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Lynwood and Juliette Buchanan are remembered for their love for each other and their dedication to their community.
Buchanans made Beaverdam better
By Rob Witham for Th e Local
BEAVERDAM –It was a love story that spanned seven decades, with a legacy that left an indelible mark on Hanover County’s northwest anchor.
The home of Lynwood and Juliette Buchanan sits, appropriately, just south of the historic Beaverdam Depot, mere feet from the railroad tracks which, on a map, anchor this idyllic com munity.
This is the story of two people who completed their earthly journey in 2021, leaving behind a legacy of service and selflessness that will be hard to replicate. This is the story of Buster and Polly.
In the early days of the Cold War, Polly’s high school friend, Betty, mentioned to her one day that she had two brothers but one she’d like her to meet.
Betty’s thought was Corky, Buster’s brother, and Polly might just hit it off. Instead, Polly, as they said in the day, took a shine to Buster.
“Instead of being Corky that she fell for, she fell for my dad,” explained Carol Brigham, Buster and Polly’s daughter. “The rest is history.”
On Nov. 24, 1951, Buster and Polly were married. Thus began a relationship and partnership that would bless the community they called home.
see BUCHANANS, pg. 15
Vaughan Road retains 25 mph speed limit
By Jim Ridolphi
For Th e Mechanicsville Local
After hearing from a number of concerned citizens, Ashland Town Council members voted unanimously to defeat an ordinance change that would have raised the speed limit on West Vaughan Road between Chapman and Thompson streets.
When the development was first approved in 2017, the plan included a road designed for 30 mph traffic. That decision was partially due to long-term transportation plans that call for an extension of Vaughan Road via Archie Cannon Parkway that would provide a cut through to Route 1 and ease traffic volumes in the downtown area.
“This road is also going to eventually connect all the way to Route 1 to help distribute traffic,” director of public works Mike Jennings said at a Feb. 15 town council meeting.
Residents in the subdivision that fronts Vaughan Road spoke during a public hearing and expressed concern that any increase would create an unsafe environment in their neighborhood, and many questioned the need for an increase.
Jennings said VDOT encourages localities to post speeds based on road design, and acknowledged the Town does have the authority to adjust speed limits in certain situations.
After reviewing the council’s 2017 action, Jennings asked members for an addition to the ordinance that governs special speed limits within town limits. West Vaughan Road has been designated a local collector road.
“Based on the way this road is designed and functions I recommend approval of this ordinance,” Jennings concluded.
But residents of the Laura Dell subdivision rejected that reasoning and identified negative impacts associated with a speed limit increase.
Resident Al Lavallee said he drove the stretch of road in question at both speeds and compared the results. “I drove that area and it’s .3 of mile and driving it at 25 mph took me all of a minute. Driving it a 30 mph felt a lot faster and it saved only 10 seconds,” he said.
He noted that streets surrounding the neighborhood are all posted at 25 mph, the standard for residential neighborhoods and default limit where no speed is posted.
“There’s not really any gain there from making it 30 mph,” he said.
Former council member Hank Lowry, also a resident of the subdivision, said the idea of raising the speed limit seemed “ridiculous.”
Lowry also dismissed the idea that a connector to Route 1 would be completed at any time in the near future due to the high cost of land acquisition for the project.
Lowry asked council members to heed the concerns of the residents and retain the current speed limit.
Lowry summed up his comments with a friendly note of caution. “I certainly hope this is a dead idea, because, if it’s not, there is an election coming.”
Other residents noted that many driv-
Jim Ridolphi for The Local
West Vaughan Road is pictured as it traverses the Laura Dell neighborhood. Council members rejected a request to change the speed limit to 30 mph in the residential area. Below, the posted speed limit on Chapman Street and most adjacent roads surrounding Laura Dell is 25 mph.
see VAUGHAN pg. 15
Continued from pg. 14 ers exceed the 25 mph limit now and voiced concerns that raising the speed limit would encourage even higher speeds.
Vice mayor John Hodges was on the council when it set that 30 mph speed limit in 2017 and described the action as a compromise.
“This is obviously a residential area and we are trying to promote strong neighborhoods and prevent intrusions, but this is a planned collector road,” Hodges said.
Mayor Steve Trivett said he also took time to ride through the neighborhood comparing the two speeds. “I did the nontechnical exercise as others have done of riding through there. And riding through there at 25 mph, there’s no scientific way to describe it other than it feels right. Driving through there at 30 mph feels wrong,” the mayor said.
Trivett said if and when conditions change due to the extension of the road or other factors emerge, the council can reconsider a request to raise the speed limit.
“This is something we can always revisit once Vaughan, if it does, connect to Route 1 and it makes sense to re-evaluate the speed limit. Then, we can do that,” council member Kathy Abbott said.
Council voted 5-0 to deny the ordinance change effectively leaving the posted speed limit at 25 mph.
In other matters, the council approved its 2023-2027 Capital Improvements Program that includes 10 projects prioritized by members last month.
The plan includes sidewalk and curb and gutter improvements, funding for the Downtown Streetscape, comprehensive stormwater management and a grade separated railroad crossing.
The plan also addresses drainage problems throughout the town and funds a broadband fiber network, funds for a North Ashland Park and money for the Trolley and Fall Line Trails. Residential improvements and the Hill Carter Parkway project are also in that prioritized list.
Town manager Josh Farrar told council that just because a project did not make the Top 10 doesn’t mean it will not be completed.
Improvements not included on the list are classified as vision projects and will still be considered when funding permits.
The town also approved a plan to add a park to the area north of Route 54. Council authorized officials to obtain three lots at 101 Vaughan Road to construct a community park in that area.
Earlier this month, the council allocated $600,000 for the proposed park in a budget amendment reflecting increased revenues for the current fiscal year.
The purchase price for the lots is $658,000 for the 6.58 acres.
In its continuing recognition of Black History Month, the council recognized former African-American members and presented them with memorial bricks recovered from the old Town Hall Building.
The bricks were inscribed with their names and dates of service.
Terri Winston-Abri and Anthony Keitt accepted the awards in person while the families of Dr. Melvin Hall, the Rev. William Henderson and Franklin Jackson accepted on behalf of those members who had passed.
Council also heard a presentation by Carolyn Hemphill, founder of the Hanover County Black Heritage Society, outlining the activities of her organization in preserving and documenting the contribution of African Americans in Hanover County.
The group is headquarterd at the Henry Clay Inn in Ashland.
Continued from pg. 13 at 7461 Sherwood Crossing Place for more information.
Virtual Programs
Author Chat with Kate Quinn and Heather Webb
Wednesday, March 23, 7 to 8 p.m.
Join the library as they chat live with bestselling authors Kate Quinn and Heather Webb. They will be discussing their newest releases as well as their past successes. Kate Quinn’s latest release, The Diamond Eye, will be published on March 29. Heather Webb’s newest book, The Next Ship Home, was published on Feb. 8. This program will be hosted virtually on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/ PamunkeyLibrary. If you would like a reminder email sent to you one day before the program, please register at https://pamunkeylibrary. libcal.com/. If you don’t receive your reminder email
Atlee Branch Library
In-Person Programs
Atlee Bridge Group at the Atlee Branch Library
Tuesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ages 18 and up. Every Tuesday the Atlee Bridge Group meets to play Social Rubber Bridge. All levels welcome, from beginner to expert. Registration required at https://pamunkeylibrary. libcal.com/. Fun & Games at the Atlee Branch Library
Wednesday, March 2, 1 to 3 p.m.
Ages 18 and up. Meet up with friends and have a great time with card and board games. Registration required at https://pamunkeylibrary. libcal.com/. Atlee Anime Club at the Atlee Branch Library
Thursday, March 3, 7:30
see LIBRARY, pg. 22
BUCHANANS
Continued from pg. 14
Longtime Beaverdam residents know that Buster was the most “seen” of the duo, whether delivering the mail, which he did for many years, or leading the Beaverdam Volunteer Fire Department, which he helped found at about the same time as he and his wife began their personal journey.
Firefighting became a life-long passion for Buster, who quickly rose through the ranks to lead the all-volunteer crew for 30 years. In an article for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 2016, Buchanan noted he had only missed one meeting in 65 years of service to the department, and that was to pick up a Chevrolet truck readied for Engine Company Number Two.
His son, Lynwood III, known as “Lyn” to everyone, followed in his father’s footsteps, generating a career in firefighting and fire safety first in the City of Richmond before coming home to Hanover County in 2012.
When Buster was out fighting fires or pumping out a flooded basement during a tropical storm, it was Polly making sure the home front was safe and the children were taken care of. Later came eight grandchildren, then nine great-grandchildren.
And it became a moment of pure joy when one, or both, would accompany offspring big or small to the front porch to watch a train come through, on tracks so close they could be considered part of the front yard.
When Polly wasn’t caring for Carol and Lyn, she was caring for everyone else. There wasn’t a family in Beaverdam who experienced serious illness or loss that didn’t receive food from the Buchanan home. If anyone was holding a bake sale, from the Fire Auxiliary to the United Methodist Church, it was guaranteed to find Polly’s treats, which included the greatest lemon chess pie in world history.
The secret to its deliciousness was the love behind the confection. The acts of kindness from Buster and Polly to their hometown can never be numbered, with so many of them done with no fanfare and with no interest in being recognized for those efforts.
The Buchanans also had talents many never knew about. For decades, Buster enjoyed countless hours at his draftsmen’s table, creating plans for future buildings and renovations, which was a talent that didn’t require wearing a fire chief’s hat.
Their imprint is literally found throughout Beaverdam, from architecture to the memories of their service to their friendship with everyone they met.
Many may wonder what the secret was to a marriage that lasted nearly seventy years.
“Dad said never to go to bed mad with your spouse,” Lyn explained.
“They had their moments when they could, you know, be mad at each other, but they always seemed to work it out,” Brigham added.
Complementing each other helped too. Buster happily tilled the soil for Polly’s gardens, dutifully snapped beans and shelled peas from her bounty, then got out of the way when it was canning time.
When Polly’s health began to decline in 2020, the decision was made for her to spend her final days in her beloved home. Surrounded by so much love from her eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, the family celebrated one last Christmas with their beloved matriarch before she passed away on Jan. 28, 2021.
“He told her doctor, ‘I said for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, and I’m not going to let her down,’ ” Lyn said, recalling a conversation Buster had with Polly’s physician. “He would sit, he would hold her hand, get beside her on the bed and talk to her. It would break your heart.”
“When she passed, half of him left,” noted Brigham.
Things were seemingly fine physically with Buster until he experienced a cardiac event earlier last autumn and was hospitalized. The prognosis was positive, but a call received by Lyn at the firehouse in Mechanicsville days later changed everything.
“Dad had opted to work it out using medication,” Lyn remembered. “I was at work when the doctor called and said he had another cardiac event, and I said ‘I’m on my way.’ I got there, told him, ‘hey buddy, I’m here.’ He turned, opened his eyes and looked at me, and then he never opened his eyes again.”
Buster himself told his doctor prior to his death what the cause of his demise would be.
“I have a broken heart,” he said to him, according to his son.
When asked about the mark their parents left on them, Lyn summarized their impact succinctly. “Family was important to them for everything. A sense of service, and giving what you can to people.”
Lynwood and Juliette left Beaverdam with so much, but maybe more than anything, they left the gift of treating everyone as family.
