Scottsville Events

Until cars were widely owned in Scottsville, social activity for most citizens centered around the church and home. Scottsville residents often spent evenings at dinners, dances, or parties with games and refreshments. At many homes, fiddles sang out, and ladies in long dresses and gentlemen in fancy vests faced each other, a foot apart, arms lightly touching each other while their feet moved in unison. Piano and guitars were popular music-makers, and at the end of the parties, the hostesses would often serve homemade ice cream and cake, and perhaps lemonade. As one young lady wrote in her 1920 diary, "Alex came after Lizzie and me to go to his house to dance. We danced until 3 o'clock and ate a wonderful English walnut cake. I had a grand time, and Alex told Minnie he thought I was the prettiest girl there." Some parties sparked romances, and weddings followed with family and friends gathering to rejoice.

Many other Scottsville activities drew crowds, such as Confederate reunions with parades by local militiamen and veterans, 4th of July celebrations, the James River Valley Fair, political campaigns, and sporting events. Other favorite social gatherings included the ever-popular hunting groups whose week-long forays into nearby fields usually resulted in a generous supply of venison for local tables.

Please click on each image for a larger view and more information.

Race Day at the James River Valley Fair, 1890

Date: 1890

Image Number: B41cdB15

Comments: Shown here is a Burgess panorama and the earliest photo in this collection. The fair grounds were located just west of Scottsville along the James River bottomland near the present Uniroyal Plant. First launched in 1883, the James River Valley Fair consisted of three days of horse racing, games, music, agricultural exhibits, and speechmaking which soon became an annual event attracting hundreds of visitors to Scottsille.

Wedding of Charles Wellington Jones and Cora A. Sheppard, 1899

Date: October 7, 1899

Image Number: B242bcdB24

Comments: Charles Wellington Jones (1865-1924) wed Cora A. Sheppard (1873-1974) at the Scottsville Baptist Church on October 7, 1899. Charles was a grocer in Charlotte, NC, and Cora was a teacher at Scottsville School. Their wedding was held at Scottsville Baptist Church where they were surrounded by their Scottsville friends. See larger image for names of the wedding party.

Scottsville's Christmas Traditions

Date: 1906

Image Number: Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Roosevelt Class No. 560.52 1906, Shelfmark TRC-PH-3

Comments: In Scottsville and the surrounding area, in the mid-19th century, calling "Christmas gift!" was a beloved custom. When two people met, the first to say "Christmas gift!" would win a present from the other, a coin or similar small token. Grandparents, parents, husbands--and, in antebellum days, slaveholders--were expected to lose this game, and children were always the winners. Thomas Jefferson describes his grandson calling "Christmas gift" in 1809. To learn more about Christmas traditions in Scottsville and at Theodore Roosevelt's Pine Knot retreat, see the larger image of this snowy Pine Knot scene.

Children's Party at Belle Haven, 1907

Date: ca. 1907

Image Number: B202cdB21

Comments: William Burgess photographed this children's party at Belle Haven, home of Captain John L. and Helen (Burgess) Pitts. William and Helen were siblings, and many of the children at this party were William's nieces and nephews. See larger image for names of these children.

Wedding of Dan Lewis and Annie Farrar, 1908

Date: 1908

Image Number: RollOneNeg16A

Comments: Dan Lewis and Annie Farrar stand at the middle of this photo. See larger image for identities of the Lewis-Farrar wedding party.

Wedding of William Day Smith and Annie Parker Harris, 1910

Date: June 3, 1910

Image Number: E22cdE03

Comments: Gathered on the steps of Fairview (now High Meadows) is the wedding party of William Day Smith and Annie Parker Harris. William was principal of Scottsville High School, and Annie taught school there. See larger image for names of wedding participants.

Child's Play in Scottsville

Date: June 3, 1910

Image Number: RB124cdRB08

Comments: William Harold Burgess, son of Scottsville photographer, William E. Burgess, is shown at age 4 years as he happily played with his toys gifted at Christmas. See larger image for more details about child's play in Scottsville in the 1900's.

Gault Camping Party

Date: August 10, 1911

Image Number: SD94cdSD5

Comments: On this warm August afternoon in 1911, William Burgess photographed a large party of Scottsville-area citizens departing on a week-long camping trip. The camping outing was arranged by Samuel R. Gault, the town's postmaster and president of Gault Camp No. One. The campers traveled by the town's school wagon, autos, and train to reach their eventual campsite on Paradise Hill near Schuyler. Upon arrival, they settled into canvas tents set up by an advance party and enjoyed their first meal in Ella Woody's cook tent. During the daytime, swimming, fishing, Kodak parties, hunting, target shooting, baseball, and hammocks with books and magazines kept the campers amused. At night they sang songs in the moonlight, accompanied by guitar and harps. See the larger image for more photos and a newspaper account of the Gault Camping Party.

Wedding of Charles R. Dorrier and Clara Pitts, 1911

Date: October 25, 1911

Image Number: B04cdB19

Comments: The wedding party of Charles R. Dorrier and Clara Lee Pitts of Scottsville gathered for a group photo at Belle Haven. See larger image for names of wedding participants and additional genealogical information about the Dorrier and Pitts families.

A Summer Picnic in Scottsville, 1912

Date: 1912

Image Number: SD12cdSD1

Comments: This group of young people were enjoying a summer picnic in Scottsville. Picnics, dinners, dances, teas, frolics with games and refreshments were among Scottsville's social fare in 1912. See larger image for names of these picnic goers.

The Sounds of Old Scottsville

Date: 1913

Image Number: RM16cdRM02

Comments: Dr. Percy Harris came to Scottsville in 1912 and used this horse and buggy for making house calls. One of the many sounds of Scottsville in the last century was that of horses being ridden on Scottsville's old iron and wooden bridge over the James River. Lost sounds don't slide away into silence. They are replaced by new sounds, made by new technologies, new ways of living and working. We don't hear oxen pulling freight wagons through the packed dirt streets or the cranked ignition of Dr. Stinson's 1910 Maxwell. When was the last time you heard a 1958 Thunderbird? Now some Prius electric hybrid cars have a mechanical sound built back into them for safety. See larger image for more details of the 'lost sounds of old Scottsville.

Fourth of July Parade, 1914

Date: July 4, 1914

Image Number: Roll11Neg23A

Comments: Parades in Scottsville have long been a town tradition. In this 1914 scene, Grand Marshal Sam Gault led the parade on horseback; Sam also served as Scottsville's beloved postmaster for forty-six years. The Scottsville Band and Junior Order of American Mechanics (JR OUAM) followed Mr. Gault with a Woman's Christian Temperance Union float and hundreds of holiday celebrants bringing up the rear.

Light Opera in Scottsville, 1914

Date: September 1914

Image Number: B22cdB13

Comments: In the early 1900's, Miss Hannah Moore's Hall hosted frequent plays and musical performances, which were an important part of Scottsville social life and great fun. See larger image for more details and cast members' names.

Five Fair Ladies of Scottsville, 1914

Date: September 1914

Image Number: M10cdKM01

Comments: Five of Scottsville's fairest young ladies pose for cast photos after a most successful performance of 'Old King Cole' at Moore's Hall. See the larger image for these ladies names.

Sam Gault as 'Old King Cole,' 1914

Date: September 1914

Image Number: B03cdB12

Comments: Sam Gault dressed up as 'Old King Cole' for an entertainment at Miss Hannah Moore's Hall on Valley Street. Miss Hannah converted an old brick factory building near her house into a theater where home-grown plays were a rich source of entertainment in Scottsville. For over a decade, Miss Hannah's Hall was a focus for the town's social life.

Scottsville's Baseball Club, 1914

Date: 1914

Image Number: B87cdB17

Comments: One of Scottsville's most popular sporting events was baseball. This local club played their games at the old wooden grandstand, constructed in 1910 in the big lot now known as Dorrier Park. Over the grandstand's front was stretched chicken coop wire, and just in front of it stood the ball diamond that was used by school and community teams until the 1950's. See the larger image for names of the players and their two mascots.

Wedding of Henry Reeve Nicholas and Frances Eldridge Horsley, 1915

Date: June 16, 1915

Image Number: RN01cdRN01

Comments: In 1915, Henry Reeve Nicholas married Frances Eldridge Horsley of 'Travelers Rest,' Warminster, Virginia. They were married at Grace Episcopal Church near Manteo in Buckingham County, Virginia, and lived at 'Reeveland' just south of Scottsville. See the larger image for the names of the Nicholas-Horsley wedding party.

The Big Hunt, 1917

Date: 1917

Image Number: B115cdB17

Comments: Pictured here is a group of Scottsville men returning to town after a successful deer hunt. Using hunting dogs, hunters targetted quail, wild turkey, foxes, and deer during such forays into the surrounding countryside. See the larger image for the hunters' names.

Wedding of James Emmons McFarland and Helen Harris, 1919

Date: May 2, 1919

Image Number: E23cdE03

Comments: Shown here is the wedding reception of James Emmons McFarland and Helen Harris at Fairview. See the larger image for names of the wedding party members.

Scottsville Band on Parade, July 4th

Date: ca. 1920-1922

Image Number: Roll11Neg23A

Comments: Scottsville Band prepares to lead a July 4th parade down Valley Street in Scottsville. See larger image for the identities of the band members.

Big Bass at Victory Theater

Date: 1924

Image Number: B09cdB12

Comments: John Bass displays two freshly-caught fish to a crowd of admirers in front of Scottsville's Victory Theater. See larger image for the identities of all the fish admirers.

The Governor Campaigns at Victory Hall, 1925

Date: 1925

Image Number: RollOneNeg24A

Comments: Harry Byrd campaigns for Governor of Virginia at Victory Hall in Scottsville. See larger image for more information about Victory Hall and other buildings on east Valley Street.

Scottsville Orchestra, 1952

Date: 1952

Image Number: RS104cdRS14

Comments: The Scottsville Orchestra played at every Scottsville School dance, every event at Victory Hall and Canal Warehouse, and at fundraisers and public dances in Charlottesville and Richmond during the 1950's. See larger image for the names of the orchestra musicians and the memories of Scottsville native, Robert Spencer about other music peformances at Victory Hall in that time period.

Scottsville's Bygone Days

Date: 1993

Image Number: RK12CDRK02

Comments: The Scottsville Museum, the structure built in 1846 as Disciples of Christ Church, reopened for its 1993 season on March 28th, 1993. James Barclay's church had been transformed with a major community effort, led by Bob Walls, almost 25 years earlier. To commemorate the effort and celebrate the opening of a season, the Museum Board and Board member Robert Spencer convened a panel of Scottsville natives to reminisce about "Growing Up in Scottsville." See the larger image to learn more about their reminiscences about "Growing Up in Scottsville."

Scottsville's Old Magic

Date: 1993

Image Number: RK17cdRK02

Comments: Shown at left is Bobby Spencer, aka "Kirkwood the Magician," practicing with his protege, Ian Thurston Browning, for Bobby's 65th Anniversary Magic Show at Scottsville's Victory Theatre on October 22, 2011. See the larger image to learn more about Bobby's magical skills, and how he used those skills to entertain and delight Scottsville adults and children all those years.

Race Unity Day in Scottsville

Date: 1997

Image Number: CWade01

Comments: Visitors to the Race Unity Day picnic in Scottsville always received a smiling welcome from the balloon man at the curb, here in June 1997 with members of the Northern Virginia Baha'i Youth Workshop dance team. For more information and photos of this historic event in Scottsville, click on the photo at left.

Minerva Lewis Marker Dedication

Date: June 19, 2022

Image Number: TS01cdTS01

Comments: Shown at left is the plaque dedicated to Minerva Bell Lewis by the Town of Scottsville on Juneteenth, 19 June 2022. for more information and photos of this historic event in Scottsville, click on the photo at left.

Twilight Tours 2022

Date: June 21-22, 2022

Image Number: TTLogo2022

Comments: Thanks to all of you, who came out to our Twilight Tours on 21-22 June 2022! This 45-minute walking tour featured actor portrayals of characters throughout different periods of Scottsville's history. For more information and photos of this outstanding local history event, click on the photo at left.

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