When: Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Off Rt. 810 in Mountfair, VA 22932 (private property – directions can be provided)
What: Join The Piedmont Environmental Council and John and Dudley Macfarlane for a trip back in time to learn about the mountain culture of Virginia’s Blue Ridge. Held at historic Mount Fair (ca 1848), on land once owned by the Brown family of Albemarle County, this event will include tours of the Mount Fair property, a speaker series, oral history listening station, family history displays and exhibits and optional self-guided tours of historic sites in nearby Blackwells Hollow and Shenandoah National Park.
Members of the Walton, Blackwell, Wood, James, Harris, Via and many other families will be present to share their memories of the mountain culture in Albemarle County. Live music and light refreshments will be provided. Archival materials, including early film footage of the area and historic maps, will also be on display.
The event is free, but pre-registration is required. Guests can come by to enjoy displays, exhibits and conversation any time between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Space for the two concurrent walking tours is limited, so PEC asks everyone to register for the tours in advance. For questions, contact Kristie Kendall at 540-347-2334 ext. 7061 or kkendall@pecva.org.
Schedule of events:
10:15-10:30 a.m.: Opening Remarks, Kristie Kendall and Rex Linville, The Piedmont Environmental Council
10:30-11:00 a.m.: The Albemarle Mountain Communities and the Connection to Mount Fair: Phil James, historian and author of Secrets of the Blue Ridge
11:15 a.m. -12:15 p.m.: Concurrent Walking Tours:
Architectural History of Mount Fair: Elizabeth Lipford, Architectural Historian at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (approximately 1 mile)
The Enslaved Community at Mount Fair: Lynn Rainville, Archaeologist and Professor at Sweet Briar College (approximately 1.5 miles)
1:30-2:15 p.m.: History of the American Chestnut Tree and its Legacy: Cathy Mayes, Board of Directors, American Chestnut Foundation
2:30-3:15 p.m.: History of Trout & Fish Shocking Demonstration: John Odenkirk, fisheries biologist, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries and Celia Vuocolo, habitat specialist, The Piedmont Environmental Council
PEC encourages attendees to see the remains of homesteads in the Shenandoah National Park and visit the home sites of their ancestors. Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve is also 5 miles from Mount Fair, along Route 810. The Preserve and its numerous miles of trails will be open, where hikers can learn more about the history of Blackwells Hollow. Brochures will be provided for hikers to enjoy self-guided tours of the preserve and the nearby Park.
