This weekend, Larry and I drove to
Rustburg, the county seat of Campbell County in Central Virginia.
I grew up in the country, so I don’t
really have a “hometown.” But Rustburg was the closest thing to a town around
our farm (six miles away), so I’ve always thought of it as the place I’m from.
To call Rustburg a town is a bit
generous. It’s really a village. In fact, the road that runs through it is
called Village Highway.
When I was growing up, if my
parents or a neighbor said “We’re going to town,” they meant they were going to
Lynchburg.
In my work for the newspaper, I
visit Rustburg frequently to cover a court case or a Board of Supervisors
meeting.
But our trip this weekend was for
something fun: the Rustburg Christmas Parade.
After we parked the car, I got out
my camera and snapped some photos of some of the “landmarks” in the village to
share to give you a sense of where I’m from.
This first shot is actually from
2013. I took it before last year’s parade and liked it because it shows the
main road through the village with Long Mountain (not very high) in the background.
From this year, here is the
Citizen Services Building. It’s the newest county building, constructed to
house the offices that closely serve the citizens. It includes the Treasurer’s
Office, the Commissioner of Revenue’s Office, and the Community Development
Office, which includes zoning, planning, and stormwater management.
I took this photo from too far off
to get a clear shot, but I wanted to show you the building that the public library
was housed in when I was a young girl. This is where I spent many happy hours.
Now the building houses the
Virginia Cooperative Extension Office and the Farm Agency Office.
This is the current Rustburg
Library. The School Administration Office is closer to the street, with the
library at the end. It’s one of four branches in the county. One branch is in
Altavista.
This is probably the most
recognizable building to those knowledgeable about Campbell County history. It’s the Historic Courthouse, built in the
1840s. It was used by the courts until the new courthouse was built in the
early 1980s.
The Historic Society of Campbell
County is doing fundraising and working on renovating the building to enlarge
its museum and preserve the county’s heritage.
This is the “new” courthouse. It’s
not as impressive as the old one, but it’s nice. Some weeks I spend a lot of
time within these walls.
Here’s another view of the
courthouse. The adult detention center is connected to it.
This is a side view of Rustburg
Presbyterian Church. It’s not a great shot, but it was what I was able to get
with the parade crowds around me.
I don’t know how old the building
is, but the way the brick is laid makes me think it has been around for a
while. I’ve always thought it was a pretty church.
Members of the church give away
free cookies and hot chocolate at the parade each year.
So there’s a little view of where
I’m from. Altavista is part of Campbell County, and I’ve lived there for 11
years. But it still feels a bit like I’m visiting my old “home” when I go to
Rustburg.
What do you consider your
hometown to be?
