The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-26
A COUNTY BY THE ROOTS
OLD BUCRINGHlM rs ONE OF THE
MOST WONDERFUL SPOTS.
Increased Railroad Facilities and what
the Advantages and Developments wiz
be-Three Hours From Richmond.

] bDtkINIffAM =. H. VA sept -
| Specialize Buckingham county could
have been pulled up by the roots and sent
20 the Worlds Fair at Chicago, It would
easily have taken the first premium
awarded to natural curiosities.
The progressive hustlers who had charge
OF that mammoth exhibition OF achieve
ment and enterprise, perhaps never saw
lump OF good dirt, containing some
| htty-fve square miles, and admirably
/ adapted 10 the growth Of fruit, cereals,
/ vegetables, domestic animals and tobacco,
with meager population OF less than
/ l3,Uj, ana also practically Isolated from
railroad correction with the wide-awake
I outside world.
II the lands OF Bucknham were owned
/ and controlled by few aristOcrdtic land
I lords, and titled by a dependent vassaiase,
/ the absurdly small population might easi-
! ly be accounted for. but such is far from
I being the case. and as q matter OF fact,
| fairly good land sells so cheap that any
industrious man, owning the necessary
teams and supplies 20 tide him over one
| year, can uuy a farm and pay Tor IL, with
| the proceeds from IL within three years
from the time he obtains possession.
There are numbers Of men VINO have
done just this very thing, and are now
well on the road TO prosperity. Quite
number Of negroes, who, when they were
given their freedom, possessed nothing
but a pair Of willing hands. now own
~ every instance the negro having this
stake in the community is an honest,
SMALL POPULATION.
The above being true, we must look for
other causes than unavailable agricultm.
al lands. whereby we may account for
our wholly insufficient population. IL may
be confidently asserted that the true Tea-
son for the lack OF population IS 10 be
found in the closing clause Of the second
paragraph Of this article, which says that
buckingham is practically Isolated from
railroad connection with the wide-awake,
The farmer 10 obtain the best results
from his labor. must be m quick cOmmu-
nicationl with large markets ana thcFe-
by avail himself of any rise IN the price
Of his products. The Buckingham farm
or has no such facility, or convenience,
and has, therefore, suffered. The great
need of this naturally good section Of
Several years ago the Chesapeake and
Ohio people extended their road from
ArvOn (the location OF the great slate
quarries) TO Rcsney, distance Of sixteen
miles The primary object Of this extcn-
sion was to secure timber needed by the
Chesapeake ana Ohio, and while that has
been accomplished. the road at the same
time mas been OF immense benefit to a
very largo number OF people, and album
dant evidence Of enterprise and thrift can
be seen along the entire line.
TO EXTEND THE RAILROAD.
A well-org9nized movement IS now on
foot to secure a further extension OF the
road 20 Buckingham Court House II
this Is accomplished, buckingham Court
House will easily be the largest shipping
point Oh the Chesapeake and Ohio. be
tween LynchbuTg and Richmond for OBJ
vOus reasons. A largo acreage OF unsur-
passed timber remains untouched by the
lumbermanS axe, because II is 700 tar 70
wagon 10 TO the nearest station. This
would be In easy reach or q station To-
Gated here.
value Of the timber interest now un-
touched. and now unavailable, 10 say
that 10 lis worth as much as the timber
felled and shipped from the county for
period Of twenty years. Those who nave
knowledge of the immense quantities OF
ties bark, walnut and oak logs. sawed
lumber and manufactured articles or
wood shipped from White Han alone
within the past few years must see that
the proper extension OF the road would
open much larger Held for the prose-
cutiOn of this very profitable industry
Tobacco is the principal crop grown,
and such IS the diversity Of the soil that
almost any grade can be successtully
raised. The dark heavy shipping tobaccos
are most generally grown, and last season
commanded fine prices
TOBACCO MARKET.
This tobacco IS marketed In Farmville,
Lynchburg and Richmond, AZ great trou-
bic, and heavy expense 10 the producers
With railroad facilities AT this place.
warehouses. rcpriZing establishments and
perhaps factories would spring up. and
the great bulk OF this tobacco would be
sold here and furnish no incOnsiderable
item Of tonnage TO the railroad.
The water power here Is exceedingly
desirable. To the north Slate river ana
on the south and west smaller streams,
any Of which are sufficiently large 10
furnish abundant water for manufactur-
ing purposes. No section or country lS
blessed with better water or more water
than this 10 is hard to find fifty acres OF
fHfrr IF a
stream of water running through H.
An unprecedented drought prevailed IN
this locality until very recently, ana tne
newspapers were full OF accounts or wells
ana streams that had gone dry i'm other
parts OF the country. where the drought
also prevailed, yet the water supply heIei
while considerably diminished, was am
pie for all practical purposes. Ihls ne
ing true. and considered in connection
with the adaptability Of the land 10 the
growth of clover timothy, orchard grass,
etc, II seems that this would be an ldeal
grazing country, yet according. 10 the re-
port Of the Commissioner Of Agriculture,
there was IN 1898 only one head OF cattle
20 every fifty-seven acres Of land In the
county. Since that time 10 IS fair to as
sumo that there has been no increase.
MINERAL WEALTH.
A great deal has been written OF the
mineral wealth supposed TO lie buried be-
meath our fertile soil / dare say, II the
prospector had an X-ray Of sufficient pow
er to penetrate the earth several hundred
feet that his longing for the klondike
region would give place 10 active satistac-
ton with Buckingham. The large sui
phuret deposit known 10 exist In paying
quantities IS Immediately on the line or
the proposed railway, and IL Is also said
that large deposits OF soapstone NOW
valuable FOR many purposes would be ac-
cessible.
If the proposed line is built. this place
will only be about three hours run from
Richmond and then tired. fagged-out
heat-stricken toilers from the city. can
come here and ind a veritable SLEEPY
Hollow" cool invigOrating and healthful;
When that historic, but sadly misguided
old Spaniard set out in quest OF the myth
ical fountain Of youth, he should have
directed his footsteps here, and then he
would not have gone down 20 the grave
the victim Of misplaced confidence
To briefly sum up the whole matter. the
people of Buckingham and the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad Company would be mu-
tually benefited by the proposed extension
of the road 20 this place. CAB.
tTIRSITI DATES.