Rock Castle Home from Dr. Charles D. Thompson, Jr.
By Beverly Belcher Woody
On May 20, 2021, a long-awaited film will be released that is of great interest to folks from Patrick County. Winner of the Spirit of the Mountains Award at the Upike Film Festival in Kentucky, Rock Castle Home is set to premiere on VPM on May 20th and offered to public television affiliates nationwide for broadcast. The film will also be made available on PBS.org this fall.
Rock Castle Home is the story of a community known as Rock Castle in the Virginia counties of Patrick and Floyd. Many local folks participated in the making of Rock Castle Home, a partial list includes: Margie Cockram Belcher, Michael Belcher, Andy, Sharon, and Jack Buckman, Mary Underwood Cockram, Danny Compton, Dave Conner, Nancy Lee Dillon, Melissa McAlexander Goodson, Lanita Harris, Moir and Elva Lee Haden, Darlene Haden Holt, Brenda Handy Hopkins, Matt Hubbard, Jean Dillon Hughes, Ralph Lutts, Leslie, Ashley, and Kiley Martin, Harriett Austin Mattes, Lucy Compton McAlexander, Brenda Prunty, Dr. Anita Puckett, Helen Puckett, Sylvia Hubbard Radozycki, Clay Shelor, Leslie Shelor, Sammy Shelor, Cheryl Sutphin, Lucy Underwood Turner, Noel Underwood, Charles and Nelene Wood, Danny, Karen, and Jonathan Wood, and the late Gerald Via.
Descendants of the many families that lived in Rock Castle shared stories through photographs, stories, and frequent returns to cemeteries and homesites. Though generations removed, Rock Castle descendants today act as grassroots storytellers and archivists as they strive to hold onto their past.
Rock Castle Home is a deep chronicle about one Blue Ridge hollow and its people, the Akers, Ayers, Belchers, Brammers, Boyds, Cockrams, Comptons, Conners, Craigs, Cruises, DeHarts, Dillons, Griffiths, Halls, Hyltons, Jones, Lees, Mangrums, McAlexanders, Midkiffs, Nesters, Salmons, Smiths, Underwoods, Whorleys, Woods, and Woolwines.
Rock Castle Home is the brainchild of Dr. Charles D. Thompson, Jr., a professor of Cultural Anthropology and Documentary Studies at Duke University. He holds a Ph.D. in Religion and Culture from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.S. degree in Agricultural Education from NC A&T State University, an HBCU. Thompson is also author/editor of seven books, including local favorite, Spirits of Just Men: Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World.
In the following paragraphs, Thompson explains how he became interested in sharing the stories of the people of Rock Castle…
“I like to imagine that the seeds of this project germinated in the late 1700s, when my family settled in Endicott, Virginia, twenty-five miles from Rock Castle in Southwestern Virginia. For indeed, I am descended from those mountain farmers whose reliance on their steep land was replicated throughout the Blue Ridge, including Rock Castle. I have never felt as close to my ancestors as when I was doing this project. In fact, during my fieldwork for this film, I found that my great, great grandfather – Byrd Smith – married a woman from Rock Castle and became part of their family. Thus, I realized, only after beginning the project, that I too am a descendant of Rock Castle!
“This film draws on my twenty-plus years of documentary work. I intend with this work to show my deep respect for rural people who have struggled to make lives upon the land, wherever they are. I hope viewers of the film will recognize my general commitment to documenting rural Appalachian life, and also that Rock Castle holds a special place in my heart.
“I have hiked Rock Castle Gorge trails for decades – it is part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and accessible to the public – and I am also fortunate to own a cabin only a few miles from there, so I know the Gorge intimately. I am also an old-time musician and love learning about music that grew out of the Blue Ridge. One day while playing traditional music with friends, the subject of the Gorge came up. One friend mentioned his father-in-law, Matt Hubbard, who is also a musician, grew up in the Gorge. We made plans then to hike together there with Mr. Hubbard, then 93-years-young!
“When Mr. Hubbard agreed to go, and said he wanted for one last time to walk up the mountain to visit the homesite where he was born, I invited a videographer friend to go with us. I had a premonition that this could be a special story. On the hike, I soon realized that Matt Hubbard was a natural on camera and decided afterward that I had to learn more about the people of Rock Castle. I started writing grant proposals to seek funding for the project. When I began, I soon heard that the descendants of Rock Castle were an organized group. I met local historians Beverly Woody, Leslie Shelor, and others. I realized their group had done an exemplary job of actively resurrecting and preserving their stories. I learned from them that not only is the story of Rock Castle a remarkable one to tell, but it was also worth telling how the people of Rock Castle have undertaken the work of preserving their family stories.
“This work by Rock Castle descendants to preserve their history is an example to all of us who seek to document our histories. This tireless work and their loving dedication to keeping memories resonates with anyone who cares about preserving stories.
“Learning about Rock Castle’s people helps us to remember the history, culture, and stories that speak to the resilience of the human spirit that underlies nearly every place on earth.”
The following is an excerpt from the glowing comments by renowned author and Grundy, Virginia native, Lee Smith. “As a native of southwest Virginia myself, I am really impressed with Charlie Thompson’s extraordinary film, Rock Castle Home and urge you to join me in supporting it.”
You may learn more about the film and director and view a clip at the following links… Official website https://cdthomps.com/rock-castle-home/. Official trailer: https://vimeo.com/484831157.
On May 20th, there will be a special showing of the film at the Floyd Country Store. On May 29th, Rock Castle Home will be shown at the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke. Tickets for both venues are only available online and due to Covid restrictions, sales are limited. The links to both sites are below. Hopefully, there will be an announcement soon about viewing the film in a Patrick County venue.
https://www.floydcountrystore.com/event/rock-castle-home-screening-2021-05-20
https://www.grandintheatre.com/shows/rock-castle-home
(Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com.)
