Down Home in

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During 1999, we’re making our way around Virginia, each issue visiting a small town and meeting some of the folks who make up the heartof electric co-op country. On this year’s eighth stop, we’ll be...

DOWN HOME SERIES

CourtlandLiving history and lively residentsmake this small town in peanut country a happy blend of old and new.

by Merle Monahan, Reporter, The Tidewater News

Several beautifully restored 18th- and 19th-century homes dot Main Street inCourtland. Seven Gables (above), circa 1790, is owned today by Mrs. Julia Mitchell.

When Southampton County wasformed from Isle of WightCounty in 1749, county officials

labored over where to establish the countyseat. Then, in 1750, they settled on a site cen-trally located in the county, and for conve-nience made it near the banks of theNottoway River, to provide a means of ship-ping for the largely agricultural county.

No more than a crossroads, the tiny settle-ment began to flourish once a courthouse andother county offices were constructed in1 7 5 2 .

Today, the site is largely unchanged, butthe name has changed three times.Courtland has been the name of the countyseat now for more than 110 years. The towncontinues to be the hub of governmentactivity for residents of the more than 600-square-mile county.

Named Jerusalem in 1791, the town wasknown in the beginning simply as “TheTown at the Courthouse,” and is today a

cross between the old, the not-so-old and thenew. Several beautifully restored 18th- and19th-century homes dot Main Street throughthe business district, as the courthouse, circa1834, stands tall and majestic across the streetfrom Mahone’s Tavern.

One of the town’s original taverns,Mahone’s was built between 1735 and 1750and was later to become the boyhood homeof Confederate General William Mahone. Itis named for Mahone’s father, FieldingMahone, who once owned the property.

Interspersed among these reminders of thepast and farther down Main Street are a mod-ern library and art museum, a new state-of-the-art county administration office complex,and the county sheriff’s department andadjoining jail. A nursing home and shoppingcenter are nearby. Then, somewhere between

“I don’t think you could find a town moremodern, yet more conscious of its past thanours,” says Mayor Lewis Holmes Davis,who is proud of the small town of just over1,000 he has guided for 15 years. The retirededucator and athletic coach says the town is anice, quiet place in which to settle down andraise a family.

“The schools are good and the crime rateis low. In fact, we’ve had very few real prob-lems since I’ve been mayor.”

But the town has not always been quite soplacid and peaceful, laughs local historian, S .V. Camp III.

“As soon as the first courthouse was com-pleted,” he says, “the third Monday in eachmonth was designated as court day, a daywhen people came from both ends of thecounty to visit or shop, to talk politics and,

Helen Howell (at organ) and LindaUpdike are dressed in period costumefor Heritage Day at the SouthamptonAgricultural and Forestry Museum/Heritage Village.

The Rochelle-Prince House,restored home ofJames Rochelle,is one of severalmuseums inC o u r t l a n d .

An old country store and a one-roomschool are just two of the many interest-ing sights at Courtland’s ag museum.

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the old and the new are two other museumsdedicated to preserving the heritage of thea r e a .

Far left: Jeff Barnes, the town’s only policeofficer. Left: Herbert “Hank” Edwards in frontof his hardware store. Above: Lewis HolmesDavis, mayor of Courtland.

tried and sentenced in Courtland in the sec-ond of three courthouses built during thetown’s 249 years.

It was in 1888, shortly after its incorpora-tion, when the name Courtland was given tothe town. At the suggestion of PostmistressFannie Barrett, the town was named for thenearby courthouse, rather than the distantHoly City.

Today the taverns no longer operate assuch. And the name seems to please resi-dents. Herbert “Hank” Edwards, 84, whoowns a hardware store, one of the fewremaining retail stores on Main Street, sayshe wouldn’t be anywhere else. “My fatherstarted this business in 1911 and I’ve beenworking here since I came home from theservice in 1945. I grew up, married andraised my family here — only left longenough to serve my time in the Army and toget an education.”

Collin Pulley agrees, adding, “I feel Ibelong here because my roots are here.”Pulley, who owns a furniture store on Route58, just outside of town, is commander of theUrquhart-Gillett Camp of the Sons ofConfederate Veterans and can name 18 of hisrelatives who served in the Civil War.“Regardless of how some people feel aboutthe war,” he says, “this was a very importantpart of our heritage and I’ve always felt weshould honor these brave men.”

Pulley laughs when reminded of a story

about Courtland’s Union General, GeorgeThomas. Although from Confederate territo-ry, Thomas opted to serve with the UnionArmy and the story is told that, because ofthis, he was able to prevent Union troopsfrom ever entering Southampton County.

“There’s no truth to that,” Pulley says,smiling. “I’m sure that if there had been any-thing here the Union Army wanted, theywould have invaded, no matter what GeneralThomas said.”

Family and history are important to thepeople of Courtland and some have gone togreat lengths to preserve things of the past.On seven acres just off Main Street, a muse-um has been established just for this purpose.

“We started with 600 items,” saysWilliam Howell, president of theSouthampton Agriculture and ForestryMuseum/Heritage Village. “That number hasnow risen to 4,000 and things are still comingin.” Howell is quick to add that everything isd o n a t e d .

The museum consists of several buildingsfilled with artifacts of the Nottoway Indiansand articles from the 18th and 19th centuries.“Inside the main building, we’ve set up acountry kitchen, bedroom and back porch,”says Lynda Updike, president of theSouthampton County Historical Society.

Updike notes that dependencies includeeverything from a grist mill and saw mill to acountry store, one-room school, ice and

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If y o u ’ r ei n t e r e s t e din county

history, then Courtland is the place to go.This small town of just over 1,000 peopleboasts three museums, two of which arededicated solely to the preservation of thearea’s heritage — agriculture and forestry.

Located at 26315 Heritage Lane, just offMain Street, the Southampton Agricultureand Forestry Museum/Heritage Village , isopen from 1 to 4 p.m. each Wednesdayand Sunday from March throughN o v e m b e r .

The other is the Rochelle-Prince House.Located on the east side of Main Street, it isopen every other Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.The museum actually is the restored homeof James Rochelle, clerk of court during theNat Turner trial. Owned by theSouthampton County Historical Society, itis furnished in period furniture of the early1 8 0 0 s .

Each year these two museums feature

Heritage Day, when crafters and artisansassemble from all over the country todemonstrate their wares. Held annually onthe Agriculture and Forestry Museumgrounds, this year’s date will be September18, from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The third museum is the Walter CecilRawls Library and Museum Arts . It also ison Main Street and is open during normalbusiness hours.

To reach Courtland from Richmond,take I-95 South past Petersburg to exit #12,the Courtland exit (Route 35). Travel 32miles on Route 35 to Courtland. FromNorfolk and Virginia Beach, take Route 58West for approximately 53 miles and fromEmporia, take Route 58 East for approxi-mately 27 miles to Courtland.

Another attraction is the F r a n k l i n /Southampton County Fair . Drawing20,000 people annually, it is held eachyear for five days in August. This year it ranfrom August 11 through 15.

To get there, take Route 58 east from

Courtland for two miles to NewmarketRoad. Follow the signs to the fairgrounds.

No visit to Southampton County wouldbe complete without some of its finestpeanuts. The Peanut Patch , located onRoute 58 West, features Virginia peanutsand candies, as well as collectibles and giftsfor all occasions.

There is only one restaurant inCourtland, but it offers excellent food atreasonable prices. Plan to dine at “ForPete’s Sake” on Main Street. It’s open everyday except Saturday. Other restaurants andmotels are offered at nearby Franklin.

Finally, Southampton County’s 250thanniversary, ongoing since January, willend with a “Big Event” at SouthamptonHigh School on October 30. Starting inCourtland at 2 p.m. the parade will traveldown Route 35 to the intersection ofRoutes 35 and 58, where other events willtake place on the grounds of SouthamptonHigh School. ■

If You Go...

more often than not, just to have a goodt i m e . ”

Camp says he suspects the good timeswere heightened by the “spirits” served inthe many taverns and ordinaries surroundingthe courthouse. “This and the people’s pas-sion for horseracing on Flaggy Run Roadnear the courthouse actually gave the town ar e p u t a t i o n . ”

The reputation followed the town foryears, according to Camp. As late as 1874,entries in the recently published diary ofSouthampton County farmer Daniel W.Cobb referred to the “drunken rowdiness oncourt day in Jerusalem. There was plenty ofbrandy drinking and quarreling and broilingand some fitting (fighting) and jailing,”Cobb noted.

A Historic Uprising

Even with the rowdiness, Courtland wasprobably little different from other smalltowns during this era. However, on August22, 1831, national attention was thrust uponthe small community when Nat Turner,slave and preacher, and a small band of hisfollowers fortified with apple brandy,entered the home of resident Joseph Travisand killed five members of the family whilethey slept.

A slave revolt sprang from this tragicevent, which resulted in 57 deaths before theinsurgents were apprehended. Turner was

September 1999

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smoke houses, a country home and two out-h o u s e s .

“We’ve been working with the museumfor 11 years now,” she says, “and hope tocontinue for many more.” To further informthe public of times past, Updike and the soci-ety put on what they call Heritage Day, whencrafters come in from all over the country todemonstrate their wares. It is held annuallyon the museum grounds. The ninth one willbe held September 18.

Back on Main Street, a second museum,the Rochelle-Prince House, is located acrossthe street and a few doors down from thecourthouse. It is the restored home of JamesRochelle, clerk of court during the NatTurner trial. “We’ve furnished this house justas it would have been in 1835 when he washere,” Updike says.

“We work hard to maintain these muse-ums,” she notes, “because we want our chil-dren now and in years to come to see exactlyhow our ancestors lived. If we don’t, in a fewyears there’ll be nothing to remind us thatelectricity was not always here and the bath-room was not always inside.”

According to Jenny Blythe, director ofthe art museum, it was established in 1958along with the Walter Cecil Rawls Library. “Iunderstand Mr. Rawls, who donated themoney for the library, was himself an artistand felt it would be good for the town.”

In a separate building now, the art muse-um is actually part of the library, and show-ings are still held in the gallery in the mainbuilding, says Beverly Worsham, assistantdirector. “This was a wonderful gift to thetown,” she adds. “Before we opened, if weneeded to use a library, we’d have to go toF r a n k l i n . ”

Worsham, with the library for 25 years,notes that branches have now been opened inparts of three other counties, as well as thecity of Franklin. “We are expanding daily,”she says, “Our system is becoming morecomputerized and records are much easier tom a i n t a i n . ”

In addition to the library, the countyclerk’s office is open to the public forresearching old documents and records aswell, says Clerk Wayne Cosby, a veteran of18 years with the county. “We have micro-film records dating back to the formation ofthe county; however, we do not have birth ordeath records,” he says.

Courtland is not only a town where theold coexists with the new, but it’s where localand county governments work independentlyof each other. For instance, the town employs

its own policeman, even though the sheriff’sdepartment is right there. “This way we havesomeone on hand when we need him,” saysthe mayor.

This would seem to make sense, for thesheriff’s department has to cover 18,000people and one of the ten largest counties inthe state. Townspeople say the department isdoing an excellent job.

But Sheriff Vernie Francis Jr., in officefor the past 15 years, does not take all thecredit for the performance of his office. “I’vegot some good people working for me,” hesays.

The sheriff’s office covers the spectrumfrom law enforcement to crime prevention,in addition to maintaining two jails. “Ourpeople are on duty 24 hours a day,” Francissays. “We answer all kinds of calls. In factwe usually have a department to cover what-ever may be required. But our main concern,of course, is to protect the people.”

L e g e n d a ry Lawman

And this has been the concern for othersheriffs as well. “I remember how it used tobe 40 years ago,” says long-time residentMilton Futrell with a smile. Futrell was

referring to the legendary Sheriff T. BoisieBell, who served the county for 33 years,retiring in 1954.

“I believe he was the bravest man I’veever known. He once walked into the face ofa loaded shotgun, called the man by his firstname and relieved him of his weapon. Nowyou don’t see many men who could do that.

“Boisie had his own way of doing things,but by gosh, he always got his man.”

Bell was loved and respected by all whoknew him, says his daughter K a t h r y nM a r t i n.

“He knew everybody in the county andcould address most by their first names. Henever wanted anyone to think he did notremember them.”

Courtland was born of necessity, sayslocal historian Kitty Futrell. “It has survivedfires, pestilence, floods and several wars. Butdespite all this it always springs back andnext year will be 250 years old.”

This year the town will help kick offanother celebration. On October 30, it willhost the parade that will kick off the county’s“Big Event,” celebrating Southampton’s250th anniversary. ■