Saturday, July 2, 2022
No Result
View All Result
SUBSCRIBE
The Chimney Rock Chronicle
78 °f
Broadway
76 ° Sun
74 ° Mon
75 ° Tue
77 ° Wed
78 ° Thu
  • Home
    • Pickup Locations & Sponsors
  • Columns
    • All
    • Book Notes
    • Eating Well in the Real World
    • Fishing with Mike
    • From the Potting Shed
    • Fulks Run Follies
    • Headlines from Plains Museum
    • Local Business
    • Local Legends
    • Musings from the Woodpile
    • Personal & Professional Development
    • Randy's Ramblings
    • Reflections from a Fuller Life
    • Sarah's Recipes
    • The Gospel Vault
    • The View From Here
    • The Wandering Wilkins
    • When This You See
    HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

    Headlines from the Plains District Memorial Museum

    Reflections from a Fuller Life

    The Wandering Wilkins

    The Wandering Wilkins

    Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

    Bass Fishing with Mike

    Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

    Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

    Gospel Vault

    Gospel Vault

    From the Potting Shed – December 2021

    From The Potting Shed

    Randy’s Ramblings – August 2021

    Randy’s Ramblings

    Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

    Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

    Fulks Run Follies

    Fulks Run Follies

    Sarah’s Recipes

    Sarah’s Recipes

    The Wandering Wilkins

    The Wandering Wilkins

    Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

    Bass Fishing with Mike

    Gospel Vault

    Gospel Vault

    From the Potting Shed – December 2021

    From The Potting Shed

    Trending Tags

    • Entertainment
      • All
      • Festivals
      • Kids Activites
      • Music
      • Off Broadway Players
      • Sports
      • Upcoming Events
      Moyers Scholarship Awarded

      Moyers Scholarship Awarded

      How I got involved with the Nantucket Basket

      Hunting for the Goldeneye

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

      A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

      Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

      Welcome!

      A baseball memory from my dad, James Fulk

      1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

      1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

      • Off Broadway Players
    • News
    • Lifestyle
      • All
      • Church
      • food
      • Health
      • Travel
      Photograph of George Bowers

      Beaten For Jesus

      Reflections from a Fuller Life

      The Wandering Wilkins

      The Wandering Wilkins

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      Photograph of Wes Dove

      Four Powerful Words …

      The Blessings of Friends

      The Blessings of Friends

      Photograph of Ken West, Jr.

      The Secret of Immortality

      Gospel Vault

      Gospel Vault

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Photograph of George Bowers

      Earthly and Heavenly Fathers

      Trending Tags

      • Golden Globes
      • Mr. Robot
      • MotoGP 2017
      • Climate Change
      • Flat Earth
    • Advertising
    • Home
      • Pickup Locations & Sponsors
    • Columns
      • All
      • Book Notes
      • Eating Well in the Real World
      • Fishing with Mike
      • From the Potting Shed
      • Fulks Run Follies
      • Headlines from Plains Museum
      • Local Business
      • Local Legends
      • Musings from the Woodpile
      • Personal & Professional Development
      • Randy's Ramblings
      • Reflections from a Fuller Life
      • Sarah's Recipes
      • The Gospel Vault
      • The View From Here
      • The Wandering Wilkins
      • When This You See
      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Headlines from the Plains District Memorial Museum

      Reflections from a Fuller Life

      The Wandering Wilkins

      The Wandering Wilkins

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

      Book Notes:  Classic Southern Novels

      Gospel Vault

      Gospel Vault

      From the Potting Shed – December 2021

      From The Potting Shed

      Randy’s Ramblings – August 2021

      Randy’s Ramblings

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

      Fulks Run Follies

      Fulks Run Follies

      Sarah’s Recipes

      Sarah’s Recipes

      The Wandering Wilkins

      The Wandering Wilkins

      Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

      Bass Fishing with Mike

      Gospel Vault

      Gospel Vault

      From the Potting Shed – December 2021

      From The Potting Shed

      Trending Tags

      • Entertainment
        • All
        • Festivals
        • Kids Activites
        • Music
        • Off Broadway Players
        • Sports
        • Upcoming Events
        Moyers Scholarship Awarded

        Moyers Scholarship Awarded

        How I got involved with the Nantucket Basket

        Hunting for the Goldeneye

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing with Mike

        A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

        A Tribute to Bob Driver — THE BROADWAY SCOUTMASTER

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Spotlight on the Off Broadway Players

        Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

        Ruritan Happenings: Blazing A Trail

        Welcome!

        A baseball memory from my dad, James Fulk

        1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

        1960 Twin County League Timberville Baseball Team

        • Off Broadway Players
      • News
      • Lifestyle
        • All
        • Church
        • food
        • Health
        • Travel
        Photograph of George Bowers

        Beaten For Jesus

        Reflections from a Fuller Life

        The Wandering Wilkins

        The Wandering Wilkins

        Bass Fishing with Mike – December 2021

        Bass Fishing with Mike

        Photograph of Wes Dove

        Four Powerful Words …

        The Blessings of Friends

        The Blessings of Friends

        Photograph of Ken West, Jr.

        The Secret of Immortality

        Gospel Vault

        Gospel Vault

        Sarah’s Recipes

        Sarah’s Recipes

        Photograph of George Bowers

        Earthly and Heavenly Fathers

        Trending Tags

        • Golden Globes
        • Mr. Robot
        • MotoGP 2017
        • Climate Change
        • Flat Earth
      • Advertising
      No Result
      View All Result
      The Chimney Rock Chronicle
      Subscribe
      Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors! Thank you to our Sponsors!
      Home Columns Local Legends

      A Goat Named Jimmy Carter

      by Retta Lilliendahl
      December 8, 2021
      in Columnists, Columns, History, Local Legends, Retta Lillendahl
      0
      0
      SHARES
      0
      VIEWS
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

      In the late 1970s, farmers from all over the country made their way to Washington, D.C. in a “tractorcade” comprised of nearly a thousand tractors. It was a demonstration by the American Agriculture Movement (AAM) against the government’s interference in livestock pricing. Some disgruntled farmers delivered a “gift” of live, mostly unwanted animals to the White House lawn.

      In the clean-up process, the officials sent the larger animals to a slaughterhouse in the Shenandoah Valley. The Department of Agriculture employed Lloyd Earles as a meat inspector there. As soon as he spotted a particular goat with an amazing set of spiraled horns, he knew he could not bear to see it killed. Lloyd bought it for $15 and put the animal in his truck until he finished work. By the end of the day, the billy goat and the truck smelled, as they say, “ripe.” Lloyd’s wife wasn’t pleased with the stench.

      Fortunately,  a neighbor, Ben May, took one look at the goat with the majestic horns between 16 and 18 inches all and offered to buy him and put it in the field with his cattle. Ben was also fascinated with its weathered, off-white fur, which appeared to be mohair. For $15, it was Ben‘s. Since it came from the White House and was a male, they agreed to name it “Jimmy Carter” after the President. No disrespect intended, just a connection from where he came.

      But, with his glorious set of twisted horns, Jimmy did not get along with the cattle. Ben recalls that a war broke out. His bull was so frightened that he jumped the fence to escape.

      Ben’s neighbor, Davey Dellinger, offered to take the goat. Ben doesn’t recall any money crossing hands, but he remembers grabbing Jimmy by the horns and walking him over to Davey’s farm with great relief. There he joined the old Dellinger pigs. It was not love at first sight. Jimmy was so eager to escape that he leaped onto the roof in the hog pen, jumped the fence, and headed for the hills.

      About six months later, Jimmy showed up on Bennie Carr’s property, known as Bennie’s Beach. There was a steep ledge protruding about 100 feet above route 259 in Fulks Run. People would park in the lot of Bennie’s business establishment, waiting for a glimpse of this goat. It would regularly stand on the ledge, showing off his extraordinary horns. Some admirers would take pictures, and others stopped in at Bennie’s place to have a beer or two and purchase hunting supplies. The attraction spread and boosted business.

      One day, Ben May stopped by, and when he saw the goat, he recognized it as Jimmy. Bennie said it was his goat. Ben told him that it had been his and its name was Jimmy Carter. There might have been another swap of $15 bucks to make it legal, but this is sketchy.

      Things went well for a year or two until that fateful day when a trucker stopped in at Bennie’s. He announced that he had just shot an albino spiked buck. He wanted permission to go up on the mountain and collect his trophy. Bennie’s face went pale, and he hollered at the guy, “You idiot, you shot Jimmy Carter. That’s my goat!” There was such a ruckus in the place, the trucker left and never returned.

      When word got around, as bad news always does, people came to check on Jimmy. They located him in an area on the side of the mountain out of reach to help. Visitors added bits of information daily. Using binoculars, one could see that there were blood marks behind the shoulders. It became a daily vigil as concerned admirers watched and waited. One day brought word that he was dead, then the next was positive that he had moved a little. This drama continued for what seemed to be weeks.

      Miraculously, Jimmy recovered. In the spring, he made his way down from the mountain onto the property. Bennie was tickled and very protective of “his goat.” He would caution people to drive slowly and watch out for his goat. Unfortunately for Jimmy, he developed an appetite for Charlotte Carr’s flowers and other gardens in the area.

      It wasn’t until Bennie bought a new car and Jimmy jumped on the hood and damaged it that Bennie’s fondness died. Roger Dove was the next proud owner. He had many lonely nanny goats who needed a Billy.

       

      This is an image of a markhor goat from google images for the purpose of showing what Jimmy looked like.

      My research uncovered that Jimmy was from the breed of the markhor goat originally from Pakistan. Their straight horns were used for digging in the ground and for removing bark from trees. They often stood on their hind legs, and their odor exceeded regular male goats. Either trait could have contributed to the war in the barnyard. Their uniquely twisted horns were formed in layers like rings in a tree trunk. And like trees, the rings in a markhor goat’s horns coincide with its age.

      In the sports world, the acronym GOAT stands for “Greatest Of All Time.”  Most locals who knew this goat agree that he earned that title naturally.

      Special thanks to Ben May, who, to the best of his memory, shared this legacy of Jimmy. Both Ben and I are open to any comments or corrections.

      Retta Lilliendahl

      Retta Lilliendahl

      Retta Lilliendahl is the former assistant director of Northern Virginia Christian Writer’s Fellowship, and the co-author of Regards to Broadway, Local Lore of the Shenandoah, and Stories from the Shenandoah. She resides in Broadway, Virginia with her husband, Al.

      Next Post
      tammy-cullers

      Editors Comments

      Latest Articles

      Moyers Scholarship Awarded
      Editors

      Moyers Scholarship Awarded

      by Tammy Cullers
      July 2, 2022
      0

      The Marge Moyers Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to two Shenandoah County graduates for 2022. The first award for a...

      Read more
      Photograph of George Bowers

      Beaten For Jesus

      July 2, 2022
      HEADLINES From Plains District Memorial Museum

      Headlines from the Plains District Memorial Museum

      July 2, 2022

      Reflections from a Fuller Life

      July 2, 2022
      How I got involved with the Nantucket Basket

      Hunting for the Goldeneye

      July 2, 2022

      News & Story Ideas

      Let us know what's important & interesting too you!
      Article Type(Required)
      Your Name(Required)
      • About Us
      • Advertising
      • Contact
      • Pick Up Locations & Sponsors

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • Non-Profit
      • For Sale
      • Employment
      • National
      • Entertainment
      • Festivals
      • Kids Activites
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Church
      • Lifestyle
      • Travel
      • Tech
      • Health
      • Food

      © 2021 The Chimney Rock Chronicle - Website & E-Commerce by Bare Web Design, Broadway Va.