My Virginia

Chances are when people list typical Southern cities they rarely, if ever think of our Nation's Capital. However, Washington D.C. has always been a Southern city at heart, and despite her awkward crowning as the Union Capital during the ill-fated War, the city itself and her people were Southern. Washington, now considered by most to be part of the Northeast corridor, has a pace of life that is slower than its sister cities to the North, and the layout and structure of Washington is very different than the densely populated Northeastern cities. Baltimore is often considered a Southern city as well- yet to me, that is where the North ends. As Baltimore much leans more towards Northern culture than Southern, Washington is the opposite. Washingtonians like to sometimes drawl, and they like their BBQ and the city is a sweltering mess during the summer time. While being hot in the summer doesn't make a place particularly "Southern" (New York can be hot as heck too), its j...

Proper Southerners know how to say and do things a certain way. Many Northerners are puzzled by some of our customs. Being from Northern Virginia (which is technically, indeed, the South), I am aware of many of the nuances that Southern folk know and, frankly, unless you grow up South of the Mason Dixon line, many will seem foreign to you! A Proper Southerner Knows: -How To Address A Group of People. Acceptable greetings are: Y'all, You-All, You Folks. But never say "You Guys", unless it is actually a group of "guys". Northerners bemoan our use of y'all and how provincial it sounds, never stopping to think how absurd we think it is when they call a female group of people "You Guys" and never blink an eye! Y'all is always plural, unless you are speaking to one person who is representing a group. For example you ask the store clerk "Where do y'all keep the butter beans?" You mean not just the store clerk, but the store in general. T...

This is framed and hangs on our parlor wall: "To be a Virginian, whether by birth or adoption, and especially on one's mother's side, is a passport to any state in the Union, and a benediction from above". My mother's family has been in Virginia since the 1600s. They came to the Richmond area soon as it was discovered. I also have ancestors in other southern states, but Virginia by far, is my most beloved. I have traveled to many places, but there's no other place that can compare to the Commonwealth. Ironically, the Virginia we know of today, is not how it has always been. Our brothers in West Virginia , Kentucky, and Tennessee, were part of us. As was Ohio, and the whole western half of the country above the Louisiana Purchase. What an incredible history we have here.

If you ever want to take a trip to God's Country, this is the place ! The Shenandoah is an Indian name meaning "Daughter of the Stars". The Valley is situated on a level and fertile ground and lies in between two mountain ranges. The Blue Ridge Mountains to the East, and the Appalachian Mountains to the West. The Shenandoah Valley was noted as "The Breadbasket Of The Confederacy" because of its market towns and many farms that dotted the landscape. It stretches approximately 180 miles going Southwest from Winchester to Roanoke, but the valley actually starts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia at the crevice of the Potomac and Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah Valley's elevation climbs upward as you move South, so the Northern Shenandoah Valley is actually referred to as the lower part of the valley, and the Southern end is the Upper Part of the Valley. The Shenandoah Valley was a prime location during the War Between The States, and places such as...

Anove: Me at the Jeff Davis statue in Hollywood Cemetery, 1984. I was not born in Richmond, but I remember my early visits as a very young child going to see my grandmother in her apartment on Park Ave in The Fan. When we'd visit, she'd make us all some Ring Tum Diddy and we'd have Custard ice cream for dessert made by "Richfood". I remember the sights and smells of Richmond. Mostly magnolias and crepe myrtle drenched in heat and humidity, and large statues of heroes from the past with large white columned mansions on an elegant thoroughfare. The vibe of Richmond was that you were so immersed in the Confederacy. No other city was like it. It was so distinctive, so very Richmond. You can't really put your finger on what makes Richmond so Richmond. You can go to Charleston, Savannah, or newer cities such as Nashville , Charlotte, and Atlanta. None of them has such a a distinctiveness as Richmond does. I don't think any other Southern city has such a mystique...

When I joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans, it was hard to choose which ancestor to use, for I have so many. But I chose John Campbell Hagan of Richmond, who owned a grocery store on Venable Street. He was moved by a speech at St. Paul's Church that the Reverend gave in favor of Virginia and the South defending their homes. So, just a little after April 1861, he joined the Confederate Army and served in the 10th Battalion. While many of my ancestors did have servants and slaves, I think they were not even considering that when defending their right for States of Independence. The War of Northern Aggression left a mark on all of Southern Soil, but most notably Virginia. For it was in Virginia where most all the battles during the entire campaign took place. It is so very much a part of our history and pride. The flag to me is not a symbol of hate, but to honor our ancestors who so bravely fought for their noble cause. And justly doing so, as it is part of our American Constitu...

In 1997, politically correct politics got into one of the finest tunes ever written. Written by a black man himself, the song was considered "racist", and "inappropriate" for Virginia. However, to me, it is and ALWAYS WILL BE her state song. Its a beautiful tune , sung in the old Southern folk tradition- a song mostly heard at minstrel shows. I have heard many songs pitched about Virginia in recent years. Frankly, they all fall short. Only Tom T. Hall's song can come close to the original spirit of this song. Here it is: Carry me back to old Virginny. There's where the cotton and corn and taters grow. There's where the birds warble sweet in the spring-time. There's where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go. There's where I labored so hard for old Massa, Day after day in the field of yellow corn; No place on earth do I love more sincerely Than old Virginny, the state where I was born. Carry me back to old Virginny. There's where th...