The Muse: February 2008

Newspapers have long held a fascination for me - especially the older newspapers. The preparation, layout and setting of type are all tedious, detailed and lengthy processes. Or at least it was in the nineteenth century. I had to learn all of these working my way through college in a nineteenth century print shop. These processes are much easier on today’s computers when the stroke of a key and the point of a finger can put a mark anywhere, or move it anywhere else - if everything is working properly! I can certainly appreciate the work of Amherst’s earliest news editors and printers.

Unlike the larger newspapers of Lynchburg and Charlottesville, the newspapers of Amherst County tell us much about how Amherst sees itself. How we see ourselves presents a very different perspective on Amherst life - sometimes very different from how others see us.

Why am I telling you about these things? When we started gathering more cemetery information we found that local obituaries helped in the search.. Starting the New Era-Progress obituary index (still in its early stages) quickly turned into a bigger project - gathering the larger story of Amherst County in its most eminent serial - its newspaper.

We need your help in this project. The newspapers from 1973 through 1981 were never microfilmed. If you have Amherst newspapers from this time frame we would definitely like to talk with you! Call (434) 946-9068 or email us at achmuseum@aol.com if you can help us fill in the gap!

Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2008!

Holly Mills, Director

Mr. BIlly Wydner will speak about the Amherst Mill and other mills in the county on Friday, February 22 at 1 P.M. in the Museum. Mills were numerous and busy in the early days of our country. Still operating, Amherst Mill has an interesting history. Don't miss this!

This year's Annual House Tour will feature Poplar Grove Golf Community and several homes in the Poplar Grofve larger community. So far, the Poplar Grove Manor House, several of its dependencies, the Wilkins home, the Gert Pryor house, and Ebenezer Church are all on the itinerary. The Poplar Grove area has an intriguing diversity of old and new, and this is your opportunity to see some of the best of both! The datge is set for Saturday, April 19, so highlight that day on your calendar.

The April 2008 edition of the Muse will contain house histories, lunch arrangements, and more details.

• Augusta County Virginia Marriages: 1747-1850, by John Vogt and T. William Kethley, Jr., Iberian Publishing Co., 1986.
• Marriage Records of the City of Fredericksburg and of Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties Virginia: 1722-1850, compiled and edited by Therese A. Fisher, second edition; second edition, Heritage Books, 2007.
• Virginia Genealogies: 1600s-1800s, #2 and #3: from Family Tree Maker’s Family Archives. CDs.
• Bedford County Virginia Will Books 1 and 2: 1759-1787 and 1787-1803, by Ann Chilton. Mountain Press, Signal Mountain, TN, 1988.
• Bedford County Virginia Will Book 3: 1794-1810, by Ann Chilton. Mountain Press, Signal Mountain, TN, 1988.
• Bedford County Virginia Deed Book B2:[1761-1766], by Ann Chilton. Mountain Press, Signal Mountain, TN, 1992.
• Bedford County Virginia Deed Book C3 [1766-1771], by Ann Chilton. Mountain Press, Signal Mountain, TN, 1988
• Goochland County Virginia, Court Order Book 5: 1741-1745, by Ann K. Blomquist; Heritage Books, 2007.
• Colonial Churches of Virginia, by Don W. and Sue Massey, Howell Press, Charlottesville, VA, 2003.

The Museum recently acquired a collection of iron artifacts from the site of a blacksmith shop on High Peak Road. Donated by Doug Layne, this collection contains a variety of items, including a number of these mysterious objects! Can you tell us what they are?

Below, Corbin Hayslett plays his banjo, one of several instruments featured at the Museum's Christmas Open House. The event featured music, clogging, and lots of good food!

It’s time again for Vintage Valentines! The Museum is again sponsoring a program of activities for the younger set to make their own old fashioned valentines. Refreshments will be served and crafts of lace, ribbons and flowers will be the theme of the day! Parents and grandparents are encouraged to use the program as an opportunity to share how they made valentines when they were young. As always, Valentine Voting will be open in the election booth. Take this opportunity to decorate a Valentine cookie and make a "popper" of candy. Children are encouraged to make extra valentines to take to Fairmont Crossing.

Saturday, February 9, from 2 until 3:30

Charles Burks Christian was a VMI cadet and later became one of the Confederate Immortal Six Hundred, selected officers used by the Union to be a human shield against their own comrades. While at VMI, Christian was involved in a murder that hung a Rockbridge jury. The story of charges of honor, self defense and a charming young lady makes for intriguing reading, and the researcher is in hopes of finding pictures of some of the major characters. C.B. Christian was the son of Charles M. Christian and Frances Ann Burks of Amherst County, a Lt. Col. of the 49th Virginia, served as an attorney in Amherst County after the war, and died unmarried.

For more information please contact: Daniel Morrow, P.O. Box 1186, Middleburg, VA 20018-1186 Phone: 540-687-8690 Email: dan@mbecc.com

At what point does Amherst begin telling its own story in print?

A list provided by the Virginia Newspaper Project at the Library of Virginia lists the following newspapers for Amherst County:

• The Amherst Enterprise, published by Whitehead & Eveland, from 1871-1881
• The Virginia Republican, published by W.C. Crews from 1881-1924
• The Amherst New Era, published by C.J. Campbell from 1881-1924
• The Amherst Progress, published by F.J. Harris from 1903-1924.

Amherst was also the location for the publication of several other local newspapers such as the Goochland County Times and the Nelson County Times, but these will not be addressed here. In addition, several CCC camps published their own newspapers in Amherst County. In 1924, the New Era and the Progress merged to become today’s Amherst New Era-Progress, the combined newspaper being eighty-four years old this year. Oddly enough, the list from the Library of Virginia makes no mention of the Amherst Democrat, which is known to have existed, a copy of an 1886 issue being preserved in the collections here at the Museum.

A reporter of the News was on yesterday shown the poll book of a Congressional election held at Pedlar, in Amherst county, on the fourth Thursday of April, 1845. The candidates were Shelton F. Leake, for the democrats, and Jos. K. Irving, for the Whigs. The poll book is nothing more than a number of sheets of paper fastened together in regular order, with the names of the Democrats and the Whigs arranged in separate columns. The first name at the top of the Democratic column is that of Moses Snead, father of Captain R.W. Snead, and grandfather of Messrs William H. and RJ Snead, of this city. Among the names of Lynchburgers in the Democratic column, (for in those days a man could vote where he held property,) are David R. Edley, John G. Meek, and George A. Burks. Among other names noticed in the list are those of Thos. N. Eubank, father of Mr. E. Newman Eubank; Jas M Millner, Geo. R. and Hazel Williams, Pembroke E. Waugh, father of Dr. Waugh of Lynchburg, and Wm. M. Davis, father of Mr. Thos N. Davis, of this city. The sheriff who cried the vote at the election, now over half a century ago, was Mr. John Whitehead, and the clerk was Beverly P. Morris.

A very enthusiastic meeting of the Amherst chapter DAR was held at the home of Mrs. J. Walter Beard on Friday afternoon with a good attendance and much interest shown in the plans for the year. Mrs. Swimley, county regent, was present and made a talk on the work of the organization. All old officers were reelected with the exception of treasurer, and Miss Mildred Richeson was elected to this office to succeed Mrs. John Cobb who is moving next month to Clarksburg, West Virginia.

The Amherst chapter has the honor of being the instigator of the work of restoring a very old deed book in the Amherst Couthouse which was done at a cost of around $125, some of the money being donated by the Poplar Forest chapter in honor of Ann Clegborn Glass, regent, 1937-1938, and the Amherst chapter dedicated its part of the restoration work to Eva Watson Swimley, regent, 1939-1940, and the Board of Supervisors of Amherst County gave a substantial donation to this work.

E.A. Newman, AVC investigator reported two liquor stills discovered last week, one in Amherst County and one in Bedford. One distillery was found Tuesday on Piney River near Shoe Creek, located well back in the hills.

Described as "well concealed," the outfit was of 100-gallon capacity and contained several barrels of mash...

The operators were absent at both locations...

Mrs. Andrew White, after a lenthy illness from consumption, died last Thursday, She was Miss Cunningham of Rockbridge county and an excellent Christian lady. She leave three little children and a heart-broken husband who have the sympathy of many friends. The remains were buried in Rockbridge county.

The next session of the Kenmore High School will begin Wednesday, September 15th. The outlook for a good attendance is very promising as a number of boarding students have already been entered and a prospect for an excellent day patronage is most encouraging.

The camp meeting closed Sunday night which resulted in a large number of conversions and quite a number of accessions to the different churches of the community. Rev. R.C. Taylor preached the opening sermon and Rev. Mr. Tribble, of Charlottesville [gave] the balance of the preaching... He is a minister of power. Large crowds were out and such interest was taken in the meeting which did a great good in the community . Mr. King, of Charlottesville, was leader of the music, and Miss Nell of Charlottesville, was organist.

There will be an entertainment at Sardis church on Saturday ..

The Good Roads convention of the Tenth district will be held in Lexington September 2nd. It is thought there will be a good attendance, as assurances have been received from several counties that the people are much interested in the movement. An exhibition of practical road making will be made at some convenient point near Lexington before and after the session of the convention.

Early Monday morning an automobile.... license and traveling... of Rt. 29, crashed in the front porch of the residence of James E. Wood, formerly known as the Central Hotel property. Some damage was done to the porch and the car was badly broken up. The driver failed to make the curve at the intersection of U.S. route 29 and former State route 13, leading toward Amherst Depot.

Scott's Mill, located on James river a short distance above Williams' Viaduct, was destroyed by wood-fed flames early Saturday morning, May 27. The old mill was one of the most picturesque structures in this section of the State.

Erected in January, 1885, the historic building was razed to the ground in less than an hour after the first warning glow lighted the downtown section of the City.

Called at 2:45 o'clock in the morning after an alarm had been relayed from the City police station the Lynchburg Fire Department was powerless to halt the roaring fire.

Towering flames reached a height of more than 75 feet as cinders and sparks spewed from the five story framework building and settled in the brush on a nearby hillside and in the river.

The viaduct was lined with sleepy spectators and automobiles traveling route 29. Several police officers were stationed on the bridge to direct traffic.

Firemen found it impossible to drive their heavy trucks past the scorching flames to pump water from above the dam. The narrow river road is bordered at that point by the mill on the left and a high cliff on the right.

CALLED TO FOUNDRY

A watchman at Glamorgan Foundry, which is situated several hundred feet down river on the opposite wide, apparently became confused after seeing the fiery glare and turned in an alarm at the plant. The ladder truck and two pumpers rolled down to the foundry to cover the alarm and then continued out to the mill.

According to a fireman, the watchman "thought the foundry's hay shed had caught fire." Tiny particles of smoking debris were showering the area around the plant.

Purchased last year by Mr. W.K. Smiley, the structure was being used as a storage place and office for the firm of W.K. Smiley & Son. It has been in active operation only on few occasion in the last ten years. (Lynchburg News)

Above, a schedule for the Southern Railway, as published in the Amherst New Era, 1897. Note the agent is G.W. Dearborn, who lent his name to the community near the depot until the Town of Amherst incorporated and absorbed Dearborn.

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