Celebrate the families and history of northwestern Rockingham County on April 26 at Brocks Gap Heritage Day at J. Frank Hillyard Middle School. It’s free. It’s educational. It’s social. It starts at 10, ends at 4, but in between you can hear three special programs, view 200 posters of vintage photos, talk with other family historians, and use my personal library to do research.
Brocks Gap (Bergton, Criders, and Fulks Run areas) was the gateway to the west and was a well-traveled road to western Pennsylvania and beyond, even in the 1760s. George Washington spent the night (really!). Itinerant frontier ministers like Francis Asbury (Methodist) traveled through. Even Thomas Jefferson knew of Brocks Gap because of a rebellion in next-door Hardy County during the American Revolutionary War.
Our program topics this year are near and dear to my heart. Here are details:
Researching family history in the courthouse records used to require big muscles to lift those heavy record books. But not now! At 11:00, Rockingham County Clerk of Court Chaz Haywood and Deputy Clerk Megan Pullen will discuss the importance of records like deeds and court cases. His office has been working to preserve our documents and even make them available online. Through his leadership since 2008, over 10 million historical records are available 24/7 from your home, and no more heavy book lifting is necessary! As a bonus throughout the day, representatives from the Clerk’s office will demonstrate how to use the online records.
At 12:30, Broadway native Joe T. May will highlight the life of Forrest Elwood Fulk, an unreported Rockingham County hero during World War II. (This soldier is not “Speck” Fulk whose first name was also Forest). Sargeant Forrest E. Fulk was killed in action in France on August 7, 1944 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Through decade-long research on veterans, Joe and his veterans research committee have been preserving and telling our local veterans’ stories of service and sacrifice for our country. If you’ve missed his veteran programs at past Heritage Days, you can use a full set of the research done on veterans living in or near Plains District who died in foreign wars. The research records are available to the public at the Plains District Memorial Museum at Timberville as well as their digital library that can be viewed in the Community Meeting Room. Multi-talented, Joe is an entrepreneur, inventor, and helicopter pilot who also served 20 years in the Virginia House of Delegates. He holds 28 patents in areas ranging from measurement of gasoline octane rating to measurement of ultra-violet energy used in industrial applications.
At 2:00, author Chris Bolgiano presents “Forest Forensics: Finding Clues to the Past in our Woods Today.” A retired JMU Special Collections Librarian, Chris has a special interest in our Appalachian forests. She has lived for 40 years on 112 wooded acres in Fulks Run, on the border of the George Washington National Forest, and has studied and written about forest history. “Once I learned to interpret what the forest was telling me,” she says, “I found the past is still very much present.” She will illustrate the various clues that can still be found today and show how the past continues to influence our woods and waters. Chris is the author of several books about our forests and wildlife, including Mighty Giants: An American Chestnut Anthology which was the winner of the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award for Best Regional Non-Fiction. She has been a supporter of Brocks Gap Heritage Day since the first one in 1991 when it was held in Fulks Run Grocery.
Heritage Day is also a community-wide reunion. Knowing where you come from and knowing some of the hardships that your ancestors overcame can help you feel grounded and at peace. Last year a Turner family from Montana (parents) and Washington state (son) attended. Everywhere they had ever lived, they were the only Turner family in the community. They were overjoyed when nearly everyone they met at Heritage Day was a Turner or Turner cousin. A couple from California whose family moved from the Gap in the 1850s was so appreciative to see two houses where his ancestors had lived and meet countless cousins.
Other groups will be represented: Rocktown History (Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society), Plains District Memorial Museum, Chimney Rock VFW, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Chimney Rock Chronicle, as well as family researchers for Roadcap, Biller, Pence, and many other families. The middle school band will sell refreshments including Turner Ham sandwiches.
Heritage Day has something for just about everyone. Even if you think you don’t have ties to Brocks Gap families, stop by any way. We’ll make you a cousin for the day!
