Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1912-04-19
OLDEST TOWN AND
OLDEST WALLOW'
Some "reminiscences About
Adria and Her Good Folks.
Sunday-School Talk.


"town," contiguous to Burke's Gar
den. Its zigzag streets and alleys are
almost entirely deserted now. This
"town," unlike the usual town of
civilization, has decreased in impor-
t,nce with the march of progress, and
the shaggy Inhabitants who once
roamed its Businesses in undisputed
ownership and uncertain numbers,
like the Indians, their contemporaries
and neigbhors and bitter enemies,
have moved on and out, and the ST.
lence of the ''big woods" and the
singing, signing balsams which once
knew them, know them no more, as
the poet says.
"Bear Wallow" tops Stony Ridge,
which laurel-crested, rock-crowned
ridge stretches itself along, east and
west, not many miles, as the crow
flies, from the town of Tazewell, the
seat of an ancient and honorable civil
lization but, as the roads are, long,
weary way off. Here, on the top of
said Ridge, in little basin, according
to tradition and Tom Brown, the
shaggy relatives and countrymen of
Beartown were accustomed to congre-
gate and drink of limpid water, in
the winter time, and in the sultry sun
of summer do wallowing stunts as a
pastime, in addition. These, too. like
the others, saw trouble brewin', and
unable to bear the strain and pressure
of the aggressive huntsman, have also
moved on, and left their wallowing
but their wallow still remains unto
this day. But must forbear, for
want of space, and come down to
facts. l started out to say that had
most enjoyable time last Sunday
with the boys in and about the his
toric little village of Adria and the
historic territory of Bear Wallow.
Adria is an unpretentious little
village of about so souls all told,
including about as many dogs. 1t is
the seat of interest of the commun-
ity. The village store and post office
is there-alw ays places of interest in
the country. Here the good people,
and bad ones tco, if there are any,
collect, tell jokes, chew tobacco,
whittle, discuss politics and buy gro
ceries. Tom May is the ruling spirit
and Chief Mogul. He owns and runs
the store in addition to raising cattle
and children, of which latter source
of wealth he has goodly number.
Adria Is near the headwaters of Big
Sandy River. Just a short distance
out the road, just over the Dip. is
big spring, and there one prong of
the Big Sandy issues from big hill,
and starts on its way down Dry Fork,
one of the historic streams of the
county. On my way over, on Sunday
morning, picked up Mr.. C. H. Rey
nolds, his daughter, Mrs. Greever,
and his man Friday, Mr.. Phillip Rey-
nolds, and these loyal people stuck it
out during the entire day. The object
of my trip was to make "a few
feeble remarks"on the Sunday School
question, and incidentally to eat "a
good dinner with Tom May, both of
which important and momentous
things did to the best of my ability
and (the latter, to my entire salts
faction. The crowd at the Second
Adventist church was small, due,
partially, at least, to the fact, so
they said, that the notice of "the
speaking" was not given out in time.
However, the crowd was select. if
not large, and listened with commen-
dable patience to what was said. Then
came pleasant hour in the comfort
able and hospitable home of Mr.. and
Mrs. H. T. May. The dinner spread
by Mrs. May was such as is seldom
seen. Mrs.. May, and her daughters as
well, are experts in the culinary art,
evidently. and the welcome THY give
is like keen relish, which adds fla
vor and fragrance, and whets the ap-
petite to feathers edge.
Mr.. and Mrs. May have eight child
rem, believe, if l made no .mistake
in the count--fve girls and three
boys-all of them handsome, (particu.
larly the girls. and doing well. Tom
owns large boundary of bluegrass
land, and besides, does good mer-
cautile business. His father and the
late Col. A. j. May, of Tazewell,
were second cousins, and all came
from Kentucky originally.
In the afternoon the caravan moved
on up the valley to Bear Wallow
church, where crowd had gathered t,
hear what was to be said, and to Sc,
what was to be seen. Tom Brown an,
Al