Date:  ca. 1908

Image Number:  SB01cdSB01

Comments:  Charlie Albert Lenaham is shown in this charcoal drawing by his dear friend, Susie N. Blair.  Charlie was born in 1902 and was the son of Amelia Lenaham, a trusted employee and member of the Powers family.  Throughout his life, Charlie was committed to the well-being of Scottsville and her citizens.  His nickname throughout the community was Citizen Charlie as he worked at the ice plant in early days, served as a volunteer fireman, and was employed by the local water and light plants.  His devotion to his family and his hometown was steadfast, even when it cost him dearly.  When the 1969 flood waters of Hurricane Camille struck Scottsville, Virginia Moore describes Charlie's actions to save the town in her book, Scottsville on the James:

"About 1:30 the fire siren blew.  Stumbling out of bed, people stepped into water, and merchants rushing to their stores found a torrent engulfing counters, shelves, machinery, household goods, fresh vegetables, clothing.  Others slept through all tocsins: siren, lightning, and thunder.  Robert Pitts, who had worked long hours at the polls in yesterday's gubernatorial election, waked only when Charlie Lenaham shook him by the shoulder.  'Your chickens is drowned---better git up!'  Charlie waked so many he lost everything he had."

Charlie's willingness to help is further elaborated upon in an article written by Elizabeth Wimer in The Scottsville Sun, dated 12 February, 1953:

"Charlie Lenahan Faithfully Carries on Duties for Town; Always Ready to Lend Hand."

"Nearly everybody in Scottsville knows "the man behind the scene" when they turn on the water to their homes or hear the noon siren blow.  Both are commonplace occurrences, but the responsibilities of keeping Scottsville in water, and sounding the noon whistle are exacting ones faithfully carried out by Charlie Lenahan."

"Charlie is called 'a good neighbor' in the true sense of the word by a great many residents in this community.  Besides operating the water works, he can often be found lending a helping hand to anyone who needs one at the moment.  It may be helping to carry packages for a lady, carrying wood, swinging a paint brush, or passing along a friendly word.

"The pumps at the water works are operated by hand, and they take a good deal of attention.  In the neat, clean office where Charlie stays while he is on the job, he explained to us the intricate process of how the water is treated from the time it leaves the James River until it is run into the town water system.  Charlie started operating the water works in 1921.  Before that time, when it was a water plant, ice plant, and electric plant combined, he used to sell ice, and then gradually learned how it all operated.  He also took a course in electricity, which he uses in handling the motors on the pumps."

"Charlie has spent most of his life in Scottsville, and has always taken much interest in the life of the community.  He used to ring the old bell under the water tank before the siren was put up.  The bell was used for a fire signal."

"During World War II, he was responsible for turning out the street lights during the air raid alerts."

"As interested as he is in his work, Charlie also has other enthusiasms.  The greatest of these is photography.  He has been taking pictures for 20 years, and showed the writer many interesting views of the town and its residents, some of whom have long since grown up or gone away.  He has some excellent pictures of the big flood of 1940 when the water at the intersection of Main and Valley streets was high enough to navigate in a canoe.  His collection includes snow scenes, birthday and wedding anniversaries, street scenes and informal shots of children and grown-ups.  He studies photographic literature, and has recently acquired a flash camera in order to take better interior shots."

"While demonstrating the ins and outs of the water system, this energetic public servant pulled out from nowhere an electric oven.  "I like to cook, too," he said. "I bake pies and light bread in here."

"Not one to let time hang heavy on his hands, he bakes while he is on duty and takes the results home to his mother or to the Powell sisters at The Terrace, where he lives."

"Charlie was born in Fluvanna County on the Scottsville side.  His mother, Millie (sic) Lenahan, worked for the Powells, and he came here to make his home with them.  His formal education includes only a few years at a two-room public school, but somewhere along the line, Charlie has acquired much knowledge of things."

"He is a member of long standing in the Scottsville Volunteer Fire Department, and was a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church, which no longer holds services.  Now he says he enjoys going to all the community churches, sometimes one, sometimes another."

"But most of all, Charlie enjoys participating in the life of the community and has proved himself an extremely useful citizen."

Charlie Lenaham lived his entire life at The Terrace in Scottsville.  When he died in 1993, the gravestone at right was erected at Union Baptist Church cemetery in honor of this man, who indeed was Scottsville's 'Citizen Charlie.'