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                                Happy Mother's Day May 13, 2007

                                            Happy Birthday Betty Jane Hobbs Perry 75 Years Young On May 4!

Click Here To Contribute To The Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund For The Victims Of April 16, 2007

Nicole White

 “It is difficult to comprehend senseless violence on this scale. Our prayers are with the families and friends of these victims, and members of the extended Virginia Tech community...I urge Virginians to keep these victims and their families in their thoughts and prayers.” -- Tim Kaine, Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia

You Can Go Hokie Again...

           One week and one day after the tragic events of April 16, 2007, I returned to the campus of Virginia Tech to return some books to the Newman Library, a place I spend more time at now than I did when I was a student in Blacksburg in the early 1980s. I took my digital camera and my memories of twenty-six years ago when I first came to the campus driven through some horrible fog by Greg Radford, who was thinking of going to school there.

        Seldom have I visited the chapel during my time as a student or since, but on this day I found lots of orange and maroon items on top of the chapel that faces towards the Drillfield and Burrus Hall in one direction and Torgenson Bridge facing towards Blacksburg. There were people everywhere on campus that day, but it was strangely quiet. I went into the Chapel and found many items in honor of those who passed and outside an opportunity to write a message with the many hanging messages on strings tied across.

        I walked up towards McBryde Hall, where I had most of my classes including the largest Civil War class in the nation under James I. “Bud” Robertson, who I believe would have been holding class that morning with 300 students just two buildings away from Norris Hall, where most lost their lives. I went in and sat down in the auditorium where I spent so many enjoyable mornings with one of the best teachers I ever had.

        I made my way outside again and moved towards Norris Hall, which was still surrounded with yellow crime tape and guarded by a lone Virginia State Trooper as all sorts of crime investigators and staff went past us both. I turned and walked into Patton Hall and found a memorial for those engineering students and facility in the lobby. Outside again, I walked along the sidewalk and up to face Norris Hall and many flowers and notes remembering those who perished in the building. I looked at Burrus Hall, the administration building, where many people congregated around, but still it was strangely silent almost in respect for those who died.

        I crossed the street and made my way to the thirty-three “Hokie Stones” placed in a semi-circle around the observation point in front of the building. There were names for the thirty-two victims and one stone without a name, which I assumed was for the shooter. I walked around the stones looking at the flowers, gifts and messages for all of these people. The silence was deafening except for the busses of Blacksburg Transit not a sound was heard. I watched people who were obviously just “long necking” as was I, but I saw students becoming emotional and I thought but for the grace of God go I. Trying to find logic and reason in something so horrific is impossible.

        I walked back towards the library through the Drillfield past trees tied in orange and maroon ribbons. I was given bottled water by a Baptist group. I stopped and drank in the cold water and the scene as I looked back towards the scene of the tragedy and the memorial. I thought about Ryan Clark, the member of the Marching Virginians from my mother’s hometown of Augusta, Georgia, who lost his life going to the defense of the first victim Emily Hilscher in West Ambler Johnson Hall. I thought about Liviu Librescu, who survived the madness of Adolph Hitler to lose his life defending his students against the madness of a student named Cho. Mostly, I thought about the loss of such a great group of people and the pride I felt in the university I graduated from.  

        I wandered up to Squires Student Center to find many people watching a press conference from law enforcement about the events, but what overwhelmed were the banners from all over the country from other universities signed by thousands of students. I did not know there was a University of Mobile, but I knew that this tragic event had made them all Hokies. Thomas Wolfe wrote “You Can’t Go Home Again,” but You Can Go Hokie Again.  – Tom Perry

Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger May 11, 2007, Graduation Ceremony

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today is a special day, a time of celebration; a time that marks both an end and a beginning; a moment filled with joy for what our graduates have accomplished, and with anticipation of the bright future that lies ahead. 

Yet, today our celebrations and our joy are subdued in recognition of the great tragedy that befell our university, our community on April 16th.  Our minds still reel from the violence, and our hearts still ache for those slain and injured and their families and friends.  We know the emotional wounds may be even harder to heal. 

As difficult as it is to relive that day, we yearn to pay homage to those cherished members of our Virginia Tech family who we lost that morning — whom the world lost that cold, blustery morning.  

 We wish to pay tribute to those innocent and beautiful young minds who wholeheartedly joined the university community seeking knowledge and growth -- and to the dedicated professors who were devoted to imparting that knowledge and nurturing that growth.

They wanted to make their mark as individuals, to be a part of the greater world and make it better – and those of us assembled here tonight can attest that they succeeded.  

We remember them as caring, kind, compassionate and loving.   They were serious about their goals, but fun-loving in pursuit of those aspirations.  They were hard working, yet enjoyed their relaxation, whether through horseback riding or tennis or kayaking. They played volleyball, basketball and lacrosse.  They were musicians and dancers.  

 A clergyman at one of the memorial services reflected that the most important aspect of a gravestone is not the name or the dates of birth and demise, but rather the dash between those dates – because that symbolizes the person’s life. Their impact on this earth is not a function of the number of years that they lived, but how they lived. 

Although so young, they had managed to accomplish much. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “They entered the stage of history just a few years ago, and in the brief years that they were privileged to act on this mortal stage, they played their parts exceedingly well.”  

They came here from Blacksburg and Roanoke and throughout Virginia, from several other states and the Choctaw Nation . . .from Canada and Egypt . . . from India and Indonesia . . . from Puerto Rico and Peru.  They were citizens of the world.  

Each was gifted and talented and unique.  

They were Hokies.  

The Hokie Nation was first used to describe those who filled the seats in this stadium, who identified with and loved Virginia Tech.   But in the dark days of our suffering, we have seen this phrase take on a greater and deeper meaning. 

It is one of a community coming together – yes, to mourn and pour out our grief, but also coming together to help each other, to lift others’ burdens while our own weighed so heavily upon us.  Millions around the world have witnessed and been touched by the Hokie Spirit. 

I received a letter a few days back from an incoming freshman of the class of 2011.  She said, candidly, that after the tragedy, she had considered changing her academic plans for next year.  But then after watching how we all came together, she decided that there was no place she’d rather spend the next four years. 

She was moved by the Hokie Spirit. So was our nation.  So was I. 

The grief counselors – and bless them for all the work they have done and are doing to help us heal – they tell us that when we become overwhelmed with negative feelings, we should remind ourselves of people and events that are meaningful and encouraging.  

We have seen many such people and acts in the past few weeks, and we are forever thankful to all for their concern and care. 

Our faculty and staff deserve a special ‘thank you.’  While grieving greatly, they wiped their tears, rolled up their sleeves and went to work, doing anything and everything they could to keep us going when we were struck numb. They voluntarily arose early and willingly stayed late into the night.  They were magnificent in the most difficult of times. 

They are Hokies. 

How do we thank the members of the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg Police, the Montgomery County Sherriff’s Departments, and the Virginia State Police who threw aside concerns for their own safety to rush to our aid?  And the reinforcements that came willingly from other localities and universities around the state?  Without complaint, they stayed around the clock to maintain calm and restore our shattered sense of security.  They were brave. They were dedicated. They were courageous.

They are Hokies.  

What words can erase the horrific scenes witnessed by members of the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg Rescue Squads?  They stifled their own fears to tend to the wounded and speed them to hospitals.  They are heroes. They are life savers.

They are Hokies.  

Earlier this week, the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, for its members’ heroic actions, was presented the Stars of Life Award by the National Ambulance Association at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.   

I think there are some Graduating members with us this evening, and I ask that they stand and be recognized.  We are very proud, and thankful that they are Hokies.  

Members of Hokies United have worked tirelessly in helping us heal, through the Candlelight Vigil, the noon Moment of Silence, the Memorials on the Drill field and in myriad other ways.  It is truly amazing what willing hearts and hands can do. I would ask them to stand and be recognized, too.   

We are grateful that -- They are Hokies.  

In every corner of this nation, Virginia Tech alumni have held vigils and poured forth their support, and we are most thankful that they remain such loyal members of the Hokie Nation.  

You students returned as classes resumed and told reporters, “This is home,” and that you came back “because I think my professors needed me.”   Many were amazed as you repeatedly demonstrated what strong bonds link us Hokies together.   We are indeed the Virginia Tech Family.  

In coming here to help us heal, Governor Tim Kaine and President Bush both noted this incredible strength of the Virginia Tech community.  

And the Hokie Nation has spread worldwide.  Niagara Falls was bathed in Orange and Maroon lights – a beautiful tribute to the Hokie spirit.  

In my office, we received an American flag that was flown at half-staff at the Statue of Liberty – that beacon of hope for a brighter future.  

Queen Elizabeth brought wonderful words of condolence and encouragement.  

A tree was planted on our behalf in Jerusalem’s Rabin Peace Park, and a friend called to let me know that he was sending a Hokie flag that flew over the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria.  

Indeed, the Hokie Nation reaches even into space.  A special Virginia Tech flag has been designed, at the request of NASA, to be carried into space.  

It is heartening that these lights of compassion and care have shone through the deep darkness of our suffering.  

This day is also one of those lights, one of those beacons, guiding us toward the future. In the lyrical language of the Psalms we hear that  “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  

 Our hearts have been broken, but our spirit—that Hokie Spirit, which has captured the admiration of millions – remains strong. . . and our resolve is strong.   

We were all touched by the stirring words of Nikki Giovanni – an internationally renowned Hokie – when she proclaimed, “We are Virginia Tech. We will prevail.” 

In her words, “We are alive to the imaginations and the possibilities. We will continue to invent the future. . .”  

And, among the thousands and thousands of messages of sympathy and condolences that we have received was this simple statement: 

“Your loss is great, but your goal is our children’s future.”  

How can we not be resolute and determined to go forward when we are reminded so poignantly -- and by so many -- of why Virginia Tech is here and what it stands for?  

At our core, we are Virginia Tech. We are a great university that has a special role to play in the world.  

We come together in the quest for knowledge – learning about ourselves and about the world in which we live.  We seek new discoveries to improve our own well-being and, by reaching out to the broader community, to improve life on this planet and beyond. 

As we continue our quest and pursue our mission, we will prove that the Hokie spirit is indomitable.   Let our most lasting memorial to those who were snatched from our midst be our achievements.  Let each of us seek out those who are needful, so that we may find a way to fill their needs.  Let us live our professional and personal lives in a manner that moves the world forward.  Is that not what it means to “Invent the future”? 

Please know that moving on is not the same as forgetting.  We shall not forget. Yet, one senseless burst of violence – as horrible and hurtful as it is – will not turn us from our essence.  

Let April 16th be on our future calendars.  Yes, to remember those precious members of our community who we lost. . . But also to renew our commitment to learning and growing . . . to rededicate ourselves to being outstanding citizens of this great nation and the world. . . to be a bright light on the horizon of tomorrow that will chase away the darkness of our fears, to show the world once again that We. . .are. . . Virginia Tech!  

In closing, I want to speak a moment to our graduates… 

Revel in the joy of this day. . . Celebrate your accomplishments. . . Celebrate all those lives that have touched yours and helped bring you to this point.  Reach out and hug them if you can. 

And, to all of our students here today—those graduating and those who will be returning—I wish I could reach out and hug each one of you.  You are the reason I get out of bed in the morning.  You are my passion -- the focus of my days and most of my nights.  You are the future . . . and your achievements will be felt around the globe. 

I…could…not…possibly…be more proud of you than I am at this moment.  You have united, and you have shown the world the meaning of Ut Prosim, that I may serve.   

I love you all…."

            Click Here For NBC Hoda Kotb's Thoughts On Her Alma Mater Virginia Tech

                       "We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech. "  -- Nikki Giovanni

                                            Students At John Redd School in Henry County, Virginia, showing support for Virginia Tech.

                        Click Here For A List Of Related Charities

"What an amazing community this is!  

Mr. President and Mrs. Bush and to all who are part of this Virginia Tech community in this room, on this campus, worldwide today:  It is a very bitter and sad day, and yet my wife Anne and I are very privileged to be here with you, and there is nowhere else in the world we would rather be than with you at this moment.  

As Charlie [Steger, Tech University president] mentioned, Anne and I had left on Sunday morning from Richmond to go on a two-week trade mission to Asia.  One of the events is actually an event in India to spotlight a wonderful program of Virginia Tech's.  We had been in Tokyo in the hotel for about five hours and we were awakened with a call about one in the morning to report the horrible tragedy on this campus, and we were stunned.  Our first thought was that we need to get home – we need to be in Blacksburg, with this community that we care so much about. 

We had the experience of being up in the middle of the night and not being able to get home for about 10 hours.  So we did what people all across the world had been doing in the last couple of days.  We sat there at first in our hotel room and then in a coffee shop and then in an airport waiting lounge with the television on watching to get news about on what was happening on the campus and how the campus was handling this. 

It was different being away from home, being half-way across the world, and seeing what was happening on this campus, and what you, you students were showing to the world.  And even in the midst of the darkest day in the history of this campus, what you showed to the world yesterday – you students – was an amazing thing. 

Again, and again, and again, and from all these various news outlets, the students were called forth to offer their thoughts and asked what they thought about their campus and how they were dealing with this tragedy.  The grief was real and very raw and the questions were deep and troubling – but again the students came back wearing the Virginia Tech sweatshirts, wearing the Virginia Tech caps, and the incredible community spirit, and sense of unity here on this campus and how – before it was about who was to blame or what could have been done different – it was about how we take care of each other in this wonderful, wonderful community.  How proud we were even in the midst of a sad day, to see how well you represented yourselves and this university to a world-wide community!

There are deep emotions that are called forth by a tragedy as significant as this; grieving and sadness by the boatload.  Anne and I have unashamedly shed tears about this and I know virtually all of you have as well.  That is the thing we should be doing. You should be grieving.  There are resources here on this campus and others who are on this campus to help you if you find need for consolation that is so important. 

A second reaction – that is a natural reaction – is anger.  Anger at the gunman, anger at the circumstance, what could have been done different.  If something had happened – that’s natural as well.  One of the most powerful stories in the human history of stories of that great story central to Judaism, Islam and Christianity:  the story of Job from the Old Testament, afflicted with all kinds of tragedy in his family and health, and he was angry.  He was angry with his circumstances.  He was angry at his Creator.  He argued with God and he didn’t lose his faith.  It’s OK to argue.  It’s OK to be angry.  Those emotions are natural as well.

And finally the emotions of the family members most affected, beyond grief – losing a son, losing a daughter, a brother, a sister, losing a close friend.  You can go beyond grief to isolation and feeling despair.  Those haunting words that were uttered on a hill on Calvary:  “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” 

Despair is a natural emotion at a time like this.  They’re all natural, they’re all appropriate – but let me ask one thing of you, this community, as you wrestle with your sadness, as you wrestle with your own feelings of anger, of confusion; as you wrestle with the despair, even you family members who have lost people so close to you:  Do not let go of that spirit of community that makes Virginia Tech such a special place.  Do not lose hold of that. 

You need it as a university because you’ve always had it.  You need to maintain it.  We do not need that spirit of community to be a victim of yesterday.  No, you need that. 

You, as a community unified together – there is so much you can do for these family members to help bear them up, to help them deal with their grief. If you are unified there is an incalculable amount you can do to help family members and friends deal with the loss. 

We need in Virginia that spirit of community that you have here.  We are bold enough to call ourselves, not a state, but a Commonwealth.  A state is a dotted line, a state is a political subdivision – but Commonwealth has a meaning.  The meaning is what we have, the god-given and man-made resources that we have, we hold in common for a community.  And you at Virginia Tech can be that community and demonstrate that community for us in a way that will benefit the entirety of Virginia.

And finally, I would say to you from having that vantage point of hearing about this on the other side of the world:  It is not just you that needs to maintain the spirit; the world needs you to.  Because the world was watching you yesterday – and in the darkest moment in the history of this university, the world saw you and saw you respond in a way that built community. 

I was reminded in the airport as we got ready to board to come back that I’ve seen this story before. I’ve turned on television and seen the bad news of a shooting, or a weather emergency, or a famine.  I’ve seen these stories – and there will be more stories – but there was something in the story yesterday that was different and it was you.  Your spirit even in a dark day of optimism and community and hope, and of wanting to be together.  You taught something good yesterday, even on a dark day, to people all around the world – and the world needs that example put forward.

And so I pledge to do all I can, President Steger, members of the community and my team as well, to be with you in the coming days.  To be along side of you in difficult times as we sort through and try to work with your families and friends.  You have a remarkable community here; just look around and see this.  And see the thousands of students next door. 

This is a remarkable place.  Do not let go of that sense of community which is so powerful in this room."

-- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine At The Virginia Tech Convocation

“We are Virginia Tech. We are sad today and we will be sad for quite awhile. WE are not moving on, we are embracing our mourning.

            We are Virginia Tech. We are strong enough to know when to cry and sad enough to know we must laugh again.

                                        Images from 33 stone memorial in front of Burruss Hall on campus at Virginia Tech.

We are Virginia Tech. We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did not deserve it but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, but neither do the invisible children walking the night to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory; neither does the Appalachian infant in the killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

                                                                    Vigil in New York City's Washington Park

We are Virginia Tech. The Hokier Nation embraces our own with open heart and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds. We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be.

We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness.

                                                      33 stones in front of Burruss Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech

                        We are the Hokies. We will prevail, we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech. "  -- Nikki Giovanni

Click Here To See Nikki Giovanni's Remarks At The Convocation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cSuidxE8os

Click Here To See The Entire Convocation on April 17: http://www.hokiesports.com/convocation.html

"Governor, thank you. President Steger, thank you very much. Students, and faculty, and staff, and grieving family members, and members of this really extraordinary place.

Laura and I have come to Blacksburg today with hearts full of sorrow. This is a day of mourning for the Virginia Tech community -- and it is a day of sadness for our entire nation. We've come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking about you, and asking God to provide comfort for all who have been affected.

Yesterday began like any other day. Students woke up, and they grabbed their backpacks and they headed for class. And soon the day took a dark turn, with students and faculty barricading themselves in classrooms and dormitories -- confused, terrified, and deeply worried. By the end of the morning, it was the worst day of violence on a college campus in American history -- and for many of you here today, it was the worst day of your lives.

It's impossible to make sense of such violence and suffering. Those whose lives were taken did nothing to deserve their fate. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now they're gone -- and they leave behind grieving families, and grieving classmates, and a grieving nation.

In such times as this, we look for sources of strength to sustain us. And in this moment of loss, you're finding these sources everywhere around you. These sources of strength are in this community, this college community. You have a compassionate and resilient community here at Virginia Tech. Even as yesterday's events were still unfolding, members of this community found each other; you came together in dorm rooms and dining halls and on blogs. One recent graduate wrote this: "I don't know most of you guys, but we're all Hokies, which means we're family. To all of you who are okay, I'm happy for that. For those of you who are in pain or have lost someone close to you, I'm sure you can call on anyone of us and have help any time you need it."

These sources of strength are with your loved ones. For many of you, your first instinct was to call home and let your moms and dads know that you were okay. Others took on the terrible duty of calling the relatives of a classmate or a colleague who had been wounded or lost. I know many of you feel awfully far away from people you lean on and people you count on during difficult times. But as a dad, I can assure you, a parent's love is never far from their child's heart. And as you draw closer to your own families in the coming days, I ask you to reach out to those who ache for sons and daughters who will never come home.

These sources of strength are also in the faith that sustains so many of us. Across the town of Blacksburg and in towns all across America, houses of worship from every faith have opened their doors and have lifted you up in prayer. People who have never met you are praying for you; they're praying for your friends who have fallen and who are injured. There's a power in these prayers, real power. In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God. As the Scriptures tell us, "Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

And on this terrible day of mourning, it's hard to imagine that a time will come when life at Virginia Tech will return to normal. But such a day will come. And when it does, you will always remember the friends and teachers who were lost yesterday, and the time you shared with them, and the lives they hoped to lead. May God bless you. May God bless and keep the souls of the lost. And may His love touch all those who suffer and grieve." --President George W. Bush

Embracing Tragedy At Virginia Tech From May Newsletter

This week I witnessed the horrible actions of one very sick individual at my alma mater in Blacksburg, Virginia. People who I had not heard from in years contacted me about it because of my known affection and support of Virginia Tech. The horror of this week has been mixed with the pride of seeing Hokie students on national television showing their emotions, the courage that many of them exhibited facing a murder and the positive feelings toward their school. They are a credit to their parents and their university.

Headquarters of the Atlantic Coast Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina.

             The disgust I have felt towards the events this week is almost as strong for the irresponsible media reporting of the events especially aimed at President Charles Steger and the law enforcement officers. I thought at the convocation when President Steger received a standing ovation and a long embrace from Governor Kaine that said it all. These media types do not care about the people who their callous comments hurt or the families of the victims of this tragedy.

            While I am sure mistakes were made, but in studying history you can only judge someone by their actions based on what they knew at the time. Monday morning quarterbacking and blaming President Steger or the law enforcement officials for the act of a very sick individual is the easy way out especially for these so called journalists. We do not know if they had locked down the university, an almost impossible action due to the size and number of people involved, that the killer would not have just found other victims. No one could predict these events or say what would have happened.

            When Nikki Giovanni ended the convocation with her “We Are Virginia Tech” remarks followed by cheering, seeing the students filling Lane Stadium and the vigil at the Drillfield later that night I felt great pride in being part of a university that has such great students and their defiance in the face of overwhelming grief not to give up. One humorous moment came at the end of convocation when Katie “Wahoo” Couric identified Hokie Football Coach Frank Beamer as the President of the United States.

            No one can begin to understand the feelings of those who lost children, siblings and friends this week at Virginia Tech, but the outpouring of support this week for them is something I will never forget. This week I read fans from West Virginia, the University of Virginia, Auburn, East Carolina, LSU, Texas A&M, UNC-Greensboro and almost every university I could imagine on internet websites say repeatedly “We Are All Hokies.” I saw students at UNC-Asheville, Central Florida, Duke, N. C. State and many others hold candlelight vigils. I thought that like the embrace from the Governor Kaine to President Steger that says it all.    -- Tom Perry, Virginia Tech Class of 1983

                Notes From The Free State Of Patrick Volume Four Number Six June 2007

                                        "There is nothing new in the world except the history you don't know"  -- Harry Truman

           The Free State Of Patrick Supports The Patrick County High School Alumni Association

May 13, 1607-May 13, 2007 Landing At Jamestown

"In the beginning all America was Virginia." -- William Byrd II

VIRGINIA TOURISM NEWSLETTER ABOUT JAMESTOWN    http://www.virginia.org/newsletter/JamestownMar07.htm

America's 400th Anniversary http://www.americas400thanniversary.org/home.cfm

Help Our Regional History Library Expand

Exterior of building with expansion to add on right side of building. Anne Copeland and Sam Eanes at the Bassett Historical Center.

                            Click Here To Read About The Bassett Historical Center Building Fund

                                                                Expansion plans to add to the existing structure.

                Click Here To Red About Patrick County Collections At The Bassett Historical Center

Left to right photos of the War Room in the Bassett Historical Center include the Civil War books, a moonshine still and Native-American section. 

Wharton-Stuart SCV Camp Celebrates Confederate Heritage Day

ARTICLE: The View From The Top Of Laurel Hill

“Walk this hallowed ground where the story was written.

For the distant voices of the ageless wind

These quiet, peaceful woods and fields,

Now silent are here to remind us of how much

We owe to the sacrifice of others.

Here they came, here they lived.

Here they died.

What they lost, we lost.

What they gained, we gained.”

            The publisher of one local newspaper once told me that saving Laurel Hill was a “pipe dream” and that we had no chance of raising the money. On May 1, I stood on Laurel Hill and thought about that and as I looked around the pasture that is Patrick County’s most historic site I made note of all that had been accomplished. The following remarks are part of what I said to the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce's After Hours program at Stuart's Birthplace.

James Ewell Brown Stuart once wrote of his home in Patrick County, Virginia "Although every one deems his own home ‘A spot supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter Spot than all the rest,’ Yet experience has taught me that it is necessary to be deprived of it awhile in order to appreciate it properly. I might have rambled over the dear old hills of Patrick amid all pleasures of a mountain home for a life time…"

            "Jeb" Stuart was born at Laurel Hill, but his is not the only history of significance on the property. From prehistoric discoveries to the continuing efforts of the present day by the J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace, few places have the many histories for students to discover as this special part of Patrick County. The Birthplace placed interpretive signs for all these different histories in 2002.

            You can view all these histories from the house site at Laurel Hill. The following is a synopsis of those histories. If you where at Laurel Hill 2,500 years ago and looked to the west you would see where archaeologist from  the College of William and Mary revealed the presence of Native Americans along the Ararat River, which flows into the Yadkin River in North Carolina, well known for its many native sites.

            If you stood at Laurel Hill in the summer of 1749 and looked south towards North Carolina you could see Thomas Jefferson’s father Peter, Joshua Fry and a survey team from North Carolina and Virginia headed west along 36 degree 33 minutes. They had started from where William Byrd II had stopped twenty years earlier along Peter’s Creek in Patrick County

            In August 1780 and stood at Laurel Hill you could have heard a single gun shot ring out from the bottom land across the Ararat River to the west that took the life of William Letcher. Letcher moved to the land along the Ararat River in the late 1770s with his wife Elizabeth Perkins. In the spring of 1780, their only child, Bethenia blessed the family with her arrival. Later that year pro-British Tories killed William during the American Revolution. Letcher lies today in the oldest marked grave in Patrick County.

            In 1831, you could observe a house being built here on this spot. Archibald and Elizabeth Stuart moved to Laurel Hill in the mid 1820s. Mrs. Stuart inherited the property from her grandfather, Letcher. Archibald Stuart was a prominent local politician serving as Commonwealth Attorney for several local counties, in both houses of the Virginia legislature from Patrick County and one term in the United States Congress. Mrs. Stuart was known for her love of nature, her strict discipline and religious faith.

            Two years later on this spot Elizabeth Letcher Pannill Stuart gave birth to her eighth child, a son she named James Ewell Brown Stuart for her brother in law a judge from Wythe County. Nine year later looking south across the bottom you might have seen two boys finding a hornet’s nest. The larger and older one ran while the younger nine year old knocked down with a stick. The boy was James Stuart. History knows him as “Jeb.”

     Standing there on a Friday night in 1848 would have been very hot and dangerous. The house described as being in a grove of oak trees and surrounded by gardens burned in the late 1847-48. The family lived in the kitchen until the property passed from the family. Trail stops denote the site of the house and the kitchen. Other trails exist from the top of Laurel Hill to and along the Ararat River with steps and bridges added for walker’s convenience. The Virginia Landmark Register and the National Register of Historic Places placed the property on their lists due to its significance as a mid 1850s farmstead. It is unusual for a property to be on the registers without a structure.

            Two years later standing there you could see a sea of black faces. Nearly thirty slaves lived at Laurel Hill in 1850. Descendants of Africans enslaved lived at Laurel Hill from the time of William Letcher, Stuart’s great-grandfather in the 1770s. Letcher’s will notes nine slaves on the property. The Stuarts owned nearly from the mid 1820s until 1859 when Mrs. Stuart sold the property. The slave cemetery has a trail stop with an interpretive marker just inside the tree line to the west of the house site.

            In the fall of 1855, Elizabeth Stuart alone was with her husband when he died here. She buried him just south of the house in the Stuart Family Cemetery. In 1952 they moved him to Saltville, Virginia, where he lies beside her with many of his children and grandchildren.

     This land was sold in 1859 and several local families owned and divided Laurel Hill. Two years later you would not have heard gun fire from the great conflagration known as the War Between The States or the Civil War, but it would affect the lives of those who called Laurel Hill home. Three of the Stuart sons served Virginia and the Confederate States of America. John Dabney Stuart, a physician served in the 54th Virginia Infantry, possibly with a half brother. William Alexander Stuart ran the salt works in Saltville providing an important commodity to the South.

To the east of the house site you can see the pavilion that denotes the service of James E. B. Stuart in the war as commander of Robert E. Lee’s cavalry and one sign about his life with his wife Flora. He lost his life on May 12, 1864, after being wounded the day before at a battle called Yellow Tavern and rests today in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

“Jeb” Stuart’s death did end Laurel Hill’s history or his legacy in Virginia. In 1872, the Commonwealth of Virginia founded a land grand college in Blacksburg. The early days of the university we know as Virginia Tech was influenced by J. E. B. Stuart. Many men served under Stuart in the cavalry, but four of them served as President of the school,  two others, Fitz Lee and W. H. F. “Rooney” Lee, served as members of the Board of Visitors along with William Alexander Stuart. One professor W. W. Blackford laid out the grounds of the university and wrote a book called War Years With J. E. B. Stuart.

            Around 1900 standing there you would have seen the smoke and maybe the sound of a train engine as the Mount Airy and Eastern Railway made its way from the “Granite City” about five miles south of us. It came just east of us across the Ararat Highway on the way to haul lumber out of Kibler Valley for the furniture factories. It was a narrow gauge and was called a “Dinky” railroad.

            It ran until about 1925. One young man lived across the road from here. His name was George Elbert “Shug” Brown. He often told me about walking out of his house and cutting across this land owned by his father making his way just south of us going east to west across the bottom, fording the Ararat River and making his way up Rabbit Ridge to the school just to the west. He told me how proud he was of this place because he went to the J. E. B. Stuart School.

            In July 1969, my mother took me to the little white house you can see just east of us here to the home of “Shug” Brown and his wife Icy Bowman Brown. When you walked in their house you would have seen as I did the photo of the end table. It was “Jeb” Stuart. They were not related to him, but they loved this place and wanted it preserved and so it is.

The Browns in 1990 and the Dellenbacks in 1995 sold property to the J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace Preservation Trust. Seventy-five of the 1500 acres owned by the Stuarts is saved for you and future generations to learn about the many histories of Laurel Hill.

Twenty-one years ago we began to turn this pasture into a preserved source of pride for Patrick County. “Jeb” Stuart told his brother William Alexander Stuart a few months before he died that he would “give anything to make a pilgrimage to the old place and quietly live the rest of his days.” 

I delivered these sentiments to a group from the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce on May 1, 2007. Laurel Hill is open every day from dawn until dusk for visitors to enjoy these many histories and you can make your own “pilgrimage” to Laurel Hill.

Afterwards the great nephew of “Shug” Brown told me in conversation, “Uncle Shug is a happy man because he wanted this place preserved.” Thanks to Merlin Scales for saying that.

Fifth Sunday Programs At The Hollow History Center  

July 29 and September 30, 2007

July 29, Genealogy Festival at The Hollow History Center 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.  

September 30, Fall Festival At The Hollow History Center from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. 

Admission is $6 per adult with children under 14 free.

	        Click Here To See The New Exhibit On The Dinky Railroad

                                   Dinky Railroad Talk In Kibler Valley May 20

Check Out These Blogs

Debra Coalson Goodrich of Ararat now Kansas has a new blog. Check it out http://masondixonwildwest.blogspot.com/

Eric Wittenberg's Civil War Cavalry Blog www.civilwarcavalry.com

Click Here For More Information about the Salisbury Confederate Prison Association

http://www.salisburyprison.org/

Henry County Civil War Roster Available at Bassett Historical Center

Henry County in the Civil War, 1861-1865 is on sale by the Bassett Historical Center Building Committee as a fund-raiser. 
Half the profits from this book go to the fund, to build an addition to their great library. This book contains the military records of Henry County Soldiers as well as some letters and other articles of interest. If you would like to send a donation to them, or buy a book to help them, you can contact Pat Ross at baslib@hotmail.com for more information.

Incoming Patrick County School Board Superintendent Is Co-Author of Novel on J. E. B. Stuart and the Civil War 

     "At its meeting on February 22, 2007, the Patrick County School Board appointed Dr. Roger N. Morris as its next Division Superintendent, effective July 1, 2007.  Dr. Morris, a native of Bassett, is currently the Director of Administrative Services in Southampton County , Virginia . After graduating from Bassett High School in 1984, Dr. Morris attended Virginia Tech and graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education.  He received his Master’s Degree from Longwood College in 1990, his Educational Specialist degree in 1998, and his Doctorate of Education degree from the University of Virginia in 2002.  All of his advanced degrees were earned while he continued to work full-time in the education field. Dr. Morris has a variety of educational experiences.  He served for six years as a teacher in Buckingham County Schools, followed by more than thirteen years of experience as an administrator in Fluvanna, Dinwiddie, and Southampton County School divisions.  During this time, Morris has been a leader in the fields of personnel management, finance, and pupil personnel services. But Roger Morris never forgot his roots.  In 2006, he and his father collaborated to write a novel called A Distant Bugle, which is a fictional Civil War era story.  He also volunteers in community programs and has in the past been a member of the Ruritan Club.  Most recently, Dr. Morris has taught Sunday School, and is active in church functions. Dr. Morris has been married for over sixteen years to his wife, Patricia.  They have two sons, Alex and Brad, who are both thirteen years old and currently in the eighth grade.  He is the son of Aubrey and Doris Morris, who reside in Bassett. “My family and I and very excited to become a part of the community and to call Patrick ‘home’,” stated Morris.  “The Patrick County School System has always had a strong reputation for academic excellence.  I am looking forward to working with the staff, students, and parents as we move forward together.”

Book Description From Amazon.com

    Many of today's Civil War stories offer total fiction or cold facts of history. "A Distant Bugle" is a powerful fusion of reality and drama as seen through the eyes of Confederate Cavalry Lieutenant John Bradford. Lt. Bradford is the typical, young inexperienced backwoods "soldier" who resolutely marches through scouting forays, bloody battlefields, harsh imprisonments, heart-thumping escapes and determined freedom runs with hearth and home as his guiding light. His personal triumphs and doubts form the background for his superior officers--"Jeb Stuart, a flamboyant, daring, fun-loving, hard-riding, self-promoting Cavalry General; Jonathan Stonewall Jackson, a stern-faced, eccentric, mirthless, complex, genius, and the vulgar, rude, whiskey-drinking, battle-smart Jubal Early. Rather than a bland spew of facts or an unrealistic gush of fiction, "A Distant Bugle" portrays the horrors endured by solder and family alike in this devastating war; and lights the darker side with moments of life's comedic relief.

About the Author

    Aubrey Morris was born in Southwest Virginia. Always an avid reader, he eventually gravitated to biography and American history. After serving in the Air Force, he worked many years as a technical assistant for a multi-national company and retired early to pursue his dreams. Aubrey studied art, received a pilot’s license, and spent several years researching the events surrounding the Civil War. This research led to the discovery that his grandfather’s brother served in Stonewall Jackson’s foot cavalry; and was wounded and captured in the battle at Cedar Mountain. Further research into this battle, Northern hospitals, prisons and daring escapes became the Genesis for A Distant Bugle. His son, Dr. Roger Morris, assisted in the research and the writing of this book.