The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-15
Metropolis Of Lunen-
burg and Surround
ing Regions.
IT'S GREAT PLACE
FOR YOUNG BLOOD
Lunenburg's Busy Centre Invites
All Kinds of Industries, and
Has Many inducements to
Offer Young Men in Search
of an Opening-Wide-
Awake Folks.
BIZ rnANK 8. wooDsoN.

By FRANK 3. WOODROW.
Kenbridge, Va. February 1+.-Just
shout six years ago dropped into the
wnyside country atoppng place in Lun-
enburg County. known then rs Tink-
ling, and think ] wrota something
OF what Thinking would become under
the now name OF Kenbridse. the name
that tho then prospective town took
on. Ny recollection is that had
some thing TO do With tho naming OF
the new town that was at that time
feeling sure that II would grow up on
the line OF the great Virginian Rail
way. 1t was by the merest accident
that the honor Of naming the new town
fell TO me. but that liz story not
necessary tc DO repeated in this letter
Anyhow. II was named Kenbridge, ana
under that name II has grown within
tho last six years TO great proportions.
and Is now one OF the leading leaf 10
bacco markets of the State, and Is a
mercantile and manufacturing centre
that plays second 6ddle TO no town OF
1000 inhabitents on the map OF Vir-
ginia.
ltr Jsiace on the Map.
Whore is kenbridge? do you ask
Well take a map Of Virginia. draw a
triangle with Blackstone. in Nottoway
County, at the apex to the north. Chase
City. In Mecklenburs County. at the
west corner OF tho base, and South
Hi, in the same county, at the east
corner OF tho base: then look in the
centre OF the triangle thus formed. and
Kenbridse will he correctly located.
and II has a right big place on the said
map OF Virginia.
1t will be found further. that with
in this tr!anEls Is nearly all OF the
rich County OF Ltuenburg. occupying
the middle part OF IL from east 10
west. The cone. or north part |of the
tr!nnglc. is OF Nottoway County lands.
the base. or south part is rich and
prosperous piece OF Mecklenburg
County. and the eastern side liz n con-
siderable siico OF Brunsv 'rk COUNTY.
while the Counties or Cha -lo,te and
Prince Edward touch the e.lges, and
II may no truthfully said that no part
OF the State or Virginia Is ri-her in
varied forests md timber lands and in
agricultural possibilities than the bseu
tirully lying. wcll-watered and welt
drained lands embraced within th,s
triangle. of which Kenbridge is thu
capital.
Early Ambition.
II wa. the ambition OF Kenbridge to
become the capital and commercial con-
tre the banking centre, the marketing
town and the educational centre of this
triangle. and Judging from the things
saw six years ago. ] predicted that
this dream would be realized within
decade The realization has come
sooner than predicted. for to-day Ken
bridge Is a town OF 1000 Inhabitants
has Its high school, its churches, its
bank, It's many stores. its factories
its three tobacco warehouses and it's
big tobacco business. and yet the folks
UP hero tell me they have only made
start, and that within the next half
decade they are going TO put the
town much more largely on the map
The back country. with It's facilities
for growing things for the markets
this big interest being taken In the
growing of bright tobaccos on the
lands that heretofore grew only the
dark shipping goods. the interest be-
ing taken In tho dairying and cattle
raising business by tho farmers here
abouts. the interest being taken In
trucking. the disposition OF capitalists
TO establish here manufacturing enter
prises that old Lunenburg County
never dreamed of in the old days. the
development OF the granite quarries
horeaboute and number Of other
things that are attractive to outside
Investors have all combined to con-
vince me that Kenbridge has really
Just started on its day OF sure enough
development.
The Town az II Now Is.
/ had short talk with the presi-
dent and neveral other officers of the
Business MEMS Association the other
day. and when had gotten through
with the seance l felt quito sure that
Kenbridge has only just started on Its
line OF development. From these peo-
pie gathered some facts about the
town that are worth recordation.
1t was some time In the early part
OF 1907 that the engineers of the Vir-
gilman Railway came this way and left
some signs that the proposed straight
line railway would hit along these en-
yironments Some OF the far-seeing
people OF this region then guessed that
IL the road really went through. then
this WAS the best point In all OF Lunen-
burg County for n sure enough town
and they went to work accordingly.
The road went through all right and
the story, or many stories of some OF
the villages that sprung up on the line
have been printed In many papers. Tho
Times Dispatch among them, but after
all mono Of these stories have PANIED
out quite so we'll, nor have the predic-
lions panned out quite SO fully, as in
done well and all because the good
folks who first got here have had n
lot CT faith in their good little town
But It Is not the history of the town,
nor OF the facts that made this history.
that am called upon to write. Just
want to talk OF the Kenbridge of to-
day. as found 1t this week when /
came up here to talk TO the boys.
The population OF the town to-day
is about 800 within the corporate limits
and there are not less than 200 people
Just outside tho town limits who are
practically citizens of the town. Thus
1t Is plain that tho good littlo town can
claim population of not less than
1000.
The How and Wherefore.
Just how Kenbridge has grown
within tho last six years is something
marvellous and really the people RIGHT
in tho town and In the regions that
surround 1t do not understand 1t. But
tho fact Is that 1t has grown from