LoCoHistory

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I searched Albemarle County maps for roads named after the genus Meleagris, order Galliformes, i.e. “Turkey.” Road names are a great source of local history, often preserving family names, events, animal species (sometimes long since extinct, e.g. Buffalo Gap), and occasionally imaginative monikers (common in developments that select historically or romantically inspired names which lack authenticity). In my search for Benjamin Franklin’s “Noble bird,” I first located Turkey Sag Road and Creek (in Keswick). Does anyone know the origin of this name ? Next, I found Turkey Run Road in Stonypoint, also associated with a Creek. Nearby “Brock’s Mill Road” provides additional insight into the 19th Century neighborhood when, presumably, the Brock family ran a mill (most likely grain or lumber) along Priddy’s Creek. Moving to Mechum’s River, we find the non-domestic variant, M. gallopavo, at Wild Turkey Lane. But the most interesting setting was Turkey Ridge Road in the “Peacock Hill” neighborhood. Here we find an Acorn Lane, adjacent to the appropriately named “Shady Lane” and “Big Oak Road.” Down the road we find other fowl species at “Peacock Drive” and “Heron Lane,” with a partial bird at “Gooseneck Lane.” The edge of the neighborhood contains “Apple Lane” and the inexplicable “Zump Lane.” Itemize the road names near your house and see if you come up with a scene from the past, real or imagined.

This Sunday the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (ACHS) hosts an open quarterly meeting, for members and the public. The event is scheduled for Veteran’s Day, November 11th, at 2pm in the Emmanuel Church in Greenwood. The meeting will include the ACHS Annual Report, elections of officers, and an illustrated talk on the tree industry by Tom Dierauf (formerly with the Virginia Department of Forestry). After the talk there will be a chance to tour two lumber companies: Yancey (the origin of the name Yancey Mills) and J.B. Barnes. For more information (and directions), visit the ACHS Website.

When settlers first arrived in Albemarle they spent a great deal of time clearing the then heavily forested Piedmont. Shortly there after, this lumber was used to build houses and fences. In the early 20th Century, W.W. King built a warehouse for storing timber products, shown here in an old photograph (the warehouse, not Reid’s Supermarket). This company went out of business during the depression, but many other industries flourished and continue into the present. Come join us this Sunday to learn more about this historic industry.