USA > Virginia > Bedford County > Bedford County > Historical sketch: Bedford County, Virginia, 1753-1907 > Part 4
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
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BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.
syenitic rock. This character of soil will be found mainly on and adjacent to the spurs of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which defend the north and northwestern borders of this county and is to a large extent covered by luxuriant forest growth.
Whenever cleared it spontaneously produces blue grass very luxu- riantly ; and it is customary for the farmers in the adjacent low- lands to send their sheep and cattle to summer on these verdant mountain pastures.
Under cultivation, this mountain soil produces successfully the cereal crops, but seems even better adapted to such crops as cabbage or Irish potatoes, and is unsurpassed for apples. These mountain slopes, which overlook the County of Bedford from the James to Staunton Rivers for a distance of some thirty-one miles, with their light, naturally drained, rich, dark soil exposed to the rays of the sun summer and winter, would sustain vineyards that would be unsurpassed in abundance, beauty and quality by any other section of the State.
Second. The next grade of soil is a heavy red clay and may be called the Piedmont soil, as it lies adjacent to the mountain land of our first classification. This land is well known throughout Virginia for its general adaptability to crops of every kind, cereals, grasses, shipping tobacco, fruits and vegetables. It constitutes the best and most generally productive soil east of the great lime- stone lands of the Shenandoah Valley, and in some respects sur- passes even those. It is very warm and encourages early vegetation, and when well set in grass forms a vivid green in early spring. Much of this soil would be greatly benefited by an intelligent system of tile drainage, especially where it is nearly level, and therefore retains a surplus of moisture, which by surface evapora- tion chills the soil and retards vegetation. Heavy crops of corn are grown on these lands, in many cases surpassing in yield the rich alluvium of the river and creek bottoms. The tendency of this land, where it is not left naked or exposed on steep hillsides to washing by heavy rainfall, is to clothe itself with grass, generally Kentucky blue grass, known to our northern brethren as June grass. For this reason cattle-growing, dairying and sheep-raising all prove very profitable on lands of this character. Most of this land lies on the north side of the county, between the mountains and the N. & W. R. R., though in several noted instances it crosses
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
the railroad at different points and extends irregularly into the "South Side."
Third. The next order as to quantity is the lighter gray of the south side of the county. Most of this land is underlaid by a red clay soil, which gives it a "bottom" and renders it susceptible and rententive of high improvements. The crops usually grown on this land are corn, wheat, oats, rye, clover, and very fine tobacco. Fruit succeeds well on this land also, especially peaches, which attain a large size and rich flavor.
Be careful to get a good soil, properly located, well drained and supplied with pure freestone water, and all things else can be added unto it.
TIMBER
Originally Bedford County was one of the best-timbered sections of the State. It was nothing unusual during the time of slavery to see the best and finest timbered lands cleared for tobacco ; rails enough to fence in the land cleared would be split from the best of the timber, and the rest would be rolled up into large log heaps, awaiting a favorable day when the whole of this fine lot of valuable saw timber would be reduced to ashes. The same process of destruc- tion has been repeated since the close of the war, but not to such an extent as before. The negro, as a slave, had to be employed, though he might be destroying more than he was making. There are still standing some very fine areas of timber in this county, but they are mostly remote from transportation lines, ex- cept those sections recently opened up by the extension of the Tidewater Railroad through this county. For the distance of some thirty-two miles, along the southern tier paralleling the N. & W. R. R., some fifteen miles to the south, these timbers are valu- able and are much sought after by the local and foreign saw-mill men. There are several large areas of fine timber lands located on the mountains, quite remote from the railroads, which would furnish many years' work for mills of large capacity and would be a source of much revenue if properly handled. The prin- cipal growth of this county is the oak in the numerous varieties of red, Spanish, chestnut, black and white; hickory, yellow poplar, yellow pine, yellow locust, bush chestnut, gum, dogwood, maple, sassafras, birds-eye maple, black walnut, cherry, willow, and the
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BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.
old-field pine. An exhibit prepared carefully for the purpose of displaying the forest resources of Bedford County was taken to the State Exposition at Richmond in October, 1892, and was awarded the first premium for excellence and variety. Probably some of the finest locust in the State could be found in this county. A pulp mill properly located could find material enough to keep it running for generations to come. The demand for timber is steadily on the increase and it is only a matter of time before all the available timber properties will be taken up.
CLIMATE
It would be well-nigh impossible within the brief space at our command to give any adequate description of the climate of this county, which, above all others, is its chief charm and attraction. As its elevation and partly mountainous surface would indicate, the atmosphere is very dry and bracing, while the range of the mercury is comparatively short. The mean annual temperature at Lynchburg for 33 years was 56.40. The mean annual rainfall at Lynchburg for 25 years was 42.85. The topography of this county and the extreme purity of its atmosphere make this climate singu- larly healthful and beneficial to invalids. There are no marshes and stagnant pools, and the neighborhood is entirely free from malarial disorders. The winters are short and mild, seldom of more than three months duration, and generally dry and pleasant; snow scarcely lies here for more than a few days, and there is but little interruption to agricultural pursuits during the entire winter. The heat of summer is never extreme, as it is tempered by the delightful southwest breezes, and cool, sweet air from the neighbor- ing mountains. On the official map of Virginia, Bedford will be found within the belt which enjoys the minimum heat in summer and the minimum cold in winter. During the summer months, near the eastern bases of the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are more frequent showers than in any other part of Virginia. The ex- planation of this is to be found in the fact that the prevailing wind at that season comes direct from the sea, and its moisture, when driven against the mountain barrier, meets with a colder stratum of air and becomes condensed, thus producing welcome showers which refresh and invigorate the growing crops. In less favored sections the grounds remain parched and dry. The sheltered eastern slopes
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
of these mountain ranges, above the line of 1,000 feet of elevation above the sea level and under that of 2,500, offer hundreds of locali- ties for health resorts, especially for people afflicted with pulmonary diseases. If any one is sceptical about the efficacy of the Blue Ridge air, water and exercises for lung troubles, let him spend a few months at some point in the belt, and we will make him a re- feree to sustain the opinion here advanced. A man with his wife and children from the far distant west, a supposed victim of this fearful disease, spent several winters on the Apple Orchard in a log cabin. The third year he returned to the flat woods, restored to health and strength. That portion of Bedford County which lies nearest to the Blue Ridge, which is protected from the gales and blizzards of the northwest, and has the best of winter exposures, is a southeastern slope. Snow falling in this section disappears before the ardent rays of the sun in a few hours ; frequently every vestige melts within twenty-four hours from the cessation of its falling. The advantage of such a climate is no less great to the grazier and stock grower than to the searcher for health, for it greatly lessons both the expense and risk of maintaining live stock during the winter months.
The mild winters and the long delightful autumns seem to me [the author] the chief charm from a climatic standpoint. I have never had kinder or more considerate treatment anywhere in the world. With a warm welcome, productive and cheap lands, a superb climate, a picturesque country, churches, Sunday-schools, public free-schools, academies of high grade for both sexes, unsurpassed railroad facilities making close and speedy connection with the great centers of population upon this continent, endless opportunities for success await the immigrant! Can the earth elsewhere offer more? Come and see.
ADJACENT CITIES
The City of Roanoke, on the banks of the Roanoke and Staunton River, five miles above the county line of Bedford County, has about 35,000 inhabitants; it is a well-built and substantial town. The N. & W. Railway shops located at this place have a monthly pay-roll of over $100,000.00, and should the Tidewater Railway have its shops here, which is more than probable, the pay-roll will
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BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.
be largely increased, and the already inviting market for all farm products will be much increased. The nearby Bedford farmers are taking advantage of their opportunity to dispose of their surplus products at good prices. The same can be said of Lynchburg, on the James River, three miles from our county line, as a fine mar- ket for all farm products. Lynchburg has more money per capita than any city in the Union, and is soon destined to be the leading shoe market of the South. The monthly pay-roll for all industries is quite a large one.
ACCESSIBILITY
The accompanying map will show that Bedford County is within short and easy access of the great eastern centers of population. Within five miles of the southeastern boundary line is the City of Roanoke, a great railroad center, with a monthly pay-roll of over $100,000.00, and from which railroads radiate in every direction, viz .: To Winston-Salem, N. C .; Hagerstown, Md .; Bristol, Tenn .; Columbus, Ohio; and in a few months the great Tidewater system of railroads will connect Roanoke and Bedford County with the great coal field of West Virginia. Within three and a half miles of the northeastern boundary line is Lynchburg, the coming center of shoe factories of the South, with more money per capita than any city in the United States, and as much energy and push as can be found on the same area in the world. Railroads radiating from Lynchburg are the Southern, to Washington and Danville; C. & O., to Richmond and Norfolk and the West Virginia coal fields; N. & W., to Durham, N. C., Petersburg, Norfolk, and Rich- mond. An hour's ride from Bedford City over the well-equipped double track of the N. & W. will put you either in Roanoke or Lynchburg, where close connections are made with trains for all parts of the country. The C. & O. skirts the county along the James for eighteen miles on the north. The Tidewater passes diagonally across the county in a southeasterly direction from Staunton River to Goose Creek, thence to Staunton River again, giving the entire south side of Bedford County easy railroad facili- ties for its rich undeveloped resources for a distance of 32 miles ; is close to Roanoke and double-tracked down grade to Norfolk and other cities east.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
PURE WATER
At a glance it must be patent to the most casual observer that the waters of Bedford County must be absolutely pure, with the exception of such materials as are dissolved from its own soils. The following rivers and creeks have their heads or sources entirely within the limits of Bedford County, viz: Goose Creek has its head some eight miles west of Montvale (N. & W. R. R., 1,004. feet altitude), its water flowing south through the rich "Goose Creek Valley," then in a southeasterly direction for twenty-five miles, emptying into the Staunton near Leesville in Campbell County. Along its journey it gathers water from Enoch's Creek, Wolf Creek, Stony Creek, Body Camp Creek, Hunting Creek, Bold Branch, Difficult Run, Rockcastle Creek, Crab Orchard Creek, Clover Creek, and many others. Big Otter River runs in a southeasterly direction through the center of the county a distance of twenty miles to the Campbell County line, thence into Staunton River. The various and numerous headwaters of this pure and beautiful stream can be likened to ribs of a palm-leaf fan reaching out in every di- rection so as to enable the gurgling spring waters, from the moun . tain tops and valleys, to have a sure channel for an outlet. Sheep Creek heads north of the Peaks of Otter; Stony Run and Stony Creek get their waters off the Peaks, Flat Top and Headforemost. North Fork of Otter drains Suck Mountain, Headforemost, Big and Little Onion Mountains and Terrapin Mountain. Add to these Little Otter with its North, Middle and South Forks, Roaring Run, Elk Creek, Island Creek, Lick Creek, Orrick Creek, Buffalo Creek, and many others too numerous to mention, you have a network of springs, branches, creeks, and rivers extending from the tops of the mountains, 4,001 feet high, to the county line near Leesville, 700 feet. Battery Creek, Hunting Creek, and Read Creek flow into James River above, at and below Big Island; Cove Creek, near Coleman's Falls. Judith Creek rises in Walnut Hollow, Fleming Mountain, and flows into James River near the county line. Ivy Creek rises in Jackson Mountain near Coffee; after flowing in a hoop-shaped direction for a distance of 14 miles it unites with Blackwater Creek and empties into the James River at Lynchburg. Falling Creek and Beaver-Dam Creek rise between Green's Knob and Weaver's Knob Mountains, and
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BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.
flow southeast into the Staunton River. Jumping Run, Stony Creek, Hales Creek, Harris Branch and Craddock Creek all flow into Staunton River before it passes through the mountains at Smith's Gap, 2,443 feet, a scene beautiful to behold. The last stream to flow into the river from Bedford County is Terrapin Creek. The vast amount of fine water power that is annually going for naught is appalling when you come to consider the amount of raw material at hand ready for the factory.
LAND VALUES
During the five-year period from 1900 to 1905 land values in the United States have advanced to the extent of 33.5 per cent. This is equivalent to an increase in value of $7.31 per acre. This in- crease represents something substantial. It is not a mere inflation of value. On the other hand it represents to a large extent the accumulated earnings of farmers which have been put into per- manent improvements, such as buildings and other general im- provements. This at least we infer from the fact that in 1900, 21 per cent. of the acre value of farm land was represented by money invested in buildings and other permanent improvements. Those who are looking for a reaction in the price of land will not be able to find figures in reliable tables of statistics that will aid them in substantiating or finding ground for such expectations. There are many reasons why we are not looking for a decline in land values. Immigration is increasing from year to year. Over a million foreigners come to our shores every twelve months. Our population has been doubling itself every thirty years for the past century or more. If this continue, our population will soon reach the one hundred and fifty million mark. A very conservative es- timate made by the Bureau of Statistics shows that in 1930 our population will approximately reach the one hundred and thirty million mark, perhaps more. With this enormous increase .in population and with practically no more land open to settlement, it seems to be self-evident that instead of land values going back, they must necessarily advance, and advance materially. The cheaper land of good quality will increase in commercial value more rapidly than will those that are now worth from $100 to $150 per acre, and those farmers or investors who are fortunate enough to secure farm real estate in the Southern States during the next few years will unquestionably make the most profitable investment of their lives.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
FACTS ABOUT VIRGINIA
Area, 42,450 square miles, or in acres. 52,680,000
Assessed value of real estate. $378,977,069
Mineral lands (not in above) 7,776,995
137,763,474
Manufactured products sold in 1905
156,867,625
Value of all crops in 1905
54,900,000
Pupils in public schools
391,640
Annually spent on schools
2,350,000
Banking capital. 19,000,000
Population
1,985,322
Miles of railroad.
3,228
A wise philosopher has well said that a great people is one who knows the past, lives in the present and looks forward to the future. Considered from the past, present and future, Virginia is a great commonwealth. No people in the same length of time has pro- duced more illustrious men or performed greater achievements. The old Virginia extending from Jamestown to Appomattox is the history of a glorious people replete with great deeds. The history of the new Virginia, from Appomattox to the present day, is one of which any people may well be proud, and which points to great success for the future. At the conclusion of the war the people of Virginia found their homes desolated, their fields devastated, fences in ruin, implements of agriculture gone, labor disorganized, financial credit destroyed, and every family in mourning. No people had greater difficulties to solve, greater obstacles to over- come, than the Virginians in 1865. The story of the rehabilitation of Virginia is one in which every Virginian can feel a pardonable pride. The banking capital of Virginia, in proportion to popula- tion, is larger than that of any other Southern State, and we are fortunate now in having our own capital largely to aid our develop- ment. Industrially Virginia is richer, more progressive, and has greater possibility than ever before in history. There are bright prospects for great wealth in this State in every direction.
ASSESSED VALUES OF BEDFORD COUNTY
Value of real estate in the County $3,556,373.03
Tax on real estate for 1906. 43,807.77
Value of personal property. 1,252,634.00
Value personal property.
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BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.
Tax on personal property for 1906
$16,603.23
Poll tax for 1906.
9,030.00
Dog tax for 1906.
1,435.00
Tax on merchants, lawyers, doctors, etc., in Central District, which includes Bedford City, for 1906. 3,607.02
Retail liquor license tax in Central District for 1906.
1,750.00
Tax on N. & W. R. R., 37 miles
5,446.00
Tax on C. & O. R. R., 18 miles.
2,934.00
Tax on Tidewater R. R., 32 miles, not assessed yet.
UNEARNED INCREMENT MULTIPLIES
Any part of the County of Bedford can be taken for the purpose of making comparison of the enhancement of real estate values, but perhaps no more striking example showing the multiplication of the "unearned increment" and a concrete idea of how vast values have risen in the past decade in the rural and municipal districts of this county can be given than by citing actual prices that have been obtained for properties sold. The records show that 600 acres of good rich red soil sold for $16,000. In a few years the same property brought $23,000 and the owner has refused an offer of $100 per acre for 250 acres. This property is assessed at $11,000. building at $1,000, tax is $140,00. Another place, 421 acres, sold for $900, and in less than twelve months it brought $1,500; a third sale has recently been made for $2,500, taxes $20. Six hundred and seven acres sold for $4,700 less than two years ago, assessed at $3,400, taxes $40; refused $10,000; could not be bought for less than $15,000. Seven hundred and seventy-five acres sold for $8,000, resold two hundred acres for $4,000, total assessment $3,800, taxes $50. Five hundred and thirty acres sold for $6,500, assessed at $3,800, taxes $50 ; has repeatedly refused $11,000 ; build- ing assessed at $800. Forty-eight acres sold at $450, in less than two years sold for $700, in 1907 offered $1,000, assessed at $400, taxes $5, building $200. One hundred and sixty acres assessed at $3,700, taxes $46, buildings assessed at $2,000; offers at $60, $100, $150 and $200 per acre have been refused. These instances of in- creased valuations are selected at random and could be augmented by hundreds of others of equal interest. The all-absorbing topic of the present is the possession of real estate, and the enjoyment of prosperity, in comparison with the impoverished past.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH
MINERALS
In Bedford County chief among the metallic ores may be mentioned iron, which occurs in this county in the form of magnetic, brown hematite and red hematite or specular ores. The only one of these three varieties worthy of mention is the brown hematite, a very large bed of which extends through the mountains bordering the county on the western and northwestern extremity and is mined and smelted by the Crozier Steel and Iron Company of Roanoke, Va. The other varieties have merely been prospected sufficiently to confirm the surface evidence of their existence in quantity. Among the other metallic ores known to exist in the county are copper, zinc, galena and magnesia. Asbestos is found upon Staunton River, Goose Creek, Big Otter River, and in many other sections of the county in inexhaustible quantities. The Tidewater Railroad passes directly through the mineral section, affording transportation to Norfolk, and then by water to the great commerce. These mines can furnish a car load per day for the next two generations to come. Kaolin is found in different localities but has never been mined to any extent. Some of the largest and finest beds of soapstone, free from grit, can be found in great volumes in different sections of the county. Mica, lime- stone, cement, ocher, umber and graphite can be found scattered all over the county; slate flagging-stone of exact rectangular cleavage and of almost any dimensions, can be obtained along Goose Creek, and Big Otter River, in sufficient quantities to justify the establishment of quarries of great magnitude, which could employ a large force of hands profitably, as slabs of immense proportions could be easily obtained. This material is impervious to heat or cold, though soft and easy to dress, when fresh from the quarry; yet when exposed it becomes very hard, and speci- mens that have been used for front door steps for over a century, show no wear, though exposed to the elements and to the constant tread of man. Feldspar in large quantities can be obtained on Big Otter River and is now being mined. Fire-clay, barytes, plumbago, yellow ocher, and other minerals have been found and samples of many of these minerals are exhibited at Jamestown.
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BEDFORD COUNTY, VA.
Our mineral products alone should, when fully developed, put. this county on a financial basis with the rich coal counties of the southwest. This will be in the near future, as we shall have three well-equipped railroads passing through our county from west to east, over easy grades. Many engineers and contractors of long experience will testify to the hardness of this Bedford County granite, with which they have come in contact along the lines of the new routes through the county.
MINERAL WATERS
Bedford County is within that area of Virginia which has achieved world-wide fame for the abundance and varied character of its mineral waters. It abounds in mineral springs, most of them are of strong chalybeate character, while many of them are more' or less impregnated with sulphur, alum, carbonate, and sulphur of lime, carbonate of magnesia and other mineral elements. Some have a very marked effect upon cutaneous and eruptive diseases and all contain strong tonic properties. In some sections these springs are especially numerous, some of them maintain a temperature of from 72 to 74 degrees throughout the entire year, Adjacent to these springs there is an eminence that commands a fine view of the surrounding country, the railroads and the Blue Ridge Mountains for many miles. A hotel or sanatorium located at this point could be supplied with a never-failing stream of this health-giving water, that has yet its first case of eczema, itch, scald head, piles, etc., to turn away unhealed.
For sporting characters a race track could be here constructed, which would entirely encircle the sanatorium on a level grade and at the same time be in plain view of an observer from the hotel porch for the distance of more than one mile. Nature has done everything to make this one of the greatest health resorts on the continent. Who will be the first to provide a shelter and make it known to the afflicted thousands ?
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