Recently Scottsville Museum received a donated scrapbook containing photos of the fourth grade students in Margaret Hall Hamilton's fourth grade class at Scottsville School in 1940-1941  Shown above are two students with their photos not fully identified.  We welcome any help our readers may be able to provide in helping us learn these students' names.

Do you know the names of these two fourth graders from 1940-1941? 

Shown at right is a young man, born in Philadelphia, who came to Albemarle County in 1860 where his father was born and lived until 1819.  He soon owned land near Enniscorthy and was engaged to be married when the Civil War broke out in April 1861.  This young man pooled his own resources with his friends to raise a company of Confederate volunteers from Albemarle, Fluvanna, Nelson, and Amherst counties.  Elected Captain of this company called the Green Mountain Grays, he led his company into battle against Union soldiers at Roanoke Island, NC, in February 1862, where he was killed.

Do you know the name of this Confederate Captain from Albemarle? 

The correct answer comes from John Coles Langhorne of Charlottesville, VA.  The young soldier's name was Roberts Coles, son of Edward Coles who was born in Enniscorthy, the family home in Albemarle County.  Edward (1768-1868) was a private secretary to James Madison and a strong supporter of emancipation, who moved west to Illinois in 1819 where he served as Governor in 1822.  When his political career faltered, Edward moved to Philadelphia where Roberts was born in 1838.  Roberts considered himself a Virginian and moved to Albemarle County in 1860 to farm.  When the Civil War began, Roberts joined the Confederate Army with his fellow Virginians.

To learn more about this Confederate soldier, visit: Captain Roberts Coles: Green Mountain Grays, 46th VA Infantry .

Can you tell us more about the role this club played in Scottsville High School? 

The correct answer comes from The Scotty, 1952, which was the yearbook for Scottsville High School.  The Hi-Y was a national movement, and boys all over the U.S. strived to accomplish the club's goals, "Clean Speech, Clean Sportsmanship, Clean Scholarship, and Clean Living."  The main objective of the Scottsville HS Hi-Y club was service.  One of the ways by which club members achieved this objective was by distributing baskets at Thanksgiving to needy people in the Scottsville community.

Can you identify each student?  And which student was the class valedictorian?

The correct answer comes from Shirley Cunningham Eye of Fredericksburg, VA.  "Shown above are 1958 Senior Class photos of myself, Shirley Cunningham, and my classmate, Marvin Erskine Ripley.  As a graduating senior, Marvin received the U.S. Rubber Company's award for outstanding qualities in citizenship, leadership, and sportsmanship.  He also won the Danforth Foundation award, the SHS social science award, and the William Day Smith award.  I also received the Danforth Foundation, shorthand, and English awards.  I was cited as the 1958 Senior Class valedictorian, too.  A great year for all of our class at Scottsville High School!"

Can you help us identify each student in this photo?  Even a few would be a wonderful help -- thanks in advance!!  And what are the names of the teacher/school administrator at the left end of the top section and right end of the bottom section?

The correct identity of the gentleman at the upper far right of this photo comes from Marnita Simpson, of the University of Virginia Law School: "The administrator at the far right of this photo is Henry Lawrence Summerall." 

To see the names of the students in this Esmont Class of 1942 photo, Principal Summerall, and also the name of a teacher of this class, visit: Esmont High School Class of 1942

In addition to this lovely photo of his Aunt Ruth, Wilson also donated 4 copies of the Scotty, Scottsville High School's yearbook for the years 1948 and 1950-1952 and also school photos of his father, Leslie, in the Scottsville School's 6th grade class of 1929.  Thank you, Wilson, for your continued support to Scottsville Museum's mission of preserving our community's history.  We are most grateful!

This man attended Scottsville Schools, and his daughter, who submitted the photo, believes he 'could have been a movie star' due to his handsome appearance, vibrant personality, and sense of humor.  However, he chose to follow his hard work ethic until his death in 1966.

Jo Ann says her father began working on his family's farm before his Scottsville School days were complete.  In the 1930 Census records of Albemarle County, Thomas (age 19) was living with his parents and working on the Hudson family farm near Scottsville.  Jo Ann said that her father later moved into construction where he worked until 2 weeks before his death in 1966.  Working hard and taking care of his beloved family was Thomas Hudson's chosen and most admirable life's path.

Jack Hamner, an experienced 'dirt fisherman' (relic hunter) and Scottsville Museum Trustee, unearthed this packet boat baggage tag near an old stone chimney between Keene and Esmont.  The tag's front reads "BE&D Packet, 8."  Engraved on the tag's back is "John Robbins, Boston."  In the mid-1800's, such small metal tags were attached to a traveler's personal luggage and usually bore the name of the issuing party (hotel, railroad or other transportation company) along with a number by which a passenger could identify his or her luggage.  At the end of one's hotel stay or upon arrival at the desired destination, these tags usually were removed and returned to the issuing company for reuse.  For whatever reason, this tag was not returned to the packet boat company operating on the James River and Kanawha Canal that passes through Scottsville.  Instead this tag ended up seven or eight miles from the Canal, perhaps accompanying the passenger's bag to his home.

Scottsville's town bell is shown at its current location in the Barclay House courtyard next to Scottsville Museum.  Between 1916-1976, this bell was mounted in a different Scottsville location and served as a gathering point for townspeople in emergencies.  The bell could be heard for 3 miles, and when there was a fire in town, the bell was rung for one minute straight and then held silent for a minute before being rung for another minute straight.  When the town water was being cut off (in case of a flood, for instance), the bell was rung 3 times, held silent for 5 minutes, and then rung 3 more times.  Townspeople would gather at the bell to get more information about the fire, flood, or other crisis from the Mayor, volunteer fire chief, and/or Scottville's police chief.

Dr. Joseph P. Blair operated his dental office on the second floor of white frame building, located beside Mink Creek on Main Street.  Dr. Blair and his family lived at the Blair house on Harrison Street; Dr. Blair also served as Chairman, Albemarle County School Board for 37 years.

The Scottsville Flour Mills was a five-story building, located at Main and Ferry Streets in Scottsville.  It was a state-of-the-art mill that was built about 1910 and ran with steam.  Arthur Thacker managed the mill for Captain John Pitts, its owner, from 1911-1917, until his health worsened due to breathing flour dust in the mill.  Later a farm supply business was added to the mill, and two other Scottsville men, Cecil Harman and T. Tyler Robertson, worked for 40 years at the mill.  But in February 1977, the flour mill was totally destroyed.

The cause of the spectacular blaze was believed to be arson, and this fire came exactly one year after two downtown fires on February 26 and 28, 1976 destroyed several Main Street businesses: the Travelers' Rest Hotel, its adjoining service station, W.F. Paulette and Sons lumber and hardware store.  The Scottsville Methodist Church was also damaged in lumber store fire and had to be rebuilt.  These three blazes remain unsolved.

The Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department was formed as a bucket brigade in 1905. The Department upgraded their fire equipment in about 1916 when they purchased two hand-drawn hose reel carts, almost identical to the one shown at right; one of these Scottsville carts is currently on display at Scottsville Museum.  During a fire, six to eight Scottsville volunteers pulled the cart to the scene of a fire and hooked up to one of the fire hydrants dispersed around town.  Although better than fighting a fire with water buckets, the hose reel carts had their limitations:  1) by the time the carts were pulled up the hill between St. John's and the Scottsville Baptist Church, the firemen were so tired they often didn't have the strength to hold a hose, and 2) the water pressure straight out of the hydrants was not sufficient to spray water very far.  Raymon Thacker recalls a bad fire on Main Street in the 1920's that nearly got away from the fire department because they could not keep up with the rapidly spreading fire.  Before the fire was brought under control, the Slaughter Hotel and the Charles B. Harris Clothing Store went up in flames. 

In March 1913, photographer William Burgess stood on Jackson Street and pointed his camera south towards the James River to take this photograph of flooded Scottsville.  Flood waters covered the flat land from the Methodist Church all the way south to the James River.  In the distance and just to the right of the church's steeple, you'll notice an unusual structure near the water-covered C&O railroad tracks.  This structure belonged to the railroad and is shown enlarged in the photo below:

Reuben Patterson, shown at right in front of the old C.R. Dorrier Store (now Country Blessings), served as Scottsville's iceman in 1934.  His job was to load 50 lb. blocks of ice onto his wagon at the town's ice plant, cover the blocks with canvas to slow melting, and then carry them to townspeople, who ordered the ice once a week.  Anne Shirley (Bruce) Dorrier remembers Reuben coming to the Bruce home and using his ice tongs to load their ice block into the wooden icebox they kept on the back porch.  When he finished, Anne Shirley said the Bruce children always danced around Reuben and, to his delight, sang this song:

Reuben's head went round and round,
Reuben's hat jumped up and down,
Reuben's wagon went all around,
Delivering ice all about the town.

The ice plant also stored watermelons for local citizens, who relished a good iced-down melon on the weekends.

"When a customer needed ice, the ice man first weighed his empty wagon on the town scales, then loaded it witih ice and reweighed the loaded wagon to calculate how much ice he was delivering to his customer.  The town scales were located on West Main Street where the James River Animal Hospital is in 2009."

"The water treatment plant operated from 1916-1967, and its last operator was Charlie Lenaham.  Before this plant was built, block ice for refrigeration was cut from local ponds beginning in November of each year.  The block ice was taken by wagons to an underground storage area (deep hole) near the town scales on West Main Street and covered over with straw until a customer needed an ice delivery."

It was April 1958 when these two members of Scottsville's Town Council kicked off clean-up week in Scottsville.  Standing with broom, paint brush, and smiles, these two leaders urged local citizens to clean up their yards and collect litter to improve the town's appearance and help with fire prevention.  They also asked residents to clean out storage rooms and closets, use trash containers on town streets, and observe the town ordinance against dumping trash and garbage in Mink Creek.  With that bit of spring cleaning, these Council members hoped to have the town looking at its best for Virginia State Garden Week and for the Christ Church tour of local homes and gardens.

Faye Shumaker of Dillwyn, VA, also correctly answered this Our History question.  Faye added: "In the cleanup picture, the man with silver hair is my cousin, George Omohundro."

After WWI, this Army veteran ran a garage that was located between the Scottsville Methodist Church and the Disciples of Christ Church (now Scottsville Museum).  In this 1928 photo, he stands with one of the cars he was repairing.  This gifted mechanic was also a member of the Scottsville Masonic Lodge and Scottsville Methodist Church.  He was the father of three children: James, Robert, and Alice. 

As a result of having been gassed during his WWI service in France, this Scottsville veteran suffered from lung problems.  He died April 2, 1930, in Scottsville, and is buried at Scottsville Cemetery.

"Virginia" starred Fred MacMurray, who first met the movie's heroine, Madeleine Carroll, as she descended from the passenger train at the Howardsville depot on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.  For the film, Director Edward Griffith renamed this depot and brought a specially painted locomotive from a nearby railroad for the scenes filmed in Howardsville.

Robert Hunter of Richmond, VA wrote:  "I remember as a child when I was visiting with the Cary Moons at Shirland, located between Route 6 and Route 20 just outside of Scottsville, I used to stand by the roadside and watch cars and busses go by after a day of filming.  I remember seeing Madeline Carroll going by in her convertible -- dust just flying behind her as she headed back to Charlottesville.  At that time, the roads were not paved."

Thus read the headline of the Scottsville News after outbreaks of this disease in the United States peaked at 1600 reported cases during the summer of 1944.  Scottsville parents were warned that children under ten years of age should not visit places of recreation and amusement where crowds might assemble; the disease had its greatest incidence and inflicted the most damage in this age group.  Avoiding crowds where carriers of the disease might be present was considered vital to reducing its spread.  Additionally, it was believed that avoiding extreme fatigue from strenuous exercise was a necessary precaution as well as avoiding swimming in or drinking of impure water.

This Scottsville soldier served in the 274th Regt., 70th Infantry Division that spearheaded the U.S. Army's drive into Germany south of Saarbrucken in February 1945.  The 274th's mission was to capture the French town of Spicheren and Spicheren Heights.  The Heights overlooked Saarbrucken and the first belt of the Germany's defense, and the German army defended this lofty ridge at all costs.  Known as 'Hitler's Holy Ground,' the Heights had sentimental as well as military value.  On Christmas Day, 1939, Hitler had timidly walked a few hundred yards across the frontier as the Nazi propaganda machine trumpeted the incident as a triumphal march into France.  Thereafter, Nazis viewed the Heights' soil as sacred and contrived every device to defend it.  When U.S. counter-battery fire proved ineffective and a persistent low ceiling prevented U.S. air support, the 70th Infantry stepped into action on 16 February.  In bitterly cold weather and through heavy fighting, this Private manned a machine gun in his rifle company as they successfully scaled to the top of the Heights on 2 March 1945.

Bob Hunter, the son of Albert and Eva Hunter of Scottsville, provided this 1929 photo of the Hunter-Turner family as they posed in front of the old Scottsville school house.  Bob would like to learn more about the identity of the little boy with curly blond hair and dressed in white at photo left. 

1.  In the 1940s, where were automobile headlight dimmer switches located?

    A.  On the floor shift knob
    B.  On the floor board to the left of the clutch
    C.  Next to the horn

2.  What was the most dreaded disease in the 1940s?

    A.  Smallpox
    B.  AIDs
    C.  Polio

3.  What method did women use to look as if they were
wearing stockings when none were available due to rationing in WWII?

    A.  Suntan
    B.  Leg painting
    C.  Wearing slacks

4.  Why was having milk delivered a problem in northern winters?

    A.  Cows got cold and wouldn't produce milk
    B.  Ice on highways forced delivery by dog sled
    C.  Milkmen left deliveries outside of front doors, and milk would freeze, expanding and pushing up the cardboard bottle top.

5. In 1943, the world's largest office building was completed. What was its name?

    A.  The White House
    B.  The Capitol
    C.  The Pentagon

6. In 1944, scientists at which American university invented the first automatic general-purpose computer?

    A.  Harvard University
    B.  University of Virginia
    C.  Yale University

7.  What postwar car turned automotive design on its ear when you couldn't tell whether it was coming or going?

    A.  Studebaker
    B.  Nash Metro
    C.  Tucker

8.  What was the popular chewing gum named for a game of chance?

    A.  Blackjack
    B.  Gin
    C.  Craps

This current docent at Scottsville Museum was drafted as a tank mechanic into the U.S. Army's Tenth Battalion on March 21, 1941.  His unit was shipped to North Africa and saw heavy action during the siege of Casino, Italy, in January-May, 1944.  During the siege, this soldier and his fellow mechanics retrieved and repaired damaged U.S. tanks at night.  It was dangerous duty because the mechanics worked outside the tank and had no cover from enemy snipers.  This mechanic remembers living on caffeine and nicotine in Italy, although he recalls with great fondness the day his platoon liberated an ice cream machine from the enemy.  Stricken with yellow fever in Italy, our mechanic was hospitalized in Pisa, Italy, for several weeks before being furloughed to the States in April 1945.  The end of his furlough fortunately coincided with Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945), and he returned to civilian life in New York.

In 1915, this lady was born at Albevanna Springs, a farm located 3 miles from Scottsville.  Many Scottsville residents went to the Springs to get their water, which was believed to have medicinal benefits.  Her father drew up plans for a resort on the property in 1923 called, �Albevanna Springs, Hotel Sanatarium (sic), Health and Pleasure Resort.�  These plans didn't come to fruition because of the Depression, though.  During the 1930's times were tough and this family survived by their own ingenuity.  His daughter at right wore clothes sewn from her father's linen drawings; she graduated from Scottsville High School in 1933.  She married her husband, another Scottsville HS graduate, in 1938.  During WWII, she worked for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation while her husband served in the U.S. Army Air Force overseas.  After the war, she and her husband lived in Richmond where her father had once designed many Victorian-style buildings.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in July 1942. This organization was responsible for collecting and analyzing information about countries at war with the United States.  During WWII, OSS also helped organize guerrilla fighting, sabotage, and espionage.  Shown at right is a veteran of OSS and one of the four thousand women, who made up one-fifth of the OSS staff during WWII.   This OSS veteran now resides in Scottsville and is a well-known author and clinical, forensic psychologist.

On April 30,1958, the last mail was delivered to the Warminster Post Office in Nelson County, VA.  The post office was located in a general store which sat near the C&O Railroad track.  The Warminster postmaster and general store owner (at photo right in glasses) is shown in the photo at right as he received this last mail shipment from an unidentified mail carrier (at photo left).  This country store sold everything: gasoline, clothes, shoes, foodstuffs including beans, oats, and flour in bulk.  In 1957, this storekeeper purchased Scottsville's James River Market from Agnes Beal and ran both the Warminster and Scottsville stores.

The older lady was born in Scottsville in the 1830's and was an original member of the Disciples of Christ Church (now Scottsville Museum).  She was much beloved by local citizens and her many nieces and nephews.  One of her nephews became a Virginia Senator, and her great niece, pictured here, became a Professor at a Virginia college and in 1970 served on the first board of directors for Scottsville Museum.

This lady recently posed in front of a framed cloth sack, reading "Old Fashion White Corn Meal."  This corn meal was ground at her family's mill in Buckingham County.  In 1900 her parents built the mill on Little George Creek, located about 4 miles down river from Scottsville near the site of a pre-Civil War mill.  This earlier mill was destroyed when the dam holding back the mill pond's water, broke and washed it away.  In 1922, her mother began running the mill full time.  She became an expert at sharpening the grinding stones and 'picking' little holes in the surface to roughen the stones enough to grind the corn into a fine meal.   The mother operated the mill into the late 1950s with the assistance of her daughter (photo above), and their customers came from all over Buckingham, Fluvanna, and Albemarle counties.   

This 1910 photograph shows a home located near Totier Creek on land that has been in the same Albemarle family since 1747.  The property was part of a land grant issued by King George II and witnessed by Sir William Gooch, Colonial Governor of Virginia.  This house was not all built at one time but instead evolved room-by-room from a large room at what is today the house's center.  The home's kitchen was in an outbuilding and contained a fireplace so huge that a man could stand up in it.  Cooked meals were run up onto the porch, around the side of the house, and brought in through a rear door. A series of porches kept the rain off the food as it was transported into the main house.  Ice for refrigeration was cut from a nearby pond and hauled to an outbuilding that served as the home's ice house.  The main house still stands today in 2005, although the kitchen and ice house no longer exist.

The first bridge over the James River at Scottsville replaced the Scottsville Ferry, which had been in operation there for 162 years.  Highway transportation received a boost with the construction of the Scottsville Bridge, which was wood-planked and wide enough for two cars of the day to pass.  Shown at right is a local repair crew, who kept the bridge's wood planking and metal supports in top notch condition.  Continued highway improvements and the affordability of automobiles facilitated trade and also made Scottsville's population highly mobile.    After many years of useful service, this planked bridge was replaced by the concrete bridge in use today.

In 1933, this woman borrowed $300 and opened a grocery store on Valley Street  Her store became quite a success, and she operated it every day of the week except Sundays and Wednesday afternoon for 24 years.  When the James River flooded, this market fared better than some other Scottsville stores.  Often this storekeeper had to move groceries off the floor, but the store was never completely swamped and often stayed open during high water on Valley Street.

In 1857, this lady was born in Scottsville shortly after her father died, leaving her mother to care and support a family of three daughters under the age of four years.  Her mother took over the operation of the family's dry goods store on the west side of Valley Street and soon converted it to a millinery.  This daughter became an expert seamstress and helped her mother run the store that sold pretty hats, lace, and corsets.  When her mother died in 1905, this Scottsville business woman continued operating her millinery through 1930.  She never married, but in one local legend, this lady took a pot shot at Billy, her longtime bachelor fiance, who lived just across Valley Street in a cottage called 'The Palace.' No one ever knew why she did it, but the engagement broke off shortly thereafter.

This young man was born in Scottsville in 1860, the son of a wealthy merchant whose finances would be diminished by the Civil War.  In 1871, he attended Scottsville's first public school, although he was not keen on the idea because the teacher freely disciplined her students with a hickory switch.  His father told him sternly, "Put on your Christmas boots and walk right through the door.  Jefferson wanted it, and he was a smart man!"  As an adult, this tall, friendly gentleman owned an insurance business in Scottsville, became an avid Democrat, and, in 1905, was elected Mayor of Scottsville.

Born the son of an architect in the 1890's, this gentleman grew up in the Albevanna Springs area.  He developed a passion for music and learned to play the banjo, guitar, mandolin, and piano very well.  Later he played in the Scottsville Orchestra, performing with them before the movies shown at Victory Theater and for dances at the Old Farmer's Exchange (aka Canal Warehouse).  Although a house painter by day, this Scottsville musician loved performing in shows at the Victory Theater and wrote many songs.  Three of his children still live in Scottsville today.

Pictured here in a circa 1925 office scene are a father and son, who were well-known businessmen in Scottsville.  The father at left bought a Main Street lot where a blacksmith shop once stood and began constructing a large building to house his business.  First, he poured a concrete floor, one so immense in size that a group of little boys came to marvel at it later that day.  Former Mayor Raymon Thacker was one of those boys, who believed a vast mud floor lay before him as the boys all began walking across it to see their footprints.  Somebody informed the owner about the boys' actions, and the next day he caught Raymon walking down Main Street.  Raymon told the gentleman that everyone thought it was just mud and that they didn't mean to be destructive.  The businessman replied, "Well, it was concrete and you left your footprints everywhere. Fortunately it was still wet enough for us to get the footprints out except we left two right where the staircase goes upstairs.  And now your footprints are left in the sands of time."  Raymon says those two footprints stayed right there until the building was destroyed by fire in the 1970's.

These three smiling lads are shown outside their tent during a campout with their Scottsville Boy Scout troop in 1931.  The Reverend Leslie H. Walton, Sr., started the Boy Scouts of America in the Scottsville area shortly after accepting the pastorship of the Scottsville Baptist Church in 1908.  This scouting program was extremely popular in Scottsville with its abundant opportunities for outdoor activities.  Several former Boy Scouts fondly recall camping out at Pine Knot, the former hunting lodge of President Theodore Roosevelt near Keene.  After the President's death, Edith Roosevelt authorized its use by the local Boy Scout troop.

These happy children posed for a 1924 family photo at their Harrison Street home.  Their father came to Scottsville in 1908 after answering an ad to work in a small medicine shop owned by Dr. Dillard and Dr. Stinson.  The young gentleman prospered and married the Methodist minister's daughter.  Their three children attended Scottsville School, and one child even followed in their father's business footsteps and ran the family store until 1977. 

Home grown music concerts were much enjoyed entertainment in Scottsville in the early 1900's.  Guitars, harpsichords, violins, banjos, and pianos were popular instruments of the day, playing waltz and two-step dances at local parties and dances.  Three musically talented families gathered for this photo taken in Scottsville circa 1900.