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By JAMES P. GANNON
Rappahannock News Contributing Writer
Imagine that a time machine could take you back a century in Rappahannock County. What would you find in its towns and villages?
Here, lets stroll through Flint Hill. There are four general stores, an agricultural implement dealer, two blacksmith-wheelwrights, a fertilizer agent, and two carriage and wagon makers. Walking further, we discover a hotel, a boarding house, a lumber dealer, two grist mills, and two saw mills. Next we come upon a saddle maker’s shop, a carpenter, a millwright, three physicians (who make house calls), an undertaker, a wool dealer, and, at last, a saloon.
We move on to Sperryville. In this lively village, we find three stores, a hotel, three flour and com mills, a saw mill, two doctor’s offices, a tannery, and two saloons. Down the pike in Woodville, we count four general stores, a hotel, a lawyer’s office, a physician, two com and flour mills, and a combination undertaker and wagon maker (either way, he can send you.)
These facts, taken from the history of Rappahannock county written by Elizabeth and C.E. Johnson Jr., and based on business directories of a century ago, make a telling point that should be kept in mind as people here ponder their visions of this county’s future.
A hundred years ago, the county’s villages were vital centers of commerce, employment, culture and social life. They throbbed with activity and business, and offered the services and goods needed for everyday life. They were the heartbeat of Rappahannock.
I believe that any planning process designed to shape Rappahannock’s future must include strategies to revitalize our towns and villages as places of
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