Humpback Bridge, Virginia’s oldest standing covered bridge, is part of a wayside on Route 60, Alleghany County just west of Covington. It was built in 1857 as part of the James River & Kanawha Turnpike (JR&KT). It succeeds three other bridges at the site. Humpback Bridge stretches over Dunlap Creek, which is a tributary of the Jackson River that joins the Cowpasture River near Iron Gate to form the James River. The first structure was built in the 1820s and was washed away be a flood on May 12, 1837. The second bridge fell victim to the flood of July 13, 1842 and the third bridge, as the annual report of the JR&KT company put it, simply “gave way” in 1856.

This 100-foot-long, single-span structure is four feet higher at its center than it is at either end, thus the name, “Humpback.” Traffic across the bridge ceased in 1929, when it was replaced with a ‘modern’ steel truss bridge. It stood derelict, and even was used by a nearby farmer to store hay, until 1954. That year, thanks to the fund-raising efforts of the Business Professional Women’s Club of Covington and the Covington Chamber of Commerce, it was restored and preserved as part of Alleghany County’s history.

Directions

Humpback Bridge can be reached from I64 by taking Exit #10 to Route 60 and traveling one-half mile east or by taking Route 60 West from Covington.

For more information, contact:

Office of Public Affairs
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
804-786-2802

Almost half the collection is British based, dazzling dress uniforms of the British Dragoons, Hussars, and Lancers stand at attention next to bandsmen’s uniforms from each of the five regiments of foot guards of the Household Division, more commonly known as the Life Guards. You may recognize the “Beefeater” regalia on a 1936 Yeoman Warder’s uniform designed for the men who guard the Crown Jewels located in the Tower of London.

Visitors won’t be disappointed with the abundance of American military uniforms and paraphernalia gathered from all branches of the U.S. military. The museum carries a few Civil War items, including an original Union artilleryman’s jacket.

The collection was the lifelong work of one man – the late Ronald V. J. Mountain. Mr. Mountain died in 1996 at age 68, and his wife, Pat, continues to run the museum. She is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic steward for this collection, and she’s happy to answer your questions.

DIRECTIONS

Take exit #191, this will put you on I-64 for 1 mile. Take exit #55 off I-64. Follow Rt. 11 south. As you go over the Maury River Bridge Rt. 11 will split. Merge to the right (Rt. 11 Business). As you come into downtown Lexington Rt. 11 will turn into Jefferson Street. Follow Jefferson Street to the end where it meets White Street Turn left on White Street and then turn left on Main Street. The Military Memorabilia Museum is on the right.

From I-64, take exit #55. Follow Rt. 11 south. As you go over the Maury River Bridge, Rt. 11 will split. Merge to the right (Rt. 11 Business). As you come into downtown Lexington Rt. 11 will turn into Jefferson Street. Follow Jefferson Street to the end where it meets White Street. Turn left on White Street and then turn left on Main Street. The Military Memorabilia Museum is on the right.

The street address is 122 1/2 South Main Street, down the brick walkway next to the Lexington Presbyterian Church. Visit the Lexington Web page about this museum to learn more about hours and phone contact.

IMAGES

The image at top, from the London Daily Times, shows a line of Yeomen Warders in traditional uniform. The second smaller image, from the BBC News, shows a happy Queen Mother inspecting her Beefeaters. The Beefeaters date back to 1485 when King Henry VII formed a bodyguard. The news story for this link talked about the first female Yeoman Warder in history slated to join the troops. Read more about the 42-year-old Scottish woman who took her post in September 2007 as she wore the traditional dress of a scarlet and gold tunic, white ruff, red stockings and black patent leather shoes. The official title of a Yeoman Warder is, ‘Yeoman Warder of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign’s Body Guard and Yeoman Guard Extraordinary’. Phew!

General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, 144 Confederate veterans, Revolutionary War veterans, two Virginia governors (John Letcher and James McDowell) and Margaret Junkin Preston, the Civil War Poet Laureate of the South and wife of Colonel J. T. L. Preston – one of the founders of VMI, also are buried here. Other notables interred at this cemetery include John Mercer Brooke, the designer of the ironclad ship C.S.S. Virginia (known by its former name, Merrimack); General William N. Pendleton, Lee’s Chief of artillery, and early presidents of Washington College and Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

An informational marker posted just inside the main gate to this cemeter6 lists many of famous and interesting people buried in the cemetery and locates their graves. The statue of Stonewall Jackson was sculpted by Edward V. Valentine and dedicated July 21, 1891. Jackson and his family are buried beneath the statue. While in Lexington, you can also visit Edward Virginius Valentine’s other works. He sculpted the Robert E. Lee memorial in Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. In a successful artistic career that spanned 50 years, Edward Valentine worked in clay, plaster, marble and bronze to produce portrait busts, ideal figures and monumental public sculpture.

The image above illustrates Lee “on a last visit to Stonewall Jackson’s grave.” See the original at Wikipedia.

While you can enjoy a local restaurant before a show, and relax at a local B&B after a show, it’s the venue that will appeal most to historians. The story about the Lime Kiln history is as fascinating as any play.

The original owner of this property, A. T Barclay, helped to create the city of Buena Vista by luring a paper business to that town. As a promise to that business, Barclay stated that he could supply lime, a caustic substance produced by heating limestone and that was used in the paper manufacturing process. From the site:

Barclay’s farm was rich in limestone, which had been quarried in small quantities for years. In 1896, four years after the paper mill opened in Buena Vista, Barclay and two partners started the Rockbridge Stone and Lime Company on Barclay’s farm. About a dozen buildings, including a barrel shop and three large kilns, were erected. However, Barclay neglected to pay royalties to his sisters who owned one-third interest in the land. In short order they sued, and won. He lost direct control of the company and it was sold soon after. After Barclay died [1915], the lease was not renewed and the buildings were taken down or rotted away. The kilns fell into ruin.

The kilns remained basically unused until 1984, when the first production of the new professional company was a two-week run of Rock Kiln Ruin’s Tale of Cymbeline. It was “Shakespeare with a twang,” one newspaper remarked, but the first season was a success. From then, original musicals and plays presented at The Kiln based on Southern Appalachian heritage; adaptations of Appalachian folktales that went on tour to schools and communities both in and out of Virginia; and a renowned concert series that features legendary musicians and an eclectic mix of musical styles have graced the limestone stages.

In winter, the Troubadour in downtown Lexington hosts a series in an intimate setting. Theater at Lime Kiln is a non-profit organization supported in part by a number of organizations and foundations including the National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, the City of Lexington, Rockbridge County, and numerous business and individual contributors. Visit the site to learn more about ticket prices, dates and hours, and directions.

Cyrus Hall McCormick (1809-1884) was born at the family farm, Walnut Grove, in Rockbridge County, Virginia on February 15, 1809. His father Robert experimented with a design for a mechanical reaper from around the time of Cyrus’ birth. In 1831, he abandoned the idea and turned the work over to his son. Cyrus made several changes to his father’s design and successfully demonstrated his reaper at Steele’s Tavern, not far from the family farm, in July of 1831. McCormick walked behind the reaper, which was drawn by a single horse ridden by a boy. Jo Anderson, a slave, raked the platform clear of cut grain.

After a few additional modifications, Cyrus patented the invention in 1834. During the 1840s, Cyrus and his family manufactured and sold reapers from the blacksmith shop at Walnut Grove. Cyrus also made several trips to the Midwest, demonstrating his reaper and attempting to contract with local manufacturers. By the end of 1846, however, he had sold fewer than 100 machines.

In 1847, he moved to Chicago and formed what eventually became known as the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. There, McCormick developed innovative marketing and distribution techniques that helped make his company a success. He also benefited from the growth of Chicago as an industrial center and rail hub. By 1858, the company was the largest farm equipment manufacturer in the United States, with assets totaling over one million dollars.

In January 1858, McCormick married Nettie Fowler, and began to spend more time away from Chicago. He also became more active in Presbyterian causes and Democratic politics. In 1859, he formed a partnership with his brothers William and Leander to form C.H. McCormick & Bros. William handled the company’s finances and Leander oversaw manufacturing. In 1871, the company’s factory was completely destroyed in the great Chicago Fire. McCormick built a new factory with increased capacity and began to pursue overseas markets in earnest. By the early 1880s, the company had expanded into markets as far away as Russia and New Zealand. The wire binder was followed in 1881 by a machine which used twine to tie the grain.

Cyrus Hall McCormick died on May 13, 1884. His son, Cyrus Jr., became president of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. Throughout the 1880s and 1890s, the company retained its position as the leading agricultural equipment manufacturer. However, it found itself increasingly challenged by competitors in a somewhat depressed market. The company’s chief rival was the Deering Harvester Company. By 1900, McCormick and Deering were nearly equal in sales and worthy competitors.

In 1902, the two companies merged to form the International Harvester Company. Three other rivals joined the merger: the Plano Manufacturing Company, the Milwaukee Harvester Company, and Warder, Bushnell and Glessner. Cyrus McCormick’s sons, Cyrus, Jr. and Harold Fowler McCormick, presided over the new company during its first 40 years.

The workshop-grist mill area of the McCormick farm has been designated a national historical landmark by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of Interior. The Walnut Grove Farm stayed in the McCormick family until 1954, when 634-acre farm was donated to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Research on livestock forage systems, livestock nutrition, and integrated pest management techniques for fruit orchards is now conducted at the farm. A multi-agency gypsy moth suppression program uses the center as a home base, and other special educational events are held there, including a recent summer geography teacher’s workshop held by the National Geographic Society.

Over 7,000 visitors a year to Walnut Grove can find a restored blacksmith shop, gristmill and museum open to the public and a look at McCormick the man and his invention. Visitors touring this national historic landmark can see a full-sized model of the horse-drawn reaper 22-year-old McCormick invented with the help of his father, Robert. You can also see a dozen scale models of later versions of the reaper and, in the blacksmith shop, the actual bellows that Robert McCormick invented.

To reach the McCormick Farm, take Exit 205 off I-81 at Raphine onto Rt. 606. The farm is approximately one mile east of the interstate. For additional information, visit the site.

Here are some more links that may interest you:

• McCormick-International Harvester Company Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society.
• Pretty Packages, a story about how Virginia Tech is sharing important pieces of history that came to the university as gifts.
• McCormick Invented Reaper 150 Years Ago – Learn more about the McCormick harvester and twine binder and view excerpts of the patent grant from the U.S. Patent Office to Cyrus Hall McCormick for his reaper, patented June 21, 1834.