PEOPLE, PLACES, THINGS

Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: September 6, 2007

Welcome to Central Virginia. Now that you're one of us, you should know more about who you are:

You are history:

Thomas Jefferson: The third president of the United States, Jefferson arranged the Louisiana Purchase, started Lewis and Clark on their expedition, wrote — with just a little help from a committee — the Declaration of Independence, served as a leader in the American Revolution, was a successful farmer and a self-taught architect (his home, Monticello, appeared for decades on the back of the nickel, opposite his profile, disappeared for two years and recently returned). He founded the University of Virginia as well as wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

James Madison: A Jefferson protégé and the fourth president of the United States, he helped craft the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights and waged the War of 1812. His wife, Dolley, did not invent the snack cake. She did throw galas in Washington that were the talk of the 1800s. His Orange County home, Montpelier, was later owned by the du Pont family and is now being restored to its early 19th-century splendor.

James Monroe: The fifth president, whose home was originally called Highland and is now known as Ash Lawn-Highland, is just up the road and over the mountain a piece from Jefferson's, oversaw the Missouri Compromise and warned Europe that further colonization of the American continent would not be tolerated, hence developing the Monroe Doctrine.

Zachary Taylor: The nation's 12th president is believed to have been born at Montebello near Gordonsville, although there is some argument from lesser states. He died in office and gave the country Millard Fillmore. The country has not forgiven him.

Patrick Henry: The patriot orator who made the ultimate ultimatum - liberty or death - moved from Hanover County to Louisa County in 1764. As a member of the House of Burgesses, he argued for liberalized voting rights, supported opposition of the British Stamp Acts and represented Virginia in the First Continental Congress. He served in the state militia during the American Revolution and in assorted government posts afterward.

Lewis and Clark: Meriwether Lewis grew up in Albemarle County and, after a successful military career, trekked his way to fame at Jefferson's behest, traveling from St. Louis through the West and eventually to the Pacific Ocean and back. The quest was one of discovery, sending back to Jefferson a variety of American Indian items and handicrafts, animal hides, heads and bones, flora and fauna. It also was a quest to discover what lands may be available to the new country and to learn of the people who populated those lands. William Clark, who co-led the expedition, was born in Caroline County, but we don't hold that against him. His grandfather had property near the Rivanna River and Clark's son and daughter-in-law inherited some of the property, Buena Vista, near Stony Point.

Sally Hemings: Ms. Hemings, a slave of the Jefferson household, attended to one of his daughters during Jefferson's stint as ambassador to France and is believed by some to have been his intimate companion and bearer of several children by him. Journalist James Thomson Callendar first suggested the story after Jefferson's presidential Cabinet stiffed him of an expected government job for turning his pen against political opponent Alexander Hamilton. It also was handed down by years of oral tradition. There has been no definitive proof.

Jack Jouett: He rode through the briars and he rode through the brambles to warn members of the Virginia legislature - Jefferson, Henry, Benjamin Harrison and Thomas Nelson, who all had signed the Declaration of Independence and who came to Monticello to escape the British at Richmond - that the Redcoats were coming after them. For his act of bravery he received a sword, two pistols and an Albemarle County middle school named for him.

You are well read:

John Grisham: The Albemarle resident, Arkansas native and former Mississippi lawyer is a best-selling author whose forte is legal thrillers but who also has branched out to write an offbeat Christmas story and a work of nonfiction. He's a big baseball fan and funded the building of Cove Creek Park, a youth baseball complex near Covesville. He's been seen putting down chalk along the foul lines.

David Baldacci: The lawyer-turned-author has had 10 New York Times best-selling novels, written seven screenplays, lives in Albemarle and serves as national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Rita Mae Brown: A social activist for gay and lesbian rights, entertaining speaker and author, she has won awards for screenplays and teleplays. Along with her cat Sneaky Pie, she has written at least 15 books and lives in Nelson County.

John Casey: A professor of English literature at UVa, he won the National Book Award for fiction for his 1989 novel "Spartina," has published numerous novels and translated texts from Italian.

George Garrett: A Virginia poet laureate, retired professor at UVa, the author of numerous books, short stories, criticisms and compilations of poetry, he continues to coach and support fledgling writers from his Charlottesville home.

Eleanor Taylor: The Charlottesville resident has published five volumes of poems. Her awards include the 1998 Shelley Memorial Prize from the Poetry Society of America, the 2000 Library of Virginia's Virginia Prize for Poetry, and the 2001 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry.

Edgar Allen Poe: He dropped out of UVa to pay some debts and write poems and stories that still have readers raving. His room on the West Range off the Lawn is on display.

Mary Lee Settle: A well-respected writer, the late Charlottesville resident founded the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and was a founding member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. She taught at Bard College in New York and served as a visiting lecturer at UVa and the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Peter Taylor: A preeminent author of short stories and an award-winning novelist, the late Charlottesville resident won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel "Summons to Memphis. He taught literature and writing at UVa.

William Faulkner: Originally from Mississippi, he spent 1957 to 1962 as writer-in-residence at UVa, purchasing property nearby and dividing his time between Central Virginia and Oxford, Miss. The Pulitzer Prize winner renewed his love of foxhunting at the Farmington Hunt Club and worked on several screenplays and novels while here.

You've been heard and seen:

Dave Mathews Band: Formed in Charlottesville, the band of renown cut its early chops during the area's hot music scene in the 1990s. While selling millions of records, the band as a unit and as individuals has shared its wealth with the community by supporting a wide variety of civic projects and nonprofit service organizations through its Bama Works Foundation.

Sissy Spacek: Also known as a coal miner's daughter and Carrie, the Academy Award-winning actress who lives in Albemarle County, is active in many local charities and causes.

Jessica Lange: The actress has since moved to the Great White North at the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, but for several years was a well-known area resident.

Sam Sheppard: A noted playwright, author and actor, he moved up north with Lange. You can still hear stories about him down at Miller's Restaurant on the Downtown Mall.

Howie Long: Now a recognized actor, commercial spokesman and sports commentator living in Albemarle, the pro-football Hall of Fame member was a standout as an Oakland Raider defensive end. His son Chris is a defensive end for the Cavaliers.

Ralph Sampson: The most famous basketball player to grace UVa's court, Sampson led the Cavaliers to 23 straight wins in 1980-81, en route to the nation's No. 1 ranking. He won three Naismith National Player-of-the-Year honors and took UVa to the Final Four for the first time. He was the top choice in the National Basketball Association draft in 1983 and was NBA Rookie-of-the-Year in 1984, leading the Houston Rockets to the finals in 1986. Sampson's career was later crippled by injuries.

William "Bullet Bill" Dudley: A member of both the college and pro football Hall of Fame, he played at UVa from 1939 to 1941, scoring 206 of the team's 279 points in 1941. Dudley flew bombers during World War II and returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers after the war to lead the league in rushing, interceptions and punt returns in 1946. He also played for the Detroit Lions and the Washington Redskins. He is UVa's first All-American and first player to have his jersey retired.

Roosevelt Brown: Truly a football great, Brown got his start when they pulled him out of the band at Jefferson High School, made him put down his trombone and hit the line of scrimmage. He went from Jefferson High to Morgan State University to the New York Giants and entered the NFL Hall of Fame in 1975. A street in Charlottesville was recently named after him.

Eppa Rixey: A member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Rixey held the record for wins by a left-hander with 266 for nearly 40 years. Rixey had four seasons in which he won 20 or more games, including 25 wins in 1922. He played for 21 years, dividing his time between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cincinnati Reds.

Don Shula: The National Football League's winningest coach, best known for leading the Miami Dolphins, started his career as an assistant football coach assigned to the backfield at UVa in 1959.

Heidi and Heather Burge: The twins led UVa's women's basketball team to three ACC championships and three Final Four appearances before they graduated in 1993. Both played basketball in Europe and in the Women's National Basketball Association and both have retired.

Dawn Staley: She led UVa women's basketball to a 110-21 record during her four-year tenure. She was a three-time All-American and led the U.S. Olympic team to a 1996 gold medal. She is a WNBA All-Star and coaches at Temple University.

You've been used across the country:

Coyne and Delany Co.: Makers of commercial flush valves for restrooms, the company moved to Charlottesville from Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1969.

Mountain Lumber: The Ruckersville firm tacks down buildings with heart pine flooring and other historic woods from across the nation. The wood has been sold and installed in historic buildings across the country, in Europe and in Asia.

Klockner-Pentaplast: The Gordonsville-based American division of the international company produces vinyl and plastic films for medical and other applications.

GE-Fanuc: The joint venture between the General Electric Co. and FANUC Ltd. of Japan is headquartered in Albemarle and creates products used in controlling machinery for manufacturing.

Sperry-Marine: Whether or not you talk like a pirate, if you set sail on the sea you probably have some device designed by Sperry-Marine somewhere onboard - such as autopilots, navigation devices, gyrocompasses, fish plotters, GPS system stabilization devices and voyage data recorders.

Lee Tennis: An affiliate of Richmond-based Luck Stone, Lee Tennis is one of the leading manufacturers of clay tennis court surfaces, both indoor and outdoor, in the world.

You're a sight to be seen:

Monticello: Part home, part architectural experiment and part museum, the house was designed and revised over 40 years by Thomas Jefferson. The house and property is a major tourist attraction, owned and operated by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which researches Jefferson's life and times and the property's history.

Montpelier: The 2,750-acre estate of James Madison is home to annual horse races and the site of a restoration project to return the home to its historic roots. The property also includes a historic National Landmark Forest and is a virtual living archeological site.

Ash Lawn-Highland: The home of President James Monroe, the 535-acre farm is both a bona fide agricultural enterprise and the home to a summer-stock opera company, among other events.

Blue Ridge Parkway: From Shenandoah National Park, through Albemarle County and on south to North Carolina, the scenic two-lane road features 469 miles of Blue Ridge Mountain views and hiking spots.

Appalachian Trail: You can hike to Maine or Georgia or just meander about in your own county on the trail that runs 2,174 miles through the Appalachian Mountains. The first National Scenic Trail, it has spawned a culture all of its own among the day walkers and through-hikers who hoof the foot trail.

University of Virginia Central Grounds: Designed and laid out by Jefferson, the historic Grounds include the Rotunda, the Lawn and the original dorm rooms of its students. Those rooms are now coveted housing for standout fourth-year students.

Exchange Hotel Civil War Museum: A hotel on a railroad line during the Civil War, the Gordonsville landmark in Orange County was turned into a hospital during several area battles. It features both military and medical displays of the era.

Paramount Theater: Restored recently to its previous splendor with ornate paintings and carvings. It hosts a variety of events of national and regional flavor, from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to the Charlottesville High School Orchestra.

Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive: Nearly 200,000 acres of beauty at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Congress created the park in the 1920s and 1930s. The park is home to a variety of wildlife, including hikers and campers. 100-plus miles of some of the most beautiful roadside scenery is available on the Skyline Drive, which runs through the park. The use of force to relocate some residents more than 70 years ago has not been forgotten among some locals.

For fun, you go to:

Fridays After Five: It's a party, man! Free concert, available malted beverages and the Bohemian Yuppie milieu of the Downtown Mall combine for a fun time. Fridays, after 5 p.m., from May to October.

Eat a Gusburger: It's a little bit of Old Charlottesville still available today: A hamburger at the White Spot Restaurant down on The Corner, with everything on it including a fried egg. Worry about cholesterol tomorrow.

Hang out on the Downtown Mall: You don't need to be a teen to make this scene. Stop for ice cream at Chaps, drop some change into the case of a mall musician, visit a variety of chic and shabby chic stores and dine at traditional spots such as Sal's or The Nook or try more upscale fare at The Downtown Grille or Hamilton's at First and Main.

Swim, bike, kayak: Do all three at Albemarle County's Walnut Creek Park. Lifeguards monitor the beach during the summer, mountain bike trails wind through acres of woods and hills and the reservoir is big enough for a little paddling. Bring a picnic.

Scream and shout: Why watch sports on TV when you can go to UVa to see baseball, football, basketball, track and field, cross-county, field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and other varsity-level sports. For those of you on tight budgets, many of the sports are inexpensive and some are free.

Dip, flip and twirl: Ride the rides at the Dogwood Festival in April and the Albemarle County Fair in August. Many surrounding counties also have summertime fairs.

See the pretty lights: Fireworks fly on Dec. 31 at First Night Virginia on the Downtown Mall, in April at the Dogwood Festival at McIntire Park and during the big show, the Independence Day celebration, also at McIntire Park.

Hit the slopes: Wintergreen Resort is less than an hour away. Beyond skiing, enjoy golf, adventure activities and a spa.

Take a hike: The Rivanna Trail nearly surrounds the city, snaking through the urban environment for day hikers. Other trails are available along the Blue Ridge Mountains and elsewhere.

Tubin' the James: Grab an inner tube, a cooler and float down the James River near Scottsville. Commercial tubing operators available.

Get into the classics: The Charlottesville and University Symphony provides music for the higher browed and those who just plain like great music. Also on the scene are the Charlottesville Municipal Band, the Youth Orchestra of Charlottesville-Albemarle and its associated groups, the Evans Orchestra and Saxophone Orchestra.

Let your hair down: Visit the many makers of fine Virginia wines in the region. Many have tasting events and most offer onsite tours and sales.