LoCoHistory

Last week’s post provided the historic context for the large African American population that lived in Amherst County, Virginia. But families and individuals should not be reduced to numbers. In this post we review the life of a interesting woman: Signora Hollins. Signora was born in either 1861 or 1864, during the Civil War.

Signora first arrived at Sweet Briar around 1874 when her aunt was hired as the cook for Indiana Williams’ household (at Sweet Briar House). As a young girl on a rural farm Signora quickly befriended her only contemporary: Daisy Williams (Indiana’s daughter). Many decades later Signora remembered playing with Daisy on the farm which she described as “thick woods everywhere except for the garden and the landscaped grounds immediately surrounding Sweet Briar House. An iron gate at the entrance into the grounds was guarded by a dog so fierce that he had to be caged whenever visitors came, which was not often” (quoted from Stohlman, The Story of Sweet Briar College, p. 28). Sometime in her teens, Signora went north to live with relatives. She returned to Amherst a decade or so later and married Bias Hollins in 1890 (when she was about 22).

Between 1890 and 1910 Signora had 6 children, none of whom survived. In 1910 she and Bias were living in Amherst, together with a relative, Mary Rucker, and her 3 children. By 1920, Signora was widowed and had moved to her brother’s house in Elon where she worked as a cook for an Amherst family.

In 1931 Signora was asked to participate in a cornerstone ceremony for the newly built Daisy Williams Gymnasium. In honor of the occasion, she contributed a book that Daisy had given her to the Cochran Library. On the eve of this event the mysterious “Daisy medallion” was re-discovered in a closet by a housekeeper, just in time to hang it in the new gym. Two decades later, in the summer of 1954,  Signora died.

When Carter G. Woodson first proposed a celebration of African American culture and history it was designated as a “week.” First observed in 1926 he called it “Negro History Week.” In 1976 this evolved into “Black History Month.” Ideally every day of the year we would recognize the historical and cultural contributions of African Americans. In this blog I will focus on African America history in Amherst County for the next 4 weeks.

African Americans joined European Americans as they migrated from eastern Virginia to the “West.” The Shenandoah Mountains created a natural barrier to this 18th-century expansion and several large land grants were applied for just east of this high ridge. Several counties were founded in this region in the mid-18th century, including Amherst (in 1761). To understand the growth of the African-American population (both Free and enslaved), we turn to a quantifiable historic record, the first US Census, held in 1790. In that year 40% of Amherst County’s population was enslaved (Total population: 13,703; enslaved population 5,296; source University of Virginia Historical Census Browser). By 1860, on the eve of the Civil War, the enslaved population was 6,278 (after a peak of 7,462 in 1800). The maps (modified from the Census Browser) indicate the relative number of slaves in Amherst as compared to the surrounding Virginian counties. Note: in 1790 Amherst (”A” on the map) and Nelson (”N” on the map) were not yet separated and in both maps today’s West Virginia was still part of the state of Virginia.

Did you ever wonder where the term “milestone” came from ? As in, “I’ve reached an important milestone today.” A synonym today would be “sign” or “mile marker” and the modern-day version is likely to be green with white, plastic lettering. The photo shown here illustrates an historic version of a road sign. Today the marker lies behind the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society, but it is no longer in situ. The date of this marker is uncertain but the number, most likely, corresponds to a mile along an historic turnpike. If it’s a local marker, the “L” might stand for “Lynchburg.”

During James Monroe’s Presidency (1817-1825), the first interstate roadways were created. As coaches and horseback riders traveled further away from home on federal roadways these mileage markers or milestones became increasingly important. Note, “boundary stones” were also erected during this time period. For example, the District of Columbia was surrounded by 40 such stones, shaped like diamonds, and placed a mile apart. Click here to visit a website with an interactive map for each of these stones.

Freemasonry emerged from the craft guilds of stone masons during the Middle Ages. This “secret society” became very popular in Colonial America and many of the founding fathers belonged to Masonic Societies, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and John Paul Jones. The Masonic Service Association website defines the organization as “a worldwide fraternity emphasizing personal study, self-improvement, and social betterment via individual involvement and philanthropy.” Originally, these organizations were limited to men. But in the 19th Century several orders were created for women: The Order of the Eastern Star (1855), the Order of the Amaranth (1873), and the White Shrine of Jerusalem (1894). Often an individual’s membership in these groups was symbolized on their gravestone. The three symbols commonly used in these motifs include a carpenter’s t-square (for measuring accurate right angles), a compass (for drawing circles, not for navigating), and the letter “G” which is variously interpreted as “God,” “Geometry,” or “Grand Architect of the Universe” (also a reference to a higher power). The second photo illustrates Colonial Era tools used by builders and carpenters.

Here in Amherst a Masonic Lodge is located on Main Street. The Lodge is the Clinton Lodge, No. 73. If you look closely you will see the triple-symbol of the Masonic order (the t-square, compass, and “G”). There is also a metal eagle to the left of the entrance, possibly associated with the order. One of the ironies of 21st Century life is that “secret societies” now have websites that publicize their events (granted in somewhat cryptic fashion). This beautiful, old building has ornamental, corinthian columns, apropos of the order’s fascination with the classical world. The most well known example of this is the masonic symbol of the all-seeing eye that appears on the dollar bill, above an Egyptian pyramid.

In the 19th Century, the local courthouse played an important social, economic, and legal role in the community. Most male citizens traveled to this locale several times a year: to pay taxes, dispute bills or land surveys, register property, and socialize with rarely seen residents. Local maps included this central location, usually with the abbreviation “C.H.” The excerpt above is from an 1864 map of Amherst. If you look closely you will see the Orange & Alexandria Railroad tracks and two of the “gaps” that led to the west. In the past, most courthouses were part of a larger precinct that included the county jail, lawyer’s offices, and an inn or tavern. In Amherst, the courthouse square originally included a hospital (later converted to a church), a prison, a post office, and the courthouse itself. The building was erected in 1870 and added on to in 1970 (the modern courthouse around the back of this building, not visible in the photo). A Civil War monument was placed in front of the old courthouse in 1922. A section of railing from the original courthouse was added to the second floor of the new courthouse. Allegedly this railing contains eight notches that correspond to the number of hangings conducted in front of the original courthouse.

Amherst County contains 100s of historic structures. Many of these buildings point to a by-gone lifestyle. A perfect example is a mill. Once a necessity (for sawing lumber or processing grains), these businesses (and ruins thereof) were usually surrounded by a small community because it became an important location for trade, exchange, and the processing of goods.

This week’s historic feature is the 1880s Sandidges Mill, located in the eponymous town (west of Amherst, off Route 60). This small community once had a church, post office, and store. Today the building lies in ruins, but you can still read the advertisement for “feed” and “flour” if you look carefully. They ground corn and flour for local farmers.

The photo below shows a mill race that once brought water to power the mill. The mill closed in 1942 and the usable equipment was taken to Brightwell’s Mill. If you visit the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society you can view an old pamphlet that illustrates milling equipment from Sandidges Mill.

The area now called “Amherst County” was Monacan land for 1000s of years before the first Europeans arrived. Once the Europeans arrived on the scene they had a tendency to name every feature and land mass in sight. In the case of the county, it was named after Sir Jeffrey Amherst (1717-1797), a British Baron who was eventually promoted to Field Marshal after his service in the Seven Years’ War. The North American campaign, called the French and Indian Wars (1754-63), pitted the British against French forces and their Native American allies. Amherst fought most of these battles on Canadian soil, leading to the moniker “Conquerer of Canada.” While Amherst achieved many victories, he did so at a great cost. In a letter dated 16 July 1763 then General Amherst approved a suggestion to distribute blankets to “inoculate the Indians” with smallpox from gifts of contaminated blankets (the idea was suggested by Gen Bouquet in a letter dated 13 July 1763). Gen Amherst went further and suggested that he “… try Every other method that can serve to Extirpate this Execrable Race” (Source Peter d’Errico and the website link is here. The county of Amherst was formed in 1761 when it was separated from Albemarle County. In 1806, Nelson County was created, leaving Amherst with its modern-day boundaries.

A wealth of information about the county and its residents can be found at the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society. The Museum offers permanent and changing exhibits, archival resources, lectures, and seasonal house tours and special events. Moreover, it serves up a slice of local history, from the historic house that it operates out of (the Kearfoot-Wood house, built in 1907 for a local pharmacist, Dr Kearfoot) to the artifacts that populate its exhibits. A family membership is only $20 a year. So for a little more than 5 cents a day you can help preserve and display local history. We begin this local county history blog (locohistory.org) at the museum, but in subsequent posts we will traverse the county and report on historic structures, artifacts, and stories from local residents. Please consider contributing an entry by emailing “lynn[at]locohistory.org” or by commenting on an existing post. Above all else - get out and enjoy the historic resources of Amherst County, Virginia.

Welcome to a new local county history blog, www.locohistory.org/blog/amherst.

Send in short (under 400 words) entries about historic Amherst buildings, artifacts, homes, country stores, churches, mills, people, etc. This site will contain a weekly update on the “gravestone of the week” from area cemeteries. There are also links to activities for kids, virtual tours, and educational puzzles. Sign-up for an RSS feed to be alerted when there are new posts to the blog. Enjoy the posts and please contribute comments, corrections, and suggestions!