On Saturday, the 15th of July 2023, the sixth annual Rock Castle Descendants’ Reunion was held at Woolwine Methodist Church; over eighty people were in attendance. You might ask, descendants of whom?
Before the American Revolution, a gap in the Smith River Valley between Belcher Mountain and Rocky Knob mountain was settled by European immigrants. It was named Rock Castle for the Cathedral quartz crystals that resembled the turrets of medieval castles. Family names like Adams, Akers, Adkins (Atkins), Akers, Ayers, Belcher, Boyd, Brammer, Clark, Cockram, Compton, Conner, Corn, Craig, Crawley, Dalton, DeHart, Dillon, Elgin, Fain, Finney, Griffin, Griffith, Hall, Hancock, Harris, Hooker, Houchins, Hubbard, Hylton, Lee, Mangrum, McAlexander, Midkiff, Moran, Morrison, Nester, Packwood, Pendleton, Pollard, Price, Salmons, Scott, Shelor, Smith, Stone, Thomas, Tinsley, Tuggle, Washington, Weaver, Worley, Wood, and Woolwine filled every hillside and hollow in Rock Castle.
During the Great Depression, one of Roosevelt’s New Deal projects was to build a scenic highway along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. The federal government began buying Rock Castle land and (in some cases) condemning it, through eminent domain, to build the Blue Ridge Parkway. Families had to abandon the land where for generations, they had made a living, raised their children, and buried their loved ones.
Fast forward to July 2017; I was attending a presentation by Virginia Tech professor Dr. Anita Puckett at the public library in Floyd. Dr. Puckett and Leslie Shelor had co-authored a special historical study of Rock Castle Gorge for the Blue Ridge Parkway. At this presentation, I met 91-year-old Madison Vernon “Matt” Hubbard, who was born and raised in Rock Castle. Since my maternal and paternal ancestors had lived in Rock Castle, I had a thousand questions for Mr. Hubbard who patiently answered every one of them.
One month later, the Rock Castle Descendants’ Reunion was born! Elva Lee Haden and husband Moir have been my partners since the creation, along with Jean Dillon Hughes and husband Alvin, their daughter Leslie Martin, and wonderful granddaughters, Ashley and Kiley. Cheryl “Sug” Sutphin and husband Glen, Noel Underwood, Michael Belcher, Danny Wood, Danny Compton, Margie Cockram-Belcher, Nancy Lee Dillon, the late Ivalien Reynolds, my mama, Shirlien Boyd Belcher, my husband Mark, Harriet Austin Mattes, Helen Puckett, and last but not least, Mr. Matt Hubbard have been instrumental in the success of the reunion. The first year, we started out with twenty-five descendants attending and each year it has grown by ten to twenty more folks in attendance. Again, this year, the fellowship hall was overflowing with food, family, music, and love. Charlie Thompson, Jimmy Handy, Andy Buckman, and Clay Shelor played mountain melodies while some folks flatfooted, and others shared stories, mementos, and photographs. The Rock Castle Descendants’ Reunion, Leslie Shelor, and particularly, Mr. Matt Hubbard, were featured in Charlie Thompson’s documentary, Rock Castle Home.
Be on the lookout in the Enterprise next summer for the date of the next reunion and y’all come! Next week, we will continue the Martin family narrative with David Harbour Martin and son Beamer. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or (276) 692-9626.