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Need an excuse to lark in t...
Historic Long Branch is a great bet. The house is rich in history, with ties to
Lark flight path to feature...
The October 2010 Lark Through Clarke Stable Tour and More includes a visit to historic Long
Recollections of a Home, Pa...
My mother had loving memories of her time at Long Branch. When she visited the house
Hark! CCHF &...
The Clarke County Humane Foundation (“Foundation”) is probably unknown to most folks but you are probably
Old Chapel Celebr...
Extract from the Friday, September 10th edition of The Winchester Star Old Chapel Will Celebrate
Ties to a Foundin...
Epilogue In the early 1800s, Thomas Nelson, Jr.’s legacy took a new turn. A growing movement of
Ties to a Foundin...
History has not dealt adequately with Thomas Nelson. He is not remembered as a
Recent Added Posts
Hark! CCHF & CCAS Need Your Support
The Clarke County Humane Foundation (“Foundation”) is probably unknown to most folks but you are probably very aware of its more well-known offspring, The Clarke County Animal Shelter (“Shelter”). This post will provide some background information about the Foundation and Shelter, along with pictures and profiles of pets awaiting adoption at the Shelter.
CCHF/CCAS – A Little History
In 2000, the Commonwealth of Virginia mandated certain standards for all county animal shelters. The Board of Supervisors at the time suggested that Supervisor Barbara Byrd put together a committee to study the feasibility of upgrading the Shelter to meet these standards. Barbara got together with Mrs. Stacy B. Lloyd, Mrs. Nancy Simpson, Mrs. Peggy Richardson/Cone, Mrs. Becky McCoy, Mrs. Leslie McLean, and Mr. George L. Ohrstrom II to form the Board of The Clarke County Humane Foundation.
Very quickly it became obvious that “upgrading” the existing shelter was impractical from either a construction or economic point of view, and we decided that we would try to raise the money to build a shelter that the Foundation would own, but that the County would staff and run. Becky, Nancy and Peggy were friends of Mrs. Betty Casey and they were successful when they asked her to donate ten acres of land to the Foundation. The land was a great starting point to get the Foundation up and running; it is close to both the County park and the County maintenance facility.
Mrs. Stacy B. Lloyd (known to many as “Vidy”) was the shining star of the campaign. Without her, we would never have gotten the Shelter built, and it’s only due to her legacy gift that we’ve been able to help the County staff it.
The Foundation and the Shelter offer spay/neuter programs, adoptions, rabies clinics, and other activities to raise awareness of animals. Most emphatically, they are not an animal rights organization like PETA; they are an animal welfare organization. They exist only to try to help the poor stray cats and dogs that are everywhere. They know the County isn’t able to run the Shelter as a no-kill shelter, but they do help the County keep the most adoptable animals for as long as possible.
The Foundation exists through private donations. It’s true that the County contributed money to the construction of the Shelter from the fund balance it had on hand to “upgrade” the old shelter, but since then the Foundation has made a very significant gift to the County of a yearly donation to help the County cover the employment expenses of the Shelter.
We will be having a joint fundraiser with the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center sometime this fall. We’ll keep you posted.
Volunteer Positions
Special Project Volunteers:
To assist with fund-raising events&em;lyard sales, pet adopters reunions, dog walk-a-thons, and information displays informing the public about the Shelter and Foundation goals.
Foster Care Volunteers:
Take pregnant or nursing cats or dogs out of the Shelter and into your home until the mother has weaned the babies and everyone is ready for adoption–or an injured pet needing a clean and quiet home to recover from surgery or an accident. The Foster Care Volunteer would get first option on adopting the fostered animals. All supplies would be the responsibility of the Foster Care Volunteer.
Kennel Attendant Volunteer:
Assist the Shelter in carrying out its mission to find good homes for unwanted, strays and surrendered animals. Help with the obedience training or socializing of the dogs to make them more adoptable. Help walk dogs or handle and pet cats. Help greet the public. Take pictures of the Shelter animals and update web pages. Help groom the Shelter animals. Help potential adopters visit with a pet of their choice. Help create and update Shelter newsletters. And always help clean the Shelter so the animals have a clean environment to stay in–a cleaner environment will attract more adopters.
Exclusion: Volunteers must not have any record of animal cruelty charges.
Benefits Volunteers Receive:
- Satisfaction in knowing you have helped the Shelter carry out its mission.
- Satisfaction in knowing you have helped an animal through hard times and have given it a place to heal.
- Satisfaction in knowing you have helped the animal become more adoptable.
Editor’s Note: Adopt A Pet
There is no greater love nor stronger bond than that offered by a homeless four-legged one to the two-legged one who offers them the peace, love and affection they yearn for. Consider adopting a pet. By clicking the “Continue Reading” link below, you may view this article in its entirety, including pictures and descriptions of cats and dogs available for adoption at the Clarke County Animal Shelter.
Clarke County Humane Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c}(3) non-profit organization.
CCHF has not provided any goods or services in consideration of your contribution.
Clarke County Animal Shelter
225 Ramsburg Lane
Berryville, VA 22611
540-955-5104
Shrine Mont Retreat
A good-sized energetic gathering of Christ Church faithful attended the 2010 Shrine Mont retreat held last weekend, September 18th and 19th. 
Led by our Senior and Junior Wardens—Maisie McGuire and Caroline Roberts—the well attended event included Vaughn and Wendy Clatterbuck, Bob and Nina Randolph, Ian Williams, Bob and Lisa Goshen, Bob and Carol Sellery, Anne Randolph, Tyson Gilpin, and Don Frabutt.
The whole-group gatherings with refreshments and libations provided a wonderful time for friendly and reflective conversation. The two workshop sessions were led by Jonathon Bryan, a retired rector who added insight into our roles within the church and our community outreach by figuring out ways to become more grounded in God. The final event was the gathering at the outdoor shrine for Holy Eucharist before lunch and departure.
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4.1-3
Old Chapel Celebrates 220th Anniversary
Extract from the Friday, September 10th edition of The Winchester Star
Old Chapel Will Celebrate 220 Years
By Stephanie M. Mangino
The Winchester Star
Old Chapel…replaced a log-clapboard chapel built in the mid-1750s and served for decades as the primary place of worship for Episcopalians in what would become Clarke County. It is the oldest Episcopal church in continuous use west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to the website of its parish, Cunningham Chapel Parish.
A New Lark Cometh to Clarke… an open invitation to friends and residents of beautiful Clarke County Virginia
We are about to embark on a new lark! A complete makeover of our A Lark Through Clarke County blog. And we want YOU to help us either create the new look or suggest the nature of the content for this blog.
Originally, our mission was to bring a behind-the-scenes look at “A Lark Through Clarke Stable Tour and More” as the tour event unfolded. But alas, as announced a while back, the stable tour is no more.
Our focus changed earlier this year to stories about the rich history of Clarke County. But now we want to broaden our horizon to include current stories of community interest and happenings throughout Clarke County.
We are inviting YOU and all friends and residents of Clarke County to share their stories with us. To that end, we invite you to take a moment now and offer your comments about where we go from here. That is, what would YOU like to read about when you visit this blog? What events or stories would be of special interest to you?
You might be asking, how do I post my comment here on this blog? It’s easy. Here’s the “how to” of posting a comment:
First, you scroll to the bottom of this blog where you will find several links, one of which includes the word “Comments” — below we’ve captured a screen-shot displaying those links along with an explanation of how to proceed to post your comment.
IMPORTANT NOTES: When posting to this blog, you are required to enter your name (a pen name, nickname or first name will do) and email address in the space provided. At your option, you may also enter a website address. This could be the website address of your personal web page, the address of your place of business, or the address of a web site that is relevant to this blog, e.g., http://www.clarkehistory.org
Next, enter your comments in the larger text box provided. You might ask a question about the proposed new content for this blog. Or you might be bold and let us know you would like to become a regular contributing author to this blog! Or, you may prefer just to let us know what topics you would like to see covered in this blog. Of course, if you opted to enter a website address relevant to this blog, such as cited in the example above, you might post a comment such as:
“I would like to suggest that we blog about the forthcoming art show at the Mill in Millwood. The link you see above will take you to the Clarke County Historical Society (http://www.clarkehistory.org). At the top of their home page, you will see a link to “ART AT THE MILL” — here you will find information about the Fall 2010 Art Show, which kicks off early in October.”
Be sure to check over your entry to be sure your comment is free of errors and then click on the “Submit Comment” button. Your comment will be published once it has been approved by the Blog Administrator. C’est moi — PJ
Voila! You are done. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Ties to a Founding Father – Part IV
Epilogue
In the early 1800s, Thomas Nelson, Jr.’s legacy took a new turn. A growing movement of American nationalism began to view historical accomplishments with pride, and a prevailing sentiment was that
Nelson was one revolutionary hero who had not only been slighted but had also received unwarranted injury. Not even the searching report of the auditors and treasurer in 1832, which denied that the state owed the family anything, destroyed this view.[1]
The nature of the society of the eighteenth-century gentry influenced Nelson’s commitment to public service. He lived within an aristocracy of “hospitable, gracious, and generous individuals”[2] who encouraged men like Nelson to help their country. Emory Evans writes,
Thomas Nelson was certainly among the best of the Virginia leadership. He epitomized much that was good in Virginia society, and as the Revolution approached and wore on he gave more and more time to public affairs.[3]
Evans reminds us, however, that
. . . it was not just the concept of public service that moved Nelson to devote an abnormal amount of time to the public. He also wanted to protect the political institutions that he considered the best in the world . . . that provided the foundation for a freer, better way of life.[4]
Nelson’s exceptional public service during the Revolution sets him apart from the collective elite. Ironically, his “achievements are obscured by the memory of his financial losses.”[5]
Nelson’s legacy remains shrouded, but the Commonwealth of Virginia has honored him by placing a bronze statue on the Washington Monument in Richmond’s Capitol Square.
Nelson Statue on Washington Monument in Richmond, erected February 12, 1858
J.A.C. Chandler observes, “Virginians will never forget the sacrifices that Nelson made for his country.”[6]. Nelson’s statue, labeled “Finance,” stands alongside the following Virginia patriots, whose roles in the Revolution are exemplified in this monument with allegorical figures depicting their individual contributions: George Washington (equestrian figure perched on top of the monument), Andrew Lewis (“Colonial Times”), Thomas Jefferson (“Independence”), Patrick Henry (“Revolution”), George Mason (“Bill of Rights”), and John Marshall (“Justice”).
In 1968 the National Park Service (NPS) acquired and continued to restore the Nelson House, signaling a renewed interest in the life of Thomas Nelson, Jr. At that time, the house was void of furnishings. However, in past decades the NPS has acquired several items, although not original to the house, to help restore the home to its eighteenth-century appearance. The NPS also offers tours of the Nelson House for the public. The Page-Nelson Society, The Virginia Historical Society, and the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Inc. also continue to play a major role in accelerating public interest by collecting and publishing Nelson letters and other important papers, publishing books, and conducting seminars and lectures. A number of filmmakers have expressed an interest in making a movie about Nelson, namely Frank Frost Productions Inc. and NutGraf Productions, LLC. Denise Kiernan and Joe D’Agnese from NutGraf are currently producing Revolutionary Road Trip—a documentary featuring the lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.[7]
Below is a video presentation about Thomas Nelson
Compliments of the
The Revolutionary Road Trip website.
Please turn on your speakers and use the horizontal scroll bar to
center the presentation on your display.
To view the video, click on the Thomas Nelson picture/link
directly below the statement:
“A closer look at some of our stories…”
in the lower right hand corner of our preview window.
Use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to center content.
With rekindled awareness, Nelson must take his place among the prominent American patriots.
Finally, I dedicate this blog series to my late mother, Mary Winston Nelson Fisher, who sparked my interest in Thomas Nelson, Jr.
[1] Evans, Emory G. Thomas Nelson of Yorktown: Revolutionary Virginian. Williamsburg: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1975.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Chandler, J.A.C., Makers of Virginia History. New York: Silver, Burdett and Company, 1904.
[7] Kiernan, Denise and Joe D’Agnese. Revolutionary Road Trip. NutGraf Productions, LLC, 2009 http://www.revolutionaryroadtrip.com/trailers.html.
