r F HAND-BOOK OF Mecklenburg County THE COURTHOUSE. I 90 I piii;si-:N'T):i) by HAND-BOOK OF Mecklenburg County, THE COURTHOUSE. ^^/^ I 90 I BOATWRICHT BROS CO., PRINTERS, DANVILLE. VA. Mineral Water A First-class and up-to-date Hotel and Sanatorlun in course ot construction. ^A 1- ^8i CHASE CITY MINERAL WATER CO., CHASE CITy OR RICHMOND, VA. 1ban^=*Boo^^ ot HDecklenburo County, IDirGinia* Situation. It was formed as a county in 1764, and is on the Southern border of the State. Latitude 36°, Longitude 78° 30\ The adjoining" counties are Halifax, Charlotte, Lunenburg" and Brunswick and its Southern boundary is the State of North Carolina. It is equi-distant 125 miles from the Atlantic sea coast and the Blue Ridge mountains, escapes the bleak cold winds of the one and the miasmatic influence of the other. It has an aver- ag"e leng"th of thirty-six miles and width of twenty miles. It contains 417,394 acres, valued at $1,658,190, and a total population of 26,551. Mater doutses. The Roanoke, Staunton and Dan Rivers flow throug"h it on the South and the Meherrin on the Nortl]. Besides these large streams, innumerable creeks ami branches, and also springs, of pure soft water, in almost every field, all of which combine to make this one of the finest watered counties in the State. These streams are not stag"nant, but constantly running". The lands are sufficiently rolling to carry off all surface water. 4 HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. On these tributaries to tlie rivers, which permeate the county in all parts, are afforded many eligible loca- tion for mill sites and manufactories. SotL The soil is varied. Along- the valleys of the streams it is alluvial and exceedingly fertile. The uplands are gray, chocolate clay, red and sandy soil, and where not injured by injudicious cultivation, highly productive. All the soils are susceptible of improvement, retain their fertility for a number of years, and, when prop- erly cultivated, yield equal to the lands of any country. drops. The staple crops are tobacco, wheat, corn, oats and cotton. Sorghum, from which a superior qualit}' of molasses is made, can be easily produced in any locality. The finest grades of yellow leaf tobacco, equal to the best qualities of the golden belt of North Carolina, are made in many portions of the county, and the most re- numerative prices are obtained forMecklenburg brights. The dark and red kinds of tobacco are extensively used by the manufacturers for the choicest brands, and the heavy dark for continental shipping. The county ranks as the third producing tobacco county in the State. The river bottoms are well adopted to corn, yield- ing from fifty to seventy-five bushels per acre. The highlands from thirty to forty bushels, with favorable seasons. Improved land will produce from fifteen to twenty bushels of wheat to the acre, and often more. Winter oats succeed wonderfully well when seeded early. Herds and orchard grass, timothy, clover, and most of the domestic grasses flourish luxuriantly on good soils. Those who have turned their attention to making hay for market have met with good success, not only in quantity made but in prices obtained. HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 5 All garden vegetables, berries, melons, Irish and sweet potatoes, can be abundantly raised and readily marketed at paying prices. For all crops the lands re- spond bountifull}'^ to the application of well selected fertilizers. jfrutts* Apples, peaches, pears grapes, cherries, straw, dew, rasp and black-berries, and all other fruits not strictly tropical, grow luxuriantly and yield regularly and abundantly. The forests and abandoned fields abound in great variety of nuts, acorns, grapes, persirrt- monsand wild berries, which furnish valuable food for man and beast. About every other year there is a mass sufficient to keep hogs in good condition through the winter. fforests. These are very extensive and comprise a great vari- ety of timber. At least one-half of the county is yet covered with forests, a great proj)ortion of which is second growth, which springs up spontaneously on lands left out of cultivation. The old field pines ap- pear quickly on abandoned lands and in a few years furnish timber for fencing and farm buildings, and when cleared in the course of years the lands are re- stored to their original fertility. They seem to be the remedy of nature for the restoration of impoverished soils. The chief varieties in the forests are the heart pine, hickory, walnut, red, white, black, Spanish, wil- low and post oaks, elm, dogwood, locust, j^oplar, maple, birch, beech, mulberry, black and sweet gum. Lumber ranges from $8 to $15 per thousand feet. Saw mills are in nearly every neighborhood. Some of our 6 HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. forests still remain in their primeval state, and as railroad, manufacturing" and building- demands in- crease, must at some day become of great value. Im- mense quantities of hickory logs have been shipped from this country in the last few years to Connecticut, to be manufactured into rims, spokes, hubs and other articles of trade. Virginia hickory is said to be espe- cially valuable on account of its firmness and elas- ticity. Climate* • Our climate is not tropical, but i*emarkably line, with perhaps the most uniform seasons and desirable temperature of any of the States. Winter begins about the 15th of December, and its coldest weather is over by the middle of Februar}^, and rarely ever very severe. Plowing and other farm work usually pro- gresses all through the winter with scarcel}^ an inter- mission. As the winters are so short the expense of stock feeding is comparatively small. Cattle and sheep graze through the winter months. Our summers, although of longer duration, are not oppressively warm, and the gentle breezes greatly mitigate the effects of the heat. There are no torna- does or cyclones, which sometimes sweep over other sections of the country. Excessive cold or hot spells rarely last longer than two or three days. The ther- mometer never falls to zero in winter, or rises to op- pressive heat more than a few hours in summer, ex- cept in places exposed to the direct rays of the sun. Commodore M. F. Maury, in his Physical Survey of Virginia, says : "Virg-inia answers geographically to the Southern half of Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Greece and Turkey as to climate. The difference between HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. / theirs and the climate of Virginia is in favor of Vir ginia. She is better watered than they, and cultiva- tion is carried on without irrigation." » UopooraQb^. The surface of the county is not level, but hilly and broken, and in physical formation somewhat resem- bling the noted Piedmont region of Virginia. The average elevation of the county above sea level approximates five hundred feet. In the northern part actual observations show the elevation five hundred and thirty-five feet. Our mean annual temperature is about 57°. The mean annual rainfall about 49 inches. On Christmas day, 189i, the range of the thermometor was from 60 to 64 degrees. It seldom rises above 85° in summer or falls below 32° in the winter. Mater, Pure water is everywhere abundant, in clear, per- petual springs, affording a delightful drink even in warmest weather and severest drought. Wells dug and walled with rock are also used for convenience, the water being as good as that from the natural springs, and are from twenty-five to fifty feet deep. On the southern border of this county are the cele- brated Buffalo Lithia Springs, whose waters are fam- ous the world over for their potential health-produc- ing and medicinal properties. At Chase City are also mineral waters noted for their medicinal ingredients and adaptation to a wide range of diseases. In fact, in almost every locality in this county mineral waters have been recently discovered, and 8 HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. some of great value. The very earth seems to be preg"- nant with flowing* streams of health -giving" waters, which burst forth to view trom their hidden sources to give relief and brighten the life of afflicted humanity. Ibealtbtulness- The health of the county is excellent ; the atmos- phere is pure and invigorating. Epidemic diseases are unknown, nor are we subject to diseases of a violent and malignant type. Sometimes fevers prevail of a bilious or intermittent character, but they are usually due to local causes, which are remedial. The aver- age of' human life will compare favorably with any section' of the United States. There is scarcely a neighborhood that me*n and women cannot be found who are in active and robust liealth between eighty and ninety years old. A case of consumption is a rare oc- currence. Being midway between tide-water and the mountains, the diseases w^hich sometimes prevail in those sections are here in the mildest forms. No cases of yellow fever or cholera were ever known here. It can be safely assserted that no place in Virginia is more proverbial for the general healthfulness and lon- gevity of its people than Mecklenburg. In some portions of t tie county gold, silver, granite, soapstone and kaolin have been discovered, and require only capital and persons skilled in the business for their successful and profitable development. Stoch IRatstnQ, In the past our people have been so absorbed in the cultivation of tobacco that other branches of farm- ing industry have been neglected. An interest has re- HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 9 centh^ been awakened in stock raising', and it is des- tined to assume larg^e and increasing proportions. Horses and mules are reared here at comparatively small cost ; beef cattle can be profitably grown ; hog"s and sheep thrive here remarkably w^ell. There are larg"e bodies of pine t^rowth, in which sheep find de- sirable protection in the winter and at other seasons of the year g"ood g-razing". Some people have introduced Eng"lish blood cattle and improved breeds of sheep, and succeeded in making- them a source of profit. The variety of g^rasses seem well adapted to them, and if proper attention is g^iven diseases rarely occur. Our horses have superior style and action, ample size, and are noted for their powxr of endurance and g^eneral usefulness. poultry- Chickens flourish in this section and always find a ready market. The finest fowls are always abundant, and appear to be a spontaneous production of the soil. Poultry breeders could find here a splendid field for selling- the production of their yards, both in the way of regular trade and by the sale of improved strains, which would be bought by the farmers for the improve- ment of their own stock. The experiment has been made successfully at one point in the county. Timtlt) Game. Owing' to our extensive uncultivated fields, dense forests and larg^e streams, the county is well stocked with wild game. The wild turkey is here in its native heather. Partridges or quail are in every field. Of late years deer have become numerous in some sections of the county, while the old hare, squirrel, oppossum. 10 HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. coon, fox, otter and beaver furnish food and sport for the huntsman. In winter along the chief water courses wild ducks and geese are in endless profusion. Various kinds of fish are found in all the streams. Xabor, No county in the State is better supplied with labor, especially for agriculture. On the farms men receive from $6. 00 to $10. 00 per month, with fuel, rations and quarters, while women and boys are paid about half as much, according to their efficiency and fidelity. There is also a good supply of day labor at from 50 to 75 cents per day. House servants are abundant, espec- ially in and about the towns. Rough mechanics usually find employment at moderate wages. In all of these the negro predominates and is re- garded as satisfactory, owing to his docility and aervility, as well as to his contented disposition. His taste has not been cultivated nor his ambition excited beyond the absolute necessities of life. Three pounds of bacon, three gallons of corn meal, and some salt, make a week's rations. These he cooks and serves himself, without any trouble to his employer. He requires, however, personal supervision to make him labor prop- erly and efficiently. finances. Our financial condition is good ; annual tax for State, county and free schools is one per cent, on the 1100.00 value of property. Our lands, with few excep- tions, are clear of encumbrance. Personal indebted- ness has greatly diminished since the war, old debts liquidated. The county is entirely under the control of the whites, and no probability of its being other- HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 11 wise. There are five banks in the county, with ample capital ; two at Boydton, two at Chase City, and one at Clarksville. Education* Education is on the free school system and con- trolled by the State. Graded and common schools are so situated as to make them accessible from every neighborhood. Whites and colored have their sepa- rate schools. Attendance is voluntary. There is no interming'ling" of the races in education. At Chase City is located the Southside Academy, where accomplished instructors furnish hig'her educa- tion and prepare the young for the colleges and ditfer- ent avocations of life. It is an incorporated institution and well equipped to provide the best educational ad- vantages. IReligton. Churches of the Methodist, Baj^tist, Presbyterian and Episcopal denominations are scattered through- out the county, seldom more than four or five miles apart, and a very large proportion of the population are members of some denomination. The colored people have their own separate churches and pastors. Our people are moral, law^-abiding, and noted for their hospitality, and general welcome is extended to all who wish to make their home in our midst who are honest in their pursuits of w^ealth, health and happi- ness, observe the laws, and of good demeanor. XTowns. - Boydton, Chase City and Clarksville are the prin- cipal towns, and furnish a ready market for countr}' produce. Their stores and shops are amply sutficient 12 HAND-BOOK OF MKCKLKNBUKG COUNTY. for all branches of trade. These towns have each a population of about 800 and are about twelve miles from each other. Clarksville, Chase City and Boydton have larg'e tobacco warehouses and are splendid markets for the sale of leaf tobacco. The farmer is not troubled with the expense of packing" and prizing, but sells it loose on the floors of the warehouse, where the buyers assem- ble and buy it at auction. Tobacco is always saleable at any season of the year and sells for cash. About 8, 000; 000 pounds are sold at the three markets every 3^ear. Boydton, on the Atlantic and Danville Branch of Southern Railway, -is the count}^ seat, near the centre of the county. The towns of South Hill and La Crosse are on the Atlantic and Danville Branch of the South- ern Railway, are of recent growth, and they have numerous stores, shops and other buildings j and are rapidly increasing in population and business enter- prises. Clarksville, on the Southside, is situated at the con- fluence of the Staunton and Dan rivers, which form the Roanoke. The Atlantic & Danville Branch of the Southern, and Keysville & Durham, N. C. , Railroads pass by it. It is surrounded by a fertile agricultural section. Chase City is on the Ke^T'Sville & Durham Branch of the Southern Railroad, in three and a half hours' ride of Richmond. It is an elevated situation, 535 feet above sea level, and on the ridge dividing the waters of the Staunton and Meherrin rivers, in the North- w^estern portion of the county. It has a new and progressive population, and a large and productive section of coun- try tributary to its markets. Chase City and Clarksville HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBUKG COUNTY. 13 have telephone communication with Imndreds of towns in Virg"inia and North Carolina. At Chase City a company with a capital stock of $100,000 has been org'anized to establish a Sanitarium with all modern appliances and will be ready for busi- ness before the summer of 1902. The intending" settler may be sure that when he comes to Mecklenburg* he wall not lind himself in a wilderness or among* unenlig"htened people ; nor will he be compelled to wait for the country to grow up. Nor will he be among strangers, for a large number of l^eople from the North and West are scattered through the county, who have purchased land and settled here since the w^ar, and will give the gratifying assurance that they are well pleased with our climate, lands and people. populattom By the census of 1900 the population of the county is 26,551, an increase of 1,192 since 1890. IRailroaDs anD XIransportation. The Atlantic & Danville Branch of the Southern Railroad traverses the county from North-east to South-w^est, a distance of forty-six miles, giving direct communication with Norfolk, Petersburg, Danville and other cities. The Richmond & Danville branch from Keysville to Durham, N. C, passes from the North- western to the Southern portion of the county, via Chase City and Clarksville, a distance of about forty miles. The Seaboard Railroad, built in 1900, passes through the Eastern part of the county from the North to the North Carolina line, about twenty miles. 14 HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. post ©trices. There are fifty-five post offices in the county, and mail communication and facilities are all that could be desired in every locality. Xan^s dan be 3Bouabt. There are a number of farms in this county which can be bought at prices ranging" from $5.00 to 112.00 per acre, and several hundred acres of land embraced in them, a good dwelling house, necessary out houses, such as barns, stables, &c., well watered and timbered, in healthy communities, blessed with good social, edu- cational and religious advantages. We net*d immigra- tion — our farms are too large, our population is too sparse, there is too much uncultivated land, our re- sources are yet undeveloped. We want new ideas of progress, new industries and more enterprise and capi- tal. The titles to lands are good. Taxes are low. Labor is plentiful and cheap. The citizens, of all classes, white and colored, are law-abiding, and prop- erty and person are as safe here as in any other civilized country. Cheapness ot XanDs. When we consider the unrivalled climate with which we are blessed, the general healthfulness w4iich exists, the intrinsic value and productiveness of our lands, the great variety and utility of their produc- tions, the high character of our people, the proximity to the great Seaboard markets, and ample transporta- HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. 15 tion by rail and water — lands which combine all these advantages must be cheap when sold for less than the cost of the improvement upon them. Wib'Q Xan^s are tor Sale. Our population is too sparse and our landed estates too large, and their sub-division is necessary to be cul- tivated under a better system. Staple products, tobacco, wheat, corn, &c., no longer bear the renumerative prices they formerly did, w^hile the increased railway facilities have brought us into communication with the great centres of popular tion on the Atlantic coast, opening up new avenues and offering great inducements to diversify the farming. Trucking, canning, vineyards and orchards, conducted with skilled labor, upon small surfaces in selected localities, offer better profit than the staple crops cul- tivated on the larger plantations. Under these conditions it has now become neces- sary to break up the large estates handed down from generation to generation, and to institute a new order of things more in harmony with our enviroment. The speediest and most efficient means of accom- plishing this object is to sell our lands to those who comprehend fully the situation and have the necessary capital to utilize its advantages. It must be apparent to all that our social system and industrial interests are in a state of progressive development; that the shackles of the past must be broken loose ; the prejudices of other times laid aside, and the old ruts in which we have been traveling abandoned. A new era, with new influences, new 16 HAND-BOOK OF MECKLENBURG COUNTY. ideas and new ag'encies, has dawned upon us ; a new" Virginia is springing into being, and we must keep step with the march of events and place ourselves in the line of progress and development. Additional population will awaken and stimulate our energies, advancement in every direction will be insured, and all can participate in the golden opportunities which nature has so lavishly bestowed upon us. LAND TITLES EXflWINED^^ ^^- DEEDS WRITTEN AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TAKEN BY Thos. D. Jeffress, ATTORNEY AT LAW an9 NOTARY PUBLIC CHASE CITY, — MECKLENBURG COUNTY. VA, HAND-BOOK OF MECKF J<]NBrRG COUNTY. BUFFALO UM SPRINGS THESE CELEBRATED SPRINGS ARE LOCATED IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY, VIRGINIA, Occupyinpf a central posititlon In the section of country known as the "BvFFALO HiLLA" ^Thich is broken and rolling, about eight miles square and AT AN ALTITUDE OF 500 FEET ABOVE THE SEA LEVEL being similar in general appearance to the country in the vicinity of the Blue Ridge Mountains known as "Piedmont Virginia." A branch line of the Atlantic and Danville road delivers passengers immediately at the Springs. The Water is \riTHOUT ta.ste or ODOR to distinguish it from ordi- nary drinking water. ENDOR8ATION OF THESE WATERS THESE Waters are Endorsed and Prescribed by Distin- g'uished Medical Professors Representing" the Leadinji" Medical Colleges of the Country: Embracing" the Uni- versity of New York; Bellevue Hospital Medical Colleg"e, New York: Colleg"e of Physicians and Surg'eons, New York; The New York Polyclintic; Long- Island Hospital Medical Colleg"e, Brook- lyn. New York: Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Univer- sity of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: University of Virg"inia, Uni- versity of Maryland: Virg"inia Medical Collegfe, Richmond; Medi- cal Colleg"e of Georg"ia: Medical Colleg"e. State of South Carolina: Baltimore MedicarColleg"e; by J. Marion Sims, M.D., LL.D.: Dr. Robert Batty, Sug-g"ester of Batty's Operation; Dr. Thomas H. Buckler, of Paris, Sug"g"ester of Lithia as a Solvent for Uric x\cid: and other Physicians of Eminence Throug"hout the Country, Con- stituting" an Endorsation by the Hig"hest Medical Authorities, which may safely Challeng"e a Comparison with that of any of the Great Healing" Fountains of the world. ACCOMMODATIONS. The buildings are on the cottage plan, and sufllcient for the com- fortable accommodation of two hundred and fifty persons. PRICE OF WATER. In Cases of One Dozen Half- Gallon Bottles, $5.00 F. 0. B. HERE. A Discount to Dealers. All orders for the waters must be accompanied by the money or its equivalent. In future this requirement will be rieidlv adhered to. ^F^We DO NOT assume risks of breakmng or fkkezing. Parties will bear this in mind when ordering. '°"d1.'uggists Thomas f. Goode. prop. AND GROCERS. P. O. BUFFALO SPRINGS, VIRGINIA. N Soutbside Jfcademy, (CO-EDUCATICNAL. fOUTh'^^'Of,/CmMi. Offers Elective Courses. Academic, Business, Music, Art, Elocution, Phy- sical Culture, Primary, Kindergarten. Vvill have a new Boy's Dormitory ready for Session 1901-1902 Buildings and Grounds Attractive and well Adapted. Board and Academic (or Business) nine Months, ^115.00. Apply for Catalog-ue to E. C. aAMES, CHASH CITY, VA. Pniricipol. 7^ ^ EPPA H. POTTS. W. H. SAUNDERS. Potts & Saunders, Re/il Est/ite Brokers, CHASE CITY, Mecklenburg County, VIRGINIA. Investments made, Loans negotiated, and all kind of Real Estate Handled on Commission. Containing' from 50 to 3,000 Acres each, and rang- ing in price from $4 to $30 per Acre. Write for Descriptive List. PROPERTY SHOWN FREE. POTTS 6c SAUINDBRS, CHASE CIXY, VA. Chasfl City Cigar & Cheroot Co., Manufacturers of High Grade Clears, Cheroots and Stogies, CHASE CITY, VIRGINIA. If you appreciate a good Smoke you should try our cele- brated '* Chase City Cheroots," they are equal to any 5ct. Cigar on the market. If your dealer don't keep them send us One Dollar and we will mail you a box of 50, post paid. These are not cigarettes, but full size Cigars. Chase City Cigar & Cheroot Co., Chase City, Virginia. ^ WK FibrRrV oP c( M ->-fcr