I don’t know if I have nothing to write about or I’ve just gotten out of the habit and lazy. It is easy to get lazy. I need to remind myself to go exploring around town because Roanoke is no less interesting than many places we visited on DoraMac. I certainly learned more about Floyd than I knew just by a quick visit one afternoon. The house project is on hold until our engineers and Roanoke County can agree on our land plan. Hopefully it will be settled before August. In the meantime, Randal bought himself a truck so now he feels he’s really home.
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I met Becky so long ago, I can’t remember exactly when. I think I remember exactly where though. It was at a Roanoke Valley Library Association meeting at the Salem Turnpike branch of the City Library. I can even picture us loading stuff into the trunk of my car. And even if my memory of the where and when is not quite how it truly happened; I do know it was friends at first sight. Now, so many years later, we’re both retired from our respective Reference Librarian jobs, mine with Roanoke County and Becky from Roanoke College. This past Tuesday we went off to visit the town of Floyd in Floyd, County about an hour ‘down the road’ from Roanoke.
Floyd County and Town
…..Floyd is a county of small mountains, valleys, ridges, and small streams. The county’s terrain is rolling and the official elevation is 2,500 feet. Buffalo Mountain, at 3,971 feet, is the highest point in the county.
Shaped like an elongated triangle, the county lies between the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and two interstates. No four-lane highways are within our borders, but 31 miles of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway form the majority of the eastern border of the county.
The county seat, The Town of Floyd, is 41 miles – about an hour’s drive- southwest of Roanoke on U.S. 221. …..
The Little River, the county’s largest waterway, is formed by three main branches, or forks: the East, West, and South (also known as Dodd’s Creek) forks. The County is situated atop a high plateau of the Blue Ridge Mountains which divides the eastward flowing from the westward flowing waters. It is said that no water flows into Floyd County. The county is drained primarily by Little River and its tributaries which flow into New River below the Claytor Lake Dam and, in turn, by way of the Kanawha, the Ohio and the Mississippi, into the Gulf of Mexico…….
Floyd County population in 2012 was 15,390 per the Census. This is a slight percent increase and can be attributed to the beautiful farms and forests, the cultural vitality, the advanced telecommunication technology, the strong school system, the availability of local foods and wines and close proximity to Virginia Tech.
History
According to tradition, present day Floyd County was among the first areas explored when Virginia Colonists began to push into the mountains of Virginia. In the mid-to-late 1600’s, expeditions began to map the area that was then principally a hunting-grounds by Indians, including the Canawhay tribe. The first white settlements in the area occurred in the mid-18th century. By the 1790’s, English, German, French, Scottish and Irish immigrants settled in what is now Floyd County.
One of the first industries, Spangler’s Mill, was also established in this time period. Watermills such as this one continue to symbolize the resourcefulness of residents and the importance of natural resources and living in touch with the land.
Coming onto the crest in what is now Floyd County, settlers were often astounded by the natural beauty, particularly in the Spring when the Chestnut blooms made a sea of white. Writing of their new plateau homeland, they often referred to it as “our beautiful mountain.”
Land in the southwest portion of the County that was ceded by the Cherokee Nation to the British in 1768 was, in turn, part of the large land grant made to Lighthorse Harry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee and Charles Carter Lee. The latter moved to the County and penned what is believed to be the first book written here, The Maid of the Doe. It was a book of poetry about the Revolutionary War. Part of that Lee property, Buffalo Mountain, is now a natural recreation area.
In 1831, Floyd County was established and was named for Governor John Floyd. Governor Floyd was a native the Montgomery County, the parent County of Floyd. Reflecting early and strong commitment to education in the community, the Jacksonville Academy was established in 1846. It served students from Floyd and surrounding counties. The Jacksonville Academy was located in one of the two buildings that is now Schoolhouse Fabrics.
The current County seat, originally named Jacksonville for the seventh president, Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), was completed in 1834. Manassah Tice (5 acres) and Abraham Phlegar (1 acre) gave land for the county seat. The town was incorporated in 1858 and its name was changed from Jacksonville to Floyd in 1896.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the local economy was dominated by agriculture. Textile manufacturing rose and fell during this time. The construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway during the Great Depression brought some needed work to the County, and more importantly created a linear park and access way to introduce travelers to the arts, crafts and music of Floyd County.
Mabry Mill, located in Floyd County, is one of the most visited and photographed sites along the 469-mile length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Rocky Knob recreation area along the Parkway also features hiking, camping and panoramic views.
By the 1970’s, Floyd County was “discovered” by the back-to-the-landers seeking rural refuge. Many of the new residents were artists or artisans. In Floyd County, they found a land of natural beauty, a unique geography with all waters flowing out, rich hand-craft and music traditions, and open opportunities for creative, rural living. These same assets and the culture of creativity now attract many travelers to Floyd, which has seen a dramatic increase in tourism.
Thanks in part to the natural, cultural and technological amenities; the population of Floyd County in 2000 was up 16% over 1990, to 13, 872 people. Floyd County is served by an advanced and scalable (underground) 200 Gbps backbone on an open-access fiber network giving amazing and affordable access to the world.
From the 1700’s to now, as Americans still seek their own piece of ground, a better way of life, and a safe place to be, they continue to re-discover Floyd County. http://visitfloydva.com/about-floyd-county/
Our plan was to visit some of the shops and then have lunch. It’s exactly what we did. Unfortunately many of the shops don’t open until mid-week or later. But that’s a wonderful excuse to go back!
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Bell Gallery and Garden : Closed! We visited Floyd on a Tuesday. Not a good day to go as many shops were closed. Thursday – Saturday seems the safest days judging from the other closed signs we encountered. But it was a lovely day with overcast clouds changing to bright sun with none of the rain that was predicted off and on for the day. The central part of the Town of Floyd is very walkable with free parking in the town lot. But it’s not a huge lot so I’d go early on weekends to insure a space. http://visitfloydva.com/business/bell-gallery-and-garden/ is the website and it looks a lovely shop and garden so we’ll just have to go back. |
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New Mountain Mercantile New Mountain Mercantile had the lovely green dress that didn’t quite fit. And some very lovely tie-dye pieces. http://www.newmountainmercantile.com/ |
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“It’s a Real Country Store You can’t miss the barrels of old-fashioned candy at the front of the store, and if you explore further you can find everything from old time toys to eco-friendly cleaning products to hard-wearing bib overalls. The store also has a café, The Jingle Tap Café, serving homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, baked goods and more.” The Country Store http://www.floydcountrystore.com/ |
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Monkey Business had all kinds of eclectic stuff. Becky was quite taken with the colorful images of the Andes made from bright colored cloth. The wall hangings were made from what were once pieces of clothing. “We are a small crew of colorful Floyd County Virginia residents who love the mountains and small town life. Our store strives to carry merchandise that is not your everyday stuff at reasonable prices. These items include organic fabrics, hemp, fair trade, made in the USA, low environmental impact, earth based dyes, and other cool stuff. “ http://www.floydmonkeybusiness.com/store/
Becky and the Mannequin Handmade Floral Cotton Applique Wall Hanging Andean Fruit Market – A breathtaking palette of colors greets the viewer in this depiction of an open air market in an Andean village. María Uyauri works inarpillería – embroidered appliqués of fabric cutouts, embroidered by hand – to create a variety of fruits and vegetables and the women who sell them. A display rod can slip through an opening at the top of the wall hanging. http://www.floydmonkeybusiness.com/store/tapestries/1192-handcrafted-folk-art-wall-hanging.html “World of Nature – “Nature shows a marvelous range of joyous colors in a world filled with flowers. In this design I really enjoyed thinking of the fresh breeze and the blossoms’ perfume,” María Uyauri confides. An expression of peace on earth, this wall hanging depicts a man who feeds a duck and girls picking flowers.” http://www.floydmonkeybusiness.com/store/tapestries/1194-handmade-floral-cotton-applique-wall-hanging.html |
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Just near Monkey Business was the Floyd Artists Association Gallery.
Marsha Slopey Paulekas in the gallery of the Floyd Artists Association Each level of membership requires a specified number of hours tending the gallery desk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mu3TEJrMMo is a short video talking about the arts and artists of Floyd. Paintings, jewelry, photography, books and textile art. First Friday: guest artist reception 5-8. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat 11-5, Fri 11-8, Sun 12 to 4, Floyd Artists Association: We are a co-op gallery of local artists located in the heart of Floyd, directly across the street from the Floyd Country Store. Our gallery showcases paintings in all media, sterling silver and stone jewelry, photography, books from local authors and textile art. We also offer regular classes in all media. First Friday: A new featured Artist the first Friday of each month. Artist Reception 5-8 Show hangs for one month. 540-745-7367 Contact Information: floydartists@gmail.com www.floydartists.com 203 South Locust Street, Downtown Floyd Gallery Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 11-5, Friday 11-8,Sunday noon to 4, Closed Tuesdays |
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So this is the dress I did buy! I wanted a sleeveless dress of light cotton. Not rayon, or jersey, but cotton. It actually fits just about perfectly and for $10 one can’t go wrong. And it looks better on me than on the hangar which usually isn’t the case. |
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Walking back to the car from yet another “closed on Tuesday” store we noticed this funny fellow! He was a very faded green and looked more like the cement man than any green man. But the Inn sounds quite nice from the write-up and it is in a perfect location.
The Green Man Inn http://greenmaninnfloydva.com/ The Green Man Inn has a unique charm of the kind you’d only find in a little hippie town like Floyd! It’s full of locally handcrafted touches, like the quilts on the beds, the forged iron hooks on the wall, and the soap in the bathroom, plus more modern features like free wi-fi and iPod dock alarm clocks. The proprietor, Pat (Robin) Woodruff, has that small-town kind of friendliness that makes you feel right at home. She’s an artist, so most of the pictures on the walls are her own extraordinary watercolors, and the décor includes nature-themed decoupage and woodburning.The Green Man doesn’t offer individual rooms as of 2012–you’re renting the first floor of a recently renovated home as a 2-bedroom suite that can sleep up to 7 people. With just one bathroom, there might be some competition if you actually have that many in your party. The location is perfect; it’s right at the main intersection in town, so pretty much everything you’d want is within easy walking distance: coffee shop, restaurant, art gallery, farmer’s market, antique store and so on. Keep in mind that the Green Man provides coffee and tea but not breakfast (there’s a microwave and fridge instead), and soap but not shampoo/conditioner. All in all, I would definitely stay here again the next time I come down to visit my family in Floyd. |
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Our final stop was the School House
“School House Fabrics A Sewing Paradise” Three floors of almost all types of fabrics available, craft supplies, yarns and a additional building of upholstery fabrics and supplies. We are located on (Route 8) in the town of Floyd. 220 North Locust St. Our hours are Monday-Saturday, 9:00am-5:30pm.” http://floydmagazine.com/Floyd_Virginia/school-house-fabrics
Rooms and rooms of materials for many different crafts as well as sewing needs. Becky found a lovely piece of blue linen material to make a blouse. |
The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail something I just learned about.
The Crooked Road is Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, a driving route through the Appalachian Mountains from the Blue Ridge to the Coalfields region. The trail connects major heritage music venue, as well as weekly jam sessions and annual festivals in the region.
Major Crooked Road venues in Floyd County include the Floyd Country Store with its Friday Night Jamboree, Saturday Americana Afternoon music, and Sunday Mountain Music Jam 2:00-5:00pm year round. County Sales in Floyd is also a major venue having the world’s largest selection of Old-Time and Bluegrass music featured in compact discs, books, and DVDs.
The traditional gospel, bluegrass, and mountain music heard today was passed down from the generations and lives on through a wealth of musicians and instrument makers along the trail
http://visitfloydva.com/public/the-crooked-road-virginias-heritage-music-trail/
A place of beauty – a place of song. This is The Crooked Road.
“Experience first-hand how music is woven into the rich tapestry of tradition in Southwest Virginia. The variety is amazing – old-time string bands, a cappella gospel, blues, 300 year old ballads, bluegrass, and more. Travel The Crooked Road’s 333 miles today.”
A great movie for lovers of mountain music is The Songcatcher. I saw it years ago and loved it. Below are some clips to tempt you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LAaHZsEG1s
Plot: After being denied a promotion at the university where she teaches, Doctor Lily Penleric, a brilliant musicologist, impulsively visits her sister, who runs a struggling rural school in Appalachia. There she stumbles upon the discovery of her life – a treasure trove of ancient Scots-Irish ballads, songs that have been handed down from generation to generation, preserved intact by the seclusion of the mountains. With the goal of securing her promotion, Lily ventures into the most isolated areas of the mountains to collect the songs and finds herself increasingly enchanted – not only by the rugged purity of the music, but also by the raw courage and endurance of the local people as they carve out meaningful lives against the harshest conditions. It is not, however, until she meets Tom – a handsome, hardened war veteran and talented musician – that she’s forced to examine her motivations. Is the “Songcatcher,” as Tom insists, no better than the men who exploit the people and extort their land?
A clip of Emmy Rossum in Songcather. Emmy sings snipets of “Mattie Groves” and “Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies” in this clip. The movie is fantastic and Emmy gave an outstanding performance in this movie, as did the rest of the cast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTZLw5b1Qws
Not the same story, but the same theme. Sharon McCrumb is a local author who graciously spoke for our local library association and for a Literacy Volunteers fundraiser. I’ve read many of her books and need to go back to them now I’m back home.
And a book of the same name and same theme but different story.
The Songcatcher: An Introduction by Sharon McCrumb
he Songcatcher” traces one American family from the Revolutionary War to the present by following an English ballad as it is handed down through the generations.
http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/index.html is her website.