The little gray cottage that most locals knew as the Blind Man Martin house has been completely removed from its location on the north side of Route 58 going up Lover’s Leap Mountain. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has completely demolished to the last splinter the humble abode which was a landmark for many years to so many travelers.
As VDOT continues its march up the mountain to widen Rte. 58 to four lanes, this house, where 13 children were raised, had to be cleared out of the path of the new roadway. Many who traveled the mountain daily, weekly or even for yearly trips watched for this landmark and remembered numerous truck wrecks in the Blind Man Martin curve.
The house was built by Edgar and Della Martin in the 1930s and they occupied the house for about 50 years. Seven of their children were born there and the Martin’s provided comfort and nurturing as they each grew up and left home. Their oldest daughter, Ruby Jean, left home at the age of 15 to go to work at Stanley Furniture in Stanleytown, VA, as told by her daughter, Linda Smith. Most of the other children followed suit, leaving home as soon as they married or got a job and went to work. The youngest daughter, Cathy, finished high school and went to VA Tech.
When all the children were at home, they worked hard helping to run the household; there was a big garden, canning to do, water to carry from the spring and a cow to milk. Travelers often saw the children playing ball or running in the small yard, and they sometimes saw a man or woman sitting on the little front porch. Oftentimes, there were well tended, colorful flowers growing around the house.
The earlier children walked down the mountain to Central Academy School, the others who were born later went to Stuart School. According to an interview with Mrs. Martin in 1985, she birthed 15 children and 2 died at a very young age. Presently 7 of the children are still living. Brenda Worley, one of the daughters, talked about a good home life and of parents who were really good to their children. She said they had little cots to sleep on and, with a laugh, added that sometimes it seemed like they were on top of each other.
The Martins, remembered fondly by the neighborhood people, eloped and were married in Reidsville, NC, on January 7, 1929. They had met at a dance, were young and their parents didn’t want them to get married, but they got a driver to take them to the event and when they returned, the parents had to accept it. When they were at that age, Della played the autoharp and especially liked to play for Edgar. It is interesting to note that in her later years, Della enjoyed playing the autoharp at Blue Ridge Therapy Connection, her grandson accompanied her.
Unfortunately, after several of the children were born, Edgar had a run-in with an acquaintance, who followed up by coming to the Martin home and knocking on the door. When Mr. Martin answered, there was a shooting, and he lost his vision. He did not let this get the best of him and continued to care for his family the best he could. Passers-by remember seeing him using ropes and his cane to maneuver around the little house. A relative recalls that he could recognize the value of money by the touch. Della tells about him using his cane to go down the mountain and carry many buckets of water back up for the household use. She was doing the laundry on a wash board at the time.
She said she bought the biggest cooking pots and iron skillet she could find and cooked pinto beans, potatoes and corn bread for her large family. She would fry chicken, and Brenda remembers her making the best fried apple pies in the skillet on a wood stove. Della had a cow and churned her own butter, she continued to do this after she no longer had the cow, she just bought the milk.
Before Mrs. Martin died, their home had an electric stove and an indoor bathroom; thanks to Darrell Worley, her son-in-law, who built the bathroom on the back of the house. Neither of the Martins drove, so their children transported them to the doctors and for other outings. Brenda said she tried to teach her mother to drive, but it just didn’t work. Edgar was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and died in the R. J Reynolds Hospital in the emergency room from a major heart attack on August 18,1980; Della continued to live at home and died in her own bed on November 30, 1997, at age 84. Della says of their life together and raising so many children, “With Edgar being blind, the good Lord was always there with him and me.” (The Mountain Laurel
Brenda tells of the many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren returning to the home place each weekend, and of Della continuing to cook those bountiful meals for everyone to enjoy. Presently there are 28 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren. She recalls those endearing memories of caring parents and a little gray cottage that used to sit by the side of the road. s posted by Sandy Atwater on social media, “Time marches on but hopefully, history, the families, the stories will last.”
The little cottage is gone, but many will never forget.
(Thanks to Brenda Worley, Linda Smith, comments on social media and an article in The Mountain Laurel-September 1985, written by Ivalien Hylton Belcher, who also previously wrote a weekly article for The Enterprise, for the information in this article.)
