The announcement was June 27 by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who assisted the project by providing state incentive money.

The new boiler will allow the plant to become self-sufficient in energy production and significantly reduce ongoing operating and maintenance costs. The new boiler and related 75 megawatt steam turbine generator system will replace two older and less cost-efficient fossil fuel units, and will primarily burn renewable biomass such as tree bark, wood residues often left behind from logging operations, and water treatment plant residuals.

“This tremendous investment in its Covington plant will allow the mill to become self-sufficient in energy production, while positioning the facility for profitable growth and job creation in the years ahead. Renewable energy is an increasing priority today, and MWV’s new biomass boiler will use renewable resources as fuel, providing reliable, efficient and lower-cost sources to produce steam and electricity for the mill,” McDonnell said.

MeadWestvaco expects to begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The company said the project will take advantage of federal, state and local incentives, with the balance of the investment financed through a combination of cash and borrowings. The new boiler and infrastructure upgrades are expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2013.

“MWV is committed to strategically investing in our facilities to profitably serve growing global markets for consumer packaging,” said Greg Hansrote, vice president of Covington Operations for MWV. “Today’s announcement is another example of our company’s commitment to continuously improve the performance of our operations. This investment creates reliable power supply at the mill that will support future productivity improvements.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with the city of Covington and the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation to secure the project for Virginia.

McDonnell approved a $1 million performance-based grant from the Virginia Investment Partnership program, an incentive available to existing Virginia companies.

Headquartered in Richmond, MeadWestvaco provides packaging to many of the world’s leading brands in the healthcare, beauty and personal care, food, beverage, home and garden, and tobacco industries.

The company’s businesses also include consumer and office products, specialty chemicals, and the community development and land management group, which manages the company’s land holdings to support its operations, and to provide for conservation, recreation and development opportunities.

With 17,500 employees worldwide, MWV operates in 30 countries and serves customers in more than 100 nations.

MeadWestvaco is the largest employer in the Alleghany Highlands. Its Covington operations employ 1,365 people.

The investment is not expected to add any jobs to the local economy except during the construction process, however supplying the biomass boiler with a continuous supply of woody biomass will require the services of 100 loggers and 40 truck drivers in the service sector supporting the mill.

The facility will be constructed on MeadWestvaco property off East Riverside Avenue near the wood yard scales.

Construction is expected to take 26 months.

“MeadWestvaco has been providing quality employment opportunities in Covington since 1899,” said Covington Mayor Rob Bennett. “Covington City Council is most appreciative of the company’s continuing commitment to our community.”

Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation Executive Director David Kleppinger praised the efforts of Covington City Council.

“City council presented an incentive package to MWV in order to help guarantee our success in securing this investment in the Alleghany Highlands,” Kleppinger said.
“This significant capital investment extends the life of the mill outwards to 40 years, helping to guarantee MWV jobs for another generation of area residents.”

Source: Virginian Review, Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The achievement was reported by the VCCS Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness in its newsletter – “Student Success Snapshot” – published this summer. The college’s percentage of STEM graduates was not only higher than the average of the percentages reported by community colleges in the VCCS (14 percent) but was the highest rate in the system at 20 percent.

Dr. Richard Teaff, DSLCC president, commented on the importance of recruiting and retaining more students in STEM programs and the significance of this finding.

“Preparing for top jobs with the skills, knowledge and abilities that employers seek is critical,” he said.

“Career fields that generally offer the best compensation and greatest opportunities for professional growth and development often require a strong foundation in science and mathematics, as well as complex applications of technology,” he added. “DSLCC has an important role in this region in promoting STEM programs and preparing students for employment and transfer into STEM majors at four-year colleges and universities. We are pleased that we can continue to make progress in this important area.”

Some examples of STEM career fields include biotechnology, chemical process technology, architecture, electronics, microtechnology, nanotechnology, engineering technology, energy, environmental technology, geospatial technology, information technology, IT security technology, agriculture, biomedical science and advanced manufacturing technology.

Registration for spring semester classes will begin November 7; the spring 2012 semester begins January 9. For more information, contact DSLCC Student Services at 863-2820.

Source: Virginian Review 9/26/2011

Since Warren and Teenie Kegley purchased the William Scott town home on West Main Street, which houses Rupert Real Estate and the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce, renovation work has steadily turned the clock back on the 186-year-old building.

The Kegleys, who own Rupert Real Estate, purchased the building in February. Recently, Connie Fridley & Sons Contracting completed the restoration project.

“Those guys did a tremendous job with this project,” Teenie said. “This turned out to be a much bigger project than we had expected, but it was well worth it.”

Work included, on the outside, removing weather boards that had been put over the original logs. Matching logs were shipped in from Indiana to help restore the building’s exterior.

A front porch was returned to the front of the building. The original porch had been removed many years ago.

Inside the building, workers spent months taking down paneling and plaster, removing old paint and wallpaper and refinishing original woodwork.

Through the years, various tenants and owners had put paneling and painted over original logs and woodwork, including handrails and doorframes.

Teenie said that she and Warren received a facade grant from Olde Town Covington, which helps downtown businesses renovate and rehabilitate buildings’ exteriors.

A Step Back In History

Walking into the Rupert Real Estate office today, following the extensive renovation project, is like taking a step back in Covington’s history.

When the William Scott Town Home was built in 1825, it was built on what was then known as Bath Street.

Some of the downtown street names have changed significantly since that time.

Not only has Bath Street become Main Street, but Riverside Street, in 1825, was known as Water Street.

What is known today as Maple Avenue was then known as First Street; Court Avenue, Second Street, and Monroe Avenue, Third Street.

The original town was laid out on a level terrace at a bend of the Jackson River in 1818.

The town originally occupied a rectangular area of 900 feet by 1,900 feet, or 40 acres.

One hundred and twenty quarter-acre lots were laid out along the town’s two principal streets, Water and Bath.

When Alleghany County was formed in 1822, lots 61, 62 and 63 near the center of the town grid were set aside for the county’s new public buildings.

Born in 1796, William Scott, who immigrated from County Ulster, Ireland, in 1821, along with his cousin, William Kyle, acquired several lots in the then-town of Covington soon after their arrival in the area around 1823.

The firm of Scott and Kyle was established by the cousins on the corner of Bath and Corner streets (Main and Court) and, for more than a century, was the emporium of fashion, traders in furs, grain and farm equipment.

The store sold a variety of items, from china to Irish linen, shoes, fine coffee, nails, cotton cloth, brandy rum and whiskey.

The store remained in operation from 1823 until 1871, when it was sold to James A. McClung and his wife, Lizzie Kyle McClung.

William Scott and his wife, Catherine Mason, had four daughters and one son.

One of his daughters, Emeline (Emma) Mason, who was born in 1833, married Dr. George Wilson Hammond, who had moved to Covington to practice medicine.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Dr. Hammond formed his own company and joined the 60th Virginia Infantry Regiment.

He was killed at the Battle of Cloyd’s Farm in Pulaski County in 1864.

His widow continued to reside in the house, which remained in the Hammond family until 1983, when it was sold to Dr. Perry Campbell, who then sold it to the Kegleys earlier this year.

Currently, in addition to housing Rupert Real Estate, the building also houses the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce, which will eventually move to a new home in the Mallow Mall.

In a scene that could have come directly from “Gone With The Wind,” the Scott-Hammond House saw a dramatic struggle during the Civil War between the Confederate loyalists and invading Union soldiers.

On Dec. 19, 1863, Union troops under General William W. Averell stopped in Covington on their way through the area.
The troops entered at private homes and took what food was available.

Soldiers went into the Hammond home and, according to lore, one of them tried to take the rings off of Emma Scott Hammond’s finger.

“Mammy” Lansburg, a woman who was assisting with the household work, came in and scared the soldier away by hitting him in the face.

“Get out of here or I will brain you with this chair,” she told the soldier.

Apparently, the threat worked and the soldier ran away.
Lansburg also carried water and put out the fires where the soldiers had stacked fodder and wood against the house and set it afire.

The next morning, the troops set the bridge to Rosedale on fire. The women in town, along with an African-American man, managed to extinguish the blaze and kept it from spreading into town and the bridge.

After the Union soldiers entered and occupied the Hammond home, a knock came at the door.

A young lieutenant asked if he might come in and get warm.
“Why not,” asked Annie Smith Scott, Emma Hammond’s sister-in-law, “Your men have already taken over the house.”

He quickly answered that he would put a stop to that and immediately had the house cleared of soldiers and had two sentries placed outside.

He said he was exhausted and about frozen and asked to warm himself by the fireplace.

He fell asleep and slept all night and the next day.

During his short stay there, he came to admire Annie Scott and, before leaving, gave her a revolver for her protection.

He also supplied the family with hundred pound bags of sugar and salt.

It was reported that he corresponded with her for a time and even sent her a small gold ring and his photograph.

His attentions were not welcomed by her family, however, and communication was ceases.

However, the revolver has remained in the possession of the Hammond family to this day.

The news of Dr. Hammond’s death in 1864 at the Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain was discovered in an abrupt way.

A man rode up to the courthouse on horseback, blood and mud-splattered.

Several people ran to him, picked him up and removed the dispatch pouch from his shoulder.

They opened the pouch and nailed the casualty list on the bulletin board on the courthouse, and the first name mentioned was that of Dr. Hammond.

A great deal of sorrow came to the house because of the Civil War.

Following his father’s death, the eldest son, William Hammond, was an invalid for many years.

His room was located on the left of the front entrance, where Rupert Real Estate’s office is located today.

At his death, several of his friends offered to sit up during the night.

They smoked, ate the midnight feast prepared for them and, coming back from the dining room, were astounded to see the sheet over the corpse, slowly, with uncertain motion at first, rise as though the body had come back to life.

Those there thought the “liquid refreshment” had gone to their heads.

Each waited for another to lift the sheet and see what had happened.

The sheet continued to wiggle and, eventually, they found that a little boy, who had come in unnoticed, had crawled into bed with his friend.

The little boy became Dr. P. Percy Parrish, who, in his later years, enjoyed telling the story.

After her husband’s death, Emma lived another 40 years and, after her death, was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

The exact year the weather-boarding was put over the exterior logs and wallpaper and plaster had been put over the interior logs is not known, but in 1937, a historical record of the William Scott Home by Mary Venable for the Works Progress Administration describes the boarding, wallpaper and plaster.

Layers of wallpaper and plaster would eventually be added as future tenants placed their own decorative stamp on the interior of the house.

“This was a big undertaking, but Covington has been very good to us and we’re very happy to give something back,” Teenie said.

Teenie added that an open house to formally show off the building will be held during the holiday season, but “everyone is welcome to come in and see it anytime.”

Source: Virginian Review, Saturday, October 29, 2011

Students selected to attend Boys State are Warren Harrison, son of Patrick Harrison and Kim Harrison of Covington, and Chad Lipes, son of Donnie and Brenda Lipes of Covington.

Delegates for Girls State include Elisabeth Clark, daughter of Brent and Lisa Clark of Covington, and Nneka Lewis, daughter of Crystal Lewis of Covington.

Boys State will be held this year June 19-25 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, while Girls State will be held June 19-25 at Longwood University in Farmville.

The purpose of Boys and Girls State is to provide citizenship training and allow students the opportunity to interact in a self-governing environment.

The program promotes understanding of and participation in local, state and national governments.

Students are selected based on leadership, initiative, character, cooperation, honesty, physical fitness and scholarship.

Sponsors for the Boys State delegates include American Legion Post 4, the Covington Ruritan Club and the Covington-Hot Springs Rotary Club.

Sponsors for Girls State delegates include the Covington-Hot Springs Rotary Club and the Covington Business and Professional Women’s Organization.

Virginian Review May 31, 2011

Students who attained the A Honor Roll during the first five weeks grading period were recognized as Distinguished Covington Scholars. Students who have no six weeks’ grade lower than a B and have at least five credits for the school year were recognized as Covington Scholars. First year students received a letter. After lettering the first year, students receive a lamp.

The awards were presented by Dr. Shannon Fuhrman, CHS assistant principal.

Over 60 people were in attendance, including recognized students and their family members, as well as special guests. Guests included Covington School Superintendent Tom Long, CHS Principal Robert McClintic, and Covington School Board members Rick Fuhrman and John Woodzell.

We’re excited about recognizing these students for their hard work and diligence,” said McClintic.

“I want you to know that we’re extremely proud of you…and your accomplishments,” said Long. “You should be proud of yourselves.”

Three students were recognized as Distinguished Covington Scholars. Eight grader Mekiela Scott received a letter and a first year pin, and ninth graders Sa’Mone Moore and Burke Staunton each received a lamp and a second year pin.

Eighth grade students who were recognized as Covington Scholars were Daniel Blevins, Holden Broughman and Autumn Woodson, who each received a letter.

Ninth grade students who were named Covington Scholars were Allyson Burton, Josh Bush, Emily Comer, Karie Forbes, Deena Hawkins, Hayden Rice and Kelley Tingler. Each received a lamp.

Tenth graders named Covington Scholars were Lauren Alban, Steven Blevins, Charlie Dickson and Megan Lockhart. Each received lamp.

Elisabeth Clark, an eleventh grader, was also recognized as a Covington Scholar. She received a letter.

Students in the twelfth grade who were named Covington Scholars were Amanda Byer, Asianna Holloway, Morgan McCallister, Darian Moore, Shawn Perkins and Courtney Whitehead. Each received a lamp.

Also recognized during the ceremony were the top two students for the Class of 2011. Those students are Asianna Holloway, valedictorian, and Shawn Perkins, salutatorian.

Virginian Review May 26, 2011

The Rev. Ray Riddleberger, a retired Presbyterian minister in the Highlands, will be the preacher. The Rev. Lisa Marshall, pastor of Low Moor Presbyterian Church, will lead worship. Communion will be served.

Oakland Presbyterian Church, located on the northern side of Route 696 west of Selma, was built around 1847 as a mission of First Presbyterian Church, Covington. It is the oldest ecclesiastical structure in Alleghany County.

Originally, it faced the main road leading from Covington to Clifton Forge and the Virginia Central Railroad. The highway was later moved behind the church, and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad bought the Virginia Central.

Before the Civil War, the rail line ended near the church, and there was a hotel and station just east of the church.

The rail line was completed west to Covington and Ohio after the war.

The church may have been organized as early as 1834, but local historians date the official beginning as 1847 when a reawakening swept among Presbyterians in the Valley of Virginia, including the Highlands. Surrounded by a cemetery, the earliest grave marker is dated 1819. At that time, the land was owned by the William Haynes family who later deeded a small part of their property to the trustees of Oakland Church. The deed was recorded in 1859, twelve years after the church was believed to have been constructed.

The church was used as a place of worship until the Civil War broke out in 1861. During the war, it was used as a hospital for troops commanded by Confederate Gen. Mudwall Jackson. His troops served under the legendary Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. A number of Confederate soldiers are buried in the cemetery, including 12 men from Mudwall Jackson’s Tennessee Regiment.

After the war, the church was again used for worship services on a regular basis. It was used continuously from 1865 until 1962, when it was closed. Following the closure, members of the congregation began attending other churches.

In 1965, Low Moor Presbyterian Church was asked by the Presbytery to become caretakers of the church and cemetery.

A perpetual care fund, which relies on the contributions from former Oakland members, friends, and organizations, is used for funding the upkeep of the church and grounds. At each annual worship service, an offering is received to benefit this fund. Recent preservation work, funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation, was completed in 2007.

Oakland Presbyterian Church was named to the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1980 and to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Virginian Review September 26, 2011

“The Alleghany Highlands is a beautiful area with a wealth of great tourism related amenities. There’s lots to do, see, visit and enjoy here,” said Teresa Hammond, executive director of the Chamber. “The visitors to the website will discover all that we, as residents, take pride in and the reasons we choose the Alleghany Highlands in which to live, work, and play.”

The new website was designed by David Mikula with Inprint.
“People who have never been to the Alleghany Highlands will be surprised by how much there is to see and do in the region,” said Mikula. “To communicate that point, the website is filled with photographs of the region’s great attributes like outdoor recreation, railroad heritage and its two great downtowns.

“The website is carefully designed so that everything a potential visitor needs to plan a trip can be found within a couple of clicks,” he added. “We believe the site captures both the natural beauty of the region and the welcoming nature of the people of the Alleghany Highlands.

“In addition to providing a wealth of information, the website includes several ways for visitors to interact with the Alleghany Highlands. They can easily share pages with friends, connect via social media or sign up to receive a free visitors guide and e-newsletter,” said Mikula.

“We are excited to see the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce reach this milestone as a key component of their tourism marketing and development program. Tourism is an instant revenue generator for Virginia, and the new website will serve as an important tool to help reach potential visitors to the Alleghany Highlands and increase revenue to the region and the state as a result,” said Randy Rose, TMP, development specialist with the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

The tourism development study presented last year ranked a new visitors website as the number one priority for expanding tourism in the area.

The website is one of several ongoing marketing initiatives to increase visitors to the community and advertise all that the Alleghany Highlands has to offer.

Other initiatives include a new visitors guide to be released later in June as well as an ongoing advertising campaign with ads in Blue Ridge Country, Blue Ridge Outdoors, Recreation News, Shenandoah Valley Guide, and the USA Today Travel Guide.

These marketing initiatives have been funded through a grant from the Alleghany Foundation as well as a marketing leverage grant from Virginia Tourism Corporation and funding from Alleghany County, the Town of Clifton Forge and the City of Covington.

Contact the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Tourism at 962-2178 if you have any questions or would like additional information.

Virigian Review May 28, 2011

Scholarships totaling $43-0,734 were awarded to graduating seniors.

Early College Scholars: Alison Adkins, Emily Bennett, Stephen Bennett, Taylor Broughfman, Logan Bryant, Robert Carpenter, Rachelle Casstevens, Megan Cole, Chelsea Cook, Allen Davis, Hilleary Downer, Callie Garrett, Jeffrey Gibson, Olivia Goods.

Kristen Holley, Daniel Humphreys, Kenneth Little, Amber Mann, Brittany Mays, Ian McCoig, Emili Morgan, Katelyn Osborne, Grace Parker, Nishant Singh, Travis Tyler, Erick Van Buren.

DAR Good Citizen Scholarship: Robert Carpenter.

Tech Prep Honor Graduates: Steven Andrews, Rachelle Casstevens, Megan Cole, Jeffrey Gibson, Mindy Gillespie, Jordan Hayslett, Dustin Hensley, Mary Lutz, Brittany Mays, Taylor O’Connor, Kellee Persinger, Brittany Reed, Ashby Taylor, Mary Umstead, Madelaine Unroe, Katherine Wolfe.

Alleghany High School Department Awards: Brittany Mays, math; Grace Parker, science,  English; Daniel Humphreys, social studies; Alexa Rose, choral music; Nick Entsminger, band; Stephen Bennett, career/technical; Brandon Flenner, physical education.

Blue Ridge All-Academic/Athletic Team: Esther Allman, Lucas Kirby, Amber Mann, Kenneth Little, Allyson Umstead.

Virginia Tech Pamplin Leader Award: Grace Parker, $,1000.

DSLCC Educational Foundation Scholarships: Michael Ailstock, L. Paul Wiggins Memorial Scholarship; Esther Allman, DSLCC Board of Directors Scholarship; Esther Allman, Mamie Hall Scholarship for Prospective Teachers; Steven Andrews, Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce Scholarship; Taylor Broughfman, Colin P. Ferguson Honorary Scholarship.

Courtney Brown, Dabney S. Lancaster Memorial Scholarship; Courtney Brown, Carter Scholarship; Logan Bryant, Carter Scholarship; Chelsie Cahoon, Tim Backels Scholarship; Robert Carpenter, Carter Scholarship; Chelsea Cook, Edward Pennell Brooks OCC Scholarship; Emily Depriest, Mark W. Lockhart Memorial Scholarship; Hilleary Downer, Ethel Mae Grimes Dorsey Memorial Scholarship; Logan Figgers, Merle Weaver Reid Scholarship; Logan Figgers, Curtis A. Smith Post 1033 Veterans of Foreign Wars Scholarship.

Jeffrey Gibson, Josh Patterson Forestry Scholarship; Jeffrey Gibson, Carter Scholarship; Ashley Haynes, Marion and Cecil May Scholarship; Jordan Hayslett, Merle Weaver Reid Scholarship; Keith Herald, Jesse A. Wright Memorial Scholarship; Daniel Humphreys, Helen F. Dickson Scholarship; Katie Myers, Julia Edmunds Scholarship; Alissa Morgan, George N. Chucker and Edith Raab-Chucker Memorial Scholarship.

Alissa Morgan, Ferguson Proffitt Memorial Nursing Scholarship; Taylor O’Connor, Edward Pennell Brooks OCC Scholarship; Taylor O’Connor, Central High School Lucy Gleason Memorial Scholarship; Matthew Seldomridge, Barry Hillsman Forestry Scholarship; Matthew Seldomridge, Virginia Firefighters Foundation Scholarship; Joseph Stull, MeadWestvaco Scholarship.

Ashby Taylor, GAMI Scholarship; Travis Tyler, Ntelos Communications Scholarship; Travis Tyler, Virginia Firefighters Foundation Scholarship; Erick Williams, Carter Scholarship; Erick Williams, Virginia Firefighters Foundation Scholarship.

Concord University: Steven Gibson, $11,124; Kenneth Little, $6,000.

Davis & Elkins Academic Merit Scholarship: Mary Umstead, $60,000.

Bridgewater College: Brooke Downer, $18,500; Andrea Haynes, $13,000; Travis Herald, $18,500; Elizabeth McCutchen, $18,500; Maurice Nelson, $18,500.

Roanoke College: Grant Cogar, $20,080; Holly Craft, $16,430; Emili Morgan, $20,810; Erick Van Buren, $21,140.

BETA Club: Jordan Hayslett, $100; Kenneth Little, $50; Callie Garrett, $50; Alison Adkins, $50.

Joey Gilbert-Michael Thompson Memorial: Emili Morgan, $500; Travis Tyler, $500; Erick VanBuren, $500.

Delta Kappa Gamma: Rachelle Casstevens, $500.

1st Lt. Joshua Charles Hurley Memorial: Travis Herald, $500.

Sgt. Shawn M. Dunkin Memorial: Alison Adkins, $500.

LaRue Armstrong: Grace Parker, $1,000.

Alleghany Highlands Ch-apter-Virginia Tech Alumni: Brittany Mays, $500; Emily Bennett, $500; Stephen Bennett, $500; Madelaine Unroe, $300.

Van Horn/Perrett: Cody Ratliff, $450; Rachelle Casstevens, $450; Kellee Persinger, $450.

Frances Parker Rupert Memorial Fund for Music and the Performing Arts: Alexa Rose, $2,500.

Janet Burrowes-Williams and Robert Burrowes Memorial: Andrea Haynes, $800.

Black Heritage Club: Steven D. Gibson, $50; Doina Jeter, $50; Shaquon Stewart, $50.

Mountaineer Athletic Club: Lucas Kirby, $500; Kellee Persinger, $500.

Amy Vess Crizer Memorial: Travis Tyler, $1,000.

Boiling Spring Elementary Alumni: Daniel Humphreys, $500.

Covington Woman’s Club: Alison Adkins, $400.

Burger King: Brittany Mays, $1,000.

Jefferson School Alumni: Doina Jeter, $500; Maurice Nelson, $500.

Alleghany Retired Teachers Association: Rachelle Casstevens, $500.

Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis/Lynn Graham Memorial/Don F. Gross Memorial/Key Club Service: Emily Bennett, $600; Alison Adkins, $700; Taylor Daily, $500; Rachelle Casstevens, $500; Emili Morgan, $500; Robert Carpenter, $300.

Jeans for Teens: Chelsea Cook, $500; Logan Figgers, $500; Mary Umstead, $500.

Covington Junior Woman’s Club: Alison Adkins, $500.

Preceptor Gamma Rho: Alison Adkins, $500.

Falling Springs Ruritan: Emili Morgan, $500.

Alleghany County Farm Bureau: Grace Parker, $1,000; Chelsea Cook, $1,000; Brittany Mays, $1,000; Jeffrey Tyler Gibson, $1,000.

Cowpasture River Preservation Association: Kara Smith, $350.

Clifton Forge Civic Music Club: Cody Ratliff, $1,000.

Helen F. Dickson: Rachelle Casstevens, $2,350; Grace Parker,$2,350.

Christopher Pforr/SADD Club: Taylor Broughfman, $200.

AHS Varsity Club: Alison Adkins, $250; Dakota Nicely, $250.

Clifton Forge High School/Leon Whitmer Athletic: Logan Bryant, $500.

Clifton Forge High School Alumni Association Academic Scholarship: Travis Tyler, $500; Jeffrey Tyler Gibson, $250.

Almeda Scott Hill Memorial: Grant Cogar, $250; Tyler Crosier, $250; Logan Figgers, $250; Kenneth Little, $250.

Dr. Henry and Susie Townes: Shaquon Stewart, $750.

LewisGale-Alleghany Teen Volunteer: Alissa Morgan, $1,000.

American Legion: Alison Adkins, $1,000; Robert Carpenter $1,000.

Covington Business and Professional Woman’s Club: Doina Jeter, $450.

AHS LIFT: Lacy Broughman, $150; Mary Umstead, $150.

Athletic Director’s Fellowship: Lucas Kirby, $250; Dakota Nicely, $250.

Assistant Principals’ Mountaineer Fellowship: Amber Mann, $250; Kalyn Carter, $250; Mark Tembo, $250; Jordan Hayslett, $250; Robert Carpenter, $250; Stephen Bennett, $250.

Principal’s Mountaineer Fellowship: Brittany Mays, $250; Grace Parker, $250; Kirsten Holley, $250.

Virginian Review May 29, 2011

The park celebrated its 75th anniversary Saturday with special programs and events.

Charles Conner, Douthat State Park manager, served as master of ceremonies and welcomed visitors to the 75th anniversary celebration Saturday morning at the theater overlooking the lake.

Conner told the audience, “We are delighted to have you here to share the 75th anniversary of Virginia State Parks, and thank you for coming. Many of you traveled long distances, serving to remind us all just how important our work is.

“We are here to celebrate today where Douthat State Park started and where we are now,” Conner added.

“In 1933, the nation struggled in the Great Depression, and President Franklin Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps,” Conner said. “This was a program intended to put to work half a million unemployed men in forests, parks and range lands across the country.”

Douthat State Park was the product of the CCC’s efforts.

Conner then introduced the keynote speaker, Sen. Creigh Deeds. Conner said that Deeds lives in Bath County and he was at Douthat to celebrate 75 years of family, friends and fun.

Deeds told the audience that he has close ties with Douthat. He worked there, and his father worked there.

“Ed Matheny was the local man who built the dam, and my grandfather was the first to work for him on the dam,” Deeds noted.

He added that many local people helped to build the park.

Deeds noted that his grandfather moved up Wilson Creek near the little Advent Christian church when the lake took his house.

“We have the best park trails system right here at Douthat,” Deeds said. “Government did one thing right, and the states have done well under Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the CCC program.”

The closing remarks were given by Forest Gladden, District VI manager.

“Most of us dream of making a difference in this world either through our jobs, our philanthropy, our children, our politics or perhaps our vision,” Gladden said. “But whatever path we take, we want to feel that our time here has been well-spent, worthy and that in some way our work has left this place better than we found it.

“Franklin D. Roosevelt and his ‘CCC Boys’ had that kind of imagination,” Gladden continued. “They imagined creating a refuge for the common man, a place where families could go to rest and re-create their spirits. In creating this refuge, they built a system of state parks that left the land – and more importantly the people – better off.”

Gladden said in closing, “Thank you for coming here today to help us celebrate our 75th anniversary, but most of all, thank you for your continued support of Douthat State Park.”

Among the officials who attended the celebration were Alleghany County Sheriff Kevin Hall, Covington Vice Mayor Buddy Brown, Covington Councilwoman Kim Warlitner and Clifton Forge Vice Mayor Johnette Roberts.

The park is named for Robert Douthat, who was one of the original landowners in the late 1700s. The original tract of land containing 132,000 acres changed hands several times after his death in the late 1700s. In 1933, the Douthat Land Company of Clifton Forge donated 1,920 acres for the creation of a park.

Douthat State Park was one of six state parks planned by the commonwealth in the early 1930s. The initial 1,920 acres of the present-day park was donated by the Douthat Land Company, a consortium of Virginia businessmen.

The rest of the land was purchased with a portion of the $50,000 in funds allocated by the Virginia General Assembly in 1933 for park land acquisition.

The establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of the Emergency Conservation Works by President Roosevelt in 1933 provided the means for development of the parks.

An estimated 600 men lived and worked at the three camps responsible for building Douthat’s facilities.

Between 1933 and 1942, these men cleared trails, built a dam and spillway, cabins, a restaurant, an information center, superintendent’s residence, swimming beach, picnic areas and maintenance buildings, hinges, as well as hand-wrought iron hardware, light fixtures and door and shutter latches.

The built and natural features of the park have remained virtually unchanged since construction.

In 1986 – the 50th anniversary of Douthat State Park and the Virginia State Parks System – Douthat was recognized as a Nationally Registered Historic District.

In 1988, Douthat won the Virginia Lakes and Watersheds Association award for best operated and maintained dam for its Douthat lake dam.

In 1999, Douthat received the Centennial Medallion from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The Outside Family Vacation Guide named Douthat as one of the nation’s 10 best.

There are 74 total individual campsites and one group campsite, called Beaver Dam Group Site. Fifty-five of the camping sites have electrical hookups available.

Douthat Lodge was built by the CCC and is a log building that houses up to 15 guests, while Creasey Lodge is wood frame and holds up to 18 guests. Douthat has 30 total cabins vary in size and can hold from one to six people.

There are three picnic shelters that can be reserved for a group. Douthat Lake View Restaurant was built by the CCC and overlooks the lake. Adjacent to the restaurant is a camp store and gift shop. Swimming at the beach area of the lake is available from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

There are over 43 miles of hiking trails and 24 miles of mountain biking trails.

The park has been heralded as the best mountain biking destination on the East Coast.

Douthat allows trout fishing in its stocked lake with a valid Virginia fishing license and a daily permit. The boat ramp launch is available April through October.

Gladden reported that the new Whispering Pines Campsite will be open in September with 25 campsites and new restrooms with a playground for the children.

He reported that over 200,000 people used Douthat facilities last year, and the numbers are growing each year.

The park is 4,546 acres with a 50-acre lake.

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation manages the parks that have grown from the original six parks to 35 parks and more than 60 natural areas, hosting more than 8 million visitors each year.

Last year, state park visitors contributed an estimated $189 million to local and state economies.

Saturday’s celebration included free cake, inflatable jumpers, games and paddle boat races. Sunday’s activities included Father’s Day papermaking, Father’s Day memories and Father’s Day stroll in nature.

The six state parks opening all on the same day in 1936 illustrated how a bad situation could produce something good.

In the ’30s, the country was in a deep depression, and President Roosevelt started the CCC which provided employment for not only local people but others who were cut off.

With the CCC providing the labor, and in a sense helping the unemployment situation, state and national parks along with other projects were completed. They have long outlived the depression days, and we are still enjoying their benefits today.

Douthat State Park employs 69 people during the summer season. It provides jobs for the youth of the community, and helps the local economy, too.

Virginian Review June 20, 2011

Richard E. Bannon, owner of REBCO Construction, L.L.C. of Rockbridge County, has purchased the building from Phil and James Newberry. Bannon has plans to renovate the building facade and the inside three stories.

To begin his project, Bannon will paint the first-floor facade a hunter green, which has been approved by the Clifton Forge Architectural Review Board.

Further plans include repainting of the entire building as well as repairing the original storefronts, original windows and wood siding.

Inside the building, Bannon’s plans include renovation of the ground floor store spaces, in addition to remodeling of the upper floors.

The second floor will be reworked into a bed-and-breakfast type lodging and the third floor will be used for owner occupancy.

Bannon estimates that the project may take as long as a year or more.

Andy Morris, community development director of Clifton Forge, has been working with Bannon since last September to ascertain that all building codes and renovation requirements be met.

Bannon also reported that David Kleppinger, executive director of the Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation, was very helpful in working on the historical aspects of the project.

Ross Hammond has been appointed as engineer of the project and his company, Commonwealth Construction Company, will renovate the bottom store fronts of the building.

Bannon’s construction company, REBCO Construction, will complete work on the upper floors.

The original building at 411 Ridgeway Street was built sometime around 1900 (before 1907) and was a three story, frame building with bricktex siding, shed roof, ornate wood storefront with milled muntins and decorative transoms.

Edmund F. Scott was an early owner of this building. The restaurant that operated in the original, northeast half of this building in 1907 was one of his businesses, as was the hotel that operated from the upper stories in the 1920s.

The southwest section of the building was added between 1907 and 1913 and contained E.F. Scott’s barber shop.

The hotel guest list over the years reported a number of famous guests which included Hank Williams and Jackie Gleason.

Older residents of the Highlands may remember paying 25 cents for a hair cut from Baldy Curtis.

Just last year, a piano and a motorcycle fell into the sub-flooring when the floor gave way.

U.M. Hickman was owner of the Virginia Taxi Company for many years and directly across the street was the Otto Brothers Taxi Company.

Judge Newberry bought the Virginia Taxi and his family sold the building to Bannon when the taxi service went out of business.

Bannon’s interest in the building was piqued when he was a visitor in Clifton Forge and was dining at Jack Mason’s Tavern across the street from the building.

Intrigued by the shape of the building, Bannon inquired about the building from Morris, who was able to give him the names of the owners and to help him with building codes.

The two have been working together on the project since September of last year.

When the building is completely renovated, two or more store fronts will be available for retail businesses and there will be rooms upstairs for overnight guests.

As of today, the building is empty and no one has stayed upstairs for years.

Virginian Review June 11, 2011