Caching and Sightseeing in Fort Chiswell & Wytheville 5/10/2008

There weren't to many caches located in this area so we took what we could without driving miles and miles for a find. We left early and drove down to New River Trail State Park for our first cache along one of the trails. Then it was on to another section of the park for another cache located along the equestrian trail. We found this quickly and then drove around looking at the park. The park is a 57-mile rail trail and is Virginia's only linear state park. Endpoints are Pulaski and Galax with a spur to Fries. The surface is cinder and hard packed stone. The trail parallels the New River from milepost 8 to Fries Junction where the spur to Fries continues on the River. They had several attractions at Foster Falls including an old iron furnace, a restored train depot with caboose, and several old buildings that have been restored, such as the old hotel, corn crib, general store, saw mill, grainery, and grist mill. An outdoor amphitheater is also at the park. As we drove out of the park and on to the next cache we noticed a stone tower in the distance so we drove over to it and found out it was part of the state park, Shot Tower Historical State Park. Overlooking the New River, Shot Tower was built more than 150 years ago to make ammunition for the firearms of the early settlers. Lead from the nearby Austinville Mines was melted in a kettle atop the 75-foot tower and poured through a sieve, falling through the tower and an additional 75-foot shaft beneath the tower into a kettle of water. The only problem was that it was closed until Memorial Day because of construction so we couldn't drive up to it. Then it was on to another small park near Fort Chiswell and a cache in the sheer rock cliff.
We drove down Peppers Ferry Rd into Wytheville and on the way we ran into a histroical marker for the Wythe County Poorhouse Farm. This land was designated for use as a Poorhouse Farm by the county of Wythe in 1858. Different men were used as contractors to build the main house and eight little two room cottages behind the overseer’s house. The brick for the cottages was made of concrete and it crumbles easily when unpainted and exposed to weather. There is a cemetery – Pauper’s Field – that is connected to the Poor Farm property. Although many people were buried there, there are only two grave markers in it. Many of the funerals were arranged by John Porterfield, Rich Brothers and G.L. Armbrister. Wythe County paid the expenses. Rich Brothers made fine furniture, but they also made pine coffins. Graves were marked with wooden crosses or a field stone. At the time the Poor Farm was established (1858), there were no social security checks so the County took care of the people. The Wythe County Board of Supervisors were the governing body that was responsible for the 340 acre project. Sometimes, the Board came to the Poor Farm and held their meeting and had a meal cooked at the farm. It was noted the food was always good. The Poor Farm had a strong spring that is still in use. Elderly and disabled people lived there and there was no discrimination – it housed blacks, and according to David Saferight, an Indian. There were two known Confederate soldiers who lived at the Poor Farm and received a pension. One was named Hugh Warf; the other was Jesse Venable. Some of the people who lived there were widows and orphans. The Poor Farm was usually peopled with the elderly and widows – people who had no means of support. They even provided a few of life’s little luxuries such as a tobacco allowance. It was operated as a Poor Farm until 1957 – 99 continuous years. When the Poor Farm was sold in 1957 at public auction (by this time, there were very few residents – most people went to government sponsored nursing homes or on welfare), the farm was used as a chicken farm that sold both chickens and eggs. Latter the pauper houses were used to house calves, sheep and pigs. By the time the Grahams began their dream to restore the Poorhouse Farm in 1992, it was in pretty sad shape. Most of it needed extensive restoration. Everything was returned to its original condition, as much as was possible. Well meaning friends urged them to tear down old out buildings and remodel the “big house” instead of restoring it. There was no big fund to do this work, so the Grahams did all of it themselves. The cottages did not have kitchens – the people who lived in them came up to the big dinning room on the back of the overseer’s house to eat their meals, unless they were not able, then the meals were brought to them. The Poorhouse Farm was a working farm with cattle, hogs, chickens, sheep and huge fields of grain, apple orchard, and garden vegetables. They were able to produce so much of what they needed that they only bought kerosene, matches and sugar. The farm had everything to make it as self sufficient as possible – a granary to store the grain until it was taken to the Makensaw Mill to be ground into flour and a corn crib to store dried corn, a barn with eight stall for horses. (In the beginning, they had several teams of work horses and a riding horse and buggy.) The farm had a log house for the hogs, with storage area above the hogs. There was a two-story smokehouse for hams and bacon where they could hang 36 hogs. It also had a wash house with a chimney in it and a large black iron pot to wash clothes and make lye soap. Doctors were contracted by the county to minister to the sick. One of the first was Dr. Gibbony and one of the last was Dr. Randy Chitwood, who delivered a baby there in one of the last years in the 1950s. There was a house, set aside from the others by a large distance that was called the "pest house." It housed people who had a contagious disease such as tuberculosis. Meals would be taken down to a tree near the stream, Shoestring Branch, and the dirty dishes picked up there, so contact would be kept at a minimum. Every Christmas there were individuals and groups that visited the people living at the Poor Farm and brought them presents. There was a Christmas tree that was set up in the large dining room. Travelers often came by and spent the night at the Poor Farm in the early days. The shed bordering on Peppers Ferry Road at the driveway entrance to the Poor Farm was once the county’s tool and machine shed. Horse drawn equipment was kept there to maintain the (at that time) dirt roads. The shed was much larger than it is today, but when they widened the road in the 1950s, part of it was removed. Sarah and Abner "Junior" Graham own the property now and will run private tours of the property and will charge nothing although they will take donations and the tours are said to last 3 hours. It was private property and was set way back off the road so we couldn't take any pictures.
Then it was on into Wytheville and a 3 part virtual cache starting at a State of Virginia Historical Marker. Stage 1 referred to R. E. Withers who graduated from the medical department at the University of Virginia in 1841 and practiced medicine in Campbell County and in Danville, Virginia until 1861, when he and his family moved to Wythe County. During the Civil War, Dr. Withers was commander of the 18th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, Confederate States Army. He fought in the Battle of Manassas, the Battle of Williamsburg, and the Battle for Richmond. He was wounded five times, the last time so severely that he was unable to continue service in the field. He then served as Post Commander at Danville, Virginia. He served as Virginia's lieutenant governor from 1874 to 1875. From there he went to the U. S. Senate from 1875 to 1881. During President Cleveland's administration he was U. S. Consul to Hong Kong (1885 - 1889). Stage 2 was where he retired and his home Ingleside in Wytheville where he remained until his death. According to Dr. Withers' autobiography and the National Register of Historic Places survey, the home was built by Joseph Caldwell between the years of 1869 and 1874. The Withers family purchased the home and property in 1889 and gave it the name of Ingleside. They made extensive renovations to the home, adding a kitchen and a guest house to accommodate their 12 children and numerous grandchhildren. Stage 3 and the final stage was at the cemetery where he was buried with some of his family. When you arrive at his grave, note the tombstone of his daughter Virginia Secessia. She was born eight hours before he left for service in the Confederate Army and was named to commemorate Virginia's secession from the Union. We really enjoyed doing this virtual cache as it gave his a lot of the history of Wytheville.
Then it was on to Wytheville Park in the town and a cache located behind a memorial "HOME PLATE" to commemorate the location of home plate for many major league teams, the Senators, Cardinals, Twins, Cubs, Braves and Reds. Next cache was at a car wash in a light pole and the next one was at Wally World also in a light pole. Then Mom did our weekly grocery shopping as Muffy, Raggs and myself waited in the car. After she was done we went to the next cache located in Ager Park on the outfield fence of the baseball diamond.
Our last cache was out near the campground outside the Carnton and McGavock Family Cemetery high on a hill overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. This cemetery is now a VA Historical Landmark. Then we drove a short distance back to the campgrounds and had lunch and I showered and shaved and Mom did our cache logs the I watched the Yankees and Tigers game while Mom read outside. We have reservations at the Wohlfhart Haus Dinner Theater tonight dinner and to see Beauty and the Beast so I will let you know tomorrow how it was. Well time to say until tomorrow from Staunton, VA we liove and miss you all.


Picture List:1-McGavock Family Cemetery, 2-James McGavock Marker a Revolutionary War soldier who died in 1812, 3-A marker of an infant son who was born in May and died in July, 4-The cemetery itself, 5-Robert Enoch Withers Historical marker, 6-Robert Enoch Withers grave marker, 7-St John's Luthern Church Circa 1854, 8-St John's Luthern Church Cemetery, 9-St John's Luthern Church, 10,11-Flohr House, 12,13 Fireplace and upstairs of Flohr House, 14-The Log House Restaurant Circa 1776, 15-Skeeter's World Famous Hot Dogs, 16-The New River River, 17-The Wythe County Poorhouse Farm Historical Marker, 18-One of the barns near the Poorhouse Farm, 19, St John's Episcopal Church Circa 1846, 20-The Shot Tower, 21,22,23-Foster Falls Furnace, 24,25,26-Foster Falls Grist Mill & Mill Office, 27,28-Foster Falls General Store, 29,30-Foster Falls Caboose & Train Depot, 31-Kath's Riverboat Gas Station & Store, 32-Home Plate @ Wytheville Park, 33-Lead Mines Historical Marker, 34-Galena Presbyterian Church Circa 1853, 35-Fincastle County Historical Marker, 36-CSA Monument, 37-Stephen F. Austin's Birthplace Historical Marker, 38-VA Civil War Trails sign, 39-The Farmer's Daughter Gift Shop, 40,41-The Battle of Wytheville Histroical Plaques (both different), 42, Anchor & Hope Plantation Historical Marker.