Progress 2016

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IN WESTERN TIDEWATER HISTORY The Tidewater News

Progress 2016

February 28, 2016

2 • Progress 2016

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Progress 2016 • 5

Contents

Tony Clark Publisher, The Tidewater News

George Thomas ................................................ 6 Dr. Rufus L. Raiford. ....................................... 8 J. Paul Councill Jr. ..........................................10 Richard J. Holland .........................................12 William Mahone ...........................................14 C.C. Vaughan Jr..............................................16 Sol Rawls Sr. & Jr............................................24 Della Irving Hayden ......................................28 The Camp Family ..........................................30 Benjamin F. Hicks..........................................32 Roger Wilson Drake Sr. ................................34 Colgate Darden Jr. .........................................36 Sam Pope ........................................................38 Dred Scott .......................................................40 Nat Turner ......................................................42

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hank you for picking up a copy of our 2016 Progress edition. Without a doubt, this is the publication that we put the most time and energy into each and every year. It is also the one we most enjoy producing. Based on feedback provided by readers over the years, we know it is one you look forward to reading as well.

In last year’s Progress, we counted down the most significant events in Western Tidewater history. We thoroughly enjoyed the process of compiling those events and then debating the order of their significance to our community. We decided on a similar theme for this year’s edition, in which we will list and rank the most significant people in Western Tidewater history.

This year’s list may be a cause for some debate among our readers, depending upon how you choose to define a person of influence. There were two approaches we could have taken. First, we could have focused on individuals whose influence most impacted Western Tidewater. The second possible approach was to list individuals from Western Tidewater who influenced not just this community, but also the world around us. While we certainly could have done the former, we chose to go with the latter.

We hope you enjoy this year’s edition of Progress. We would also like to hear your feedback. Did we leave someone off of the list who belonged? Did we rank them out of order? Did we get it just right? Let us know. May the debate begin.

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IN WESTERN TIDEWATER HISTORY

Tony Clark Publisher Rebecca Chappell Staff Writer Stephen H. Cowles Staff Writer Andrew Lind Staff Writer / Sports Editor Ryan Outlaw Designer Loretta Lomax Editorial Assistant Mitzi Lusk Advertising Director Sameerah Brown Retail Advertising Representative Shana Councill Classified Advertising Representative Michelle Gray Office Manager February 28, 2016

6 • Progress 2016

15 D

espite his Virginian heritage, Southampton County's own George Thomas was a United States Army officer and Union General during the American Civil War. He commanded one of the first Union victories of the war, and his stout defense at the Battle of Chickamauga saved the northern army and earned him the nickname, “The Rock of Chickamauga.” Though Thomas was just as successful on the battlefield, he failed to achieve the historical acclaim of some of his peers, such as Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman.

Born unto an upper-class family in Newsom's Depot, now simply Newsoms, Thomas was one of many whites that were forced to hide during The Nat Turner Rebellion. Though his family owned slaves, this incident changed Thomas' views — he came to believe that slavery was so vile an institution that it had forced the slaves to act in violence, and that the idea of a content slave was a myth.

It is said that Thomas taught as many as 15 of his family's slaves to read and write, which violated the law and was against his father's wishes.

GEORGE THOMAS Virginian General sided with Union

story by Andrew Lind Thomas was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point at the age of 20, where he was known to his fellow, yet significantly younger peers as “Old Tom.” He was appointed a cadet officer in only his second year, and was commis-

Mexican-American War, the latter of which he served with distinction alongside fellow artilleryman Braxton Bragg, whom later would become a key antagonist in the Civil War. On Nov. 17, 1852, Thomas married New Yo r k native

sioned Frana second c e s lieutenant Lucretia in Company Kellogg. It is D, 3rd U.S. Artilbelieved that she lery upon graduation in helped influence his deci1840. sion as a Southern-born officer Thomas led successful patrols to remain loyal to his country in the Seminole Wars and the and the Union efforts. This did

not go over well with his family, who would not speak to him again; during the economic hard times in the South following the war, Thomas sent money to his sisters, who refused to accept it and declared that they had no brother.

At the Battle of Chickamuaga on Sept. 19, 1863, Thomas rallied broken and scattered troops together to prevent a significant Union defeat. With orders from future president James Garfield to retreat, Thomas was determined to hold position against all odds.

Following a victory one year later at the Battle of Nashville, Thomas was appointed a major general.

“I suppose it's better late than never, but it's too late to be appreciated,” he told his wife in the only surviving letter of their correspondences.

After the war, Thomas requested assignment to command the Military Division of the Pacific in San Francisco. He died there, having suffered a stroke while writing a response to an article criticizing his military career.

None of his blood relatives attended his funeral, as they had not forgiven him for his perceived disloyalty. He was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in his wife's hometown of Troy, New York.

Progress 2016 • 7

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hen seeking the legacy of Dr. Rufus Livius Raiford, you have only to stand inside Southampton Memorial Hospital. Though he did not live even long enough to see even a working committee or final blueprints for the modern facility, the Conley native in Southampton County did something no less important by laying the groundwork through his own hospital.

Of course before all that was even an idea, Raiford had evidently decided that becoming a doctor was to be his life’s work. He studied and trained to become a physician at what is now the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond in 1906.

The Tidewater News obituary for the physician — who died on June 25, 1948 — described him: “Since his graduation he had devoted his energies to medicine in its application to relieving the suffering of the poor. Faced with the vicissitudes which beset a country practitioner of his earlier years, Dr. Raiford gave unsparingly of his time and talents to those unable to pay.”

The article added that he started the Group Clinic idea, intended to provide “specialized medical

DR. RUFUS L. RAIFORD His compassion for the suffering lives on in the hospital

story by Stephen H. Cowles

knowledge at a minimum cost.”

In 1919, Raiford and his wife, Lora Katherine Burgess, opened a three-bed clinic in their home at Johnson’s Mill Road and Sycamore Avenue in Sedley. You can see a scale model of the couple’s home/clinic in the Southampton County museum in Courtland.

This replica, along with other buildings of historical note, was created in detail by E.B. Gayle.

Lora is credited with giving “invaluable aid to Dr. Raiford in the early days of his practice and in the administration of the hospital.”

As an example, there’s a story that they spent their honeymoon night tending to a black child ill with pneumonia, staying until the worst had passed.

Their compassion was inherited by two of their sons, Morgan and Fletcher, to become physicians themselves.

Six years later, in 1926, Raiford moved the practice to part of the old Virginia Hotel, which was at the corner of Second Avenue and Main Street in downtown Franklin, where he had room for five beds. Nineteen years later, the clinic had expanded to include 80 beds, six physicians and almost 70 employees.

The hospital was remodeled and expanded in 1944, and by November 1945, it was appropri-

COURTESY/SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Top: Dr. Rufus L. Raiford with sons Morgan and Fletcher at Guilford College campus in 1933. Both sons became physicians like their father. Bottom: Dorie and Pop relax with kittens in the backyard of their Franklin home, the photograph was possibly taken in 1932.

Progress 2016 • 9

COURTESY/FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Formerly the site of the Virginia Hotel and First and Merchantes Bank (see inset), the Raiford Memorial Hospital stood at the corner of Second Avenue and Main Street, where Floor and Ceiling is now located.

STEPHEN H. COWLES/TIDEWATER NEWS

E.B. Gayle made this detailed model of the Sedley home of Dr. Rufus L. and Mrs. Lora K. Raiford, which can be found at the Southampton County Museum in Courtland. The couple opened their home to house three patients in what became the first hospital in Southampton County in 1919. About six years later, they moved to Franklin and expanded a space in the old Virginia Hotel to five beds. Ultimately, the whole building became the Raiford Memorial Hospital.

ately named Raiford Memorial Hospital. With the construction of Southampton Memorial Hospital, the Raiford site was torn down and became Roses Department Store, and today is occupied by Floor and Ceiling.

Operating and running a hospital were apparently not enough for Raiford, who is reported as being a leader in starting the Southampton County Health Department, and serving as secretary for the Southside Medical Association.

He was also a member of the High Street Methodist Church.

On the day of his graveside service in Poplar Spring Cemetery, the obituary noted, “As a tribute to a beloved fellow citizen the merchants of Franklin closed their places of business long enough to enable themselves and their employees to attend the last sad rites.

Numerous floral offerings attested to the esteem in which Dr. Raiford was held by the people of both town and county. It is no exaggeration to say that he was loved and respected by all knew him.”

The doctor’s devotion to the community was an inspiration.

Years later, the desire to better and further serve the medical needs of residents came to fruition in 1963 with the opening of Southampton Memorial Hospital.

Sure, somebody else other than Raiford might have opened a medical clinic of some sort — eventually. But the fact is that he took the first major step to create a place for patients, specifically in his home, which perhaps gave new meaning to the term “house calls.”

But there’s a greater tribute to the doctor. There are the innumerable men and women whose lives he treated and saved, and whose descendants are around today. There are also those people he inspired and urged to become physicians and nurses and also serve humanity with compassion.

10 • Progress 2016

13 F

ormer Del. James Paul Councill Jr. fought passionately for education during his 32 years as a member of the Virginia General Assembly and 10 years as a member of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors. He was also a member of the Hunterdale Ruritan Club, a Paul Harris Fellow with the Franklin Rotary Club, director of the Tidewater Regional Health Planning Council, treasurer of the Southampton Water Authority and co-founder of the James L. Camp Jr. YMCA. “He loved his hometown, his county and the state of Virginia,” said his son, Jim Councill. “He was never about self; it was always about what was best for the constituents he was appointed to serve and represent. He was extremely selfless.”

Though he was born in Southampton County on Dec. 12, 1921, Councill was a graduate of Westtown Preparatory School in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He attended Swarthmore College in a small suburb of Philadelphia, but left after two years to join the United States Army Air Corps. Councill obtained his commission and wings, and then attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, for whom he spent the latter part of World War II performing air-sea rescue work

J. PAUL COUNCILL JR. Statesman had a passion for education

story by Andrew Lind

in the South Pacific.

Returning to Virginia after the war, Councill sold cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and tomatoes at his family farm and opened Councill’s Florist and Gift Shop.

He embarked on a public service career in 1963 that saw him hold the Franklin-Hunterdale seat of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors for 10 years, and led to him being elected delegate of the 75th District of Virginia, encompassing the cities of Franklin and Emporia and Southampton, Isle of Wight, Greensville, Sussex and Surry counties. Del. Rosyln Tyler currently presides over this district.

The lawmaker was a fixture on the House Education Committee, which he chaired for 12 years before Republicans regained control of the House in 2000.

“I’ve always tried to do what was best for Virginia,” Councill said in a 1997 interview. “I love my state, and I love my community; and I just want to do what I can to make it better.”

Councill also served on the Rules Committee and the Appropriations Committee, where he helped guide spending on public schools and colleges across the commonwealth.

“He would always take a stand for what he thought was right,” Jim Councill said. “He didn’t want any form of compromise. It didn’t matter what political party, it was just

COURTESY

J. Paul Councill attended a summer camp at Cypress Cove Country Club.

Councill, pictured at far left, enjoyed camping and swimming.

whether it was right or not.”

When Hurricane Floyd left Franklin under 12 feet of water in 1999, Councill led the efforts to help clean up and rebuild. He said upon announcing in 2005 that he would not run for reelection that he was most proud of the reconstructing the city and the fundraising it took to establish Paul D. Camp Community College.

“He was one of the good guys,” said his former colleague, retired Del. James Dillard (R-41). “He was absolutely honest. You knew when he gave his word, that was the way it was going to be. He cared about Virginia and he cared about kids.”

Councill passed away on March 25, 2007. Former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said at the time of his death that Councill, “was a champion of public education, fiscal responsibility and the needs of rural Virginia.”

His son added that he, “was a great father, and a morally great person who had honor and integrity. He walked the walk, he didn’t just talk it. He was a great role model, and people listened to him.

I’ve been told by others that when he spoke at the General Assembly, people paid attention to his opinion and thought process.

“He was the kind of person I’ve wanted to become.”

Progress 2016 • 11

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12 T

o begin with, Sen. Richard Joyner Holland made Southampton County

safer.

During his time in the Virginia General Assembly — 1979-2000 — Holland helped secure funding from the Commonwealth Transportation for that stretch of Route 58 known as “Suicide Strip,” widening two lanes to four and also creating the Route 58 Bypass.

Perhaps that alone should merit him a place in this list of significant contributors to Western Tidewater.

Before all that, he was born in Windsor, a son of Shirley T. and Gladyse J. Holland. A graduate of Windsor High School and the University of Virginia, he went on to the Stoier Graduate of School of Bank at Rutgers University. Service as a naval officer put him in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Back home, he worked at Farmers Bank, which his father started in 1919 with only 50 customers.

By 2014, the bank reportedly was serving 7,500 to 10,000 customers and multiple locations, including Courtland and Suffolk. Further, it’s been a family affair for 97 years with only the third Holland, Richard Jr., leading the institution.

The senior Holland served on

RICHARD J. HOLLAND He led a life of service for others

story by Stephen H. Cowles

Windsor Council for 22 years before setting his ambition to become a senator, and he was elected to the 15th District. By the time he died on April 16, 2000, he had earned an enviable reputation among both his constituents and peers for his dedication to the people of his district and his strong ethics.

One who knew him best was, of course, his son.

“He was a smart guy. He served on Town Council, the state Senate and used his position as bank president to help our community.

He was very community-oriented.

He had an obligation to improve it,” Dick Holland said recently.

Some examples: In addition to involvement in church and Ruritans, he actively raised money for the Boy Scouts. Also, the senator was instrumental in getting the Regional Workforce Development Center created at Paul D. Camp Community College.

“Without him and Paul Councill, I don’t think that would ever have come about. I don’t,” Dick Holland said. “I think that PDCCC would tell you the same thing.”

Then there was the time he helped to rebuild Franklin. After a serious illness in 2000, the senator sponsored a budget amendment to help the city recover from the diSTEPHEN H. COWLES/TIDEWATER NEWS sastrous after-effects of Hurricane In the Town of Windsor offices, Richard Holland Jr. holds a photograph of Floyd in 1999. his late father, Sen. Richard Holland, who served on council for many years In The Tidewater News editorial before becoming a representative of the 15th District from 1979-2000.

Progress 2016 • 13

FILE PHOTO

Holland helped secure funding from the Commonwealth Transportation for that stretch of Route 58 known as “Suicide Strip,” widening two lanes to four and also creating the Route 58 Bypass.

four days later: his passing “has a left a void in Southside Virginia.”

In the Senate Joint Resolution No. 369, for Jan. 19, 2001, Holland was described thus: “He represented the citizens of the 15th District with characteristic determination, tenacity, integrity, and compassion ... He wielded his substantial influence judiciously and with a deep appreciation for the best interests of his constituents and the Commonwealth.”

Former Franklin City Manager Bucky Taylor remembered: “In addition to Richard working tirelessly to pass bills that favored us when coming up in the legislature that would be detrimental to this area, he worked just as hard to see those type measures defeated. He didn’t do these himself. He worked closely with his fellow legislators who also served this area.”

Southampton County Administrator Michael Johnson noted after Holland died, “He was certainly a strong advocate of local government — keeping us informed of developments in the legislature and polling us regularly for potential impacts of proposed legislature.”

Former Republican Sen. Fred Quayle remembered Holland well.

“Holland was already in office. I liked him, as a matter of fact. The Democrats were in charge and made all the committee appointments. He had me appointed to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, which was relatively important because it had do with anything that actually changes laws in Virginia.

I was pleased that he had recommend me for that.”

“More times than not, I did occa-

sionally vote with the Democrats.

He and his brother, Clarence were both in Senate, and I was friendly with both of them,” Quayle continued. “The majority of issues that came before the Courts of Justice Committee were not dealt on a partisan basis. I was probably on his side as much as against, maybe more.”

Further, “I think he was very thoughtful about the issues he pushed, and the issues he voted on. He looked after the people in his district.

“He was a very amusing man. He always happy and upbeat. Quite often he had a funny story he would share with the other members of the Senate.

“It was a pleasure being around him.”

Dick Holland added that his father was “very quick to cross party

lines for the sake of his constituents.”

Willie Garris, who served on Windsor Council with Holland, said that while he could not remember specific things that the senator had achieved for his district, nonetheless he was quick to help constituents with their issues.

“Always, if I had a problem, he took care of that first thing, or he would know of who to go to and get it taken care of,” said the former longtime councilman. Garris added that the senator was at work on getting funding to have a center turn lane on 460 in Windsor, but that money seemed to have disappeared after his death.

Still, “no one’s had the influence he had,” Garris added. “He was the on the fire department and council He was a regular guy.

“He was for the people.”

14 • Progress 2016

11 B

orn on Dec. 1, 1826, in a little town on the banks of the Nottoway River, William Mahone is best known for his tenure as a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He was also an influential railroad tycoon and served as both a Virginia Delegate and United States Senator.

“Little Billy,” as he was affectionately known in his youth, was the son of Fielding Jordan and Martha Mahone. The Mahones owned a small corner store in Monroe, roughly eight miles south of Jerusalem (Courtland), where they narrowly escaped Nat Turner’s slave rebellion in 1831.

They relocated several times, but ultimately settled in the county seat, where they purchased and operated a tavern known as Mahone’s Tavern.

As a teenager, Mahone transported mail by horseback back and forth from Southampton to Greensville County. This dedication earned him a scholarship as a state cadet at the Virginia Military Institute, from where he graduated with a degree in civil engineering in 1847. Mahone failed to gain entrance into the United States Army, and as the shift of transportation switched

WILLIAM MAHONE Former Confederate General influential in railway system

story by Andrew Lind

from the rivers to the railway, he Southampton County that line chose work for the Orange and the Norfolk and Petersburg RailAlexandria Railroad. By 1853, road were named by Otelia, who he was the chief engiwas reading the novel neer of the Nor“Ivanhoe,” by folk and PeSir Walter Scott. tersburg RailMa-

road; Ma hone was named president seven years later.

As he climbed the industrial ranks, Mahone met Otelia Butler of Smithfield, with whom he had 13 children. According to local folklore, the towns in

hone is best known for his actions as a Confederate General in the Battle of the Crater in 1864. The Rebels had seemingly lost Petersburg when a mine exploded beneath them, but Mahone’s counter-attack

turned into a Union defeat.

With nearly all of Virginia’s railroads destroyed by the war, Mahone immediately returned to work on the Norfolk and Petersburg. He became president of the Southside and Norfolk Railroad, and set about creating a unified southern railway. This angered the state’s legislatures, though he ultimately convinced them to merge the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio railroads.

Mahone was elected to the Virginia General Assembly as a delegate, and his dealings on Capitol Hill only furthered his political ambitions. In 1877, he ran for governor, but lost the nomination to Frederick W.M. Holliday.

He settled into a role as a U.S. Senator and the leader of the Readjuster Party.

After another unsuccessful attempt to run at governor in 1889, Mahone retired from politics and spent much of his time involved in various investment opportunities in Washington, D.C. General Mahone died from complications resulting from a stroke on Oct. 8, 1895. He is buried at Blandford Cemetary in Petersburg. A large portion of Route 460 in Southampton County and Isle of Wight counties and the Route 35 overpass near Southampton High School bear his name.

Progress 2016 • 15

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10 W

hether people are driving on Route 58 from Courtland to Capron, up 460 to Peterburg or maybe 29 from Danville to Alexandria, they have Gen. Cecil Crawley Vaughan Jr. to thank. He’s credited as the father of the state highway system. But like the other people featured in this publication, Vaughan Jr. did more with his life than just one thing.

“He knew me, but I didn’t know him,” said granddaughter Katherine Cutchins Billingham of Syracuse, New York. “I was born in January 1929. My mother told me how she took me to see him. I felt like I knew him because he was very much in the minds of his children and his wife.

We heard lots about him.”

Born near Franklin on July 8, 1868, the son of prominent Southampton parents, he attended Suffolk Military Academy and Randolph-Macon College. His first claim to fame, if you will, is when he and his father founded Vaughan & Company Bank. According to local historian Collin Pulley, their bank took over the assets of a collapsing lender.

“It was the only bank in Franklin; indeed, the only bank between Suffolk and Weldon, North Carolina,” wrote Pulley in a research paper for the historical society in 1996.

Billingham added, “His dad and

C.C. VAUGHAN JR. Leader of men, visionary for the state

story by Stephen H. Cowles

brother-in-law, Gabe, also ran a dry goods store. Vaughan Sr. realized people needed a bank because they were trying to use the store as a bank.

That was a big thing for the town to have a bank.”

As noted, the young banker had a military background in training; his father was in the Southampton Calvary in the Civil War. For himself, Vaughan Jr. joined the local militia, Company I in 1892. At that time, the Franklin Armory was on Fourth Avenue. In June 1954, the new site on Armory Drive would be named in his memory.

Not surprisingly, the young officer rose in rank — he even had time to play in the first Franklin Kildees baseball club in 1895 — and by the time of the Spanish-American War in 1898, he was a captain. In Cuba, the company was part of a larger unit that raised the U.S. flag over two castles in Cuba on Jan. 1, 1899; Company I stayed until March 27, and returned to much fanfare in Franklin.

Pulley wrote the young leader was an inspiration to his men.

“He is an ideal company commander. His men swear by him, with unallayed devotion. He was as well a good tactician,” it was said of him.

Vaughan Jr. continued to serve the National Guard and became a brigadier general by 1907, later becoming a major general. He also commanded the state militia, according to another area historian, Clyde Parker. That

same year, the veteran began a new struggle in the name of the automobile against “the tyranny of the mud road.”

“He was very much in favor of getting the roads improved. They couldn’t get people to Franklin if they didn’t improve the road — Old Plank Road,” she continued,” said Billingham.

The Tidewater News’ obituary for him on March 22, 1929, stated, “In no field of endeavor, however, has his service to his State been more conspicuous than as a road-builder, and he might very fittingly be called the father of improved highways in Virginia.”

Parker said the father and son that year figured out a path from Norfolk to Richmond, albeit a circuitous one via Suffolk, Franklin, Courtland and Petersburg.

Naturally, Vaughan Jr. was involved in local and state organizations devoted to better roads. The building of a concrete road from Franklin to Courtland began on Aug. 9, 1919, as part of the Norfolk to Richmond highway. The newspaper stated two years later, “This road placed Franklin, Courtland, and other Southampton communities on a major automotive artery and was equivalent in economic impact to the establishment of a major new industry in the county.”

Becoming a state senator two years later, he continued to champion for the rest of his life the development of new and better roads throughout Virginia. Not incidentally, during his time in office, the road from Franklin to Murfreesboro, North Carolina opened in May 1926, and the bridge over the Nottoway River was named in his honor in 1927.

In Vaughan Jr.’s obituary, the headline stated, “Franklin loses its foremost citizen General Vaughan.”

The paper’s eulogy goes on, “In his service in the State Senate, no act has been of greater benefit and consequence than the successful passage in the General Assembly of 1928 of the Vaughan Road bill, which added 1,586 miles to the system of State highways in Virginia.”

Vaughan Jr. was buried in Poplar Spring Cemetery, but the more fitting monument is found in the roads on which we travel in Virginia.

Progress 2016 • 17

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Identify and maintain a database of available sites and buildings Provide a reliable and educated workforce

with Progress

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24 • Progress 2016

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ne man who left — and another who continues to make — a significant impact on the Western Tidewater area is Sol Rawls Sr. and his son, Sol Rawls Jr..

Sol Rawls Sr. opened his successful business, S.W. Rawls Inc., in 1912. The business was a Gulf oil distributer that was located in Franklin. It was the first automobile dealership in the region and he developed the company into service stations, home heating oil, ties and accessories.

Besides being a business owner, during WWI he was in the Navy and he was involved in many community organizations.

According to his obituary, Rawls was also a major southside figure and a conservative Democrat.

He married into the Camp family when he wed Rena Savage Camp, the daughter of James Leonidas Camp, one of the mill founders.

Rawls became an important factor in the development of Virginia highways. He was a member of the State Highway Commission for 30 years and was one of the original members of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike Authority.

He was a 20-year member of the Franklin City Council, a charter member of the Southampton American Legion Post 73 and charter member of the Franklin Rotary Club.

SOL RAWLS SR. & JR. Rawls family continues to have an impact

story by Rebecca Chappell

Rawls was the chairman of Franklin Board of Virginia National Bank and director of Tidewater Bank & Trust Co. He also served as director of the Camp Foundation for several years and helped make several contributions to the area through the foundation.

Rawls was also a member, trustee and past deacon of Franklin Baptist Church.

In 1948, he was awarded the “First Citizen of Franklin” award. This was the first time the honor had ever been presented. He also won the Distinguished Citizen Award of the Chamber of Commerce for the City of Franklin in 1968.

Many who knew Rawls considered him to be extremely kind and giving.

Nancy Coggsdale, a former employee of his, said he was a good man and did a lot of things for Franklin.“He was one of the best people I ever knew, and always told the truth,” she said.

Aside from his involvement in the local communities, he was known for his funny personality and generosity to those in need.

When Coggsdale was hired by Rawls, she was a young, divorced woman with a small child and needed a job. He hired her to be his secretary.

“He had a good sense of humor and was good to people that came into see him,” she said. “He was always willing to help out on anything he was asked to do. I don’t think there are enough

PHOTOS BY FOSTER STUDIOS

Sol Waite Rawls Sr., left, and his son, Sol Waite Rawls Jr.

words to due him justice.”

Rawls died on June 22, 1976, at the age of 88. But, his kindness, honesty and desire to help Franklin and Southampton was passed down to his son, Sol Rawls Jr. “Him and his son did so much for the Franklin area,” Coggsdale added.

Rawls Jr. was born on Oct. 25, 1919, and was educated in the Franklin City Public Schools system before attending VMI where he received a degree in chemistry in 1940.

He served in the United States Army from August 1941 until March 1946, where he attained the rank of major and was awarded the Army Commendation Ribbon.

He was a farmer for many years. In 1946, he acquired Woods Hill Farms and began full-time work with S.W. Rawls Inc., where he was president

from 1964 to 1994 and chairman until he sold the business to his loyal and valued employees in 1997. In 2012, the company celebrated its 100th anniversary of being a local business.

Rawls Jr. also devoted much of his life to progressing the economic development in the City of Franklin and being heavily involved in Franklin and Southampton organizations.

“I turned 11 during the Great Depression and I don’t think we all knew there was a depression going on. The Franklin mill was the largest employer in the community. With the World War II economic boom and the mill solidly in paper, that was when the mill really started taking a look at community giving. It was my generation that was getting active in the community,” Rawls Jr. said in “The Mill.”

Progress 2016 • 25

COURTESY

Rawls Jr. raised over $4 million for the Franklin Flood Fund following the flood that Hurricane Floyd brought in 1999

President of the Southampton Historical Society Lynda Updike said, “He has been interested in the Franklin and Southampton communities all his life.”

According to Updike, a long-time friend of Rawls Jr., he is a Civil War buff, interested in the quiet and rode horseback everyday for as long as he was able to.

In 1953, Rawls Jr. established the Franklin-Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce, and donated the land/space for the chamber. He served as its first president.

“He founded it to bring organized economic growth to the area,” Updike added.

In 1963, he founded Southampton Memorial Hospital and served as president and chairman.

In an article in The Tidewater News on the dedication of the hospital, Rawls Jr. stated, “We are looking forward to a new era of medical services for the communities that will be served by Southampton Memorial Hospital.”

He donated the land for the hospital and later for the Village at Woods Edge. He served on the board of the hospital for 31 years.

As a member of the Camp Family and grandson of one of the founders of the mill, he helped make numerous contributions to the area through the Camp Foundation, such as helping create the local YMCA (see more on contributions from the Camp Foundation).

Beginning in 1983, he was on the board of the Camp Foundation. He served as president for 25 years and held a position for 44 years.

Rawls Jr. experienced Hurricane Floyd and the horrific flooding it brought to Franklin. He was a key person in raising over $4 million for the Franklin Flood Fund from late1999 until mid-2000.

He also led efforts to create Franklin-Southampton Alliance in 2003, which eventually led to FranklinSouthampton Economic Development Inc. in 2005.

Among all that he did for the Western Tidewater, he also served on many other boards throughout Virginia.

He was the youngest president in the history of VMI of its alumnae foundation and served as president of the school’s board from 1951 to 1953, and was the president of Old Dominion Area Boy Scouts of America from

1955 to 1956.

Rawls Jr. was a 10-year member, 1955 to 1966, and chairman and president of Virginia’s State Council for Higher Education from 1964 to 1966. Under this role, he helped conceive the community college system, and convinced Mills Godwin to locate Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, rather than in Suffolk. He also helped conceive the combination of the Medical College of Virginia and Richmond Polytechnic Institute of Virginia Commonwealth University under his presidency. He was awarded an honorary doctorate degree for doing so.

During the 1960s, he served as vice chairman for the Virginia Higher Education Study Commission; vice chairman for the Governor’s Regional Advisory Group for Heart Disease, Cancer and Stroke; and vice chairman of the Virginia Comprehensive Health Planning Council.

He held tenure on the VMI Board of Visitors from 1968 to 1976, where he served as vice president in 1969 and president from 1970 to 1976.

Rawls Jr. was vice president for the Eastern Virginia Medical School Foundation from 1970 to 1980, and

from 1978 to 1990, he helped raise $170 million as co-general chairman of The VMI Campaign.

Since 1983, he has served on the Board of Directors for Franklin Southampton Charities, the VMI Alumni Association (Life) and the Southeast Virginia 4-H Educational Center.

His former directorships include: The Village at Woods Edge; Franklin Concrete Products Company; Continental Telephone Company of Virginia; The George C. Marshall Foundation; the VMI Foundation Inc. and the VMI Keydet Club.

Rawls Jr. has been president of the Virginia Horse Center Foundation since 1990, and owns one of the few registered private packs of foxhounds in Virginia, which is recognized by the Masters Foxhounds Association of America.

He has received many awards and honors which include: Boy Scouts of America Old Dominion Area Council, the Silver Beaver Award in 1955; the First Citizen of Franklin in 1966; an Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree from the Medical College of Virginia in 1968; the Unsung Virginian Award in 1974, the VMI Distinguished Service Award in 1990; Boy Scouts of America Colonial Virginia Council, the Good Scout Award in 1994; the Franklin/Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year in 1998; VMI’s New Market Medal in 2000 and in 2005; he was honored for being the Economic Development Person of the Year for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“I’ve been telling him for years, he is the Energizer Bunny,” Updike continued. “He just turned 96 I believe, his birthday was in October.”

Rawls Jr.’s son, Sol Waite Rawls III said, “Growing up with both of them was an inspiration. Both taught — no, drilled into us — the same two lessons. First, you must serve your community. And second, never take the credit. Give the credit to somebody else. Take the blame yourself.”

26 • Progress 2016

Progress 2016 • 27

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photograph. A monument.

A building. All within walking distance of each other in Franklin, they’re but three tangible examples pointing to the life and legacy of famed educator Della Irving Hayden.

Hayden was born in the early 1850s to a slave (father unknown) in

DELLA IRVING HAYDEN Educator taught, inspired thousands of students

story by Stephen H. Cowles

Tarboro, North Carolina, according to Alvin Harris of Franklin. She came to Franklin as a teenager through her mother after the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil War. “She [Della] had a very inquiring mind and rather a passive-aggressive personality,” Harris said.

Historian Lynda Updike called her “a compassionate woman.”

That desire to learn was both evident and inspiring.

In one of her reminiscences as a Hampton Institute alumna, published in a volume of “Southern Workman,” Hayden wrote that she knew at a young age her goal to become a teacher. The lack of money prevented her mother from helping further the needed education.

Hayden approached Franklin schools Supt. Dr. J.F. Bryant, who also wrote a recommendation to founder Gen. Samuel Chapman Armstrong and

got her in as a state student, which she understood to mean that her board and tuition were covered.

Armstrong was moved to keep Hayden on when she began crying at the realization that was not the case.

“She was a leader then and even had a mischievous streak,” Harris described her, adding that Hayden later had strong involvement in the temperance movement that pleaded an abstinence from alcohol — and was quite a moralist.

In “My Life Work,” also found in a volume of “Southern Workman,” Hayden wrote that she left after two years in order to help both herself and her mother, and began teaching in a little log cabin in the STEPHEN H. COWLES/TIDEWATER NEWS

Friends of Hayden are working toward the old high school's transformation by campaigning to sell engraved bricks.

These will be used to make a pathway from the rehabilitated site to the grave of the school's inspiration, Della Hayden. The Della I. Hayden Memorial Library at S.P. Morton Elementary School features this photographic portrait of the founder and first principal of Franklin Normal Industrial Institute.

Progress 2016 • 29

middle of nowhere. A letter written to her alma mater got her Bibles and other books to also conduct a Sunday School.

“We soon had a fine school; of course I had to act as superintendent, teacher, and chorister. I had a night school also for boys and men who could not attend in the day,” Hayden added.

She returned to HI after two years and graduated in 1877. Her marriage to fellow student Lindsey Hayden lasted only a few months because of his untimely death, and she apparently never remarried.”

After graduation, Hayden taught schools in Southampton County for 14 years, 12 as a principal in a Franklin public school.

“During that time I taught about two thousand children and about two hundred fifty men in night school,” she wrote.

Harris said, “Her primary concerns were the education of young people and to become good moral citizens.”

In January 1904, she founded Franklin Normal and Industrial Institute in a small rented house and later moved to a two-story house.

Throughout her life, Hayden sought out any and all sources that could provide the money or materials to fulfill her goals of educating people.

“She was a force of personality,” Harris said.

That quality and her mission once persuaded a touring Englishwoman, Mrs. Marriage Allen, to give four acres of land. According to Hayden, two years later she received a $6,000 loan to build a dormitory for the girls.

This was at Oak and South streets, said Harris, who added that she also established a farm to be self-sustaining.

Tragically, Hayden died in the town’s first automobile fatality in December 1924, according to Thomas C. Parramore in his book, “Southampton County, Virginia.”

Harris said the woman was taken

to Lakeview Hospital in Suffolk.

There was a huge funeral at Southview Cemetery, and a monument was established in 1927.

••• Of course the photograph is of Hayden, and can be found in the S.P. Morton Elementary School library, named after her in 1990. The marker is close by in Southview Cemetery, which in turn is behind where Hayden High School was built in 1953. Incidentally, Morton Elementary was dedicated in 1965 and named for the high school’s principal at the time. Hayden closed in the 1980s.

After which, it remained vacant until a few years ago when the Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia bought the property. The once historic black school is being renovated to become the Hayden Village Center, a residence for seniors as well as a community center where people can come to learn and grow.

But there’s a greater legacy than the aforementioned objects: there have been countless girls and boys, women and men who Hayden either directly taught or whose influence inspired them to become educated and productive citizens.

“She taught everyone — over thousands of students furthered their education, or went into the military and became very productive citizens.

That was what she was most proud of,” Harris said. “She was a powerful force in terms of this community.

Morality, child rearing, family matters and the power of education as a tool for upward progress. She strongly encouraged that. When I entered the school system in the mid-1950s.

I could feel the discipline. She set an educational tone in Franklin that stood the test of time until schools were desegregated.”

••• Another source for this article come from Virginia A. Davis’ book, “Inspiring African American Women of Virginia (2005),” which can be read online at http://books.google.com.

STEPHEN H. COWLES/TIDEWATER NEWS

The monument at the gravesite of Della I. Hayden, who died in 1924, was set up three years later, and is within site of Hayden High School, named for her in 1953.

30 • Progress 2016

7

THE CAMP FAMILY Generous contributors of money, time and personal involvement

story by Rebecca Chappell

T

he Camp Family, arguably the most significant and impactful family in Western Tidewater, has a legacy in the area that will live a lifetime. However, compared to others from the area, their accomplishments and influences are much more localized.

Their journey began when Camp Manufacturing Company was chartered on April 1, 1887. The business was purchased by Paul D. Camp when he was 37, and he soon decided he wanted to bring his brothers in on the business.

Paul served as president, James L. Camp Sr. served as vice president and Robert J. Camp served as secretary and treasurer.

The other three Camp brothers, John S. Camp, William N. Camp and Benjamin F. Camp, were not actively involved in the company, but they were shareholders.

The sawmill boomed with success for not only the Camp family, but for the City of Franklin and Southampton County as well.

Camp Manufacturing Company became more and more successful each year, bringing financial success to the area, even through the hardships that they faced.

“After surviving the 1907 financial crisis, the Franklin mill ben-

COURTESY / THE MILL

Left: Paul Douglas Camp; Middle: James Leonitas Camp; Right: Robert Judson Camp

efitted when the looming clouds of World War I created a need for more lumber to build Army camps.

Lumber from the mill helped build Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia,” Phyllis E. Speidell wrote in “The Mill.”

In the mid-1930s, Camp Manufacturing Company began to ponder the idea of expanding into papermaking under the leadership of James L. Camp Jr., who assumed the role as president.

At a meeting on Nov. 2, 1936, James Jr. presented his proposed paper mill plans. His proposal was that the Camps join with two other successful firms that were already manufacturing kraft paper products, Albemarle Paper Co., and Chesapeake Corp. of VA. This new company would oper-

ate as an independent of Camp Manufacturing Co., with the Camps having the majority investment.

James Jr. was the president of the new company, Chesapeake-Camp Co. Hugh D. Camp, youngest son of James Sr., was vice president, and John M. Camp, son of Paul, was the secretary-treasurer. The paper mill became operational in 1937.

A few years later in 1945, Camp Manufacturing Co. and Chesapeake-Camp Co. merged and assumed the name Camp Manufacturing Company Inc. By 1955, the corporation was making $28 million in annual sales.

Much of that money was spread throughout the City of Franklin through above average wages and donations made to local organiza-

tions.

In May 1956, Camp Manufacturing Company Inc. merged with the Union Paper Bag Machine Company, which operated under the Calder family. Both the Camps and the Calders were equals of the new company.

On July 13 of that year, the two companies had officially merged and the new company assumed the name Union Camp Corporation.

Union Camp thrived and brought continuous economic success to Franklin, until it was acquired by International Paper in 1999.

“The Camps started a foundation in Franklin — if one day the mill was sold they could continue to give to the town. Showed how much they cared about their town,

Progress 2016 • 31

their church and their families. The main thing the Camp family did for this area was give,” Billy Camp, grandson of one of the Franklin mill founders, James L. Camp, said.

Although Union Camp is no longer operating, the legacy of the Camps lives throughout the area.

The Camp family nurtured the Western Tidewater anew in every way that they could and still continue to do so.

“The first major thing the company did was create, along with other businesses, the Franklin Charities. It ended up being the Camp Foundation until the merger with Union Bag in 1956,” Sol Rawls Jr., grandson of James L. Camp, said in “The Mill.”

Ruth Camp Campbell created an additional trust called the Camp Campbell Foundation. Her sister, Willie Camp Younts, left another separate trust called Camp-Younts Foundation.

Much of their wealth was used to develop the City of Franklin.

“Until the the 1930s the mill executives all worked from modest offices on the second floor over the company store in the old Neely mill building. The stores sold groceries, work clothes, hardware, notions and other staples to employees. In later years, the Camps donated the profits from their company stores to the local YMCA. The stores finally closed in the 1950s,” Speidell said in “The Mill.”

“Camp Foundation was traditionally administered by the community relations manager from the Mill. We got out of that arrangement and hired our own director in the early 1980’s,” Rawls continued. “Then we brought the family foundations under one umbrella with one commons director, but separate boards and separate missions. The Elms Foundation, made up of the family foundations along with the Camp Foundation, now operates from the historic house,

The Elms.”

Originally, the Camp Foundation had been created with goal of building a new hospital. Rawls and his mother, Rena Savage Camp Rawls, donated the land for it in 1963.

“The Ruth Camp Campbell Library started out in the back of the Lankford Store. My father [Sol Rawls Sr.] owned a house in downtown and let the library move in (that building is now the Chamber of Commerce offices),” Rawls added. “The library then moved to the Pace House. The Camp Foundation funded the library that’s now built on Ruth Camp’s land.

“The Texie Camp Marks Children’s Center is on land from the old home-place as is the library.

Texie, Mr. Paul D. Camp’s daughter, also helped revive Chowan College,” Rawls said.

The Camp Family and the Camp Foundation also helped create the local YMCA, gave land to bring Paul D. Camp Community College and created the Cypress Cove Country Club.

“Without the Camp Corporation, there are so many things we would not have. The Camps were civic-minded back in the 1800s, as well as they are now,” Southampton Historical Society President Lynda Updike said. “Not only were the Camp men strong, the women were strong women.”

Speidell said, “The Franklin mill and Western Tidewater have been synonymous for generations. The Camp family considered the greater community their home — and took responsibility for making that home the best it could be. Their generous contributions of money, time and personal involvement colored the management philosophy of the mill where employees followed their example of volunteering in the community as well.”

Rawls added, “It was a remarkable family.”

32 • Progress 2016

6

BENJAMIN F. HICKS Inventor revolutionized harvesting of peanuts

story by Stephen H. Cowles

N

ot every farmer who’s ever raised peanuts has known the name of Benjamin F. Hicks. But they — like the public that enjoys eating them — owe the Vicksville inventor a jumbo-sized debt of gratitude.

Starting in the early 20th century, his gasoline-powered peanut picker started to make the task of harvesting much, much more easier than picking by hand or even using horses and mules.

A blacksmith and farmer by trade, his device both stems and cleans peanuts. He patented the machine, though reportedly not without a struggle, and won the legal battle.

Two local people who appreciate what the Hicks’ invention could do are Katherine “Kitty” Futrell and Bill Vick.

“I grew up on a farm [in the Boykins District near Hebron Church],” Futrell said. “I knew firsthand what it took to harvest peanuts. I watched as a child exactly how much labor it was, and what a better job a peanut picker would do.”

She also said her father, Robert Kirkland Sr., did use such a machine, though it didn’t register with her at the time.

In 2008, the research that she did

STEPHEN H. COWLES | TIDEWATER NEWS

A display case at the Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum and Heritage Village in Courtland includes a model of Hicks’ machine, which was built by the Benthall Machinery Company of Suffolk in 1919.

with fellow historian Lynda Updike and Hicks’ descendants culminated in the dedication of one of those familiar silver highway markers, this one commemorating the inventor’s contribution to the world of agriculture. That sign can be found on southbound Ivor Road (Route 616), just a few yards from the intersection with St. Lukes Road. Updike said Hicks is reportedly buried on his farm on Round Hill Road, though she doesn’t know if the grave is identified.

“The design inside really hasn’t changed,” said Vick, whose father, Jim, had such a picker at his farm in Conway, North Carolina, and would hire it out to surrounding farms. Vick added that the Benthall Machinery Company in Suffolk did modernize the invention, and people can see the evolving examples at

the Southampton Agriculture and Forestry Museum and Heritage in Courtland.

A sign in a display case where a model of Hicks’ peanut picker is housed notes that he’s said to have also invented and patented a peanut planter and manure spreader.

Not to take away from Hicks, but another Southampton County resident who aided in the growth of agriculture was Caleb Everett, who invented early peanut planters.

You might be tempted to think that Hicks’ contributions wasn’t all that important. After all, somebody else could have invented the gaspowered peanut picker. But nobody else did. The revolutionary laborsaving machine was invented by Benjamin F. Hicks.

And he lived in Southampton County, Virginia.

FILE

Kenneth Bowers, a fifth-generation descendant of inventor Benjamin F. Hicks, stands beside the highway marker, which was dedicated in June 2008.

Progress 2016 • 33

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34 • Progress 2016

5 S

ounds like the name of a character you’d find in an Ayn Rand novel, doesn’t it?

The good kind, of course. One who made a life for himself and his family, and whose work made it possible for other people to give the best of their skills in creating something useful ... something lasting.

To write only that he invented a new machine for logging and founding a supporting company wouldn’t do him justice. Better then to get a sense of the man from someone who knew and worked for him, local historian and former employee Clyde Parker.

Drake, a native of Boykins, was an Army veteran of World War II, serving as a combat engineer in Germany. The newspaper’s obituary for him in July 2012 noted that he signed up right after graduating from high school and fought with Company A, 269th Engineer Battalion in the 69th Infantry.

On returning, Drake went to work at Camp Manufacturing Company as a maintenance mechanic for equipment. Then he went to the Cavalier Service Station, and still did some duties for Camp because he was still on quite good terms.

“While still at Camp, he was involved with woodlands people managing timber, building fire trails

ROGER WILSON DRAKE SR. Entrepreneur’s high standards created industry here

story by Stephen H. Cowles

and setting up equipment used to harvest trees,” Parker said. “He had a better idea for a logging tractor and developed the equipment for the woods.”

Instead of a tractor with a caterpillar belt, Drake had the idea of putting on oversized rubber tires and using an articulated steering system. He made four prototypes that were tested by Camp, which gave positive feedback.

“Therefore he had support for his idea, and was asked to build four more,” Parker said, adding that Drake likely said, ‘Wow! I’ve got a company here,’ He leased a hangar at the Franklin airport and started building. Franklin Equipment Company began in July 1962, making the Franklin Logger.

With 50 employees initially, the plant outgrew its space and moved to a 180-square-foot building behind Camp Manufacturing to house an assembly line.

“They were cranking them out and selling generally in the region,” Parker said. Obtaining a dealer in Brunswick, Georgia, was another step; others followed. “Therefore, his market expanded greatly.”

Eventually, 150 to 175 people became employed by Drake, one of whom was Parker, hired in 1969 as a personnel manager.

Expansion went up to Canada at one point, but that was reportedly closed because the plant couldn’t

keep up the needed quality. A foundry in Oregon was established to make metal parts, and an acquired company in Detroit, Michigan that created axles was eventually brought to Franklin. The Tree Farmer tractor company in Alabama was also purchased and found its way north.

“He brought a new work industry into town,” Parker said. “He also manufactured competitors’ lines. There were eight tractor trailers picking up and delivering in the west coast.

“The company became very, very COURTESY / CLYDE PARKER self-sufficient to build his product Roger Wilson Drake Sr., a native of — not only build and assemble, but Boykins, created both a new logger also manufacture 75 to 80 percent and industry in Western Tidewater.

COURTESY / FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Franklin Equipment Company was established on July 16, 1962, which manufactured Drake’s Franklin Logger.

Progress 2016 • 35

of the components for the tractors, such as axles, transmissions and hydraulics. I expect you’ll not find a company that did that much of its own product.”

At the height there were 100 dealerships in 25 states and eight foreign countries. At one time, there were 400 employees.

There had been some overtures to buy or merge, still Drake “wanted autonomy. He was his own man.”

In the world, Franklin Equipment Company had only about 17 percent of the logging tractor market.

Caterpillar and John Deere were even then dominant forces.

“So it was still small in many, many ways,” Parker said, adding that unlike the aforementioned competitors, Franklin Equipment did not do financing of its tractors. “We were depending on lending institutions.”

Through no fault of Drake, his company was severely affected by the downturn of the economy in 2008, which resulted in no new orders that year. The plant was closed late that year and bankruptcy was declared in January 2009.

Parker remembered Drake as someone who had “an adamant work ethic. He had high standards and demanded high quality. But he was a fair man.”

He continued, “It was a very unusual company. He [Drake] was good at surrounding himself with people having various talents. He contributed immensely to the economy for a long time. He was a heavy influence in the creation of the Workforce Development Center., the YMCA building committee. He was my scoutmaster.

People don’t realize the extent of what he did. It’s significant.”

Parker remembered that an editorial written published in The Tidewater News pointed out that all that Drake did, specifically Franklin Equipment Company, didn’t come from somewhere else.

It came from here.

COURTESY FRANKLIN-SOUTHAMPTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Franklin Logger, designed by Roger W. Drake Sr., was a revolutionary development for machines to harvest trees for timber. From this came Franklin Equipment Company, which brought a new industry to Western Tidewater.

36 • Progress 2016

4 C

olgate Whitehead Darden Jr. was a Democratic United States Representative, the 54th Governor of Virginia, chancellor of the College of William and Mary and the third president of the University of Virginia.

Born on Feb. 11, 1887, at a farm near Sedley to Katherine Lawrence (Pretlow) and Colgate Whitehead Darden Sr., Darden lived a modest life. He entered the American Ambulance Corps with the 32nd French Infantry in 1916. He then returned stateside to serve as a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps Aviation Service during World War I. Darden graduated from the University of Virginia in 1922 before going to grad school at Columbia University. Upon receiving his law degree, he went to Oxford University on a Carnegie Scholarship.

Darden was admitted to the bar and opened a practice in Norfolk.

In 1932, Darden was elected to Congress as an at-large member, a seat which he held until he resigned to run for governor in 1941. Elected governor with more than 80 percent of the vote, Darden reorganize the state’s civil defense, reformed the penal system and created a pension plan for state employees and teachers in just one term. Observers

COLGATE DARDEN JR. Acted as Governor, college president

story by Andrew Lind

consider Darden’s governorship as one of the best of the 20th century.

Despite his lack of faculty experience and the fact that he would abolish the fraternity system at his alma mater, the Southampton County native was named the third president of the University of Virginia in 1947 after a one-year stint as chancellor at William and Mary.

At UVa, Darden was responsible for building the student union, the establishment of the school’s judiciary committee, the creation of the graduate school of business — which was named in his memory — and significant upgrades to faculty salaries.

Darden was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as an United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in1955, where he toured Asia and Europe as a member of a committee on foreign aid and security. He was named to the Virginia Board of Education just one year later, and was asked to reopen Prince Edward County Public Schools, which had been closed to avoid integration.

Darden later became instrumental in writing a revision to the state constitution which would guarantee that every child in the commonwealth receive a high-quality education.

Retirement brought Darden back to Norfolk, where he and his wife were known as generous philan-

thropists. They often lent support to his alma mater, the Boy Scouts and the Norfolk music industry.

Governor Darden died of heart failure on June 9, 1981, at his home in Norfolk. He was buried with his parents on the farm in Sedley that had been in his family since the 18th century.

COURTESY SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Top: Colgate W. Darden Jr., left talks with Boykins lawyer Gilbert W. Francis, president of Southampton County Historical Society in the 1970’s. Bottom: Darden’s home, built in stages from 1720 to 1860 and registered as a Virginia landmark.

Progress 2016 • 37

“Chowan gave me hope and a second chance. Coming out of high school, I didn’t have the best grades. I probably wasn’t supposed to go to college, but Chowan was that second chance for me. I was the first in my family to go to college. Chowan gave me the hope that I could actually be a college graduate.

Now, as a teacher in the local public schools, I get to bring that hope to a different group of students, to a whole new level. I get to tell my students I did it, even though I never believed I could. I want them to believe and to know it’s possible for them too.”

-Kendall Charity, Class of 2010 Choose hope. Choose transformation. Choose passion.

Choose Chowan.

One University Place | Murfreesboro, NC 27855 | www.chowan.edu | 1 (888) 4-CHOWAN

38 • Progress 2016

3

SAM POPE

State Legislator whom introduced sales tax bill story by Rebecca Chappell

ing, “The sales tax is not a last result tax, but a modern tax, one which will be our major tax source from am Pope, also known as now on. The old tax base should be “Sales Tax Sam,” was a farmer adjusted at the same time.”

Aside from being state legislator, and former state legislator from Drewryville best known for he was a member of the Drewryville introducing and passing the sales Ruitans among several other civic tax bill — the same tax that is used organizations in the area. He was every day all throughout the state of also a member of the Drewryville United Methodist Church.

Virginia.

In 1966, he was the recipient of Pope was born on May 18, 1905, the “Jefferson Cup and graduated from Award.” The award Drewryville High He believed is given out by the School. He received Virginia Associahis Bachelor of Arts it to be the tion of Counties to degree from Ranfairest tax a person with outdolph-Macon College and did gradufor everyone. standing contributions and achieveate work at Virginia ments in local Tech.

He served in the Virginia House government. The award was created of Representatives from 1946 to in 1964, and the first one was given out in 1965.

1974.

Although he stayed busy, he alBeginning in 1947, he tried to get ways made time for his family.

Virginia to execute a sales tax.

“The things I remember the most “He believed it to be the fairest tax for everyone,” his grandson about him were going grocery shopping with him at JT Barhams Mark Pope said.

Pope thought that the share go- in Capron and riding with him ing back to the counties and cities to Emporia on Saturdays to get a should be dispensed solely on the haircut,” Mark said. “He would albasis of school aged population, but ways take time after dinner to let he would settle for the state taking me climb up into his lap and read all the money and assuming the full to me. He was a very caring man that loved his family, Southampton cost of minimum teacher salaries.

An article published in The Free County and the State of Virginia.”

Pope died at the age of 93 on Lance Star in 1965, a newspaper out of Fredericksburg, quoted him say- April 12, 1999.

S

“

”

SUBMITTED

Top: Sam Pope in Richmond with two of his grandsons Tripp and Chris Pope.

Bottom: Sam Pope with members of his family. Pictured from left are Chris Pope, Sam Pope Jr., Jeanee Pope, Jeffrey Pope, Mark Pope and Sam Pope Sr.

Progress 2016 • 39

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40 • Progress 2016

2 A

lthough many factors led to the Civil War, it has been said that the “Dred Scott Decision” was a major factor in it.

Dred Scott, a slave in Southampton County in the early 1800s, was known for suing the government for his and his family’s freedom. The lawsuit is what became known as the “Dred Scott Decicision.”

He was born sometime around 1799 and he and his family were owned by the Peter Blow family.

In 1830, they moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was soon sold to Dr. John Emerson. Emerson was a military surgeon stationed in St. Louis at the time of the purchase.

They would eventually move to Illinois, Wisconsin and other territories near there.

Slavery had been prohibited by the Missouri Compromise of 1820, but for unknown reasons, Scott never tried to obtain his freedom.

He did, however, marry a slave at Fort Sneeling, Harriet Robinson.

Together they had four children — two boys who died in infancy, and two girls, Eliza and Lizzie.

Emerson also married. While living in Louisiana for a short amount of time, he married Irene Sanford.

In 1842, Emerson, Irene, Scott, his wife and their children moved

DRED SCOTT

Lawsuits for freedom were a factor in Civil War story by Rebecca Chappell

back to St. Louis. A year after the move, Emerson died.

Although it is not certain, it is believed that Irene hired out Scott and his family to work for other families.

This is when Scott decided that he wanted his freedom.

In 1846, him and his wife filed a lawsuit against Irene. Their argument was that they had already lived in free territories for several years.

Missouri supported the doctrine of “once free, always free.”

Scott was poor and uneducated, so he needed help with the lawsuit. His minister, John Anderson, helped influence and guide him, while the Blow family helped him financially.

The first trial was in 1846. The Scotts lost because hearsay evidence was presented, however, the judge granted them the right to a second trial.

The second trail was in 1850. The jury of 12 white men heard the evidence and decided that the Scotts should be granted their freedom.

Irene argued that they were valuable property and that she didn’t want to lose them. She appealed the case to the Missouri State Supreme court.

They reversed the ruling and said, “Times now are not as they were when the previous decisions on this subject were made.”

In 1854, Scott, along with a new team of lawyers, filed a suit in the St. Louis Federal Court against John F.

COURTESY / THE DRED SCOTT HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Dred Scott

A. Sanford, Irene’s brother and the executor of the Emerson Estate. The courts sided with Sanford, but Scott then made the decision to appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On March 6, 1857, what became known as the “Dred Scott Decision”

was revealed. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney delivered the decision.

Seven out of nine justices said that Scott should remain a slave. It was also ruled that Scott had no right to bring the lawsuits in federal courts because Scott was a slave and had

Progress 2016 • 41

no rights. It was also declared that Scott had never been free because he was personal property and that the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was unconstitutional because the Federal Government had no right to prohibit slavery in the new territories.

Regardless of this ruling, on May 26, 1857, the Scott family did receive their freedom.

Irene had remarried in 1850 to a northern Congressman who was opposed to slavery, Calvin C. Chaffee. She turned the Scotts back over to the Blow family and two sons of Peter Blow purchased them their freedom.

However, the American public reacted very strongly and very harshly to the “Dred Scott Decision,” and it is believed this ultimately moved the country to the point of Civil War. The biggest outcomes from the decision were that the new Republican party, founded in 1854 to prohibit the spread of slavery, renewed its fight to gain control of Congress and the courts, which led to the Republicans creating a conducive political campaign and the split of the Democratic party and Abraham Lincoln being elected as president.

This led to South Carolina’s succession from the Union. All of these factors moved the country to the verge of Civil War. Scott died of tuberculosis on Sept.

18, 1858, only a little over a year after receiving his freedom.

Scott’s legacy can be found in different pictures, statues, books, museums and more throughout the United States. One of his legacy’s can found in Southampton County.

A State Historical Highway Marker was dedicated in April 2013, in honor of Dred Scott and the Blow Family. The marker was placed at the intersection of Route 58 and Buckhorn Quarter Road, near the Blow Plantation Scott grew up on.

The marker reads, “Dred Scott and The Blow Family. Dred Scott,

a slave, lived as a child northeast of here on the Peter Blow Plantation early in the 1800s. The Blows moved to Missouri and in 1830 sold Scott to an army officer who was stationed in various free territories. Scott was sued for his and his family’s freedom in 1846 because he lived where slavery was illegal. In 1857, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery and that Scott was property, not a citizen. The Dred Scott Decision outraged abolitionists and further divided the nation, Blow’s sons purchased Scott’s freedom in 1857; he died in 1858.”

During the unveiling of the marker, President of the Southampton Historical Society Lynda Updike said that Scott was one of the four slaves from Southampton County who made an impact on Southampton County history and the abolition of slavery. The other ones were Nat Turner, Anthony Gardnir and John Brown.

Lynne Jackson, the great-great granddaughter of Scott and the president and founder of the Dred Scott Foundation, attended the unveiling and she said, “I was blessed to be able to attend the unveiling of the Dred Scott Blow Family Highway Marker in Southampton, Virginia. Thanks to Jeff Hines, a Blow Family descendant, and Rick Frances, a Southampton County Courthouse Clerk, their research not only resulted in the marker, but also in Jeff ’s book, “Dred Scott’s Virginia.”

“My great-great grandfather has become iconic for so many issues regarding civil rights and I am so honored to share his story and keep those histories alive,” she continued.

“He was a humble man with a huge character.”

••• This information, along with more on Dred Scott and the impact he had on Southampton County COURTESY / LYNNE JACKSON and the country, can be found at Statue of Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, which can be found at the Dred www.dredscottfoundation.org.

Scott Heritage Foundation in Missouri.

42 • Progress 2016

1 O

n Aug. 21, 1831, Nat Turner led the most notable slave uprising in United States history, killing nearly 60 white men, women and children in Southampton County.

Born on Oct. 2, 1800, to a plantation owner named Benjamin Turner, Nat Turner was considered a prophet by those who knew him.

In fact, his mother and grandmother said that he was “intended for some greater purpose.” Turner was instructed by his owner in reading, writing and religion, and would often spend his time reading the Bible, praying and fasting.

Turner believed that he was chosen by God to lead the slaves in Southampton County from bondage, and interpreted a solar eclipse as “a black man’s hand reaching over the white man’s sun” as a sign to begin a revolution.

Drewryville native Bruce Turner, who claims to be a descendant of Nat Turner, traces his own lineage through his father and grandfather to Fanny Turner, granddaughter of Nat Turner.

“He was here,” Bruce said of Nat in Southampton County. “We’re here because of the people from that time period. The significance of Nat Turner’s life is that he made a great, great goal of being more than

NAT TURNER

Led the largest slave rebellion in U.S. history story by Andrew Lind and Stephen H. Cowles

just being born.

“He was not just trying to save himself, but to end slavery altogether. Nat’s goal was to end slavery.

That was a higher goal than just his own individual freedom.”

There were slaves in the past who had rebelled, “but no one had put together such a concerted effort,” he added. “The fact that slaves such as Turner were willing to fight and give their lives if necessary, and even take the lives of white slavers disproved the white population’s notion that slaves were glad of their status, because they’d be so much worse off elsewhere. They weren’t happy, and the insurrection proved it.”

Nat Turner recruited more than 70 enslaved and free AfricanAmericans to join him in the uprising, which was initially planned for Independence Day, but was postponed when Turner fell ill.

Traveling from house to house with knives, hatchets, axes and blunt instruments, Turner and the rebels freed slaves and killed nearly every white person they encountered. Only the poor survived the onslaught, as Turner believed they “thought no better of themselves than they did of negroes.”

As the group marched closer to the county seat of Jerusalem — now Courtland — to take over the armory, they were met and defeated by militia with twice the manpower

COURTESY

An artist’s interpretation of Nat Turner at the time of his trial.

and artillery. Turner, meanwhile, fled into the nearby woods, where he would hide in a hole for more than two months.

The aftermath of the insurrection was far more reaching, however, as

an estimated 150 African-Americans were killed in retaliation — a number of which were not even involved in the uprising. The state tried and executed 57 others for their roles, with their severed heads

Progress 2016 • 43

mounted on poles at crossroads as a warning or form of intimidation.

When captured, Turner pleaded his innocence; he claimed that the rebellion was a work of God. He was sentenced to death by hanging, and his body was flayed, beheaded and quartered.

Soon after Turner’s execution, his lawyer — Thomas Ruffin Gray — published “The Confessions of Nat Turner.” Considered the primary historical document regarding the Turner’s life, the novel is inspired by Gray’s conversations with the rebel leader before his trial.

As mentioned, what Turner thought would spread terror only incited harsher laws against slaves in the south. State legislatures passed statutes that made it unlawful to teach slaves and free blacks to read or write, which rendered most

SUBMITTED / MARK PERSON

Nat Turner’s Bible is on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

illiterate by the end of the American Civil War. Bruce Turner also said he believes that the “Jim Crow” laws, which legalized racial segregation in many Southern states, were intended to prevent a reoccurrence of an insurrection of that nature.

Some would argue, however, that Turner’s efforts marked the onset of emancipation. The insurrectionist’s goal was realized by the Civil War 30 years later.

“In a way, he contributed to that as one of the first shots of the Civil War,” Bruce said. “The white government in Virginia tried to downplay the insurrection.”

But, he noted that standing armies were quickly established after the rebellion as a way to keep slaves from successfully copying the killing of slave owners. With those militia, the Confederacy had a source to build on at the start of the war and were able to match or exceed the Union’s abilities.

Vivian Lucas of Capron, also a descendant of Nat Turner, said that he should be remembered for “his great fight for freedom.

“Nat Turner was really great because he started the Civil War by what he did, which freed the slaves — to an extent,” she said.

Growing up, she learned about her famous ancestor.

“I did hear about them (stories), but at first I didn’t know what they were saying,” Lucas said. “People would say as if they were afraid, ‘You’d better watch out! Nat Turner’s in those woods!’”

But that, she added, was “A lot of ignorance. People didn’t understand. Children didn’t understand.”

As a result of Nat Turner’s deed, Lucas added, “There were a number of slave conspiracies that were uncovered in the South at this time and a lot of people were killed unnecessarily just because they were thought to have been friends or relatives of blacks.”

44 • Progress 2016

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DUCERS TO PLANT 9.1 MIL

WEDNESDAY , FEBRUARY 17,

BY ANDREW LIND STAFF WRITE R andrew.lind@tidewaterne ws.com

RICHMOND

Recently, mem gySure Coalition,bers of the Enerof 189 businesses,a diverse group labor organization and other local, state and tional groups sent a letter to naGov. Terry McAuliff e, thanking him for

Director at The

his continued suppo lantic Coast Pipeli rt of the Atne. The letter highlights the significant econo ic benefits of the mproposed 550-mile, $5 billion pipeline project that would deliver natural from wells in Ohio, gas Pennsylvania and West Virgin ia.

It is expected to than 17,000 jobs, generate more economic activi $2.7 billion in ty and $4.2 millio n

Village at Wood s Edge

FRANKLIN Earlier this mont director and long- h, memory care time employee The Village at Woods Edge, Billie of Turner, assum ed the position of executive direct or. new role in the Turner began her company on Feb. as Rhonda Stewa 1, rt, now forme ecutive direct r exor, exited The Villag “I immensely enjoyed my time e.

in average annu al nue during const local tax reveginia alone, construction. In Virport 8,800 jobs ruction will supand result in $1.4 billion in econo mic “This project will activity. open the door to bringing new industry to the state of Virgin ia,” the Virginia State said President of Building and Construction Trades Matt Yonka “If you have the power source, . you

Billie Turner, left,

T

with former direct

or Rhonda Stewa

SUBMITTED

rt.

residents services lea der

serving as the executive direct The Village at or at Woods Edge. It was a difficult decis ion wonderful place to leave such a relocation due , but my husband’s to required a chang his employment e,” Stewa rt said when asked to reflect on her time at The Village and leaving. “The Villagher decision for dents, family mem e Board, resibers and staff embraced me when I started at The Village in 2008, and together to streng we all worked The Village’s servicthen and grow es. I am gratef ul

FRANKLIN The Franklin Police Department stated that one offi by a suspect while cer was struck call over the weekeresponding to a nd. The officer sustained mino r suspect, Willia injuries and the m taken into custo Towns Jr., was dy.

On Sunday at approximately a.m., the Frank 10 lin Police Depa ment received rta to a suspicious call in reference black male going out and of the bathroom at the in William Towns Jr. 1500 block of Armory Drive .

Two Franklin bathroom and police officers discovered in sponded, and rethe trashcan sever upon arrival they al noticed a black allegedly attem items that Towns male matching pted to shoplift. description walki the This offi cer then Walmart. Once ng toward mation to the relayed that inforTowns noticed other. officers, he chang the That officer then appro and headed away ed directions ached Towns attempted from the store to speak with going toward him, which is the 1400 block when he struck of Ar- officer mory Drive. the and a strugg One officer went Towns was then le ensued. inside the busitaken into cusness that had tody and made to the departmen the phone call battery charged with assault and again t, while st law the other 3rd enfor continued to keep offense petit larcen cement, an eye on Towns. y, resist arrest and obstru ing After the one offi Towns was transpction of justice. store personnel, cer spoke with Tidewater Regio orted to Western he checked the nal is being held witho Jail, where he ut bond.

The Tidewat

have the ability to bring more indus build more and try.”

Barry DuVal, presid ent and CEO of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, concu rred.

“The Atlantic Coast Pipeline will improve Virgin ia’s petitiveness and economic comhelp diversify our economy,” he said. “Ready acces to affordable, s clean help existing Virgin natural gas will ia businesses

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expand and attrac to the Commonwet new employers Attracting new alth.” top priority for businesses is the organ as the Franklin-So izations such Chamber of Commuthampton Area Franklin-Southam erce and the pton Economic Development Inc., which are among the nearly 200 groups that SEE COALITION, A6

Western Tidewater

Living

The Franklin Police SUBMITTED linked to a home Department is searching for two invasion on Edwa caught on surve rds Street. The suspects illanc at least four times e cameras on Dec. 4, broke suspects, into the home since Labor Day.

Suspect strikes Franklin police office r STAFF REPOR

2016

vernor for support of

Retirement com munity announces new ex ec ut ive director Board appoints Bill ie Turner, former

BY REBECCA CHAPPELL STAFF WRITE R rebecca.chappell@ tidewaternews.com

IN 2016, B1

37

Coalition praises go

New Executive

LION ACRES OF COTTON

for the opportunit tion of the many y and appreciationships I devel meaningful relaworking in Frankoped living and lin.”

Turner said of ture, “Rhonda Stewart’s deparStewart has been strumental in inenhan vices of The Villag cing the sere — we now have the best deme ntia care availa ble through Asa’s Neighborhood, Memory Care at Back Porch & The Village. The Grille is yet anoth er SEE DIRECTOR, A6

Franklin police, homeowner searching for break-in suspects

BY ANDREW

VDOT to elicit com me on bridge replacem nts ent Informal presentation scheduled today

BY ANDREW LIND STAFF WRITE R andrew.lind@tidewaterne ws.com

LIND

while the owne STAFF WRITE r R town on busin was out of andrew.lind@tidewaterne ess. ws.com “We’ve attempted numerFRANKLIN ous things, but don’t have the The Franklin Police means of postin Depa rt- tion on social g the informament is lookin g for media to help pects who broke two suscatch the suspe into an Edcts,” said wards Street home Franklin Patro l Officer Kevin four times since at least Muse.

Labor Day. The homeowne Another suspe ct was arrestnot to be ident r, who asked ed and charg ified, provided ed with surveillance video and entering earlie breaking r this tures of the intrud s and picmonth, Muse said, Tidewater News ers to The be identified becaubut cannot se he is a it would help in hopes that juvenile. lead to an arrest .

Cash and other Those with inform valuable items ation are were stolen from asked to conta ct the home Crime Line at the Franklin 562-5899.

bridge with one that meets the current desig dards, with addit n stanCOURTLAND of-way and utilityional rightments to widen easeThe Virginia Depa the bridg rtment with of Transporta 12-foot lanes and e tion will have ninea public heari ng at 5:30 p.m. foot shoulders. The project today in the South would also includ County Administraampton improvements e roadway to the apBuilding, where tion proaches and a new ent proposed it will pres- water manageme storm plans for the nt facility. replacement of Th ose who cannot attend a General Thomas bridge on the hearing are asked to over the Notto Highway submit comm way ents will be an open- River. It proposal by Mond on the house foray, Feb. mat with no forma 29, to l presen- ane project manager Ditation.

Geouge by email at n. geouge@vdot.virg Senior public affairs speinia.gov, cialist Tiffany Whitfield said referencing “Route 671 over through a press Nottoway River release that Bridg the purpose of placement Comm e Rethe meeting is to give reside the subject line. ent” in nts portunity to reviewan opFor the proj- visit more information, ect exhibits on http://www.virgin display, iadmeet with VDOT ot.org/projects/ha tatives and providrepresen- roads/route_671_ mptone thomas_highwa general_ The project will input. y_over_notreplac e the structurally toway_river_brid deficient ge_repla

Linda P. Soucek scholarships continue STAFF REPOR T

FRANKLIN The family of Linda P. Soucek and the Franklin City dation proudly Educational Founannounce the continuation of two scholarships in memory of Mrs. Soucek. Linda , who passed away in December of 2013, was a beloved English teacher of many years at Frank One of the two lin High School. awarded each scholarships year is presented student in the to a regular senior Englis course, with the other presented h student in either to Advanced Place- a ment English or Dual Enrollment English.

Each scholarship the student with awards $1,000 to the demic achievemen greatest acaEnglish), oral prese t (especially in extra-curricular ntation skill and activity, particularly in the areas of leade munity contributionrship and comStudents may apply. for these scholarships by way of the Frank High School offi lin ce.

Among the most extraordinary teachers, Souce k loved he

A pointed approach Affiliates of Sportsman’s Hunting Preserve talk bird dogs and the process of training them

Magical Christmas memories

Reliving childhood memories of meeting ‘The Real Santa’ and the Snow Queen at the Miller & Rhoads department store

Catching up with...

Ann Councill Brown, with her husband, Ryan, has traveled far to give back and help those less fortunate WINTER 2015 • vol. 6, no. 4

Progress 2016 • 47