Bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb to speak at the Palisades

Bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb to speak at the Palisades


The Giles County Historical Society will present an evening talk and book signing by New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb on Tuesday, March 27th, at 7:00pm at the Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston. The event is free and open to the public.

The talk will feature two of McCrumb’s books: The Ballad of Tom Dooley, which tells the true story behind the celebrated folk song, and the new edition of Ghost Riders, a tale chronicling
the Civil War in the Southern mountains as a local reenactors group plans a mock skirmish in their community.

With ancestors hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, it is no surprise that McCrumb
is best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels, including The Ballad of Frankie Silver, She Walks These Hills, and The Devil Amongst the Lawyers. Set in the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, the ballad novels interweave local legends and natural wonders with contemporary Appalachian issues.

McCrumb has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including Writer of the Year at Emory and Henry College in 2005 and, in 2008, Virginia Woman of History for Achievement in Literature by the Library of Virginia.

Her gift for storytelling, however, is not confined to pen and paper. Patricia Jacobs, Executive Director of the Giles County Historical Society, recalls hearing McCrumb speak at the 2007
Appalachian Studies Conference in Maryville, Tennessee:

“I attended an all-day program on health issues in Appalachia, and, by the end of the day, we were tired, restless, and noisy. But as the final two presenters entered the room, it suddenly became silent. The male presenter introduced himself and said that he, too, would be speaking on health care in the region, but a very, very different kind of health care. Then, he introduced his co-presenter Sharyn McCrumb.

“The presentation was on folk healing, specifically the gift of “removing fire” or “talking the fire out” in which the practitioner heals those who have been severely burned. For the next half hour
the audience set mesmerized as the man explained the practice and its history in Appalachia while Ms. McCrumb told magical tales of “fire removers” known throughout the region and their miraculous ability to heal. First, the pain and redness would disappear, but within days even
scarring would completely disappear!”

Jacobs, a student at Radford University at the time, was studying physical anthropology, but after hearing McCrumb’s talk she changed her focus to cultural anthropology with an emphasis on Appalachian studies—a focus she has continued in graduate school at Virginia Tech.

Jacobs encourages the community to attend the presentation saying “It will be an exciting and memorable evening for all!”

The Early Years of Newport by Dr. Doug Martin

The Giles County Historical Society invites you to its quarterly meeting on Sunday, March 18th at the Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston. Newport native Dr. Doug Martin will talk about the early years of Newport, when the village was a bustling hub of commerce and transportation on the main east-west road through the county. Both members and non-members are welcome to this free presentation, and they may also enjoy an optional High Tea offered by the restaurant for an additional cost.

To set the stage, Dr. Martin offers the following vignette:

“The year was 1872. In the southwest Virginia county of Giles, the village of Newport was recovering from a War that involved many of the local citizenry and other individuals who had witnessed and participated first-hand in battles and skirmishes between North and South. Many
soldiers did not return and others brought back with them injuries, experiences and memories that required a time of healing. Yet this village, with the vestiges of pre-history Native Americans and European settlement prior to the Civil War, was determined to re-establish its autonomy and structure consistent with its founders’ vision. There was an optimism as nearby railroads became connecting points, and the Great Wagon Road westward assured a steady stream of visitors, as stagecoaches rumbled through Newport on their way to hot springs resorts, and as returning soldiers sought to re-establish their definition of the good life.

“Efforts were made to make Newport the first incorporated town in Giles County and those
efforts reached fruition through General Assembly action in 1872.

“For Newport, Chapter 129, Acts of the Assembly, 1872, titled “An ACT to Incorporate the Town of Newport, in County of Giles, In Force March 4, 1872 provided the following:

“‘Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia, That the village known as the town of Newport, in the County of Giles, laid off within the following boundaries, beginning at the white oak tree, at corner of David B. Price’s and John P. Martin’s lands, marked with four chops; thence running south thirty three degrees west one hundred and fifty poles, crossing the turnpike leading from Newport to Blacksburg, to an apple tree near a line between Gustavus A. Butler and William H. Martin’s lands;’ – an so on.

“The act appointed George W. Hines as mayor, and David B. Price, William R. Gitt, William Keister, Flayle P. Payne, J. Addison Logan and Christopher C. Wingo as councilmen. These men – returning veterans, a medical doctor, ministers and local citizenry – worked in concert to add to the colorful history of the Village of Newport.”

Pssst . . . Have you heard the rumors about what happened in Pearisburg?

Pssst. . . Have you heard the rumors about what happened in Pearisburg?

On May 6, 1862, Union forces entered Pearisburg where Major James M. Comly of the 23rd Ohio regiment reserved rooms for two of his officers, Col. Rutherford B. Hayes and Major William McKinley, at the Woodrum Hotel. Surveying the town, Hayes and McKinley decided to set up headquarters in Dr. Harvey Green Johnston’s medical office.

Shots were heard the morning of the 10th as Confederate forces under Brigadier Gen. Heth engaged the Union forces at Giles Court House. Poor Annie Johnston was home alone with her
young children. She must have been terrified by battle taking place just outside her home!

The Confederate forces prevailed and within a short time the 23rd Ohio retreated to the west with Heth and his men in hot pursuit. As the town quieted down, Annie saw a large sack on the stoop of her husband’s office. Thinking the Union troops had left food or perhaps coffee behind in return for her hospitality during their encampment, she hurried over, only to find a sack of horse feed.

Mrs. Johnston was not the only Pearisburg resident hoodwinked by the dastardly boys in blue. Col. Hayes, in his haste to vacate, had neglected to pay his room and board at the Woodrum Hotel. Fourteen years later, Mrs. Woodrum, upon learning of Hayes intent to run for president, lightheartedly wrote newspapers in New York about the unpaid bill still owed to the Woodrums. No doubt the scandal was kept quite by Hayes powerful political supporter, attorney James M. Comley, as Hayes was elected the 19th president of the United States in 1877.

These two yarns (undocumented stories which describe incredible or fantastic events) are part of the local legend about Giles County during the Civil War. While it is known that the 23rd Ohio regiment occupied Pearisburg from May 6-10, 1862 and that a skirmish ensued, there is no actual documentation that Hayes and McKinley (actually a newly-promoted sergeant) used the Doctor’s Office as headquarters during that period, or that Annie Johnston found a sack on the stoop left by the retreating Union forces. As for the yarn about the unpaid bill at the Woodrum Hotel, all that remains is a faded article from The Virginian (predecessor to the Virginian Leader) some sixty years after the original events describing Mrs. Woodrum’s efforts to inform voters about
Hayes’ unpaid bill.

While the mission of the Giles County Historical Society is to document historical facts about the county, we are also interested in yarns and family stories about Giles County during the Civil War. These tales not only provide color and insight into life during that period, but will pique interest in the reenactment of the Battle of Giles Court House planned for June 9th and 10th. The Historical Society invites you to call 921-1050 to share your Civil War-era yarns and family stories which we hope to compile into a book. Who knows . . .maybe documentation will be unearthed, turning your tale into a new, previously unknown fact about Giles County!

The Giles County Historical Society works to preserve, interpret and exhibit Giles County’s rich historical and cultural heritage. It provides a repository for Giles County family histories, documents and artifacts, assists genealogical researchers, and supports the preservation of endangered Giles County artifacts, sites and records.

Giles County Historical Society 2012 lecture series kicks off with “Mystery at Mountain Lake” (revisited)

Giles County Historical Society 2012 lecture series kicks off with “Mystery at Mountain Lake” (revisited)

The Historical Society’s 2012 lecture series gets underway with a talk by Giles County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Mark Skidmore, at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 1st at the Pearisburg Town Hall. Last October Investigator Skidmore gave a talk at Mountain Lake Hotel about the mysterious remains found in Mountain Lake in 2008. The presentation was so popular that he’s been invited back for an encore! The event is free and open to the public.

Using photographs from the scene, Skidmore will describe the discovery, excavation and identification of the human remains and artifacts found at the bottom of the dried lakebed. After the talk, visitors will be able to view the artifacts, including clothing, an elegant monogrammed cigarette case, coins, a pocket watch and a college ring. The exhibit will then move to the
Historical Society museum, where it will remain on display until April 22.

Save the date for future lectures in the series, which will be held at the Historical Society Museum at 7:00 pm unless otherwise noted:

· March 27 – A talk and book signing by Sharyn McCrumb, award-winning Southern writer best known for her Appalachian “Ballad” novels. 7 pm, Palisades Restaurant, Eggleston.

· May 12 - “The Negro Spiritual: History and Performance” featuring Dr. Paula Seniors, Va. Tech. Dept. of Sociology and Africana Studies. Performance by the Spirits of Joy. 3:00 pm at the First Baptist Church, Virginia Heights, Pearisburg.

· June 7 - “The Battle of Giles Court House,” presentation and book signing by George A.
McLean Jr.

· July 19 – “Is There an Appalachian English?” Presentation and book signing by Dr. Anita
Puckett, Director of Appalachian Studies, Va. Tech.

· August 2 - “19th Century Regional Brick Architecture,” presentation and book signing by Mike Pulice, Virginia Dept. of Historic Resources

· September 6 – “Treasures in the Courthouse: How to Research County Records”

· October 4 – “Appalachian Storytelling and Ballads,” Ricky Cox, folklorist and instructor, Radford University.

· October 19 – “Ghosts of the Civil War,” tales told around a campfire by Dr. Richard Straw, Dept. of History at Radford, and Charles Lytton.


· November 1 – “When Being Appalachian was a Disease: Eugenical Sterilization During the Great Depression” Patricia Jacobs, Executive Director, Giles County Historical Society

The Giles County Historical Society works to preserve, interpret and exhibit Giles County’s rich historical and cultural heritage. It provides a repository for Giles County family histories, documents and artifacts, assists genealogical researchers, and supports the preservation of endangered Giles County artifacts, sites and records. The Giles County Historical Society and Museum (540-921-1050) are open Wed-Fri from 12-5 PM and Sat-Sun from 2-5 PM. Admission is free. The Research Office is open on Thursday from 12–5 PM. For more information, visit www.gilescountyhistorical.org.

A woman’s courage remembered during Black History Month

A woman’s courage remembered
during Black History Month

In May of 1863 five Union prisoners of war escaped from prison in Danville, Va., and began to make their way north to Federal lines. As they passed through Giles County, they stopped early one evening at the cabin of Bertha Johnston, a slave on the plantation of Capt. William Eggleston.

They asked to be taken across the New River, but Bertha told them it was too dangerous because people were searching for them. At great risk to her life, she hid them in the rafters of her house, feeding them on cornbread, buttermilk and a little meat. Before dawn on the third day she
ferried them across the river.

They offered her the only thing they had, a bone ring –probably fashioned during their time in prison. She refused payment because, as she said later, “I wanted no pay for my
trouble.” They insisted, and she finally agreed to take it as a remembrance of their meeting. Nearly fifty years later the ring was presented by a “Mr. Johnston” to a Union veterans organization in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Mr. Johnston was a resident of Carnegie at that time. The ring has since been lost.

The rest of Bertha’s story is unknown. An 1865 census of freed slaves in Giles County lists a “B. Johnson,” female, aged between 21-30, living on Eggleston’s plantation. Is this Bertha? If it is, she disappears from Giles County records after that date. Was Mr. Johnston her husband, and if so, when did they move to Pennsylvania? Her name does not appear on later census records in the Carnegie area. A brief account of the story was filed away in 1909 in the archives of the Carnegie library, the only testament to one woman’s courage against all odds.

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The Giles County Historical Society works to preserve, interpret and exhibit Giles County’s rich historical and cultural heritage. It provides a repository for Giles County family histories, documents and artifacts, assists genealogical researchers, and supports the preservation
of endangered Giles County artifacts, sites and records. The Giles County Historical Society and
Museum (540-921-1050) are closed during the month of February and will re-open
March 1. Regular hours are Wed-Fri from 12-5 PM and Sat-Sun from 2-5 PM. Admission is free. The Research Office is open on Thursday from 12–5 PM. For more information, visit www.gilescountyhistorical.org.

Historical Society lecture series: “Mystery at Mountain Lake” revisited

Our 2012 lecture series will kick off with a talk by Giles County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Mark Skidmore, at 7:00 pm on Thursday, March 1st at the Pearisburg Town Hall. Last October Investigator Skidmore gave a talk at Mountain Lake Hotel about the mysterious remains found in Mountain Lake in 2008. The presentation was so popular that we’ve decided to bring him back for an encore! The event is free and open to the public.

Using photographs from the scene, Skidmore will describe the discovery, excavation and identification of the human remains and artifacts found at the bottom of the dried lakebed. After the talk, visitors will be able to view the artifacts, including clothing, an elegant monogrammed cigarette case, coins, a pocket watch and a college ring. The exhibit will then move to the Historical Society museum, where it will remain on display until April 22.

Black History Month:Giles County’s African American Community in the 19th Century

Tracing the history of the African American community in Giles County is proving to be a formidable challenge for researchers at the Giles County Historical Society. Last year we
began a research project to draw a picture of life in the 19th century for Giles County’s black residents. Records are sketchy, especially for slaves, whose names were usually not recorded in official documents.

What kinds of documents have provided us with information? From the county’s first decade we have in the 1810 federal census a list of slaveholders, who owned a total of 240 slaves. Slave names, age and sex are not given.

During the first half of the century, names of slaves were rarely noted, except in the personal papers of slaveholders. A few names, however, can be gleaned from probate and other records in the Giles County courthouse. For instance, an estate inventory from 1813 lists “1 old milk cow, 1 copper still, 1 rifle, an old saddle, 1 tomahawk, glass bottles, a Bible, a big coat, three hats, black girl Jinny, black woman Silvy, black man Jack.”

The “Giles County Register of Free Negroes” for the years 1816, 1817, 1818, and 1825 provide us with surnames. The most frequent are Holland, Viney or Vinia, Lewis, and Hendrick or Hendricks. The numbers of free blacks range from around 20 to 40 in a given year.

In 1850 and 1860 the U.S. Government published comprehensive “Slave Schedules”, listing every slaveholder in Giles County and the age, sex, and “color” (black or mulatto) of each slave they possessed. The Federal Censuses for those years also lists individual names of Giles County’s free blacks. By this time the Holland, Lewis and Hendrick names have mostly disappeared, and few Vineys remain.

In these same records new names become prominent, including the families of Samuel Callender, blacksmith; William Scott, shoemaker; Francis Harman, farmer; Daniel Moss, blacksmith; as well as the Collins, the Shavers, and Thomas Beasley, a Staffordsville farmer whose property was worth the considerable sum (at the time) of nearly $2000. Up to the time of the Civil War, the population of African Americans, both enslaved and free, came to nearly 12% of the county’s total population. Today’s figure is a little over 2%.

Last year Historical Society researchers unearth a gold mine of information at the National Archives in Washington, DC. – the Freedmen’s Bureau Census. The Freedmen’s Bureau was
created by the government in 1865 to assist freed slaves with housing, medical care, education, and legal and security threats. In 1865 they conducted a census of freed slaves in the South, and the Giles County list has fortunately survived. For the first time we have the first and last names of former slaves, their ages and the names of their former masters.

We are now looking at the 1870 and 1880 Federal Census records and have noted a rapid drop in the county’s black population. Court records from the time of the Civil War mention large numbers of runaway slaves fleeing the county in the wake of two Union invasions. Enlistment records of the U.S. Colored Troops indicate that several Giles County men joined the Union
Army, and their families may have followed them North during or after the war.

We are still in the preliminary stages of piecing together a picture early Giles’ African American community. The records are now being gathered, transcribed and analyzed, and will eventually be published on our website. But we need help – we are few and the records are many! Perhaps a retired teacher or history buff with spare time would like to help? Contact Kate Delaney at 921-3999, or 921-1050.