It Happened Here
…in Rivah Country!
by Larry Chowning
It Happened Here: Civil War pensions
After the Civil War, the Virginia Legislature provided pensions for those who served the Confederate Army. This included soldiers, widows and daughters of deceased Confederate veterans.
One criteria was that the pension applicant had to have proof of service. One way was to have a letter from a commanding officer providing proof. Urbanna resident Nannie Sadler Palmer applied in 1908 for a pension because her husband, Charles Henry Palmer Sr., had passed away in 1904. He had served in the...
Archives
It Happened Here
It Happened Here: Oyster shanty towns
Rappahannock River and oysters have for generations offered a platform for all races to make a living. Before good transportation and good roads, oystermen...
1918 Kentucky Derby winner, Exterminator
One of the greatest race horses of all time was Exterminator, owned by Willis Sharpe Kilmer of Remlik Hall, (Kilmer spelled backwards) in Middlesex...
The U.S. strike wave of 1945-1946
On April 1, 1946 the United Mine Workers joined the growing wave of nationwide strikes as 400,000 coal miners went on strike for safer...
Comic Strips
American newspaper comic strips created by cartoonists influenced the culture across the United States and were part of day-to-day life when daily newspapers were...
Smallpox Point
Through the centuries, smallpox was one of the most serious viral diseases — it caused scarring and death.
The disease was wiped out worldwide...
Cats Have Nine Lives
The old adage that “Cats Have Nine Lives” was brought out in this tale told to me by Anne Wheeley, formerly of Urbanna.
Sometime in...
1710 Tavern: Dining at that special place
Owner Greg Huff wants dining at 1710 Tavern in Tappahannock to be "an experience" not just a meal. With the amount of meticulous and...
Kilmarnock
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