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.John Clayton, the world-renownedbotanist, was Clerk of the Court in the 1700s.The Clayton House is be-ing renovated into a visitor center.Strolling through the small circle islike stepping into a miniature version of Colonial Williamsburg ex-cept the buildings, dating to the 1700s and 1800s, are all original.Whatever the season, a summer evening, or a crisp, winter morning,the circle is a delight, an oasis in the middle of a busy Main Street,which literally goes around it.Just outside the circle is Lawyers Row, acharming group of cottages built in the early 20th century as offices forthe lawyers having business in the courthouse.Today, some still houselaw offices, while others are used as antiques shops and real estateoffices.DID YOU KNOW?In Colonial Virginia, the village hosting the countyseat was known as Courthouse. It s still that wayin Gloucester County.The Botetourt Hotel served as an ordinary or tavern for two centuriesand now houses the Gloucester Museum of History and VisitorInformation, where changing exhibits tell the county s history.OpenMonday-Friday, 11am-3pm; Saturday, noon-4pm.804-693-1234,159Coastal Virginia Gloucesterwww.gloucesterva.info/museum/historyhome.htm.At the top of MainStreet is a statue of Pocahontas.Although her father, Chief Pow-hatan, moved his tribe around a lot, it s believed Pocahontas grew upin Gloucester County at a spot known as Werowocomoco, on the YorkRiver.TIPGloucester is pronounced GLAW-ster, with thefirst syllable rhyming with CLAW.AttractionsGloucester is a large, rural county, with lots of historic gems tuckeddown back roads.A good way to discover them is to pick up one of thedriving tour brochures at the visitor center.The African-AmericanHeritage Trails Tour details county sites important to local black his-tory.Several of these sites are also included in The Heritage and Cul-ture of African Americans in Virginia: A Guide to the Sites (available atwww.virginia.org, click on Publications ).The home of local black at-torney Thomas Calhoun (T.C.) Walker is on lower Main Street,marked with a state historical sign.Walker founded the Agriculturaland Industrial School for black students in 1888 and the GloucesterTraining School in 1921, among the first secondary schools for blacksin the region.Orator Frederick Douglass, lyricist James Weldon John-son, and singer Marian Anderson each visited the Agricultural and In-dustrial School for cultural enrichment programs.Other stops on the tour are Bethel Baptist Church, a black churchfounded during the Reconstruction period; The Servants Plot,where black indentured servants plotted a very early insurrectionagainst their masters in 1663; and Old Hayes Store, where IreneMorgan boarded a Greyhound bus in 1944, then refused to give upher seat to a white passenger.She was arrested and the case was ap-pealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in her favor in 1946.Itwould be another 10 years before Rosa Parks did the same thing in Al-abama, sparking the Civil Rights movement.The award-winning brochure called Driving Tours of GloucesterCounty s Country Stores & Rural Post Offices has beautifulsketches by local artist Harriet Cowen.Before automobiles, the nearestfour corners was your hub of activity, each with at least one store and apost office.They were scattered throughout the farming community,160 Outdoorsand many remain today, some still operating.The Bena store and postoffice are worth a trip down Guinea Road.The store is called MoStuff now and sells country arts and crafts.Abingdon Episcopal Church, on Route 17, dates to 1755, but theparish, one of the oldest in the nation, predates it by a century.Take alook at the ancient-looking graves of some of the county s earliest andmost prominent residents.In its day, Rosewell was purported to be the finest example of Geor-gian architecture in the English colonies.It takes some imagination toenvision this today.Towering brick ruins are all that s left of the home.Preservation is fueled largely by private donations, and a new visitorcenter displays both history and restoration work.This is a great placefor a picnic lunch, but don t stay past dark many say the ruins arehaunted.Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm; Sunday, 1-4pm; ad-mission is $2 for adults and $1 for students ( 804-693-2585,www.rosewell.org).Dr.Walter Reed s Birthplace, a tiny slip of a one-room farmhouse,stands at the Belroi crossroads.The interior is open only during His-toric Garden Week in April.Reed helped rid the world of yellow feverby proving mosquitoes caused the disease.OutdoorsRent a canoe at Beaverdam Park, hike the trails or fish in the lake.Take a dip at Gloucester Point Beach or fish off the long pier.Rent akayak in nearby Mathews County from Bay Trails Outfitters.Ex-plore on your own, or they ll guide you on some of the area s hundredsof miles of Chesapeake Bay coastline, rivers, and innumerable tidalcreeks.You re on a peninsula, framed by the York and Rappahannockrivers, so water is everywhere.ShoppingPeople come from all over Hampton Roads to visit the StagecoachMarket & Antique Village ( 804-693-3951), known locally as just the flea market. More than 45 permanent shops sell antiques, jew-elry and collectibles, with dozens more set up in the outdoor flea mar-ket on weekends, 7am-5pm.Gloucester County has half a dozen otherantiques shops, including Holly Hill on Route 14, Plantation An-tique Mall and Marketplace Antiques on Route 17, and LordBotetourt Antiques in the Courthouse.161Coastal Virginia GloucesterSarah Creek Potters is a cooperative on Tidemill Road where youmight get to see local potters at work.Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |
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