Volume 14 , Issue 10

Highland County Virginia - Under the British Crown

This week's journey through the early day of Highland County, Virginia takes us to Chapter IX of Oren Frederic Morton's book entitled, The History of Highland County, Virginia. It deals with Highland under the British Crown; Settlers after the Indian War; Pioneer Homes; Manner of life; Farming customs, roads, mills and Taverns; Church and School interests organization of Augusta; County courts, punishments, lawsuits wills, deeds and surveys and White servants.

When the war for Independence broke out, there was a considerable population in these valleys. The favored localities after the Indian war were the heads of the Cowpasture and Bullpasture rivers, the Crabbottom, and the vicinity of Vanderpool Gap.

James Burnside lived on the Bodkin homestead for a number of years. Andrew Lockridge in 1774 purchased a large boundary of land in the Bullpasture Valley just above the Bath line. Dawson Wade lived near the mouth of Davis Run, but sold to William Steuart and went to Boteourt. Edward Hines was on Crab Run in 1768. At Doe Hill, Abraham Hempenstall became a neighbor to the Wilsons. Tully Davitt lived in the same neighborhood, but at the close of 1775 he sold to John Hiner. John McCoy was another neighbor by 1733. It is said that in coming through Panther Gap most of McCoys seed potatoes fell into the river. On the Cowpasture, George Benson purchased in 1776 at the run which bears his name. In the near vicinity there is mention of William Renick and William and Francis Jackson. Higher up the river was Henry Erwin in 1772.

The limestone soils of Bullpasture Mountain caused this upland to be thought the only one much worthy of being reduced to private ownership. The first entry we find here was that of William Price as early as 1754. In 1772, Thomas Wright appears to have been living on the mountain and he was soon followed by others, in the section above the turnpike.

The Middle Valley is where we find that George Nicholas came to the Forks of the Waters in 1770. The first entry on Straight Creek proper seems that of David Bell in 1771. The Bell's were for some time considerable landholders in Highland, and at an early day appear to have lived here. A little over the Monterey divide was David Frame in 1767, and "Frame's Cabbin" is spoken of as a well known landmark. His neighbors about Vanderpool Gap were Robert and John Dinwiddie, William Given and James Morrow. Robert Dinwiddie was a man of some education and property, but the notion that he was the same as Governor Robert Dinwiddie is entirely wrong. The latter had no sons and after his term of office went back to England and died there. But that the pioneer was a relative is very possible. Down the river at the mouth of Dry Branch was Robert Wiley, In 1773.

Peter Hull sold his farm in the Valley of Virginia and became a heavy purchaser in the center of Crabbottom in 1765. Below him were Bernard Lantz about this time, Michael Arbogast and John Gum in 1766, Pallor Naigley in 1768, and Peter Zickafoose in 1772.

The raid on the Wilsons one half of Highland was still an unbroken forest, yet there were more than fifty households scattered a long the river bottoms of the other half. This region had begun to take on the semblance of stable community, and was not with Highland as with the remote regions of the Appalachians. The distance to the seaboard was not prohibitive, and the people did not mean to lie outside the pale of civilization.

The usual type of Highland dwelling was the round log cabin, with a single door, a stick and daub chimney and one or two little openings closed by shutters. The building was small, low and hastily constructed. It was the offspring of necessity, just as was the sod house on the far Western prairies. This single-roomed house were neatly or slovenly kept depended on the habits of those who lived in them.

The settler who wished to live in decent quarters put up a well-built structure of hewn logs, supplied it with a massive chimney of hewn stone. It accommodated the parents and the eight, ten or fifteen children who shared the house with them. Nails were made by the blacksmith and were sparingly used. Wooden pins being a substitute. Window panes were not only small but few, since it was tedious and expensive to bring glass from the seaports. Boards used were made by the slow, toilsome process of whipsawing. The roof was clapboards held down by weight poles that took the place of shingles.

The clapboards gave place at length to shingles, the walls were weatherboarded, the windows became larger, and the rooms were veiled. The yawning fireplace was closed up and a stove set in front of it. Houses of brick or stone were even rare. After the steam sawmills came into being no more log houses were built.

It was the rule among all classes all people wore homespun and lived on cornbread and wild meat and fish. Spoons were of pewter or wood. Furniture was handmade. The barns and stable were primitive and were not needed for housing farm implements. The livestock had to be strongly penned to keep off the wolves, panthers and bears. The tilled area was very small. The pioneer grew no more than what his family and his livestock could consume. pasture lands were even small and trees were cut down for the farm animals to browse upon the twigs. The pioneer farm was well supplied with cattle, horses, sheep and hogs. Animals could walk to market and were the chief agricultural resource. Sheep were necessary, because the only woolen goods were those made on the hand loom in the farmhouse. The sowing of a half-bushel of flax was considered good for fifty to seventy-five yards of cloth.

Wallace Estill was directed 29 May 1751 to clear a road from his mill to a road already opened to the head of the Calfpasture. The settlers appointed by the court to help him were Loftus Pullin, Richard Bodkin, Samuel Ferguson, Matthew Harper, John Miller, William Price, James Anglen, James Hall, Philip Phegan, John Shaw, Hackland Wilson, two John Carliles, and Robert and William Carlile. By petition of May 18, 1753, this road was extended from Estill's mill to William Wilson's mill on Bolar Run. Stephen Wilson and Hugh Hicklin were overseers for this section, and to work under them were John Miller, William and John Wilson, Samuel and Robert Gay, Robert and John Carlile, John and Thomas Hicklin, and Loftus Pullin.

This thoroughfare was 32 miles long and was the first public road in Highland. It was no more than a narrow lane through the woods, to be traveled by horses with packsaddles. According to law, posts of direction were to be set up at necessary points. The neglected wagon path up the west face of Jack Mountain from Bolar appears to be the course of this old road.

The house of public entertainment was called an ordinary, and the prices it charged for its services were regulated by the county court with Greg Minuteness. Taverns were too few to keep the rates down.

We will have more on Highland county and chapter nine next week in the OkieLegacy Ezine.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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