Sunday Afternoon Lecture Series: The History of Rock Castle Creek

6 months ago cable12

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: John Phillips, President, Board of Directors
Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society
[email protected], 276-806-5022
Release: Immediately
HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO HOST SUNDAY AFTERNOON LECTURE:
“HISTORY OF ROCK CASTLE CREEK” WITH BEVERLY WOODY
MARTINSVILLE, VIRGINIA: The Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society will host
its monthly Sunday Afternoon Lecture, “History of Rock Castle Creek” with Beverly
Woody, on Sunday, June 16, 2024, 3:00 P.M., at the Historic Henry County Courthouse.
Woody will discuss the families of Rock Castle Gorge displaced when the Blue Ridge
Parkway was built. Rock Castle Gorge runs from Woolwine to Meadows of Dan and is
between Belcher Mountain and Rocky Knob. The headwaters for both the Dan and
Smith Rivers both start on Belcher Mountain. The Belchers, Woody’s descendants,
were pro-Union and refused to fight in the 51st Virginia Infantry Regiment until they were
drafted to do so. To avoid being drafted, they hid in caves and were unable to be found
initially. Family names conscripted from Rock Castle Gorge to Captain Rufus
Woolwine’s Company include Woolwine, Lovell, Lee, Dillard, DeHart, Boyd, Belcher,
Wood, and many more.
Woody serves as regent of the Patrick Henry Chapter of the Daughters of the American
Revolution and on the Board of Directors of both the Patrick County Historical Society &
Museum and the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society. She was named
“Teacher of the Year 2023” by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). She stated in a
previous article, “I like to talk a lot about Rock Castle and mountain people because
there’s been so many ugly stereotypes about mountain people that aren’t true. These
people were just as educated and just as talented as anybody, any flatlander.”
Admission to the lecture is free, made possible by corporate sponsors, Carter Bank &
Trust and The Lester Group. The Historic Henry County Courthouse is fully
handicapped accessible. The Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Center & Museum
will be open following the presentation.
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