring Cleaning too early. The Museum & Historical Society’s annual Yard Sale will occur Saturday, May 5th. This year’s coordinator, Alice Powell, wants to remind you that the Yard Sale cannot happen without donations from our local members.
More information concerning dates and times to follow.

Civil War History Book Planned

Museum & Historical Society member and volunteer, Bob Faught is collecting information for a book about Civil War service by soldiers from Amherst County.
He is looking for information which will add a personal side to the story of Amherst County’s soldiers. He would be appreciative of any information our society members are willing and able to share with him for this project. Copies of ancestral records, correspondence, and photographs may be sent to:

Amherst Men in Gray
390 Boxwood Farm Road
Amherst, VA 24521

Please send copies, not original records.

Bob asks that the following format be used:

• Soldier’s name, rank and unit or units
• Dates of service
• Major events, as told by the soldier if possible
• Home at time of enlistment and its condition today
• Names of mother, father, and siblings
• Occupation at time of enlistment
• Home or burial place at end of the war
• Connection to submitter’s family
• Pictures or artifacts author may photograph
• Your name, address, and phone number

While various company and regimental data can be obtained currently from the Amherst County Museum and at the Military History Research Center in Amherst, Bob hopes to add a personal dimension to each soldier’s service in his book.

Gifts and Donations

In support of the repairs to the front porch, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church contributed $1,000 of Thrift Shop proceeds to the Museum & Historical Society.

Mr. M.E. Tinsley graciously donated his time and talents to construct a riser for the next stage of the permanent exhibit, and has volunteered his continued assistance with this project.

Mrs. Mary Brugh put in numerous hours to make her home available for the fall historic house tour. It made for a wonderful event.

Thank you for thinking of the Museum in these ways. As always, we thank everyone for their continued support of our endeavors.

New Acquisitions

Over the past year, several new items have been accessioned into the Museum’s collection. Each of them possesses an important tie to Amherst County and conveys a significant aspect of its history. Items accessioned in 2000 include:

• early 1900s clothing from the estate of Gert Prior.
• a packet of information on the Southern Railway provided to children in the Monroe Elementary school in the 1940s.
• several kitchen items including a handcrafted funnel and sieve used in Amherst during the Depression.
• a collection of items belonging to Mrs. Beulah Bailey including a high school graduation dress from 1929.
• a receipt for court fees paid in a trial for illegal alcohol manufacture in 1915.

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