Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1903-01-07
The Attractions and Industrial
Resources of ROckbridge
County.

The Attractions and Industrial
Resources of ROckbridge
County.
For The Gazette.
The attractions and industrial
resources of Rockbridge county
are not appreciated by our people
from the fact that most persons
do not think about it, and even
when they do, they do not realize
the advantages of Rockbridge
over many other counties in the
State.
AGRICULTURAL.
First. we have superior advan-
tages in soil and climate and in
the diversified productions of our
county. We are not forced to
depend, as many others are, on
any one Of the agricultural pro-
duets, as is done in the cotton,
tobacco, stock or fruit counties,
for our revenues, but our best
farmers raise some Of all the
productions of our soil, and by so
doing are not Frustrated by
failure in any one of them. or the
grains we produce wheat, corn, oats,
rye and buckwheat, besides pOta-
toes and other vegetables. Fruit
is raised in great abundance, such
as apples, peaches, pears, damsons,
plum 5, cherries, and all varieties
of grapes and berries. The soil is
well suited to grass and hay, hence
stockraising is II profitable in
dustry-cattle, horses, sheep, hogs,
poultry and the product of the
dairy. all of which we have a
surplus for the market.
MANUFACTURES.
Our manufactures, although
this is not considered manufac-
turing community, are n uch more
extensive than is generally known.
We have two l00-ton iron fur
naces now in blast, one foundry
and pillow works and one wood
working factory. There are
twenty-five roller mills now in
operation making patent -four Of
the best grade, besides some other
old fashioned -four and grist mills.
On James river, at Glasgow, there
is an extensive cement plant,
n aking the best James River
cement. There are seveal perpetual
lime kilns in operation, shipping
thousands of barrels Of lime to
other States.
At Buena Vista there is one Of
the largest paper mills in the State
in operation, an extensive tannery,
turning out thousands of pounds
of leather; fire brick plant,
which produces fire brick to supply
the demand for furnaces, coke
ovens. etc. Another new and inn
portant industry at Buena Vista
is the extract works, which extract
tannin from the chestnutand other
woods to be exported for use by
tanners in the cities and places
where bark cannot be had. The
wooden mills are also a very i'm
portant industry at that place,
where cloths and wooden fabrics
of the best quality are made for
the United States Army and for
consumption by our own people.
We need not go into any further
detail of the manufacturing in
dmstries of Rockbridge. Suffice it
to say that we are "a manufactur-
ing as well as an agricultural
people.
CHURCHES.
We now come to the churches,
which speak volumes as to the
moral and religious character OF
our people. There are more than
fifty CT urches of the various
religious sects in the county. We
believe all or nearly so are self
supporting. The fact that each
district in the county has voted
separately against the sale of
liquors in the county, shows the
high moral tone of our people.
EDUCATIONAL.
The educational advantages of
Rockbridge county are equal II not
superior to any other county of the
State. 1t is not my purpose to
write the history of our two in
situations of national reputation.
Washington and Lee University,
founded during the Revolution by
the hardy Scotch-Irish settlers of
the Valley, endowed by George
Washington, presided over by the
illustrious Robert +. Lee, and now
bearing the names of the two
grandest heroes of modern times.
The Virginia Military Institute,
another school, the best of its
kind in the South, turning out
from its barracks brave soldiers
to fill the army offices of our coun-
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