2013 Issue 1.pdf - Louisa County Historical Society

The Sargeant Museum of Louisa County History
214 Fredericksburg Avenue, Louisa, Virginia & on the web at www.louisahistory.org
Louisa County Historical Society
Preserving, Promoting & Protecting History Since 1966
2013 Issue 1
HERITAGE FARM COMING SOON
Society
Officers and
Directors
Bernice Kube,
President
Maren Smith,
Vice President
Lynn Locke,
Secretary
Lisa Busch,
Treasurer
Directors:
Bud Dulaney
William B. Guilford, Jr.
Robin Horne
Jim Marstall
Thomas P. Myers
Harold Purcell
John Jerl Purcell
Michael B. Seaton
Percy Wootton, M.D.
Staff: Elaine Taylor,
Executive Director
An early part of Louisa County’s history is about to
get a new lease on life. The Louisa County
Historical Society received the go ahead from the
Town of Louisa on January 15th to move and restore
a 1790s house known as “The Michie House.” The
house is located on the property of Virginia
Vermiculite between the South Anna River and
Boswell’s Tavern. Ned Gumble, President of
Virginia Vermiculite offered the house to the
historical society along with a matching gift of
$25,000 to see the structures restored as a living
history farm behind the Sargeant Museum of Louisa
County History on the Louisa Town and Arts Center
campus.
The Michie House, pronounced “Mickie”, measures
14 by 16 feet and is built of hand hewn posts and
The Michie House will soon be dismantled and
reconstructed behind the Sargeant Museum.
beams typical of construction in Louisa in the 18th C. The size of the home, although very average
by colonial standards, is small enough to allow the Society to complete the restoration at a modest
cost. A small smokehouse will accompany the house from its current location and be restored as the
first dependency at the Heritage Farm. Fundraising efforts are now underway and dismantling will
begin when 85% of the $100,000 needed to relocate, restore, and make the structures and
programming ready for the public has been raised.
Documentation about the owners of the Michie House abounds in public and private records and will
allow living history interpreters to present an authentic narrative of the early history of Louisa County
and its people. The first person to own the Michie House property was Gilbert Gibson. He appeared
in the public record in 1704 for collecting a bounty on wolf skins in Henrico County. He and his
family lived in the area of the present house when the county was formed in 1742. His family held
the property which contained “Gibby’s Mill” during both the French and Indian and Revolutionary
Wars. The Michie family (who built the historic Michie Tavern near Monticello) bought the property
in 1790 and the house still carries their name.
The Historical Society and Town endorse the
project because no publicly accessible structure
from the 18th century presently exists in Louisa
County and the goal of the Heritage Farm is to give
citizens and visitors a place where they can
experience history firsthand. Once completed, the
Society will conduct hearth cooking classes,
blacksmith and wood-working workshops, historic
crafts and heritage days for all ages on the site.
Interior with original wainscoting.
(Continued on page 2)

PAGE 2 LOUISA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2013, ISSUE 1
ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
This site map shows plans for the location of the Heritage Farm. Those interested in
becoming involved in the Michie House Restoration and Heritage Farms programs
can contact our museum director, Elaine Taylor, 967-5975 . A complete in color presentation
is available on our homepage at www.louisahistory.org.
Heritage Farm—Continued
One of the opportunities the project will
provide is to teach local tradesmen and
historic home owners preservation skills
as they have a chance to work on the project
under the direction of Craig Jacobs of
Salvagewrights in Orange and other expert
historic preservation craftsmen .
Jacobs and his firm recently completed
construction of the post and beam dependencies
at Montpelier.
Broader knowledge of preservation techniques,
from masonry repairs to maintenance
of historic structures, will give
Louisa County residents greater knowhow
to do some maintenance and repairs
themselves. The historical society also
hopes to provide a larger pool of our own
local craftsmen who can do restoration
work by involving them as well as Louisa
High School students in the project.
The Society is seeking donations of all sizes to complete funding soon
and allow us to build the Heritage Farm this summer.
Will you become a financial partner and help us save the Michie House in 2013?
The Circus in the South during the 1800s
UVA Professor LaVahn Hoh, nationally known for his expertise as a circus historian,
presented the story of the circus in America in the South on Sunday, February 17th. He
has taught the history of the circus for university students for over 30 years and drew
from his broad knowledge to focus on circus history in our region.
The circus was a much anticipated event across the rural South. Exotic animals, marvels
of discoveries from around the world, strange costumes and dreams of far away places
all drew crowds of all ages and stations in life when the circus arrived in
town. Professor Hoh, who has appeared on several nationally televised programs speaking about the
circus, shared countless little known vignettes from the story of Jumbo the elephant to the demise of The
Big Top as a venue for the modern circus.
Our thanks to The Louisa Arts Center for their partnership in providing the lovely Haley-Cooke theatre for
the lecture.

PAGE 3 LOUISA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2013, ISSUE 1
2012 ANNUAL FUND DONORS
Our deep appreciation goes to the ninety-seven donors who contributed $42,000 to our
2012 Annual Fund. Without such financial partners, we could not continue our work.
Winslow, Diane
Hart, Barbara
Myers, Thomas
Ira Smith
Nancy Daniel
Wayne Sargeant
Dr. Evelyn Daniel
Susan Loving
Helen Reed
Patricia Probst
R. Timothy Trice
Mike and Judy Seaton
Bud Dulaney
Maren Smith
Percy Wootton
Bernice Kube
Jim Marstall
Lynn Locke
John Purcell
Billy Guilford
Lisa Busch
Robin Horne
Jack and Sharon Manzari
Jim and Linda Salisbury
Jim Bell
Pat Wilson
Nicholas Paradiso
Margaret Hendrick
Paul Davis
Fred Massie
John Long
Tanny and Bill Donaldson
Stan Lanford
Carol Bailey
Ron Kucera
Stephen Wunsh
Charlotte Gregory-In memory of my grandmother,
Vida Newman Kent
Sue Lancaster
Virginia Vermiculite
John Massie- In memory of Quintus Massie
Betty Phillips
Joe Samuels
Rae Ely & Assoc
Anna Seay- In memory of Nettie Trainum
Vernon Fleming
Elizabeth Nesbit- In memory of A. J. Chewning,
Mountain View
James Boyd
Anne Nelson- In honor of Elaine Taylor
L.Payton Assoc
Isabelle Duke
Breese Glennon
Claudia Chisholm
Chris and Don Shultis
John Busada- In memory of Violet Busada
Willem and Sophie Hacken
Sheldon and Ann Taylor- In honor of Westend Farm
Mavis Kelsey
Fay and George Tyler
Tom Myers
Elaine Kemp- In memory of our Vest, Jackson, and
Gordon ancestors
George and Libby Marshall
Sandy Sierk
Lou Mittelman
Joe and Terry McElhone
Shelley Harlan- in Memory of Capt. Ralph Quarles and
Lucy Jane Langston
Maureen Sanders- In memory of Ella Cosby
Edward M. Watson-David Watson
Wayne Dunn
Edward Fleming
Jean Bazzanella
Don Hall and Lisa Berthoud
Doris McCray
Gwen Rose
Steve Stevens
George Grady
Jacquelyn Ruttinger
Elaine Taylor
Patricia Shanks
Gwathmey Family- In memory of Captain and Mrs. Frank
V. Winston of Ben Ghoil
Dona and Mike Breen
Kathy McClintock
Kathy German
John and Ginna Cullen
Susan Henderson
Lynette Smith- In honor of Maren Smith
Susan Bradford
Charlotte Morford and Joe Caputi
Lavahn and M. F. Hoh
Frank Belloni
Beverly Jackson
Daniel McKelvie
Leanne Hester- In honor of Maren Smith
James and Mary Q. Bagby- In memory of Sara Shelton
Bagby
Mary Lou Hopkins- In honor of James Morris Bagby
Tom Hopkins- In honor of James Morris Bagby
Alice Leigh Mason
Angelo Lomascolo
Jeanean Duke- In honor of Doniphan Purcell Howland
Michael and Allen Remorenko

PAGE 4 LOUISA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2013, ISSUE 1
NEWS FROM THE MUSEUM
You are missing a good read if you have never visited the Piedmont Virginia Digital History Project, The Land Between the
Rivers. By navigating through the collections from a variety of historical societies and museums in Central Virginia many
interesting items have been digitally archived and preserved for the public. The Louisa County Historical Society has over
200 items on the site, many organized into exhibits like the one on Mining produced by 2011 summer intern Emily Seay.
The Land Between the Rivers brings together online the museums and historical societies in the Piedmont area of Virginia
so its history can be accessed in one place. Each museum or society holds in its collection unique items, some unobtainable
elsewhere, vital to understand and illustrate the history, people, and culture of the region as a whole.
Our current intern, Jennifer Reed is now working on the Great Depression era for our study of the journey of women and
African-Americans in the hundred years between 1865-1970. One such item of interest recently added is a photograph of
the CCC Camp in Mineral,
which was provided by the late
William Kiblinger. It can be
viewed at the following link,
www.piedmontvahistory.org .
Search for CCC and you’ll find
this photo and several more.
I would suggest that you start
by just visiting the digital
archive at and simply take time
to click on each society’s
collection. A wealth of
information is at your
fingertips.
Bernice Kube
President
THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Now on Display in the Purcell Exhibit Room News from Revisiting the
Old Homes of Louisa County
The Old Home Places committee has compiled three collages of photographs and narrative to share what
they are finding as they continue to revisit the county’s historic homes.
HELP
Wanted!
We are looking for
more people to help
us with these visits.
If you are interested,
contact the museum.

Page 5
LOUISA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 2013, ISSUE 1
Programs Offered By the Sargeant Museum
Major Lectures for 2013
Saturday, April 20th 10:00 a.m.
Stoneman’s Raid, May 1863:
The Other Major Event of the Civil War in Louisa County
Wilson Green is the Executive Director of Pamplin Military Park and the commonly acknowledged expert on Gen George
Stoneman’s Raid . Wilson Green wrote the chapter on Stoneman’s Campaign in Louisa County contained in Gary Gallagher’s
Book Chancellorsville and will present the battle and its impacts on the county and the larger campaign.
Open to the public. Free, but donations appreciated. In the Louisa Arts Center Auditorium.
Sunday, June 2nd 2:00 p.m.
The Tri-State Gang in Richmond: Murder and Robbery in the Great Depression
Seldon Richardson
Once known as the Dillingers of the East, Walter Legenza (who is buried on the side of Rt. 522 in Louisa County. Why? Find
out during the lecture!) and Robert Mais wreaked havoc up and down the Atlantic Seaboard in the 1930s. Richmond,
Goochland and all of Central Virginia were in terror of them until they were captured and executed in Richmond. Seldon
Richardson, formerly at the Library of Virginia, published the a book on the Tri-State Gang last year and will share the whole
story, with inclusion of Louisa County material he could not fit in the published work. Open to the public. Free, but donations
appreciated. In the Louisa Arts Center Auditorium.
Spring 2013 Hearth Cooking Classes
Saturday, March 23rd, at 10:00 a.m. until no later than 4:00 p.m.
Same class offered again on Saturday, April 13th
Learn historic 1800s food ways as you cook and enjoy eating an entire meal prepared in the plantation kitchen at Bracketts
Farm. The Hearth Cooking Guild from the Louisa County Historical Society offers cooking classes through Louisa County
Parks and Rec. Long cotton pants, good shoes required. Adults only. Fee $20. Registration required through Louisa County
Parks and Rec. Call 540-967-4420
Civil War Conference Series (2012) Video
Saturday, March 23rd 10:00-12:00
"Valley Campaigns, ‘62 and ‘64"Peter Cozzens and Jeffry Wert & "Importance of Studying Military History"
Gary Gallagher. This concludes the excellent series from the 2012 conference. If you missed any presentations, you are
welcomed to the museum to view them by appointment. At the Sargeant Museum.
Family History Research 101
Tuesday, May 14th 10-12:00
If you need help getting started (or restarted) with researching and documenting your family history, this session will introduce
you to the resources and techniques you need. Included are online resources and specific sources available for Louisa County
and Virginia , most of which can be applied to any State. Class held at The Sargeant Museum.
Coming Soon: Special workshops for homeowners and craftsmen will be scheduled for
late spring and summer as we relocate the Michie House
All programs are at the Sargeant Museum unless otherwise indicated.
For more information contact Elaine Taylor, Director of The Sargeant Museum
of Louisa County History at 540.967.5975 or louisahistory@verizon.net
Monthly Programs are made possible by a grant from the W. Earle & Phyllis Collins Crank Memorial Endowment

214 Fredericksburg Avenue
(Mailing: P.O. Box 1172)
Louisa, VA 23093
(540) 967-5975
www.louisahistory.org
Located beside Louisa Town Hall and The
Louisa Arts Center
Non-Profit Org.
U. S. POST-
AGE
PAID
Louisa, VA.
PERMIT NO.
4
Become a Member
Each and every member makes the Society stronger.
Membership Categories
Annual Individual (Individual and family) $35
Annual Supporting $50
Annual Sustaining $200
Annual Corporate $100
Lifetime Benefactor
(Including Engraved Brick) 1,500
Mail check to Louisa County Historical Society,
PO Box 1172, Louisa, VA 23093
or renew online through PayPal at www.louisahistory.org
IF YOU’VE NOT ALEADY DONE SO,
PLEASE RENEW NOW FOR 2013
Major Lectures Coming Soon
(at The Louisa Arts Center)
Saturday, April 20
10:00 a.m.
Stoneman’s Raid, May 1863:
“The Other Major Event of the Civil
War in Louisa County”
Presented by A. Wilson Green, historian and
Executive Director of Pamplin Military Park
Sunday, June 2nd 2:00 p.m.
The Tri-State Gang in Richmond:
Murder and Robbery in
the Great Depression
Presented by author and historian Seldon
Richardson, formerly with The Library of Virginia
(details on page 5)