Gribblenation

Lawrenceville serves as the seat of government and the agricultural and industrial hub of rural Brunswick County.  Though the home of the county courthouse since 1783, the Town of Lawrenceville did not form until 1814 and did not incorporate until 1874. The Albertis S. Harrison, Jr Courthouse opened in 1999. It is believed that the town's name came from a racehorse named Lawrence, who was owned by a wealthy landowner who had built a nearby racetrack in the late 1700s.  For most of the 1800s, Lawrenceville sat at the intersection of two stagecoach lines.  The town would later prosper when the Atlantic and Danville Railroad established its shops here.  Today, Downtown Lawrenceville is listed in the National Register of Historic Places It was in 1888 that a former slave, James Solomon Russell, established what would become known as Saint Paul's College.  The historically black institution was affiliated with the Episcopal Church and first focused on teaching and ag...

All along Interstate 95 in the South, there are interchanges where the services (food, gas, and lodging) haven't kept up with the times.  Some of these old comfort stops dated to before the Interstate or opened when the new highway came through.   The former Emporia Travel Center Long before Buc-ee's, small independent travel centers that mixed a gas station/truck stop, restaurant, and sometimes a motel lined the Interstate.  Just north of Emporia, a long-gone complex consisting of a truck stop, restaurant, and motel greeted travelers as they exited off I-95. In the late 1950s, Virginia built a US 301 bypass west of Emporia that would become Interstate 95.  When the road opened in 1959, a small restaurant sat where the newly opened bypass tied back into Highway 301 - today's Exit 12.  By 1968, a truck stop and motel had been built next to it. By early 2011, the Dixie Motel had long been overrun - its days were numbered.  The old motel was torn down a f...

For most of its length between Petersburg and Emporia, Virginia, a two-lane US 301 runs immediately parallel to the southbound lanes of Interstate 95.  While four lanes of traffic zip by at 70+ miles per hour, US 301 runs just off the shoulder at a slower speed.   Though much of this stretch of highway is through rural farmlands, there are leftover - often abandoned - relics from when a four-lane US 301 carried motorists south to the Atlantic Coast or back to their northeastern homes. The Jarratt Motel circa 1940s.  It was a classic-style motel. ( Digital Commonwealth - Massachusetts Collection Online ) A popular location for lodging was the tiny town of Jarratt, where at a minimum; three old-style motor courts were found along US 301 - the Jarratt, Colonial, and Resté.  Each of these motels had lodging, a pool, and a restaurant.  In the late 1950s, US 301 was widened to four lanes through the sleepy Southside Virginia town.  In the decades to come, al...

About 15 years ago, I was on an explore trip with my friend Joe .  We drove up US 1 in Virginia, turned east on VA 40, and then headed south back home to North Carolina via US 301.  Just before the town of McKenney, Virginia, was an old motel - complete with leftover signage to where it looked like it hadn't been long abandoned. A fire in late 2009 or 2010 - destroyed a wing of rooms at the former Wilmurt Motel. The property was condemned as a result. Also in the photo, the Economy Inn branding from the motel's later days. There was what appeared to have been a recent fire, which led to condemnation of the entire site. We grabbed some great photos - and for the most part, I had thought it was long torn down by now.  This great neon restaurant sign stood tall long after Wilmurt's restaurant closed.  As of this writing, I do not know when the restaurant part of the operation closed. However, when I recently went through the trip's photo album, I looked at Google Street...

If you are driving along Interstate 77 near the New River, you may have noticed a single stone tower atop the hillside to your east.  While modern Interstate traffic flies by, this over 200-year-old, 75-foot-tall stone tower was used in the early 19th century to provide ammunition for local settlers. The limestone tower, known as the Jackson's Ferry Shot Tower, is the centerpiece of Virginia's Shot Tower State Historical Park.  Built in 1807, the shot tower is a combination of a 75-foot tower and a 75-foot vertical shaft into the cliffs overlooking the Neuse River.  Lead shot was manufactured here for 32 years, from 1807 to 1839. The location of where a kettle full of cool water would catch the falling hot spheres of lead shot. To make the shot, lead from nearby mines was melted in a kettle at the top of the tower.  Then, it would be poured through a sieve, dropping 150 feet into a kettle full of cold water.  This process, and the size of the sieve, would create...

Situated along the banks of the James River in Botetourt County, Buchanan is considered "The Gateway to the Shenandoah Valley."  Home to roughly 1,200 residents, Buchanan is one of several small towns along US 11 throughout the valley. The town was established in 1811 and incorporated in 1832.  It is named after Colonel John Buchanan. Across the James, another community was founded, Pattonsburg. Pattonsburg was named after one of Buchanan's contemporaries, Colonel James Patton. Pattonsburg was settled first in 1788.  A century later, the two communities merged into the current-day town of Buchanan. The Buchanan Swing Bridge. Connecting the two communities over the James has always been a priority.  First connected by a toll covered bridge in 1851, Buchanan and the former Pattonsburg are now served by two bridges - a standard concrete highway bridge built in 1938 carrying US 11 and a unique pedestrian swing bridge. The Buchanan Swing Bridge Park - featuring the Bucha...

Virginia is for Lovers at the Buchanan Swinging Bridge The final day of the road trip saw us head back south and home to Charlotte.  However, we did make a few stops, specifically Natural Bridge State Park and the town of Buchanan, Virginia. Route: I-81, US 11, I-81, US 11, I-581, US 220, I-73, NC 68, I-74, Business I-85, I-85, home. For the full photo set on flickr - head here . Traffic wasn't too bad on 81 and the scenery this Sunday morning was very pretty. Getting to Natural Bridge State Park from I-81 South involves a unique left-hand exit. US 11 was a common theme along I-81 - weaving in and around the Interstate - almost inviting you to take a trip back in time.  We exited off the Interstate twice to follow US 11 - to Natural Bridge State Park and then Buchanan. Virginia's Natural Bridge State Park Natural Bridge is a beautiful site that demonstrates the power and wonder of nature.  Privately owned until transferred to the Virginia State Park System in 2016, Natura...

Cannons at Antietam. The second day of our adventure had us continuing through the Shenandoah Valley into West Virginia and then over to Antietam and Harpers Ferry.  It was my first visit to both locations in over twenty years, and I was looking forward to returning. Route: US 11, I-81, WV 45, WV 480, MD 34, MD 65, MD 34, WV 480, WV 230, US 340, WV 51. For a full set of photos from the second day of the trip head over here . Interstate 81 had its moments on the drive north, but it wasn't too bad overall. Our first stop would be at Antietam National Battlefield .  When I first visited in October 2001, this was my favorite of the battlefields I visited that year (Manassas, Gettysburg, Antietam). So I was excited to go back and share the trip with Colton.   Currently, the Antietam Visitors Center is being rebuilt, and a temporary one is open across from it.  After taking in the film - narrated by James Earl Jones - Colton and I began to do the self-guided auto tour...