Nelson County Historical Society News
Promoting an understanding and appreciation of the
history and culture of Nelson County, Virginia
August, 2015
Issue 3
NCHS— Events
October 11, 2015
Sunday—2:00 PM—Nelson
Memorial Library
“Sturt Park” presentation by
Doug Coleman
—————November 1, 2015
Sunday, 4:00 PM– The Nelson
Heritage Center
BACK THERE, THEN presentation by Linda Crichlow White
—————
December 5, 2015
The importance of preserving older structures without destroying and tearing
them down has long been an objective of the Society. For more than twenty
years the historical society has given the public with permission from the
owners, an opportunity to visit many of the historic properties in the county,
including homes, churches, and community buildings.
The following photos give a glance of some properties that have been
changed from their original use, when no longer needed, and have become
useful properties to the owners or community.
Former churches - now homes
Saturday—7:00 PMThe Nelson Center
“Out of the Fire” - Kevin
Crowe documentary
Inside this issue:
Historic Properties
2
Historic Properties
3
Fall Programs
4
Message from the
President
5
Recent Donations
6
Officers and New
Members
7
Becky Howard Editor
Historic Properties in Nelson County—
Repurposed, Renovated and Preserved
Centenary United Methodist
Church – presently a private home,
located in Arrington began as a
church dating back as far as 1805
when it was called “Kingswood
Meeting House.”. According to
church history, the original church
building was a log structure and was
replaced by a frame building in
1853. In 1885 the new church
Centenary Methodist—ca. 1975
(present building) was built with
lumber cut locally from the forests,
and constructed by the men of the church, Pat Hawes, John Hare and the
Sheffield Brothers. The first mention of the name Centenary was made on
the deed to this property, naming the church Centenary Methodist Episcopal
Church South. The church building has undergone many renovations with the
addition of class rooms, a social hall and the change of a single door on the
front from two doors. The basic structure of the church has remained unchanged.
With the merging of Methodist Churches, Centenary and Lovingston merged
to become Nelson United Methodist Church, moving to a new building near
Colleen in 1983. Two other churches, Montreal at Shipman and Elma at
Elmington also joined the merger in 1983. The last service held at Centenary
was 27 November 1983. The property has a cemetery and the building remains a private residence.
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Mountain Cove Baptist Church
The church dates back to 1850 when the Mountain
Cove community, southwest of Lovingston, saw a
need for a place of worship. A small one room building was erected for this purpose and was called
“Liberty Meeting House”. The building was used for
a public meeting place, as well as a school and place
of worship in the Lovingston area, later changing to
Mountain Cove Baptist Church. In 1960 the Lovingston and Mountain Cove Baptist Churches joined together and built a larger building, Calvary Baptist
Church, on Route 29 in Lovingston. The Mountain
Cove Church closed and became privately owned as a
residence. The home remains in a beautiful setting
on Stevens Cove Road.
Mountain Cove Church—2015
Railroad Depot—Repurposed and Incorporated into a Business
Arrington Depot—ca. 1950
Devils Backbone Brewing Company—Roseland, VA
The Arrington Train Depot was originally built by the Southern RR in 1870. After it was no longer
needed as a train depot, other businesses used the building until it was dismantled in 2003 and reconstructed in Roseland at the intersection of Rt. 151 and Beech Grove Rd. in 2007. Presently the
depot is being used as an outdoor serving area for the Devils Backbone Brewing Company.
Schools— Now Community Centers
Lovingston School, originally built as Lovingston High School has undergone many changes since it
was constructed in 1931. The building remained a high school until 1955-56 when the county high
school consolidation took place with the building of Nelson County High School. The school continued for elementary students until the Tye River School was built in 1995 and the building was no
longer needed as a school. With the aid of local funds, private donations and grants the school building was renovated with the interior features of the school remaining and is now used as a community center and office space for supporting county agencies.
Schuyler School -The present building was built in 1931, on the same site as the burned building constructed in 1924-25. The school remained for all grades until 1955-56 when Nelson County High
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School opened and it became Schuyler Elementary School. With declining enrollment the school closed
in 1991. On October 16th, 1992 the Walton’s Mountain Museum opened in the building showcasing the
TV Show “The Waltons” and creator Earl Hamner, Jr., a Schuyler native son. The museum has had thousands of visitors from all over the world in it’s almost 25 years of existence. The building is also a community center for the Schuyler area, hosting events and reunions.
Rockfish and Fleetwood Schools also took the same path and are viable community centers. The Nelson
Memorial School, later the Nelson Middle School, has become the Nelson Heritage Center, with exhibits, programs and activities for the residents in the area.
Old Arrington School—a private residence
The Arrington School House first opened its doors in 1912 and continued as a school until 1955. This
three-room school house provided an education for grades 17. When the school closed it was sold to the Ruritan Club and
was used for dances and other social functions in the community. With only one other owner, Margaret and Kenneth Taylor bought the property in 1968 and have preserved the historical integrity of the building with renovations and restoration
to make it their comfortable home. Many features of school
days remain in the home and the Taylors have gathered pictures of the students who were educated there. This school,
and now a home, is an excellent example of historical preservation of a significant building in the Arrington community.
Preservation and Restoration - Coming soon
The caboose used on the VA Blue Ridge Railway has been brought back to Piney River and will become a
focal point at the trailhead of the Blue Ridge Rail Trail on Rt. 151. Restoration will begin soon to restore a
visible part of this historic railroad.
The VA Blue Ridge Railway began in 1915 for the purpose of shipping chestnut timber from the mountains and apples from the local orchards in the Lowesville, Woodson, Massies Mills and Piney
River areas. Passenger service began in 1916 and continued until
1936. Industries came in 1931 with a small plant to process titanium dioxide, followed by three plants processing Aplite ore. With
the closing of the last mineral plant—American Cyanamid, the railroad was sold, tracks torn up and engines removed in 1981.
The Blue Ridge Railway Trail Foundation was created to use a porVA Blue Ridge RR Caboose - ca 1950 tion of the old railroad bed for a recreation area to include, hiking,
biking and horseback riding along with views of the river and birdwatching. Originally opened for two miles from Piney River (Rt. 151) to Rose Mill, the trail has been extended to almost 7 miles following the Piney River and Tye River.
Sources: Nelson County Historical Society files—Nelson Memorial Library
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Fall Programs Sponsored by the Society
October 11th—Sunday—2:00 PM at Nelson Memorial Library, Lovingston, VA
Program Presenter:
Doug Coleman—Biologist/Executive Director - The Wintergreen Nature
Foundation
Topic: “Sturt Park: A Colonial Crossroads”
When Doug Coleman and The Wintergreen Nature Foundation were asked by the county to
propose doing a survey of the resources of a 341 acre tract of land between Shipman and the
James River, they wrote a proposal that was accepted by the family members of the late Daniel
Sturt. The Foundation studied the park for one year, following it through the seasons, identifying
unique ecosystems, plants and animals. Perhaps most interesting among their findings was the
historical significance of the area known as Old Keys Church which is within a half mile of the park
boundary. Join Doug for a lecture on October 11th to see the presentation he gave to the Nelson
County Board of Supervisors at the end of the study.
November 1st—Sunday—4:00 PM at
The Nelson Heritage Center—1653 Thomas Nelson Highway, Arrington, VA 22922
Sponsors: The Millennium Group and Nelson Co. Hist. Soc.
Program Presenter:
Linda Crichlow White—author- BACK THERE, THEN
Linda has meticulously taken her mother’s notes, pictures, stories and
genealogical data and compiled it into a “historical genealogical memoir of Marietta Stevens Crichlow”.
“Recorded by Marietta Stevens Crichlow, the book chronicles stories of
some of her family members—-beginning before the Civil War and tied to Nelson, Amherst, and Appomattox counties, and Lynchburg, Virginia; Marietta and family are descended from people who
were enslaved by Wilmer McLean at Appomattox Court House. It was in Wilmer McLean’s home
that Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in 1865. Her ancestors were there and the book
follows some of the trails the family took over the ensuring years.”
Linda , a resident of Washington, DC and a retired librarian, will give an overview of how she organized the data and images. Linda's research is ongoing; while in Nelson County, she is hoping to
connect with other descendants of her ancestors including Stevens, Garlands, Kinneys and Clarksons who might still be around. "Come and get ideas on how you might compile your family history."
BACK THERE, THEN will be on sale after the program. www.backtherethen.com
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History, Like Charity, Begins at Home
Partnership with the schools -The merger of the Nelson County Historical Society and Oakland Museum
to form a single organization is giving new impetus to our common educational mission and greater capacity for us to serve the Nelson community. Evidence of this positive development is the unanimous
vote by the Nelson County School Board on August 13th directing the Nelson County Schools to partner
with the Society on a joint grant proposal to the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. Crafted by
Dr. Woody Greenberg, the grant proposal seeks to develop a program for teachers to tap local history
resources like the Oakland Museum and the Historical Society’s archives, volunteers and programs to
teach Virginia standards of learning objectives in history, social studies, English and science. With the
strong support of Superintendent Dr. Jeff Comer, we aim to engage young people to explore Nelson’s
history and historic places in exciting ways that enhance their learning experiences and meet their learning objectives on multiple fronts.
Hurricane Camille Program -Our Society’s August 22nd Hurricane Camille commemorative event drew
over seventy people to the Nelson United Methodist Church to hear Sue Harlow perform her original ballad “Nelson County Flood,” to see a slideshow presentation by Starlet Stevens and Dick Whitehead using
rarely seen photos of Camille donated by the A T. Stevens family of Stevens Cove, and see a keynote slide
presentation on Hurricane Camille by Steve Keighton of the National Weather Service in Blacksburg. As
the Stevens pictures were shown Starlet told of her family’s losses and experiences during the storm
while Dick Whitehead pointed out where landslides initially begin moving and where debris flows are
likely to present lethal danger, noting hazards in high rainfall events are not limited to flooding. Keighton explained the meteorology of Camille, discussed forecasting then and now, and pointed out what we
can do today to prepare for, and maintain public safety, during dangerous weather events like Camille,
noting high rainfall storms are quite common in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The event concluded with an
announcement of the Society plans to publish a photo book on Camille to mark the 50 th anniversary in
2019 as well as an invitation to donate photos or slides of Camille events to the Society for possible use
in the book.
Historic Preservation Task Force -The proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and other recent events have
demonstrated the acute need to record and map the location, condition and significance of Nelson’s historic resources in advance of proposed development or demolition. Accordingly, the Nelson County Historical Society is forming a Historic Preservation Task Force, headed by Board director William “Andy”
Wright. The task force will identify immediate and long-range preservation issues and priorities in Nelson County and assist in addressing them. Toward this same end, the Society has lent strong support to
the efforts of Cabell Smith and other interested Warminster property owners to prepare and submit a
preliminary application to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) for the proposed
Warminster Rural Historic District in Nelson County. The preliminary application has received high marks
from the DHR staff evaluation team and will be reviewed by the Virginia State Review Board at a meeting
on September 17th in Williamsburg. The Society is also working with the Nelson County Economic Development Office and DHR to organize and present a workshop on the federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credit programs on Friday, November 20th in the Nelson Center. The workshop will serve to
educate property owners in Nelson’s four recognized historic districts, local officials and realtors on the
benefits and workings of these powerful but voluntary historic preservation incentives.
Bob Carter, President
Recent Donations to the Society
Page 6
Avon Post Office
Recent
Donations
Avon Post Office—
given by Mr. and
Mrs. James
Sheffield—Afton, VA
Lovingston School
memorabilia and
Nelson Co. Day
programs—given by
Brenda and
Kenneth Robertson
-Richmond, VA
“As the Angus
Roam”-article
written and given by
Gary Wood and
Deborah Harvey,
Lovingston, VA
printed in the
Journal of the
Dallas Genealogy
Society (Summer
2015)
Tye River
Community photos
given by Bobby
Bryant—Amherst, VA
Adding machine
from Gladstone
Post Office , and
family genealogy
about families in
the Gladstone area
given by Robert &
Sandra Bryant—
Lynchburg, VA
A post office was established in 1876 in the Avon
community in northern Nelson County. C. B. Pugh was
the first postmaster followed by L. D. Lipscomb who remained
postmaster until 1938. Mrs. Ruth Anderson, whose store was across the
road and known as Anderson’s Store
(photo above), became postmaster and
moved the post office to her store. The
post office continued until 1958 when it
was closed.
The post office boxes and window reMr. & Mrs. James Sheffield with Avon P.O.
mained in Anderson’s Store and recently were given to the historical society by
Mr. James Sheffield of Afton (Avon area), owner of the property. The post
office window and boxes are on display in the Oakland Museum.
Lovingston High School Yearbooks
Kenneth Robertson of Richmond and formerly of Lovingston donated yearbooks from
the Lovingston High School
(1940-1950), Nelson County
Magazines and Nelson County
Day programs and newspaper
clippings. Kenneth’s mother,
Vera Robertson, was a teacher
at the Lovingston school for
many years. The Lovingston
High School yearbooks will be
on display with the “History of Bernard L. McGinnis reviews Lovingston H. S.
Nelson County Schools” exhib- yearbooks at the Nelson Memorial Library
it at Oakland Museum.
Other donated items: (See list at the left) - if you have historical items or
family records and pictures for donation or copying, please contact:
[email protected]. Items are accepted on available space.
Upcoming NCHS Programs and Events
Page 7
October 11th , Sunday—2:00 PM—Nelson Memorial Library—presentation “Sturt Park—A Historic
Crossroad” by Doug Coleman
November 1st, Sunday—4:00 PM—Nelson Heritage Center –BACK THEN, AND NOW—creation of a
family memoirs book by Linda Crichlow White
December 5th, Saturday -7:00 pm—The Nelson Center –Local premiere of "Out of the Fire," an
award winning documentary about Nelson County potter Kevin Crowe of Tye River Pottery.
Welcome New Members
Nelson County Historical Society
Hazel Chandler
Lynchburg, VA
Officers and Board of Directors
Mark Chase
Richmond, VA
Elected at the annual meeting on March 15th
Robert Chisholm
Roseland, VA
Linda Crichlow White
Washington, DC
President—Bob Carter
Vice President—Woody Greenberg
Treasurer—Beth Goodwin
Bobby Elliott
Keswick, VA
Irene Hughes
Arrington, VA
Jean Brent
Gigi Kelly
Nellysford, VA
Robert Goad
Wayne Ownby
Lovingston, VA
Adrienne & Luke Ramsey
Gladys Allen Woodfin
Wingina, VA
Gum Springs, VA
————Congratulations
Adial Baptist Church—Faber—celebrating their
200th anniversary
Saunders Brothers—Piney River—100th year in
the plant and fruit business
Earl Hamner—creator of the The Waltons TV
show and Schuyler native turned 92
“Cabellsville” and “Hurricane Camille” -VA Historic Highway Markers replaced on Route 29 at
Colleen and Woods Mill, respectively.
Anke Goetz
Becky Howard
Brady Nicks
Leigh Thompson
Dick Whitehead
David Wooldridge
Andy Wright
Your involvement will help fulfill the mission
of the Society :
To create and promote an interest in preserving, exhibiting and acquiring artifacts, documents, photographs, audio and video recordings and other sources and to interpret and
exhibit Nelson County history.
Nelson County Historical Society
P.O. Box 474
Lovingston, VA 22949
http:://www.nelsonhistorical.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Oakland Museum
5365 Thomas Nelson Highway
Arrington, VA 22922
Phone: 434-263-8400
Oakland Museum Open
April –December
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday
1pm—4pm
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Annual Membership to the Nelson County Historical Society
Name__________________________________Email_______________________
Address____________________________________________________________
______Individual @ $15
______Family (spouses) @ $20
______Supporting @ $25
Checks make payable to:
Nelson County Historical Society
P.O. Box 474
Donations to support our work and future
development:
______$25
______ $250
______$50
______ $500
______$100
______Other
Life Memberships will no longer be offered
Lovingston, VA 22949
Give a membership to a friend !!!