My first ever trip to Grundy

[deuceswild 15]

So yesterday I was bored out of my mind and decided to take a trip north into some parts of Virginia that I've only read about. I left Chilhowie and went up through Saltville, hit route 80 somewhere in Washington County and then headed north passing through Honaker, Council, and Haysi and then swung back around to Vansant and Grundy and then back down through Richlands and home. I didn't head home on Route 80 though, I was still dizzy from the first time. I ended up going back on 58 through Lebanon and Abingdon. Route 80 in Washington County was so curvy, the signs pointing left and right up the mountain were sometimes pointed right at you.

 

I've always heard stories growing up about how Grundy was once a booming and bustling place. The downtowns of Haysi and Honaker shed light of better times once upon a time. Now most of the buildings are vacated and run down but a small part of the historic downtowns are still being used. Especially in Haysi. I always try to stop in shops and buy local in a personal attempt to give back to these communities, including my own here in Smyth County. I figure every little bit helps, even if its just a local map or a historical brochure.

 

What I saw in Grundy, other than what the town had been through to be moved across the river, was a bit discouraging. I had heard that the Appalachian Colleges that were built in Grundy were in an attempt to boom the local economy. I have no idea whether or not it has since I have nothing to compare it to. They haven't really been around long enough for the census to reflect any numbers. So to you Grundy guys, if I had made my trip 10, 20, and 30 years ago, what would I have seen differently?

 

Is Grundy on its way back? Or down? Judging by school enrollments, I would likely say down but those numbers are not always indicative of the economy. And now since we have a nationwide economical crisis, every community is suffering, but I'm talking overall this decade.

 

I'm just curious about the place, it has a lot of rich history. Another question, which may elicit obvious answers from the Grundy lot, is what else do you think the place needs to reemerge and gain back some of the lost population?

 

(Not at all trying to make this a political thread)

[BigD4VT 11]

Coalfield Expressway would probably help.

[GMan 3,569]

Coalfield Expressway would probably help.

 

That will only help the people leave the area faster...

[Lance 228]

30 years ago Grundy was still reeling from the 1977 flood...some of the stores took years to re-open...but the town was alive and there was even a Union '76 gas station next to the courthouse and one down by the Church of Christ...there was no Richlands Mall yet...no Wal Mart...if you wanted something you either went to the IGA, Deskins, or Piggly Wiggly to get it...if it was other than food you had Singleton's department store where Peebles or whatever is now..it was later Heck's...which I always found funny...but thats just me...then the granddaddy of them all...The Ben Franklin 5 and Dime...it was parked right next to the Lynwood Theater and you could smell the popcorn all the way up and down main street. There were always a group of old men hanging out on the bench at the courthouse talking about anything and everything...

 

you could see the drunks in the jail as you drove by...and there was a skate rink up on the far end of town...traffic was going both ways on main street and behind town...if you walked up past Jackson's hardware by the old Grundy Ford building after hours you were greeted by two mean ass doberman pinchers that were known to break the glass from time to time and escape to the streets of Grundy to do god knows what? There were a few drive ins to get some food to go and the Barthorne Drug store sat across from the old Grundy Hospital and always was a great place to buy comics and magazines...Bill Griffith had the Friendly Market that now sits abandoned just past the New Peoples Bank building...

 

there was a Honda and Yamaha dealer on opposite ends of town...Tuffy had a Barber shop on the corner or you could visit Fletchers' Store up near the Vansant bridge and see Frank the Barber...while you are there you can get a fishing pole, a Huffy bike, and various other toys at Fletchers in the hardware section...or on the other side of Franks you could get a cold Coca Cola from one of those drop in coolers with the water flowing through it that was as cold as ICE....and a nice old lady Fletcher would give you the smile and a pat on the head on your way out and tell you to come back soon...then where the now old Vansant Food City stands, you could go to a drive in movie and catch a classic and modern movie of the time in a double feature every saturday.

 

Vansant Elementary was always bumpin' around halloween time, the halloween festival or whatever they called it was always a HUGE event...cars would be lined up on both sides of the road for miles...it was packed. Kirby's front end shop was the place to go get an inspection sticker on your vehicle...the old man would shoot the crap for hours with the shop guys and a steady stream of vehicles poured in and out....there was no four lane, just a somewhat narrow two lane road that hugged the river....i always found it interesting that you would see fruit stands and small mom & pops style stores that were built out overhanging the river? I was sure that one day they would just fall off in to the river with people in them...most burned down before that happened though.

 

There was a Dodge, Ford, and Chevy dealer in Grundy as well...and on saturdays you would see people everywhere downtown...just walking...cars parked along the streets everywhere...they even built a parking building on the edge of town to help out with the parking problems...girls bought there prom dresses at "The Frilly Filly"...there was the "Fairway" store, the Dollar General Store, the toys were in the lower level by the way...there was a small market style store called "The Mick Or Mack" that was below street level...and Jerry's market/hotel across from the Jr. High School...it caught on fire in the 80's and was a pretty big deal at the time...

 

the Library was small, but had a good amount of stuff for kids to do and they always had summer programs for different stuff...and it was the place to find the newest Sports Illustrated...trains ran the tracks and coal trucks rumbled the roads non stop...throwing the black coal dust everywhere...it was just part of the background if you lived there...no big deal....

 

there were schools at Vansant, Big Rock, JM Bevins, Grundy, Harman, Garden, Hurley, Russell Prater, Whitewood, and more...where some of the greatest games ever played took place...the battles were epic...the victories proud...being county champs meant something...and we would all gather each Friday night to watch our beloved and mighty Golden Wave do battle on our field of rock...and we loved it.

 

There were street dances where the town was flooded with people...huge crowds...bands like "Dealer" with Martha Maynard singing along belting out the latest radio hits and a few originals along the way on a stage that was set up in the middle of the street in the middle of town...fireworks on the 4th, parades for homecoming that went on for hours....schools that had to add "mobile units" out back because there were too many kids for the classrooms...

 

Mayor Richardson riding around in the boat-car....the doors for the business' downtown were heavy and kinda scraped the floor when you pushed them in...the metal handles were well worn giving hint to the 50's when they were probably new...the record shop was a weekly trip to pick up the latest 45 or album...i always heard there was a full set of Kiss picture discs that fell behind the shelf in 1978 that were never fished out...but the shelves were full of albums so it was impossible to move them at the time...so they would sit there for years untouched...enough to drive any true Kiss fan insane.

 

That was my Grundy...that was my home...small town USA.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

Beautiful post, Lance.

[Lance 228]

Beautiful post, Lance.

 

thanks...that's the cliff's notes version...lol...so much more i could put in there...but, no point really...you could talk about Smiley, Lloyd, Elliot, Bob Smallwood, Frank Hunter, General Fields, Roger Coleman, Larry Fields, Smitty, Pat, and my uncle Jerry...lol...a lot of good stories that could be told...maybe if I live long enough they will find a venue.

 

As for now...Grundy is a shell of what it once was...and I dont see it getting back to what it was ever again...times have changed and most of the people have moved on...what they are trying to make Grundy in to now will never have the charm that the old Grundy had...but in the end after things started to fade all you had were a bunch of empty buildings that were rotting away...the people made the town, and the people were gone.

 

So they will build a Wal Mart...cram what they can in to the 13 or so acres that sits where the old mountain stood...and it will look a lot better than the old multi-color run down buildings that littered main street....but there will never be another Lynwood...never be another Ben Frankin...never be another Record Shop...the economy will never be what it was...and that's ok...things change...nothing lasts forever...Grundy has suffered through hard times and survived...evolved...things will get better from here.

[KCFan 10]

DeucesWild: If you get a chance you should check out Lloyd Combs' book Coalfield Dreams. It's a history of sports in Buchanan County and is a great read with tons and tons of interesting stories. I am sure Lance or VHSLHelper could tell you how to purchase a copy if you haven't already. Would be nice if more writers could get books published on local sports like he did.

[deuceswild 15]

Great post guys, exactly what I was looking for.

 

I am interested in the book, point me to where I can locate it. I remember reading about it on here a while back and never really thought twice about it. Now I wouldn't mind grabbing it up and reading it.

 

The only other local sports book that I know of is Ralph Stokes's book about Chilhowie's 1970 State run. It's more a collection of short stories about each game but very interesting nonetheless. They hand them out to us like Gideon Bible's when we're little Warriors. lol.

[Lance 228]

You can get Lloyd's book at the Breaks Park Gift Store if you are in the area or it's online at http://coalfielddreams.homestead.com/

[tbgfan 856]

Beautiful post, Lance.

 

Agree with Observer, a beautiful post.

 

Lance, you painted a portrait with words--all in all, a simpler time with great memories.

 

 

 

Life has many choices---eternity two

[VHSLhelper 571]

Lance ...

 

Dealer's girl wasn't Martha Maynard, it was Marti Maney.

 

You forgot the Buick dealer at Royal City, where Ruffino's Pizza was.

 

Jerry's Hotel burned down in the mid 70's... I was in the hospital on the ped. wing when that happened and we could see and the smoke hang over town all day.

 

The Ben Franklin basement was my fav. shopping place... always had bicycle parts and a wall full of fish, gerbils & hamsters.

 

The old drive-in at Vansant was where I saw my first Cheech & Chong movie back around '79, "Up In Smoke". Of course, that was after they quit showing flicks like "Debbie Does Dallas" and "Revenge of the Cheerleaders" (I actually have the national radio ad for that one on 45). The Lynwood was the site of my first "date" (wonder how many hundreds of other ppl. would say the same thing?)... Corvette Summer, with Annie Potts and a kid named Mark Hamill. Also took the girl next door there to see Saturday Night Fever when I was in Jr. High.

 

You also forgot how hoppin' the Anchorage Shopping Center was in the 70's & 80's, with Adam & Eve's "stuff" and The Brass Ring/Clancy's nightclub.

 

ASL hasn't done much for the economy, because there's nothing here for them to spend their money on. A little coffee shop across the creek is about it. Something like a TGIF's or a nightclub would help.

 

Grundy will never be the same.

 

-------

 

I'd kinda like to hear some of the stories ppl. have on me, because most of the stories I tell aren't Grundy-based, other than taking a girl home from the street dance 1 year in the old Winnebago. (That thing got a lot more use than the odometer ever showed!) I'd argue that as many girls from around Hillsville & Stuart knew me in the mid 80's as did in Grundy. And I'm sure the wrestlers from 87-92 have a couple (esp. from the Duals). Guppy & I rehashed a couple with 1 of his co-workers 1 night a few years ago after he came back.

 

------

 

Lloyd's book is also at Vansant Food City, and we both carry copies with us, so they'll be avail. in the Fall in Richlands and anywhere the Wave play.

[trublue 939]

Lance, you made my day!

[Guest BEAVERTAIL]

I made my first trip to Grundy in around 2004, but I will say it felt like home for an odd reason.

 

Ive been back a few times, only on sports trips, and I still dont know why I feel like that, but I do. I wish I could have seen it in its prime.

[Lance 228]

Lance ...

 

Dealer's girl wasn't Martha Maynard, it was Marti Maney.

 

You forgot the Buick dealer at Royal City, where Ruffino's Pizza was.

 

Jerry's Hotel burned down in the mid 70's... I was in the hospital on the ped. wing when that happened and we could see and the smoke hang over town all day.

 

 

-you are correct! I knew her as Martha...and I just hosed up the last name, my bad. Her dad was Jack Maney and they lived up the road from me...she had one of those pekingese dogs that would do a bunch of tricks and I was just a 7th grader or so at the time...I'd stop in and talk to her dad a lot and she was always around...very nice people...her dad passed away working in the garden they had...I remember it well...sad day...I don't think I ever talked to her again after that. They werre long time friends of the family. :(

 

-Yeah...there was the Buick Dealer and also the Pontiac place that is some sort of a doctor's office or clinic now? not sure...the Pontiac place was cool because you could climb the stairs in the showroom and hang your feet over the edge between the rails and it felt like you were on top of the world...for a little while anyway.

 

-I knew Jerry's burned sometime in the late 70's or early 80's...wasn't sure of the exact date...I knew the Davis twins my whole life...spent many a night playing pinball with their dog George...lol...and they had a 30 pound cat named Apples that would fall through the celing at random times...lol...ah the memories...loved that entire family...good people.

 

-Ruffino's pizza was good stuff...and they delivered...which was rare in the day...and i guess still is?

 

 

-Like I said...sooo many stories that could be told....this is one of those posts that could go on and on...lol...maybe someday huh?

[bucfan64 309]

The ASL and the Pharmacy school have helped the economy, but not in ways originally thought.

 

Several locals have been able to benefit by renting apartments, small houses etc.

 

Other than that it has not stimulated the economy the way many thought it would. Perhaps the new development that began last week will change things a little for the better.

 

I do not however, expect Grundy to ever be close to it's original self and that is saddening......

[KCFan 10]

Keep the stories going. Could read them all day as well.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

The ASL and the Pharmacy school have helped the economy, but not in ways originally thought.

 

Several locals have been able to benefit by renting apartments, small houses etc.

 

Other than that it has not stimulated the economy the way many thought it would. Perhaps the new development that began last week will change things a little for the better.

 

I do not however, expect Grundy to ever be close to it's original self and that is saddening......

 

I don't think any towns in southwest Virginia can get back to their "old selves", as it were. Change is just too great a part of life. However, I do have hope that southwest Virginia can thrive, prosper, and experience growth once against that'll bring outsiders in and keep those in that are now moving away.

 

It all starts at the top, which for all intents and purposes is Rick Boucher. My friends, it's not a coincidence that this way of life has went by the wayside concurrent with his 10+ terms in Congress. It takes friends in high places to fight, to bargain, to cajole the powers that be to get progress.

 

Long story short, I'd love to see southwest Virginia like you guys are describing. And it upsets me as well to see the collapse of small town America.

[VHSLhelper 571]

I knew the Davis twins my whole life...

 

I didn't meet them until after graduation. Can't say I've ever met a more different set of twins in my life... except for their musical tastes... a couple of the biggest 'heads in Buchanan Co.

Edited July 1, 2009 by VHSLhelper

[Lance 228]

I don't think any towns in southwest Virginia can get back to their "old selves", as it were. Change is just too great a part of life. However, I do have hope that southwest Virginia can thrive, prosper, and experience growth once against that'll bring outsiders in and keep those in that are now moving away.

 

It all starts at the top, which for all intents and purposes is Rick Boucher. My friends, it's not a coincidence that this way of life has went by the wayside concurrent with his 10+ terms in Congress. It takes friends in high places to fight, to bargain, to cajole the powers that be to get progress.

 

Long story short, I'd love to see southwest Virginia like you guys are describing. And it upsets me as well to see the collapse of small town America.

 

the only thing that will bring anyone back or keep anyone in the area in places like Grundy is high paying jobs...without that, it will continue to decline no matter how hard they try to make it a college town...newsflash...most college kids are broke.

[deuceswild 15]

Amen.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

the only thing that will bring anyone back or keep anyone in the area in places like Grundy is high paying jobs...without that, it will continue to decline no matter how hard they try to make it a college town...newsflash...most college kids are broke.

 

I know most college kids are broke. Newsflash...I am one. With all due respect, you're preaching to the choir on that one.

And high paying jobs come from the actions of those at the top. They advocate for their region to get the resources to allow them.

Which I fully laid out in the post you quoted...

Edited July 1, 2009 by UVAObserver

[Lance 228]

wasn't directing the newsflash towards you, was just saying...dont know who put the college life up on the chalkboard as an economic draw...it probably has some effect but not much...mostly I just get crappy out of towners sitting around me at football games running thier mouth to the point that I want to punch them in the throat.

 

The people who "run" the town and county will never allow anything productive to take root...if they had any common sense they would have taxed the crap out of the billions of coal dollars that flew out of there for years and stashed some away for the future.

 

Russell County bends over backwards to bring in new industry and jobs...they do whatever it takes...Tazewell and Buchanan have yet to learn this trick.

[trublue 939]

Following in BHC today:

 

excerpt:

 

"Only two of the region’s 10 counties – Washington and Wythe in Virginia – saw populations increase by more than 1 percent since the 2000 Census. The rest of the region’s communities lost residents, or stayed the same, such as Bristol, Va., and Sullivan County, Tenn., which saw their populations increase by six-tenths of a percent during those eight years.

 

The same pattern rings true for the region’s smaller communities.

 

All told, 24 of the region’s 31 communities saw population drops between 2000 and 2008, according to the estimates. Eight Southwest Virginia communities – Clinchport, Duffield, Dungannon, Gate City, Nickelsville, Weber City, Marion and Big Stone Gap – lost 5 percent or more of their residents.

 

The five communities that grew in addition to Glade Spring and Damascus were Abingdon, Va., Bluff City, Tenn., Bristol, Tenn., Saltville, Va., and Wytheville, Va. None of those saw growth rates of more than 6 percent."

 

http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/two_southwest_virginia_towns_growing_as_others_shrink/27716/

[deuceswild 15]

I also want to point out that after looking at enrollments for the new cycle (I only looked at Region C), Chilhowie was one of three to gain (they went up 17). One of the biggest drops was PH with like 40 something. I think Rural Retreat and Holston also went up 5 or 6 students. Although these increases aren't astronomical, the fact that of 24 schools in the region 21 went down definitely says something... bad.

[Deleted Account 5,203]

wasn't directing the newsflash towards you, was just saying...dont know who put the college life up on the chalkboard as an economic draw...it probably has some effect but not much...mostly I just get crappy out of towners sitting around me at football games running thier mouth to the point that I want to punch them in the throat.

 

The people who "run" the town and county will never allow anything productive to take root...if they had any common sense they would have taxed the crap out of the billions of coal dollars that flew out of there for years and stashed some away for the future.

 

Russell County bends over backwards to bring in new industry and jobs...they do whatever it takes...Tazewell and Buchanan have yet to learn this trick.

 

NP, Lance. You quoted me, I had to respond. ;)

 

I know for a fact that the Tazewell County Supervisors are either far too overwhelmed with their jobs to do them productively, or they're simply incompetent. I've known this since 12th grade, when they came to my AP Government class to talk about the state of affairs in Tazewell County. They couldn't even answer my questions about what steps they were taking to ensure that Tazewell County was prepared to grow in the 21st century. Well, that is, if you count stuttering and saying "I can't tell you right off" as a non-answer.

 

Two weeks later, I was "privileged" to have a personal meeting with Rick Boucher's aides in Washington. Those aides were as useless as teats on a bull. They had ZERO idea about what was happening in Southwest Virginia, much less any specific proposal that Boucher had on the table to improve Southwest Virginia. This was an hour-long meeting, and it consisted of me trying my damnedest to get blood from a turnip for 10 minutes and sitting around looking at the wall for the next 50.

 

The next hour, I met with George Allen's aides. Now, they were actually able to give me some long-term proposals that could help the Southwest Virginia economy (most of which centered around Lee County and the Pennington Gap area). I cannot tell you how impressed I was with George Allen's staff. But that's beside the point. THEY had a plan. No one affiliated in the counties or the Congressional districts did. Think about how disconcerting this is...

 

Following in BHC today:

 

excerpt:

 

"Only two of the region’s 10 counties – Washington and Wythe in Virginia – saw populations increase by more than 1 percent since the 2000 Census. The rest of the region’s communities lost residents, or stayed the same, such as Bristol, Va., and Sullivan County, Tenn., which saw their populations increase by six-tenths of a percent during those eight years.

 

The same pattern rings true for the region’s smaller communities.

 

All told, 24 of the region’s 31 communities saw population drops between 2000 and 2008, according to the estimates. Eight Southwest Virginia communities – Clinchport, Duffield, Dungannon, Gate City, Nickelsville, Weber City, Marion and Big Stone Gap – lost 5 percent or more of their residents.

 

The five communities that grew in addition to Glade Spring and Damascus were Abingdon, Va., Bluff City, Tenn., Bristol, Tenn., Saltville, Va., and Wytheville, Va. None of those saw growth rates of more than 6 percent."

 

http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/two_southwest_virginia_towns_growing_as_others_shrink/27716/

 

Great post, brother.

 

And that's exactly what I'm talking about. 73% of Southwest Virginia communities and 80% of counties losing population over nearly a decade is absolutely unacceptable. This area has too much beauty, too much potential to see it wasted because of a content, "unbeatable" Congressman.