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Virginiana
Michael J.N. Bowles
Pigs Gone Wild
You wouldn’t expect to find a destination restaurant on a lonely stretch of highway in southwestern Virginia, but Cuz’s has been pleasing coal barons and college students with its “uptown” cuisine—and zany porcine décor—for 31 years.
May 6, 2010 by Joe Tennis in Dine out
Michael J.N. Bowles
A Different World
Burke's Garden, in southwestern Virginia, pop. 300, lies in a beautiful, isolated, high-altitude valley with no post office, cell phone service or cable, and a harsh climate. As one resident says, "Something unpredictable could happen at any time."
May 6, 2010 by Joe Tennis in At Large (5 Comments)
Cade Martin
Piedmont Maverick
Sandy Lerner likes pushing boundaries. She made a fortune in the male-dominated high-tech industry, started a grunge cosmetics line, rescued Jane Austen’s brother’s house in England. Now at Ayrshire Farm, this strong-willed entrepreneur promotes sustainable farming.
Apr 29, 2010 by Suzanne Gannon in At Large (2 Comments)
The Picasso of Guns
Lisa Tomlin engraves for the hunting elite.
Mar 19, 2010 by Clarke C. Jones in At Large (4 Comments)
Robb Scharetg
The Little Busy Bee
Honeybees are crucial to our environment as primary pollinators of plants, and scientists are scrambling to discover the causes of the recent decline in their numbers. One group might help to reverse the trend: beekeepers.
Mar 17, 2010 by Aynsley Miller Fisher in Nature (1 Comments)
Hall Raisers
Upperville Restores a once-swinging landmark.
Mar 11, 2010 by Richard Ernsberger Jr. in History
Jeff Greenough
Sugar Sweet, Mountain High
In Highland County, which boasts mountain vistas and pure maple syrup, practically everyone takes part in the annual Maple Festival in March. You can try to visit and not eat a pancake or a donut—but you will fail.
Feb 18, 2010 by Deborah R. Huso in At Large
David Deal
Sustainable Profits
Willie Drake has turned old timber into an $8 million enterprise.
Feb 17, 2010 by Suzanne Gannon in At Large
Courtesy of the National Museum of the Marine Corps
When the Going Gets Tough
The National Museum of the Marine Corps shows the Marines'-eye view.
Feb 5, 2010 by Mary Miley Theobald in At Large
Patricia Lyons
In the Fast Lane
Fairfax County is something of welcome anomaly—the Old Dominion's busy, brash and diverse economic powerhouse. After going through two major transformations over the last 50 years, this hectic symbol of suburban America is gearing up for an urban shift.
Jan 29, 2010 by Richard Ernsberger Jr. in Nearby
Sterling Hundley
Old Man Winter
Wherein illustrator Sterling Hundley recalls the bitter cold spell of 1940.
Jan 29, 2010 in History
Robert Meganck
“Thar’s a Bar!”
Whar? In Virginia, just about everywhar.
Jan 25, 2010 by Christine Ennulat in Nature (1 Comments)
Robert Meganck
The Christmas That Was
We sentimentalize the holidays even as we re-gift the fruitcake, buy toys on Christmas Eve and chortle (over eggnog) about Uncle Harry’s latest girlfriend. To truly pay homage to Virginia’s seasonal traditions, we’d have to do some carousing and belsnickeling, as folks did long ago. Oh, t’was a very merry time.
Dec 21, 2009 by Caroline Kettlewell in History (1 Comments)
Robert Meganck
Honker Hordes
Greater snow geese, copious and invincible.
Dec 17, 2009 by Christine Ennulat in Nature
Tyler Darden
Fine Objects, Rich Stories
Antiques expert Ken Farmer, a regular on Antiques Roadshow, talks about his love of American folk art, how he got started in the business, the fake Tiffany silver cocktail set that fooled him—and the Wythe County pie safe that he acquired after drinking more than a few Budweisers and singing Stanley Brothers songs with the owner.
Dec 11, 2009 by W. Matthew Shipman in At Large (3 Comments)
Courtesy of the Mariners' Museum
Letters of the Law
Over a nearly six-year period, a Mariners’ Museum archivist named Lester Weber systematically stole thousands of historical documents from the institution, including material related to the sinking of the Titanic, and then sold them on eBay. He and his wife made about $163,000 before being caught ....
Nov 25, 2009 by Travis McDade in History (4 Comments)
How the West Was Lost
John Brown’s raid, 150 years ago, was a practical failure with massive ramifications. It lit the fuse leading to the Civil War, and, as MARY MILEY THEOBALD writes, set in motion the creation of the 35th state, “West, by God, Virginia.”
Nov 20, 2009 by Mary Miley Theobald in History
Anne McClung and Ellen M. Martin
The Way We Were
Beginning nearly three centuries ago, Scotch-Irish settlers built log cabins throughout Rockbridge County. More than 400 of these earliest of American homes still stand—some abandoned, others partially renovated or restored. Photography by Anne McClung and Ellen M. Martin
Nov 19, 2009 by Ann McClung in History (2 Comments)
Chris White
Good Karma
Squashapenny Junction, in Doswell, is a former country store full of stuff “hollering out” from another time.
Nov 13, 2009 by Richard Ernsberger Jr. in At Large
Albemarle Pippin and Jefferson's garden images courtesy of monticello/Thomas Jefferson Foundation
An Apple with Sway
The Albemarle Pippin’s storied past.
Nov 12, 2009 by Laura Parsons in History
Courtesy of Scottsville Museum
Striving for “Ultimates”
An accomplished poet and literary biographer, Virginia Moore was sentimental about Virginia and especially her adopted home town. A retrospective on the “Queen of Scottsville.”
Nov 6, 2009 by Erin Parkhurst in History (3 Comments)
Casey Templeton
Deep Roots
After nearly 170 years, Virginia farms still grow some of the world’s best (and biggest) peanuts, and state processors still put the salty, crunchy morsels on tables across America. Photography by Casey Templeton
Nov 4, 2009 by Ben Swenson in At Large (1 Comments)
Courtesy of University of Virginia Library
A Tomboy's Legacy
The yearly Montpelier races are a great time to remember Marion du Pont Scott—the first lady of American turf racing.
Oct 16, 2009 by Sarah Sargent in History (3 Comments)
Emerald Paradise
Edgar Allan Poe didn’t get a grand monument in Richmond, so the writer’s admirers built him a unique, serene garden instead. Photography by Tyler Darden
Oct 9, 2009 by Paula Steers Brown in History
Peelers in the Pots
Morattico’s Edwin “Junior” Barrack and other salty dogs like him do the hard work on the water that brings crunchy soft shells to dining tables. By Claire Colbert Mills
Oct 1, 2009 by Claire Colbert Mills in History