From the Editor
Andy Sale’s article “Back to the Future of Lynchburg Streets: A History of the Pavement of the Streets of Lynchburg, Virginia” ends with a call to action. The author hopes his initial research will inspire others to explore “the hidden subsurface treasures…of the city.” Sale, of course, is talking about the history of Lynchburg’s infrastructure—the road, water, sewer, and power systems that support urban life. But, in the process of “peeling back the asphalt,” his story unearths a wealth of pioneers, engineers, prisoners, politicians, managers, and preservationists—people who literally helped to smooth the path for others to follow.
In many ways, this issue is about acknowledging individuals who have worked behind the scenes to maintain what Peter Houck calls “the Lynchburg legacy,” the sum of the city’s physical and cultural heritage. Prominent among them is a woman who “was, surprisingly, born in Bloomfield, New Jersey.” Surprising because Margaret Henry Penick Nuttle’s interests and spirit were so seamlessly aligned with the heritage of Central Virginia.
As a great x 3 granddaughter of Patrick Henry, the late Mrs. Nuttle (1913–2009) initiated a “remarkable renewal” at the governor’s Red Hill estate—but Brookneal was just one stop on her route to restore her family’s connections to their “second home.” As it turns out, Mrs. Nuttle’s ties to the area were as real as roots can be. Many of the herbs and flowers at the base of her father’s pharmaceutical fortune were grown and gathered in the Virginia–North Carolina region. And the seed money for the company was “raised among relatives in the Lynchburg business community.”
In many ways, this issue is about acknowledging individuals who have worked behind the scenes to maintain what Peter Houck calls “the Lynchburg legacy,” the sum of the city’s physical and cultural heritage. Prominent among them is a woman who “was, surprisingly, born in Bloomfield, New Jersey.” Surprising because Margaret Henry Penick Nuttle’s interests and spirit were so seamlessly aligned with the heritage of Central Virginia.
As a great x 3 granddaughter of Patrick Henry, the late Mrs. Nuttle (1913–2009) initiated a “remarkable renewal” at the governor’s Red Hill estate—but Brookneal was just one stop on her route to restore her family’s connections to their “second home.” As it turns out, Mrs. Nuttle’s ties to the area were as real as roots can be. Many of the herbs and flowers at the base of her father’s pharmaceutical fortune were grown and gathered in the Virginia–North Carolina region. And the seed money for the company was “raised among relatives in the Lynchburg business community.”
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