by Barbara Clay Cheatham
On August 15, 2007, the Cheatham Farm on Red House and Bear Creek Roads was recognized as a Virginia Century Farm. To achieve this recognition, a farm has to have been owned and operated by the same family for one hundred or more consecutive years.
The history of this farm begins with Daniel Thomas Cheatham, who was born and raised in Appomattox County, but courted and married a Campbell County girl, Sara Elizabeth Cardwell. They were married in 1894 and for some time lived in homes and worked on property belonging to her family.
In November 1906, he purchased his first farmland in Campbell County. He began farming that land and also opened a blacksmith shop. By this time he and "Bet" had three sons and two daughters. Tobacco, corn, wheat and other small grains as well as large vegetable gardens were raised. Dan Cheatham planted fruit trees, grapevines, and raised prize watermelons. He eventually built a home on this land and there his family grew up. In 1908, he bought more property and increased the farm acreage. Around 1915 he built and opened a general store which became the center of what was called Gravel Ridge Community. Around this time his oldest son, Thomas Alexander, went to work in the Norfolk Shipyard for some time, but later came home to take over the farm operation. He and the rest of the family kept busy with flue-cured and fire-cured tobacco, wheat, corn, and other grains. The work was all done with mules, but tractors were added later. As time went on, the other sons, Daniel and Edward, went to work in Lynchburg, settled there, and raised their families there. The daughters, Annie and Elizabeth, married brothers of a neighboring family. Annie's husband was wounded in World War I and spent the rest of his life in a VA hospital. She remained in the family home ad there raised her two daughters. She helped with her parents as they grew older.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Cheatham's Store "THE Store"
The Store
Cheatham's Store was as much a community center, as it was a place to shop. You could surely purchase just about anything you needed, top to bottom, hats to shoes, but you could count on the local news, and just stop in for a visit. The "yard" of the store was gravel over red dirt, and the crunch of the gravel under the tires of the vehicles was a welcoming, friendly sound. Bottle caps from the tops of the drinks were mixed in with the gravel, making confetti gravel! The front door had a metal Sunbeam bread sign, and there were metal signs all over the front of the unpainted store. The wooden porch sloped downward, towards the front, and the sturdy columns were worn, weathered gray, along with the all the boards, looking over the hill like a wizened patriarch.
Years later a new store was built right by the old store, a bench outside that store had the same people sitting there that I recall from the old store!
We lived in the big white house behind the store, and I remember Betsy and me running down the hill to the store when the wind picked me up and I blew right under a vehicle, about to pull out from the store parking area. Ben reached his strong black hands under the car, and pulled me out before the driver pulled away! it was the first time I remember someone saving my life. (I was really a skinny kid.)
Even though we were barefoot all summer, I don't remember if those bottle caps hurt the bottoms of my feet. We were tender-footed when we first shucked our shoes in the spring, but by the end of the summer, the soles of our feet were thick ad callused, serving us just as well as store bought shoes. On Sunday when we had to wear shoes, they punched our feet. We played softball, and it did not seem to impede the running of the bases.
Storekeeping was something I ever had the privilege of doing, and I thought Betsy was so grown up when she kept store. Her Mom, Barbara, kept store, as did Uncle Alex, and Gary. Mama kept store when she was young, and recalled the duty as an honor and an education.
Grandma Annie recalled keeping store and told me about a customer asking for her to "get her one of them pig nipples." She asked again and they repeated the request, and she assured them they sold no pig nipples. The customer said they had bought them before, so she asked if they could show her where they were, and the customer pointed to the Fig Newton's! She laughed about that for years. This was a great lesson in good communication for me, even as a youngster. Perhaps that has served me well in my clarification skills, and I am always eager to clarify the facts, which helps in keeping communications open.
Brothers Mr. Vernie and Mr. Willie St. John often ate lunch at the store. There was a cooler case of lunchmeats, and they kept an open package, and there was also an open loaf of bread. Mr. Vernie also rolled back the top of a tin of sardines and stabbed them with a knife. After he had eaten the tin, he would "sop" the empty tin with a slice of white bread. Both men sat on crates around the potbelly stove. My brother recalls that a dog with a circle around his eye (like the one on Little Rascals!) named Captain waited patiently and eagerly licked the very empty tin afterwards. The floor was wooden, and the men would spit a dark arc of spit across into the spittoon. The floor was stained with attempts at bravado. Many men had a "chaw" in a thickened jaw, and the chewing tobbaco was kept near the counter.
The penny candies, and the cookies and treats of all kinds were popular. What was your favorite? I remember Mary Jane's, Mint Julep's, peanut planks, peanut logs, Super bubble gum, soft peppermints, Turkish taffy, peanuts, Nabs, Fig Newton's, Johnnycakes, potato chips, Moon Pies, stick candy, etc.
Joe Turner would swagger in, pluck a Pepsi out of the cooler, pop the top, take a couple of deep swigs, and empty a pack of peanuts into the bottle, then take a drink of the sweet, salty drink.
Near the round cake of cheese on the counter, there was a ball of string hanging down, and a big roll of white paper on a roller, so the the Storekeeper could tear off a strip of paper, lay it down, take a knife annd slice a chunk of cheese, wrap it and tie it with a string. It was the best cheese I have ever tasted.
Marking the prices was a chore I was sometimes I was allowed to do. The price flipped around when you pressed down, and it inked itself. Argo peas lined up neatly with the purple price proudly displayed on top was an accomplishment!
Cheatham's Store was as much a community center, as it was a place to shop. You could surely purchase just about anything you needed, top to bottom, hats to shoes, but you could count on the local news, and just stop in for a visit. The "yard" of the store was gravel over red dirt, and the crunch of the gravel under the tires of the vehicles was a welcoming, friendly sound. Bottle caps from the tops of the drinks were mixed in with the gravel, making confetti gravel! The front door had a metal Sunbeam bread sign, and there were metal signs all over the front of the unpainted store. The wooden porch sloped downward, towards the front, and the sturdy columns were worn, weathered gray, along with the all the boards, looking over the hill like a wizened patriarch.
Years later a new store was built right by the old store, a bench outside that store had the same people sitting there that I recall from the old store!
We lived in the big white house behind the store, and I remember Betsy and me running down the hill to the store when the wind picked me up and I blew right under a vehicle, about to pull out from the store parking area. Ben reached his strong black hands under the car, and pulled me out before the driver pulled away! it was the first time I remember someone saving my life. (I was really a skinny kid.)
Even though we were barefoot all summer, I don't remember if those bottle caps hurt the bottoms of my feet. We were tender-footed when we first shucked our shoes in the spring, but by the end of the summer, the soles of our feet were thick ad callused, serving us just as well as store bought shoes. On Sunday when we had to wear shoes, they punched our feet. We played softball, and it did not seem to impede the running of the bases.
Storekeeping was something I ever had the privilege of doing, and I thought Betsy was so grown up when she kept store. Her Mom, Barbara, kept store, as did Uncle Alex, and Gary. Mama kept store when she was young, and recalled the duty as an honor and an education.
Grandma Annie recalled keeping store and told me about a customer asking for her to "get her one of them pig nipples." She asked again and they repeated the request, and she assured them they sold no pig nipples. The customer said they had bought them before, so she asked if they could show her where they were, and the customer pointed to the Fig Newton's! She laughed about that for years. This was a great lesson in good communication for me, even as a youngster. Perhaps that has served me well in my clarification skills, and I am always eager to clarify the facts, which helps in keeping communications open.
Brothers Mr. Vernie and Mr. Willie St. John often ate lunch at the store. There was a cooler case of lunchmeats, and they kept an open package, and there was also an open loaf of bread. Mr. Vernie also rolled back the top of a tin of sardines and stabbed them with a knife. After he had eaten the tin, he would "sop" the empty tin with a slice of white bread. Both men sat on crates around the potbelly stove. My brother recalls that a dog with a circle around his eye (like the one on Little Rascals!) named Captain waited patiently and eagerly licked the very empty tin afterwards. The floor was wooden, and the men would spit a dark arc of spit across into the spittoon. The floor was stained with attempts at bravado. Many men had a "chaw" in a thickened jaw, and the chewing tobbaco was kept near the counter.
The penny candies, and the cookies and treats of all kinds were popular. What was your favorite? I remember Mary Jane's, Mint Julep's, peanut planks, peanut logs, Super bubble gum, soft peppermints, Turkish taffy, peanuts, Nabs, Fig Newton's, Johnnycakes, potato chips, Moon Pies, stick candy, etc.
Joe Turner would swagger in, pluck a Pepsi out of the cooler, pop the top, take a couple of deep swigs, and empty a pack of peanuts into the bottle, then take a drink of the sweet, salty drink.
Near the round cake of cheese on the counter, there was a ball of string hanging down, and a big roll of white paper on a roller, so the the Storekeeper could tear off a strip of paper, lay it down, take a knife annd slice a chunk of cheese, wrap it and tie it with a string. It was the best cheese I have ever tasted.
Marking the prices was a chore I was sometimes I was allowed to do. The price flipped around when you pressed down, and it inked itself. Argo peas lined up neatly with the purple price proudly displayed on top was an accomplishment!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Inexpensive Dryer Sheets -- You can do it!
Recipe #1
1 cup white Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great; removes residue and odors and keeps washer and hoses clean and fresh!
Recipe #2
1 container of your favorite fabric softener
4 inexpensive sponges, cut it half
Mix 2 parts water to 1 part softener into the container of your choice. Add sponges to mixture. When ready to use, wring out excess mixture from one sponge and add to dryer as you would a dryer sheet. Return the dry sponge to the mixture for re-use. You won't belive how long a container of fabric softener will last!
Homemade Laundry Detergent
What an economical project to make your own laundry detergent! There are only 3 ingredients, which cost less than $10 (costs less than .05/load!), and you will have enough washing soda and borax to make several more batches! This is a watery gel and extremely low suds in the washer, so should be safe to use for any type of washer. There are many recipes and tips available on the internet, but this is my favorite, and so easy, cheap and wonderful to use.
1 Fels Naptha bar soap, grated
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
5 gallon bucket with a lid
Grate the soap into a small saucepan and cover with hot water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually until the soap completely dissolves.
Place the washing soda and borax in a 5 gallon bucket. (This can be picked up FREE at a local restaurant, or you can buy one at a discount store.) Pour in the melted soap mixture. Mix until all the powder is dissolved. Place the bucket where you would like to store your detergent, as it will be heavy! Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight. (I use a plastic baseball bat to stir.) The next mornig stir the mixture. It is ready to use. I prefer to use it full strength: 1/2 cup for a large top loading washer, and 1/4 cup for front loading machines.
You can fill an empty liquid detergent container with this mixture (add a few marbles and shake before using!), or you can dip it from a covered bowl, like an empty margerine bowl. it has a lemony scent, very clean and fresh, but you can also add a few drops of essential oil of you wish to have a different scent after the mixture is completely cooled (15 drops for the 5 gallon bucket; lavender, rosemary, lemon, orange, tea tree oil are favorites.)
Ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores, including the bar soap. Other soaps can be used include: Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk's Hardwater Castile, and Zote. Avoid heavily performed soaps. The detergent is a lumpy gel. If you prefer it to be more liquid, you can fill your smaller container 1/2 full and add water to top, and use one cup for top loading, 1/3 cup for front loading washers.
POWDERED VARIATION: 2 cups grated soap, 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup Borax. Mix well and store in airtight container. Use tablespoons per load!
Fels Naptha soap is also good to remove stains. Follow directions on the bar. (Wet the area and rub the soap into the stain.)
Enjoy this lovely detergent, and saving so much money! You will never want to buy detergent again.
Watch for upcoming homemade dryer sheets, even more economical!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Cheathams of Red House Road, Gladys, Virginia
1.10.2001
Let's start walking down the path at Cheatham's Store on Red House Road, Gladys, Virgnia. About nine miles below Rustburg, Virginia Cheatham's Store has been in the family for years, and remained a center of the community. If you have memories of the area or the time, you are cordially invited to share your memories. If you have difficulty deciding on what to write about, I offer the following topics for consideration, just to get you thinking: Strong Women, Cars, Songs, Characters, Nicknames, Where I Was when Pearl Harbor (or any other significant Event).
Let's start walking down the path at Cheatham's Store on Red House Road, Gladys, Virgnia. About nine miles below Rustburg, Virginia Cheatham's Store has been in the family for years, and remained a center of the community. If you have memories of the area or the time, you are cordially invited to share your memories. If you have difficulty deciding on what to write about, I offer the following topics for consideration, just to get you thinking: Strong Women, Cars, Songs, Characters, Nicknames, Where I Was when Pearl Harbor (or any other significant Event).
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Halifax Nova Scotia
Halifax was one of the highlights of my recent Canadian adventure! Visiting the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic was my chief mission on the trip, and I enjoyed every minute of the museum.
The walk along the Halifax harbor was a real treat, and it took about 25 minutes to reach the museum. It is still a very busy working harbor and the water was dotted with seaworthy vessels of every description. The boardwalk very nicely developed along the ocean, with shops all along the way, as well as restaurants. I was intrigued by the rickshaw runners, who were handsome, young American men that jogged along with their passengers in tow! There was a live band playing mournful music opposite the museum.
Nova Scotia’s coastline has a very high number of shipwrecks and I found their stories fascinating. There were several ships whose stories were especially colorful or significant, and I’d love to share a bit of that history with you!
HMS Tribune (1797) – a victim of pride! The overconfident captain refused to take a pilot and was not familiar with the craggy coastline. She ran aground, and once more the captain hoped that high tide would refloat them. Only 14 survived of the 240 aboard, a victim of poor judgement and pride on the part of the captain!
Saladin (1844) – Mutiny! Piracy! A smuggler was on board who had escaped from a Peruvian prison. He was tempted by the wealth and pitted one half of the crew against the others and led a mutiny, butchering them and throwing them overboard. A day later, the smuggler and his son had not been forthcoming with the bounty, and they were killed. With no navigator left, they sailed off course and right onto the rocks of Nova Scotia, where they were rescued. Their stories were suspicious and they faced the last piracy trail held in Nova Scotia. Four were hanged and two acquitted.
Cobequid (1914) Salvage vs looting! The Cobequid sunk as a result of a misplaced buoy. A horde of looters stripped the ship of her finery, as it took a long time to sink and there was plenty of opportunity to do such. Rules were set in place afterwards to determine exactly what was looting and what was salvage.
SS Atlantic (1873) One of the grandest ships and the worst ocean disaster in history until the Titanic, with a loss of 562 lives. With a mix of “good coal” and “bad coal” the ships were propelled and the determination of coal was critical. The good coal was heavier and more expensive and this ship had too little good coal and tried to make it into the harbor at night on April 1, 1873 at 3:00 a.m. 562 of the 933 people lost their lives and were buried in mass graves.
Titanic (1912) Depsite ice warmings, Titanic steamed full speed into a massive field of icebergs. She struck one at 11:50 p.m. April 14 and sank two hours and forty minutes later. With 2200 people aboard, only 712 survivied to the rescued by the Carpathia. 328 bodies were found; 150 were buried in Halifax cemeteries. (Many were buried at sea or returned to relatives, but many people could not afford to send someone to claim the bodies.)
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/wrecks/tours/ for more details online for the shipwrecks
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/AtoZ/HalExpl.html to visit the museum online!
The walk along the Halifax harbor was a real treat, and it took about 25 minutes to reach the museum. It is still a very busy working harbor and the water was dotted with seaworthy vessels of every description. The boardwalk very nicely developed along the ocean, with shops all along the way, as well as restaurants. I was intrigued by the rickshaw runners, who were handsome, young American men that jogged along with their passengers in tow! There was a live band playing mournful music opposite the museum.
Nova Scotia’s coastline has a very high number of shipwrecks and I found their stories fascinating. There were several ships whose stories were especially colorful or significant, and I’d love to share a bit of that history with you!
HMS Tribune (1797) – a victim of pride! The overconfident captain refused to take a pilot and was not familiar with the craggy coastline. She ran aground, and once more the captain hoped that high tide would refloat them. Only 14 survived of the 240 aboard, a victim of poor judgement and pride on the part of the captain!
Saladin (1844) – Mutiny! Piracy! A smuggler was on board who had escaped from a Peruvian prison. He was tempted by the wealth and pitted one half of the crew against the others and led a mutiny, butchering them and throwing them overboard. A day later, the smuggler and his son had not been forthcoming with the bounty, and they were killed. With no navigator left, they sailed off course and right onto the rocks of Nova Scotia, where they were rescued. Their stories were suspicious and they faced the last piracy trail held in Nova Scotia. Four were hanged and two acquitted.
Cobequid (1914) Salvage vs looting! The Cobequid sunk as a result of a misplaced buoy. A horde of looters stripped the ship of her finery, as it took a long time to sink and there was plenty of opportunity to do such. Rules were set in place afterwards to determine exactly what was looting and what was salvage.
SS Atlantic (1873) One of the grandest ships and the worst ocean disaster in history until the Titanic, with a loss of 562 lives. With a mix of “good coal” and “bad coal” the ships were propelled and the determination of coal was critical. The good coal was heavier and more expensive and this ship had too little good coal and tried to make it into the harbor at night on April 1, 1873 at 3:00 a.m. 562 of the 933 people lost their lives and were buried in mass graves.
Titanic (1912) Depsite ice warmings, Titanic steamed full speed into a massive field of icebergs. She struck one at 11:50 p.m. April 14 and sank two hours and forty minutes later. With 2200 people aboard, only 712 survivied to the rescued by the Carpathia. 328 bodies were found; 150 were buried in Halifax cemeteries. (Many were buried at sea or returned to relatives, but many people could not afford to send someone to claim the bodies.)
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/wrecks/tours/ for more details online for the shipwrecks
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/AtoZ/HalExpl.html to visit the museum online!
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