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This birthing chair from the Christ Church area of Middlesex County was recently accessioned by the museum. Vintage birthing chairs like this one were designed to provide balance and support, speed up the time of delivery and increase comfort for the expectant mother during childbirth. Come visit our museum and see other recently accessioned items.

In October of 2021 the Middlesex Museum and Historical Society filed an application for a historical highway marker for Antioch Baptist Church.  The application was filed with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the agency that administers Virginia’s state highway marker program. Located in the recently designated Saluda Historic District, Antioch Baptist Church was established in 1866 and is believed to be the oldest African-American church in Middlesex County. It was formed by black members of Clark’s Neck Baptist Church (now Saluda Baptist).  Antioch has an illustrious history – it convened the first meeting of the Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association in 1877 and was one of its founding churches. Two of Antioch’s early pastors were instrumental in the establishment of the Rappahannock Industrial Academy, a Baptist-run high school that opened in 1902. The Antioch marker application is on track to be heard at the June 2022 meeting of the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. The marker is to be partially funded through an African-American history restricted fund that was given to the museum by Mary Wakefield Buxton.

Commercial Sailing Vessels and The Beginning of Many Middlesex Family Names While Middlesex County’s location on the Chesapeake Bay, between two major rivers has made it a prime spot for recreational boaters from all over, it also made way for the freighting of commercial goods in the 19th and 20th centuries. This led many local men to set off on sailing schooners, bugeyes, sloops and pungies. Middlesex County, more specifically Fishing Bay, also became safe haven for many sailors freighting goods to escape a storm. Some of these sailors had to extend their stays due to foul weather resulting in them heading ashore where many found the loves of their lives, and eventually dropped anchor in Middlesex County for good. Several Middlesex family surnames are thanks to these “detours”.

Some of the Publications that can be found at The Middlesex County Museum Family Histories of Middlesex County, Virginia The Wyatt Family of Virginia The Edward Clark Genealogy by WB Smith A History of Lower King and Queen Baptist Church History of Virginia’s Navy by Rbt. A. Stewart Lives and Times in Tidewater VA. by Mary W. Buxton Middlesex County Virginia 1810 Tax List Virginians Along bend Near the Lower Rappahannock River 1607-1794 By John Olto Marine Ages of Gloucester Co. VA By Francis Haywood Index to Printed VA Genealogies Inc. Key and Bibliography Compiled by Robert A. Stewart Mathews Co. VA Records by Jane B. Goodsell Publications available online & at The Middlesex County Museum Virginia’s Historical Markers by Margaret Peters Guide to Virginia’s Military 1861- 1865 by Lee A Wallace Apprentices of Virginia by Harold Gill 1st Virginia Regiment on Foot by M. Lee Minnis Twelve Virginia Counties: Where the Western Migration Began by John H. Gwathmey Index to US Pension Records 1801-1815 36th Infantry US Colored Troops in Civil War True Story of Pocahontas by Custalow and Daniel 55th Virginia Infantry by O’Sullivan A Place in Time Middlesex Co. Virginia. 1650-1750 by Garrett B. And Aneta H. Rutman, W.W. Norton & Co. 1984 Vital Records of the Three Burned County: Birth, Marriage, and Death of King and Queen, King William, and New Kent Counties, VA. Vestry Book of Petsworth Parish, Gloucester County, VA 1677-1793 Roster of the Soldiers and Sailors Who Served in Organizations from Maryland During the Spanish-American War by Hugh Rudgely Riley Middlesex, VA Marriage Records 1853-1904 Federal Census 1880 Middlesex Co. VA. By Catherine Moore Traylor Catalogue of Rev. Soldiers and Sailors of Commonwealth of VA to whom lend Bounty Warrants were granted by VA for Military Services in the War for Independence. Compiled by Samuel M. Wilson C.1913 Lancaster Co. VA Marriage Bonds 1652-1850 Compiled by Ida J. Lee Pub 1965. 1815 Directory of Virginia Landowners Mathews Co. By Roger G. Ward How Justice Grew- Abstract of their formation by Martha Hiden Revolutionary Soldiers and Sailors from Accomack County by Straton Nottingham. Richmond Marriage Bonds 1797-1853 Compiled by Annette Reddy and Andrew Riffle, IV. Publications from Local Historian, Larry Chowning Barcat Skipper – Tales of a Tangier Island Waterman Harvesting the Chesapeake – Tools and Traditions Chesapeake Legacy Soldiers At The Doorstep Civil War Lore Chesapeake Bay Buyboats Deadrise and Cross-planked Signatures In Time – A Living History of Middlesex County Images of America – Urbanna Images of America – Deltaville Images of America – Middlesex County Images of America – Chesapeake Bay Deck Boats (released July 2020) Publications from Local Author, Mary Wakefield Buxton Middlesex Memories: Our Lives and Times in Tidewater, Virginia A Middlesex Morning: Our Lives and Times in Tidewater, Virginia Love Stories: People & Places of Middlesex County, Virginia Mary Wakefield Buxton’s Publications mentioned above can be ordered from the Rappahannock Press, 276 Virginia Street, P.O. Box 549, Urbanna, VA. 23175 or email  glongist@ssentinel.com  or call her at 804-758-2328.

By Rob Warner,  local historian, Deer Chase Subdivision resident NOTE: This paper is primarily based on an interview with the current owner of Pipe-In-Tree Farm, Ron Kauffman. Some additional data was from Mary Ann Willis, Pipe-In-Tree Subdivision, and Jeanette Pitcher, Oxford, Alabama.      The current owners of Pipe-In-Tree farm have been caring for it for almost 40 years.   Ron and his wife, Eugenie have been great stewards of the property and its history.   This story, the name, and original legend need to be told, so let us go back to early Colonial times, the 1600’s. THE LEGEND,   At a very early part of European settlement in the Piankatank River Valley, local Indians and early settlers got off to a bad start with a limited conflict on the river.  Trying to make peace, the Indians and English met on high ground on the north shore of the Piankatank, maybe 7 or 8 miles upriver, from the river’s mouth.  The Indians invited the settlers to smoke the Indian peace pipe.  This happened and had religious meaning to the Indians.  They agreed on peaceful co-existence.  To mark the spot, and maybe meet again, they placed the peace-pipe in a crotch of a young red oak at the site., Well, today (over 300 years later) the pipe could be inside the huge nodule on the side of this tree.  A tumor that engulfed the peace pipe?  The Red Oak tree is now a giant with trunk 31 feet around at the base.  How do we know we have the right tree.  Oral and some written history have always described it and its location.  This location was important later in history.  When was this meeting?  As this story moves forward in time it will try to answer that question and provide more interesting history. 1608     Captain John Smith was a leader in early Jamestown and explored the Chesapeake Bay.  He explored the Piankatank River from 29 August to 1 September 1608.  He anchored at the mouth of the River the night of 29th. . They explored the river up to the King’s House and a large village on 30 August and anchored there.  The next day they explored upriver to what became Turks Ferry, then an active smaller Indian village.  Moving above that into the Dragon stream and swamp, they went as far as an empty Indian hunting camp, returning to the King’s House that night.  The Kings House was a major village, where Piankatank Shores subdivision is today and less than ½ mile from the Pipe-In-Tree.  By 2 September they sailed/rowed down the river and out into the Bay traveling south.  All this time, the Indian King was away hunting.  This was the first known contact between the English and Piankatank Indians.  (Much of this information in this section was taken from the significant book, “John Smith in the Chesapeake” by Edward Wright Haile, Tappahannock, VA., 2008)  This author suspects that the Pipe-In-Tree Legend was formed over these three days. We have the dates and location. Several times during John Smith’s exploration, he was greeted with showers of arrows when approaching an Indian village. This could have been the legend’s brief conflict. While the chief was away, Smith could have made contact with other elders. Meeting a short distance from the village was possibly safer and more predictable for both parties. Perhaps most important, Smith wanted to secure peaceful trading rights for Indian Corn which would be very needed for the upcoming winter at Jamestown. The English were not growing enough corn to survive at that time. He was granted corn trading rights by the Piankatank Indians at the end of the encounter. (Peaceful Co-Existence) 1642 to 1648     As history shows, the English eventually forced the Indians out and took their land.  In 1642 tensions between the groups rose as scattered English settlements started.  In 1644 the Second Indian massacre of English occurred, with 500 English killed.  A treaty was signed in 1646 that gave the entire Northern Neck to the Indians, This act created one of the first reservations in what became the United States.  At that time the Northern Neck started on the north shore of the Piankatank (also referred to as the third river, James first, York second, Piankatank third).  This reservation was called the Chicacone Indian District.  Then after only 2 years, the English forced all Indians into a much smaller 5000-acre reservation near where the town of Kilmarnock, Lancaster County is today.  So by 1648, there were no Indians permanently located on the Piankatank.  Thus, the Legend probably occurred between 1608 and 1648. 1665 In this time frame, Augustine Smith already had a large plantation in Gloucester County on the south shore of the Piankatank. He went directly across the Piankatank and started Shooters Hill plantation of 1274 acres in Middlesex County. Pipe-In-Tree farm was originally part of Shooters Hill. Later when the land was divided, Pipe-In-Tree farm was 596 acres. 1715       By 1715 the Piankatank valley was settled and producing tobacco and lumber.  The Middlesex Christ Church Vestry and Sheriff periodically had processions to make sure property lines were not illegally moved.  Two responsible men from the immediate area checked property borders in a roughly 7-mile distance (area) of the main road (today Storemont road or 629). They were given 4 to 5 months to do this task.  Joseph Gore (ancestor to today’s Al Gore former Vice-President of the United States) and William Blackbourne performed this task from Pipe-In-Tree to Kemp’s mill, both these points were used because they were well-known set-points or markers. 1814 During the War of 1812 the White House was burned by the British in Washington D.C. After the war ended the White House was rebuilt. Oak timbers for the roof came from this part of Middlesex County. Shooters Hill was an important lumbering plantation, thus the White House roof lumber may have come from Shooters Hill of which Pipe-In-Tree was part. That roof lasted over 100 years until the White House was remodeled during the Truman administration. 1840s      This is the estimated time for the construction of Healy’s Mill and Mill Pond.   It was in operation by the 1850s.  In this time frame, Healy’s mill and dam replaced Pipe-In-Tree as the locator point, or set point with Kemp’s mill to do the property boundary point checks in the official processions.  Pipe-In-Tree and Healy’s mill properties adjoin each other. 1898 to 1900 The current Pipe-In-Tree farmhouse was built. A truly grand three-story home. It is still the jewel of the upper Piankatank River. 1950 to 1984  Pipe-In-Tree farm was purchased by Dr. Floyd Millard Riddick and contained 596 acres.   He earned his university degrees from, Duke, Vanderbilt, and again Duke for his Doctors degree in Political Science.  He was a very famous and important person in Washington D.C., both before and after World War II.  At the height of his career, he was Parliamentarian of the United States Senate from 1964 to 1974.  He brought American history to Pipe-In-Tree farm by the many important people he took with him to relax and have private meetings at the farm.  People important enough that an underground bomb shelter was built next to the house during the 1950s to 1980s Cold War.  During an extensive interview in 1978, he was asked about what he did to relax and occupy his time away from his key U.S. Senate position.  He said his first personal interest lay in a farm in Virginia.  Its location was not mentioned. 1984 to Present.     The current owner purchased Pipe-In-Tree farm in 1984 with the house, but only 40 acres.  Later most of the other 556 acres became Pipe-In-Tree subdivision.  Over the last 40 years, the home and smaller acreage have been extensively improved to enhance the location’s beauty.  The three Kauffman children were raised here: Christopher, Jennifer, and Deborah.  It was a central meeting place for large social gatherings due to its size and the Kauffmans’ generosity.  A great personality who frequently visited here in recent time was the former pastor of the local Catholic Church, “Church of the Visitation” in Topping, Father John Bodie (now deceased).  Father Bodie was an extremely charismatic person who improved the lives of many Virginians including, this author and the Pipe-In-Tree Kauffman family.  In summary, Pipe-In-Tree farm is a spot in Middlesex County, Virginia noted for its place in history, great location, and beauty.

This brown money pouch from the Bank of Middlesex is part of a display in the museum of memorabilia from the Saluda Historic District. The Bank of Middlesex founded in 1900, opened a branch in Saluda in 1911. The museum is currently working on a historic timeline of the history of Middlesex County, the Saluda Historic District, US, and world history.

Request A Copy Of The Survey Where Should We Send The File? Send Me The Download Between October 2015 and August 2016, Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., in association with Debra A. McClane, Architectural Historian, completed a historic architectural resource survey of Middlesex County, Virginia. The survey was part of a series of projects funded through a $1.5 million Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant for Historic Properties that the National Park Service awarded to the Commonwealth of Virginia by way of the Department of Historic Resources in 2014. The pass-through project funds were awarded to seven counties in Virginia, including Middlesex County, and administered by the Department of Historic Resources; Middlesex County and the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society served as local project partners. The general objective of the study was to identify and document historic architectural resources in Middlesex County, an underrepresented county in the Department of Historic Resources’ files and databases, in order to provide more comprehensive data on the occurrence and character of historic architectural resources in the community. Indeed, while a number of properties in Middlesex County had previously been listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and/or the National Register of Historic Places, only 197 resources had previously been recorded in the county and much of the data related to these resources is outdated and does not meet current survey standards. Through the current survey effort, the number of historic architectural resources recorded in Middlesex County has nearly tripled. The survey resulted in the inventory of 380 resources at the reconnaissance level, which included completion of exterior documentation and photography and preparation of Virginia Cultural Resource Information System reconnaissance-level inventory forms, including architectural descriptions, preliminary significance assessments, location maps, and site plans. Of the 380 resources documented, 372 were newly-identified resources not yet captured in the Department of Historic Resource’s inventory and 8 were previously documented resources for which a substantial amount of time had passed since the previous survey. In selecting resources for inclusion in the survey, architectural historians focused on identifying properties located in flood-prone areas near the coast; properties dating to the early history of the county that had yet to be captured in inventory records; properties that more comprehensively covered the full geography of Middlesex County; and properties that were representative of the county’s historical and architectural trends. In addition, surveyors worked with Middlesex County Historical Society representatives to identify properties worthy of survey. In total, through the survey, a broad cross-section of resources representing diverse property types, architectural styles, and time periods—ranging from the Contact Period (1607-1750) to the New Dominion Period (1946-1991)—across the full geography of Middlesex County have been documented, capturing the built environment as it relates to the domestic, agricultural, commercial, religious, industrial, recreation/social, and governmental contexts of the county. In the event of future severe storm events or other natural disasters, this initial survey effort will support disaster mitigation planning at the local, county and regional level. Should additional and/or more intensive survey fail to occur prior to a future major storm event or natural disaster, the current survey will be invaluable in establishing baseline conditions for the properties identified that will assist property owners in quantifying the extent of damage, and quite possibly inform appropriate post-event repairs and rehabilitation efforts.

Middlesex County, Virginia has an area of approximately 211 square miles, and is made up of several unincorporated communities. In this excerpt of our County Store Tour throughout Middlesex, we are going to focus on our “Down The County” Stores, meaning the southeast area of the county, including the areas of Deltaville, Amburg, and Hardyville. S. J. Moore’s Store Sammy Moore’s store in Sandy Bottom (now know as Deltaville) was one of the main general stores in that area. “The Sammy Moore store, where Hurd’s Hardware is now located today, was a real department store for those days. It employed the milliner and it carried hardware, harnesses, medicines, boat supplies, clothing, everything. One of the community’s few party-line telephones was upstairs, where Sammy fixed watches in his spare time.” Tom Callis Store The old Tom Callis store near Broad Creek is one of the only still standing of the original 11 Deltaville stores from which residents could buy food and other merchandise. “You could see almost every male you knew on Saturday nights gathered in these old Deltaville stores.” L. C. Harrow’s Store L. C. Harrow ran two general merchandise stores, one at Deltaville and another at Wilton. “A member of a well known family of the county, Mr. Harrow has served his section as a merchant. His stores were well lighted, clean and attractive in appearance and carried a diverse assortment of general merchandise,” the Sentinel stated. “His prices were so arranged that one obtained dollar for dollar value in every purchase . . . fair, square dealings, combined with high grade merchandise and first-class service made his business prosper.” Other Country Stores Throughout The Deltaville Area Will Callis’s Store Moight Jackson’s Store Yates Store Deagle’s Store Kelly’s Store Dozier’s Store Chowning, Larry S., Archie Soucek, and Pat DePina. Signatures in Time: a Living History of Middlesex County, Virginia. Middlesex County, VA: Middlesex County, Virginia, 2012. Chowning, Larry S. “Small Country Stores, Seafood Industry Were Booming in 1934.” Southside Sentinel. July 26, 1990. Norton, Randolph. “Reminiscenses of Deltaville.” Southside Sentinel. October 13, 1988. Visit The Middlesex County Museum When it is safe to do so, the Middlesex County Museum will re-open its doors to the public, at which point, we will invite you to visit our Country Store Collection. In the meantime, subscribe to our mailing list for more Country Store articles, and other local history. Subscribe For Emails Submit Tour Middlesex County Middlesex County Museum is proud to be a part of the Museums of Middlesex! Visit their website for a map of all of our know Country Store locations, as well as our Historical Markers! www.museumsofmiddlesex.com

Middlesex County, Virginia has an area of approximately 211 square miles, and is made up of several unincorporated communities. For our Country Store tour, we are going to begin “Up The County”, as many locals have referred to it, meaning the northwest area of the county, including the areas of Urbanna, Saluda, Church View, Water View, and Jamaica. Samos Store Though the actual age of the store is unknown, ledgers and documents were discovered, including a ledger dating back to 1899 documenting how many people in the county had open lines of credit with E.A. Burch and Son, which suggests that it is well over 120 years old. The Burch Family ran the store for many years until a longtime employee of Bob Burch took it over. The ledger tells something of what life was like at the store. It shows that in November of 1899, Sarah Braxton charged a pair of shoes for $1.15, a “pig head” for 24 cents and a pair of pants for 75 cents. She paid for a portion of her purchase in December of 1899 with a basket of corn, almost two bushels of bush gray beans, and a dozen eggs. James Burl Jr. paid his bill by working for the Burches. The ledger states that Burl received 17 cents towards his bill for bringing an oxen load of grain from the creek; 25 cents for bringing a load of hay by oxen owned by Bill garner to shore; and 17 cents for bringing a load of goods from the Water View steamboat wharf. Burl also worked four days picking pea vines, worked a half-day running a cultivator, and worked one day plowing and hauling hay. Miss E.L. Burch’s father, William R. Burch, clerked in the store during the early part of the century. Miss Burch now lives in Water View. She recalls that the store had a credit system whereas watermen and farmers would receive goods by credit most of the year, and when their harvests came I they would pay off their bills. Miss Burch recalls a wire chicken coop out back where people using the “barter system” would bring chickens to pay off their bills. Dragon Run Store The Dragon Run Store was originally built in 1913 in Church View, Virginia. The two-story building, named after the nearby ancient cypress-filled swamp, is complete with rolling ladders and dozens of wooden shelves, started undergoing a makeover in 1913 to bring back its charm. This country store houses the very first elevator in the county that is original to the building. To see interior/exterior photos throughout the restoration of this building, head over to the Dragon Run Store’s blog at https://dragonruncountrystore.tumblr.com/ Photo credit Jamie Hammer Neale Store The Neale and Smither Store was a busy general merchandise store at the county seat of Saluda during the early part of the 20th century. Claude Neale was a “prominent” Saluda merchant who ran the large two-story merchandise store in Saluda on the corner next to the courthouse. Neale’s store had been in business for 40 years in 1934 and Mr. Neale had been postmaster in Saluda since 1914. Green’s Store Green’s store was operated by Robet F. Green and it was located at Pine Tree, between Urbanna and Remlik. “Having served as clerk for ten years under the capable supervision of J. M. Dericux… Robert brought to his business the ability acquired through a long period of training. Added to his natural capabilities, this experience made him an A-1 merchant” the Sentinel said. Harper’s Store Harper’s Store was one of Urbanna’s finest general merchandise stores and it was located on Cross Street at the current site of the Pure Gas Station. Originally established under the ownership of L. F. Harper and Company, the business was started in 1907 and taken over in its entirety by Harper in 1916, and in 1934 it was in its heyday. “A large store in the heart of the town, Harper’s carries an extensive stock of general merchandise, in the sale of which the policy of high quality as the lowest price is adhered to it.” Hurley’s Store J. W. Hurley of Hurlock, Maryland came to Middlesex shortly after the Civil War buying oysters from the Eastern Shore shucking houses. He liked the area and moved to Urbanna in the 1880s and opened J. W. Hurley & Son Seafood on the creek at the foot of Virginia Street. Hurley’s business flourished as the “King of Them All”. Marshall’s Drug Store Thomas F. “Doc” Marshall moved to Urbanna in 1929, purchased Richardson’s Drug on Cross Street and opened “Marshall’s Drug Store” During the next 57 years, Doc Marshall became a fixture in the life of the county. His ever present half-smoked cigar and the “Meet Your Friends Here” trademark at Marshall’s Drug typified the atmosphere that has made his store Urbanna’s everyday social gathering place. R. S. Bristow’s Store R. S. Bristow’s Store, or “Bristow’s” as it is now commonly referred to, is the oldest operating store in the county. R. S. Bristow, Sr. opened his doors as a general merchandize store in Urbanna in 1876. The present store building was constructed in 1898 and, during the early years, cord wood, coal, coal oil, and railroad ties were bought and sold at Bristow’s along with a full line of groceries and meat. Today, Bristow’s Store carries fashion & accessories for everyone! Chowning, Larry S., Archie Soucek, and Pat DePina. Signatures in Time: a Living History of Middlesex County, Virginia. Middlesex County, VA: Middlesex County, Virginia, 2012. Chowning, Larry S. “Small Country Stores, Seafood Industry Were Booming in 1934.” Southside Sentinel. July 26, 1990. Visit The Middlesex County Museum When it is safe to do so, the Middlesex County Museum will re-open its doors to the public, at which point, we will invite you to visit our Country Store Collection. In the meantime, subscribe to our mailing list for more Country Store articles, and other local history. Subscribe For Emails Submit Tour Middlesex County Middlesex County Museum is proud to be a part of the Museums of Middlesex! Visit their website for a map of all of our know Country Store locations, as well as our Historical Markers! https://museumsofmiddlesex.com/middlesex-county-virginia-country-stores/ Would you like to contribute to our records? We invite you to fill out the form below! Thank you! Do you have photos you'd like to share? Submit

Hallie J. Holmes, a daughter of Joshua and Willie Mary Holmes, speaks at age 64 about growing up in Middlesex County in a loving family home and attending all-black schools until her first experience of integration when she had to leave the familiar surroundings of St. Clare Walker School to attend the Middlesex High School in her senior year and relates what a “scary” time it was for her. Her fear was somewhat eased by a white girl whose name she still remembers. She said that with integration “we gained a lot but lost a lot”. She says that her grandparents “made a good foundation for us” and how both they and her parents stressed the value of “the land, paying the taxes, and obeying the law.” They were religious people and devout members of Calvary Baptist Church. “Everyone worked hard all the time.” The ladies canned whatever they could and their efforts were enjoyed at Christmas and family gatherings. Income was hard-earned doing whatever work there was. The local canning factory was one big employer until it burned and was never re-built. Joshua Holmes, Hallie’s father, was the first black sheriff of Middlesex County from 1970-1983, and she speaks about how it happened, her father’s preparation for the job at Old Dominion University, and the two terms he served with distinction as county sheriff. The foundation of a family was laid, the values were determined, and the adversities overcome by mutual support.

Old general stores are found often in rural communities, some may still be in business while others are converted into visitor centers, new businesses, or sadly, torn down. The origination of the country store, or general store, dates back to the colonial period when they provided pioneers with necessary goods: flour, tobacco, tools, boots, and more. Many towns throughout the country were even named after their local general store since they often served as a Post Office. The old country stores also served a purpose as a social center for the folks of the community, a political forum, and even an exchange bank. In rural areas, like Middlesex, it was common to have several of these general stores since residents were often very spread. Throughout Middlesex County, Virginia, there have been at least 56 old country stores that provided goods and served as communal gathering places, post offices, and sometimes even as town halls. Though each of them may have resembled each other, with their tin signs, display cases, and long countertops and shelving, these old general stores were all unique. This month we will take a tour of Middlesex County, and all of our local country stores, so join us as we look back on a somewhat lost tradition of our local history. If you would like to share any stories, photos, or other memorabilia of one of Middlesex County’s Country Stores with us, we invite you to contact us!

by Larry Chowning Pat Royal Perkinson, second from right, participated in this 1936 Circus Day held in Saluda on Easter Monday. She went on to become Secretary of the Commonwealth in Virginia. In the photo above, Saluda children under the direction of Saluda’s Tom Jones put on a self-styled Barnum and Hayloft children’s circus. Such performances as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” were performed and a parade afterward. Pictured above in the parade are, from right, Bobby Moody, Perkinson, Jane Royal, Charles Bristow, Hannah Bourne, Ray Major, Tom Jones, Bill Moody, Katherine Kipps, and Helen Moody. (Courtesy of Jean Holman) As part of the Middlesex County Museum’s celebration in March of Women’s History Month, the museum is recognizing the late Patricia (Pat) Royal Perkinson. Pat, a native of Middlesex County, rose through the political ranks to become Administrative Assistant to Virginia Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr. She made a name for herself as Press Aide to Godwin during his first term, from 1966 to 1970. When he returned for a second term in 1974, she served as Secretary of the Commonwealth, her duties included assisting the state boards and commissions. She was later named Administrative Assistant to the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College systems. Perkinson joined Godwin’s staff after having been responsible for public relations during the Godwin-Pollard-Button campaign in 1965. Prior to that, she was a feature writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Rural Virginia Magazine. Through the Times-Dispatch, Perkinson wrote a column on garden advice for 18 years in the Sunday issue, “Calling All Gardeners”. She also wrote poetry, articles, and stories for other publications, as well as doing public relations work for groups ranging from Maymont to the March of Dime. She served as President of Virginia Press Women. The group named her Woman of Distinction and, twice, Press Woman of the Year. In 1996, Perkinson spearheaded Middlesex County’s grant-funded “Rivers And Roads of Middlesex County, Va.”, a self-guided tour of historic and scenic sites in the county. When the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors established a 2007 Middlesex County 400th Jamestown Anniversary Committee, Perkinson was appointed to the committee and through her diligent efforts pressed to have a complete history of Middlesex County written and published because none had ever been undertaken. She died, however, on February 14, 2010, before the text was completed, but her efforts were realized when “Signatures in Time – A Living History of Middlesex County” was completed and published in 2012. In March of 2010, Virginia House Delegate Harvey Morgan, presented a resolution in the General Assembly, “House Joint Resolution No. 388, Celebrating the life of Patricia Royal Perkinson. WHEREAS, a woman of great vision and determination who cared immensely about her community, profession, and the Commonwealth, Patricia Perkinson served as an outstanding role model for all,” it stated. Perkinson and her husband Bert retired to Prospect in Topping and lived out their lives there. She was a longtime member of the Middlesex County Museum & Historical Society Board and of the Middlesex County Public Library Board. She was a constant voice for preserving county history. When voices within the library wanted to sell historical books in the Urbanna Branch given by Rutherford Snell, to make space, she was a formidable opponent whose voice aided in keeping the books intact. She noted, however, at the time “when trying to preserve history you often in the battle but seldom win the war.” Snell’s collection of historical Virginia books remains today in the cabinet that Perkinson and others had made for the new collection. The museum houses the Snell research papers for the book “Historic Buildings in Middlesex County Virginia 1650-1875.” Hats off to the late Pat Perkinson whose years in retirement living at Prospect was a gift to Middlesex County.

In recognition of March as Women’s History Month, the Middlesex County Museum & Historical Society is honoring Bessida Cauthorne White. Bessida Cauthorne White is the daughter of the late Randolph Cuyler White and the late Gladys Cauthorne White. A native of Middlesex County, Virginia, she grew up in the town of Urbanna and graduated from St. Clare Walker High School in 1965. She was the valedictorian of her graduating class at St. Clare Walker and served as the President of the Student Council. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Virginia State College, now Virginia State University, in 1969. At Virginia State, she was the president of Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and was program chair of the Student Government Association. Ms. White received a Juris Doctorate from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in 1980. She was the first black person and the first woman to serve as president of the Student Bar Association at College of William and Mary. From those beginnings, she rose like a phoenix, continuing her pattern of being an Agent of Change. Ms. White is the personification of the Renaissance Woman: a woman who is interested in and knows a lot about many things, a woman knowledgeable and proficient in more than one field, a woman who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of the arts, literature, history, culinary arts, academia, and genealogy. She is widely known as an activist, attorney, consultant, genealogist, event planner, and proponent of the arts. She has been an activist for nearly sixty years. Her first act of activism was to integrate the lunch counter at Marshall’s Drug Store in Urbanna in 1962 with the late Ralph Jackson; she continued to sit-in at the lunch counter alone after he graduated. Later, also in the 1960s, she became a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party. Ms. White was involved in early efforts in Virginia to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and to enact equitable distribution divorce laws and was a proponent of Roe v. Wade . Her areas of interest as an attorney in private practice include domestic, women’s, and lesbian and gay rights issues. In1983, she was appointed as a substitute judge of the General District Court of the City of Richmond, becoming the first black woman to sit on the bench in the state of Virginia. The multi-dimensional Bessida Cauthorne White always is a woman with a mission. Illustrative of her determination and drive is an adventure in 1977 in which she went searching for a Black doll for her then one-year-old daughter, Lauren Cauthorne Bladen-White, a monumental task since dolls then were largely white. As reported in the April 25-May 1, 1991 edition of the Richmond News Leader, “It took quite some looking to find one, but the experience set Ms. White on the road to collecting that has led to the founding of the Richmond Chapter of the National Black Memorabilia Collector’s Association and bringing the Black Memorabilia and Collections Show and Sale to the city this weekend.” Indeed, over the years she served multiple organizations as both a founder and officer, including the Virginia Women’s Political Caucus, the Virginia Association of Women Attorneys, the Virginia Association of Black Women Attorneys, the Richmond Chapter of the National Black Feminist Organization, the Richmond Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and Friends of African and African-American Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. That Bessida Cauthorne White is a visionary is evident. She revels in creating, developing, and exploring. She is masterful in building coalitions to tackle new projects and to rejuvenate the old. She is innovative, motivational, and inspirational. She is an organization person who seeks organizational perfection. In 2004, she co-founded the Middle Peninsula African-American Historical and Genealogical Association and currently serves as its president. She is also a co-founder of the Greater Richmond, Virginia Chapter of the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society (AAHGS). Currently, she is chair of the board of the Rappahannock Industrial Academy Alumni Association and serves or has served on the boards of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the Library of Virginia Foundation, and the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society. She also is a member of the African American Advisory Work Group (AAAWG) of the Menokin Foundation and teaches genealogy classes for Rappahannock Community College. Ms. White is vice-chair of the Trustee Board at Angel Visit Baptist Church and is the church historian. Nationally, she has served on the boards of the National Women and the Law Association, the National Center on Women and Family Law, the National Association of Black Women Attorneys, and on various committees of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. As a consultant and event planner, Ms. White has planned programs involving from just a few persons to several thousand. Her specialty is culturally sensitive and multicultural programming with an emphasis on the culture of the African continent and the African diaspora. One of Ms. White’s passions is genealogy and family history. She is the family historian for ten of her families, manages DNA results for more than forty persons, and has chaired or been otherwise involved in the planning of numerous family reunions over the past thirty-plus years. Bessida Cauthorne White is widely sought as a presenter and has conducted workshops on genealogy and family reunion planning for the National Family Reunion Institute at Temple University, AAHGS, and for other groups around the country. She is the editor of A Reunion of Recipes: The White Family Cookbook (1990), co-editor of Help Yourself! There’s a God’s Mighty Plenty: A Treasury of Recipes from the Cauthorne & Brooks Families (First Edition 2000; Second Edition 2017), and co-editor of Gather at the Welcome Table: The Angel Visit Baptist Church Sesquicentennial Cookbook (2016). Ms. White’s personal interests include black theatre and other performing arts, collecting black memorabilia, and sewing and crafts. She has been married to Philip N. Bladen since 1968, and they are the parents of one daughter, Lauren Cauthorne Bladen-White. It is no wonder that Bessida Cauthorne White was recognized in 2020 by the State of Virginia as an Agent of Change. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote, the Commonwealth of Virginia organized a statewide commemoration led by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC). To mark the centennial, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) recreated a famous photograph of Virginia suffragists with a select group of present-day women for a new photo called “Today’s Agents of Change.” The Commemorative Booklet set forth: White is an activist, genealogist, and retired attorney whose interests include Africana history and culture, and African American, women’s, and LGBTQ+ rights. She became the first black woman to serve on the bench in Virginia when appointed a substitute judge of the General District Court of the City of Richmond in 1983. White has served as a founder, officer, and board member for numerous legal, women’s rights, historical, fine arts, and genealogical organizations across the state and nation. By Patricia Polson Satterfield

Middlesex Museum and Historical Society, Inc. Despite the year’s unexpected challenges, the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society, Inc. was able to alter its course and to develop creative ways to navigate the new reality. The Museum closed in March because of the pandemic and reopened in June with Covid-19 restrictions in place. The safety of our patrons is paramount and in September we again closed to the public as the Covid-19 infection rate increased in our community. The Museum will remain closed until we can safely serve our patrons in person. Even with being closed to the public much of the year, we found new and different ways to continue to share the rich and diverse history of Middlesex County. Website In 2020 we increased the depth and breadth of our website (https://middlesexmuseum.com/) by adding new information in the following categories: churches, schools, country stores, forestry, farming, and oral histories. We also have added material that highlights some of the many objects in our collection. In addition we increased our contributions to the Museums of Middlesex (MOM) website (https://museumsofmiddlesex.com/). MOM is a collaboration among four Middlesex County institutions, the Urbanna Museum, the Deltaville Maritime Museum, the Colonial Seaport Foundation, and the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society. Since September we have posted monthly historical tidbits on the MOM website. Virtual Programming We instituted free virtual programming to be able to continue with our practice of providing informative and provocative speakers on varied topics of interest to the public. In October, we presented a virtual lecture by the Reverend Dr. Robert W. Prichard on “The Great Awakening in Middlesex County.” Dr. Prichard is a member of our board who is the Arthur Lee Kinsolving Professor Emeritus of Christianity in America at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. In December, we held a virtual lecture by Dr. Melvin Patrick Ely who spoke about his book, Israel on the Appomattox: A Southern Experiment in Black Freedom from the 1790s Through the Civil War. Dr. Ely, who is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Humanities at the College of William and Mary, writes and teaches about the history of African Americans and of the South. We will continue with virtual programming and have several lectures that are being planned. The Museum has joined as an endorsing organization for a virtual February 21 Black History Month program entitled “Education Foremost: The History and Legacy of the Rappahannock Industrial Academy” that is being presented by the Rappahannock Industrial Academy Alumni Association. Details of this program and other upcoming events will be posted on our website. 2020 Preservation Award Since 2016, the Middlesex County Museum Preservation Award has been given annually to recognize individuals or entities who have made a significant contribution to the public understanding of Middlesex County history. The 2020 Preservation Award was given to longtime museum volunteer Helen Chandler. Helen was recognized for her many hours spent identifying, preserving, protecting, and cataloging the Museum’s accessions. The award was presented virtually at the October “Great Awakening” lecture. Saluda Designated as Historic District The Museum led the successful effort to have Saluda designated as a Virginia Historic Landmark and listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. The required documentation was officially completed in the fall of 2020. This designation, while recognizing the significance of our local government’s strategic location and that location’s impact on our county’s history, will not infringe on the rights of property owners. In conjunction with the designation, the Museum is planning an exhibition for 2021 that will be centered on Saluda and its rich history. African-American Businesses in Middlesex County The Museum has formed an Ad Hoc Committee on African-American Businesses in Middlesex County. The committee, whose mission is to document the long history of African-American entrepreneurship in Middlesex County, is composed of board members and other persons from the community. Relevant photographs, documents, and artifacts are being collected with the goal of enhancing the Museum’s holdings on this topic and mounting an exhibition in the not-too-distant future. In connection with this project, oral histories have been recorded from five individuals with additional interviews planned. Flag Raising at Puller Park Members of area U.S. Marine Corps detachments and others gathered at the Museum in November just before Veterans Day for a flag raising to honor Lieutenant General Lewis “Chesty” Burwell Puller and the 245th anniversary of the Marine Corps. Various individuals, clubs, local Marine detachments and businesses in the area funded a new flagpole and relocated the original marker in honor of Gen. Puller as part of a future “Chesty Puller Memorial Park” on the grounds of the Museum. The new flagpole and marker honoring General Puller is the first stage in the park’s development African-American Heritage Fund An African-American Heritage Fund was established through a generous donation from Mary Wakefield Buxton for use only for acknowledgement and appreciation of the many contributions made by Black Americans in our county. A two-fold approach is being considered for the utilization of this restricted fund. This will involve the potential use of a portion of the money for the funding of an exhibition on African-American businesses. The second consideration is the long-term use of the fund to help defray the costs of historical markers that recognize the contributions of African Americans to Middlesex County. Looking Ahead We expect to mount the several exhibitions planned along with exhibition-related programming when pandemic restrictions are eased. In addition we are exploring new and varied ways of delivering virtual programming. An event that had initially been planned for 2020, a tour of the historic Locust Grove offered by Dr. Robert Prichard and his family, will be held as soon as conditions will allow. We look forward to visiting this Colonial-era property on the Rappahannock River in Topping as a fundraiser for the Museum.

Charles C. Green v. County School Board of New Kent County , 391 U.S. 430 (1968) by the Honorable Patricia Polson Satterfield, Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York (Ret.) “When this opinion is handed down, the traffic light will have changed from Brown to Green.” – U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, 1968. The trilogy of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decisions of Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka , 347 U.S. 483 (1954) [ Brown I] and (1955) [Brown II] and Charles C. Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, Virginia (1968), chronicles the history of the long struggle for integration in public schools. This article focuses on the enormous impact of the little known and almost forgotten case brought by Dr. Calvin Coolidge Green, a native of Middlesex County, in the name of his youngest son, Charles C. Green, who attended the black elementary school in New Kent County. It reminds some of us and informs others of the immense struggles and tremendous sacrifices of ordinary people who fought to realize the constitutional promise of equal treatment, guaranteed by the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. On July 9, 1868, soon after the ending of the Civil War and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified. It, in part, granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed. It further forbid states from denying any person “life, liberty or property, without due process of law” or to “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This amendment gave rise to many lawsuits alleging unequal treatment of the newly recognized citizens by the states in areas such as public accommodations, voting rights, transportation, medical care and treatment, and education. In Plessy v. Ferguson, Homer Plessy, who was one-eighth black, purchased a first-class ticket in Louisiana and sat in the white-designated railroad car. Plessy was arrested for violating the Separate Car Act and argued in court that the Act violated the Fourteenth Amendment. The 1896 landmark Supreme Court decision, upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation in public facilities and thereby sanctioned state sponsored segregation in nearly every facet of life under the guise of “separate but equal.” Over five decades later, that decision was overturned, due to unrelenting litigation by civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, challenging Jim Crow laws spurred by Plessy v. Ferguson . Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka [ Brown I ], a case that consolidated five lawsuits, including one challenging the closing of public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia, to avoid integration, challenged on constitutional grounds the segregation of public schools. In 1954, the Supreme Court, in the second landmark decision, overruled the “separate but equal” doctrine, upon the finding that de jure segregation, segregation mandated by law, violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In Brown I, the Supreme Court expressly held that “separated educational facilities are inherently unequal.” The Supreme Court in Brown I , however, failed to define the means by which schools would be desegregated or give any guidance to localities as to how to effectuate desegregation. This it attempted to do in in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1955) [ Brown II ], in which it directed the states to desegregate with “all deliberate speed,” but set no timetable for desegregation, and left the assessment of the efficacy of implementation to the southern federal courts. Implementation was slow. After the two Brown decisions in 1954 and 1955, the State of Virginia developed several strategies to preserve segregated schools. “Massive Resistance,” a phrase coined by the State of Virginia, established an opposition movement to the Brown decision. That movement gained momentum throughout the South and led, in 1956, to an amendment of the Virginia State Constitution. That amendment granted money for private-school tuition for any student assigned to a desegregated school, and, beginning in 1958, resulted in the closing, rather than desegregating, of schools, in several localities, including Warren County, Charlottesville, Norfolk, and West Point. The school closing component of massive resistance was declared unconstitutional by state and federal courts in 1959. Continued were the evasive tactics of private school tuition grants for white students, discriminatory pupil placement laws for black students, and the “freedom of choice” plan that allowed students and parents to select, by completing a pupil assignment form, to attend either the all-black or all-white school. The freedom of choice plan resulted in minimal desegregation. At each turn, the State of Virginia was challenged by the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP that together with the National Office, and the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund sought to force implementation of the Brown decisions through the filing of lawsuits. Dr. Calvin Coolidge Green played an integral role in the ultimate demise of segregated schools. In 1956, Dr. Green, who taught in Richmond, Virginia, moved his wife and three school-aged sons from Middlesex County to nearby New Kent County, where his wife taught Home Economics at George W. Watkins High School. At the time of the family relocation, New Kent County had two high schools: George W. Watkins High School for black students and New Kent High School for white students. Similarly, the County maintained separate elementary schools for black and white students. Upon relocation, Dr. Green became very active in the local branch of the NAACP, became its president in 1960, and, in the early 1960s, began pressuring the local school board to comply with the Brown decisions. In 1964, at a meeting in Richmond, Virginia, of the State Conference of the NAACP, the attorneys for the organization discussed the recently passed Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its threat to cut off federal funding to localities that refused to develop a plan to integrate their schools. The attorneys explained to the attendees, including Dr. Green, that the passage of the new Civil Rights Act laid the groundwork for greater federal enforcement of school desegregation because Title VI forbade racial discrimination in any program receiving federal funds. It was recognized that the Act was a powerful new weapon for the NAACP that could be used in Virginia to compel the integration of public schools. The NAACP lawyers asked for determined and courageous individuals to sponsor lawsuits against their local school boards. Dr. Green immediately volunteered. The stage was set “for what would be one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court decisions since Brown v. Board of Education.” Following the New Kent County School Board’s repeated refusal to take steps to integrate the County’s schools at the request of the local NAACP and parents, a lawsuit was commenced on behalf of Dr. Green’s youngest son, Charles, who was most likely to still be a public-school student when the case ultimately was decided. Charles C. Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, Virginia , 391 U.S.430, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in March 1965, challenged the school board of New Kent County’s failure to develop any desegregation plan and its maintenance of schools that remained one hundred percent segregated ten years after Brown . The lawsuit specifically attacked the County’s 1965 “freedom-of-choice” plan. The negative reaction to the lawsuit was swift and brutal, with increased threats and intimidation against blacks. The Green family suffered severe financial hardships resulting from the school board’s refusal to renew Mrs. Green’s teaching contract. The black community of New Kent County, the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, the national NAACP, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, notwithstanding harsh consequences, remained steadfast in their assault in the courts upon the County’s “freedom-of-choice” plan. Their resolve continued in the face of defeats in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 1966 and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, both of which ruled that the freedom-of-choice plan that ostensibly gave every student the option of freely choosing the school he or she wished to attend met the integration mandate of Brown I and II. The Supreme Court disagreed, and in 1968 rendered its third landmark decision that clearly set forth the mandate of Brown II, 391 U.S.430, 437-438: Brown II was a call for the dismantling of well entrenched dual systems tempered by an awareness that complex and multifaceted problems would arise which would require time and flexibility for a successful resolution. School boards such as the respondent then operating state-compelled dual systems were nevertheless charged with the affirmative duty to take whatever steps might be necessary to convert to a unitary system in which racial discrimination would be eliminated root and branch (citations omitted). The constitutional rights of Negro school children articulated in Brown I permit no less than this, and it was to this end that Brown II commanded school boards to bend their efforts. The Supreme Court held that the “New Kent School Board’s ‘freedom of choice’ plan cannot be accepted as a sufficient step to ‘effectuate a transition’ to a unitary system.” Instead, the Court found that “[r]ather than further the dismantling of the dual system, the plan has operated simply to burden children and their parents with a responsibility which Brown II placed squarely on the School Board. The Board must be required to formulate a new plan and, in light of other courses which appear open to the Board, such as zoning, fashion steps which promise realistically to convert promptly to a system without a ‘white’ school and a ‘Negro’ school, but just schools” [391 U.S. at 441-442]. A few years later, following subsequent Supreme Court decision rendered between 1969 and 1971, the Green decision and its progeny led to the attainment of the ultimate objective of the civil rights movement: the integration of southern public schools. The Green case that arose in rural New Kent County, Virginia, affected school systems throughout the nation. It outlined the duty of school boards to affirmatively eliminate all vestiges of state-imposed segregation and reset the Brown’s objective from prohibition of segregation into a requirement of integration. Because of Green , federal courts recognized de facto segregation, or in fact segregation, in the north that resulted in school segregation related to discriminatory policies, including housing. This recognition resulted in court mandates to northern school boards to re-fashion their desegregation plans to eliminate dual school systems as well and led to hotly contested school busing in urban areas as a means of eliminating segregation. In sum, it took many decades, but Brown v. Board of Education I and II decimated the “separate but equal” doctrine espoused by Plessy v. Ferguson that perpetuated segregation, declared that doctrine to be unconstitutional, specifically in public schools, and mandated the elimination of desegregation in public schools. It took the strength, courage and fortitude of Dr. Calvin Coolidge Green, a Middlesex County native and a product of segregated public schools in Middlesex County, together with the Virginia Conference of the NAACP, the National Office of the NAACP, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to pursue the monumental case of Charles Green v. County School Board of New Kent Virginia, argued on April 3, 1968, one day before the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, and decided on May 27, 1968, fourteen years after Brown I, and one hundred years after passage of the Fourteenth Amendment on July 9, 1868, that guaranteed equal protection under the law. [I am indebted to Dr. Brian J. Daugherity for providing to me the following resource materials that enabled me to write this article: Allen, Jody and Daugherity, Brian J. “Recovering a ‘Lost’ Story Using Oral History: The United States Supreme Court’s Historic ‘Green v. New Kent County Virginia”, Decision,”, Oral History Review, vol. 3, issue 2, pp. 25-26 (June 2006). “Keep on Keeping On: African Americans and the Implementation of Brown v. Board of Education in Virginia,” With All Deliberate Speed: Implementing Brown v Board of Education , (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press), 2008, Brian J. Daugherity and Charles Bolton, Editors. Allen, Jody, Daugherity, Brian J., and Sarah Trembanis. “New Kent School and the George W. Watkins School: From Freedom of Choice to Integration,” Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching , Section 3: Education, p. 271. National Park Services, Department of the Interior. 2001.]

As you travel through the town of Saluda in Middlesex County, Virginia, you will find a historical marker in front of the Historic Middlesex County Courthouse. This marker signifies a paramount Supreme Court decision that set precedent for the inevitable battles against segregation that would come in the future. It was July in the year 1944. Irene Morgan was leaving Gloucester, Virginia after a visit with her mother, where she boarded a segregated Greyhound bus heading to Baltimore, Maryland, where she would be reuniting with her husband. Morgan was seated next to a fellow African American woman, a mother, with her infant upon her lap, when two white passengers boarded the bus. The bus was already quite full except for two vacant seats in the rear. The driver of the bus declared that Morgan and her seatmate move to the “colored section” of the bus in order for the two white passengers to be able to take a seat. At this time in Virginia, the law required the segregation of bus passengers. Morgan refused to move. Her argument was that Greyhound they were on was an interstate bus, and therefore, the Virginia law did not apply. After refusing to move, and even attempting to prevent her seatmate from complying with the bus driver’s request, the driver immediately drove to the jail located in Saluda, where Morgan was arrested, but not without a fight. She was charged with resisting arrest and a segregation offense. She would later plead guilty to the resisting arrest, but she would continue to fight the segregation offense. Morgan’s legal team would soon have the backing of Thurgood Marshall, William H. Hastie and the NAACP. On June 6, 1945, the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled against Morgan, but still she fought. In October of 1945, Morgan and her legal team appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, and this time, she won. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Morgan on the basis that the Virginia law was unconstitutional, and the law was therefore stricken along with similar laws in other states. This ruling would lead to many more battles in the Civil Right movement, and the final fall of Jim Crow law. To learn more about Irene Morgan and Middlesex’s local black history, we invite you to visit the Middlesex County Museum & Historical Society in Saluda where you will find many news articles and documents surrounding the Morgan V. Virginia case.

Education First & Foremost: The History and Legacy of the Rappahannock Industrial Academy “A compelling story of triumph over adversity” February 21, 3:00PM Email RIAcademyAlumni@gmail.com or call 804-651-8753 for Zoom Link or Dial-In Number.

When George A. Taylor first left his hometown of Middlesex, Va., and enlisted in the Army Air Forces to join the Tuskegee Airmen, he did not tell his neighbors and friends of his plans. “He never told any of them because so many of the blacks were washed out during training,” said his wife, Joan. “He didn’t want them to know, so when he did get his wings, he went home and shocked everyone.” He became one of the original members of a segregated Army Air Forces unit at the Tuskegee Army Flying School in Alabama during World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. AAC. This group of men flew more than 15,000 sorties during World War II. All during a time of segregation in our country that was even present among our military. According to the Chicago Tribune, Mr. Taylor flew more than 50 missions with the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group over Italy and was awarded two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal and four battle stars. His family shared these photos with the Middlesex Museum so we could celebrate his legacy!

FIRST Was Former Vice-President Al Gore’s ancestor really an early settler in Middlesex County?? Yes, his name was John Gore! SECOND Is Al Gore’s last name listed on the 1670 map of Middlesex County?? Probably Yes, former VP Al Gore’s roots start in Virginia. John Gore immigrated to Virginia as an indentured servant in 1643. The indenture was to Thomas Willoughby, on the south side of the James River. He was one of 28 people brought to Virginia for 1400 acres granted to Thomas Willoughby. It is estimated, he was born about 1630 which would make him 13 on arrival. This sounds a little young today, but was somewhat more normal in those days. He was probably of English decent. John next appears in 1658, patenting 150 acres in Lancaster County on the North shore of the Piankatank River. Middlesex County was formed from Lancaster County in 1668. Sometime before 1669 he married “Margaret” last name unknown. They had two children; Joseph in 1669, and Henry in 1671. The next event was well noted in county history. After John Gore’s death in 1674, Margaret married George Ransom who died a few years later. She then married John Ascough In 1683 Middlesex Court acted quickly to control the estates of Gore and Ransom, to prevent Margaret’s current husband , John Ascough, from selling the land and taking the profit with him to England. Thus the estates value was saved for the children. The Gore family was in Middlesex County for several more generations, also spreading to Essex County. After the Revolutionary War some of the Gore family moved to Tennessee. This is Al Gore’s branch of the family. In early Virginia Colonial Times, last names were spelled in many ways. The last name Gore was also spelled ; Goar, and Goare, likewise the name Scarborow was also spelled Scarborough and Scarburgh.. Now look at the 1670 map of Middlesex. between plantations 5 and 10. The letters Goa are spelled out. We believe this stands for Goar or Goare (Gore) last letters missing. Another name “Scarburgh” or Scarborow is just below Goa on the map. Planters John Gore and John Scarborow knew each other and their properties were close together. Gore and Scarborow were both mid level tobacco growers, of little note. Names on this map are extremely rare. We believe Gore, Scarborow, and Augustine Herrman (author of the map) somehow knew each other and had direct contact. This would be a tremendous find for those interested in the “ Map of Virginia and Maryland as it is planted and inhabited this present year 1670”, by Augustine Herrman. The only unsolved part of these two stories is the location of the Gore 150 acre plantation (farm) , and the Scarborow 300 acre plantation (farm) in Middlesex. Our best guess is south of the old main Middlesex Road (route 33 today) between today Wilton subdivision, and Pipe-In-Tree subdivision. Using the 1670 map Gore is near 5. Shooters Hill, and Scarburgh is near 6. Mottrom’s Mount (the latter includes; the golf course, Barn Elems, Bath Farm and Mariners Woods today). Anyone with better information, please contact us! Rob Warner, 434 242 3279, Deer Chase subdivision on the Piankatank and David Moran, 804 761 6136, Deltaville