Amherst, Va.
By: Rosemary Dunne
From: Amherst, VA
By: Rosemary Dunne
From: Amherst, VA
Amherst, Virginia lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge,an Appalachian range that lives up to its name on a clear day at any time of year, but my favorite season is Spring. We open upstairs windows then to allow songs of mocking birds to linger in our dreams. We enjoy breakfast on the back porch while we watch deer introduce their fawns to the squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs, and wild turkeys who wander through the yard - one block from the Post Office in downtown Amherst!
Amherst celebrates its Centennial this year, but when the town was incorporated on April 15, 1910, it had already been the county seat for 100 years. Two historic homes and a beautiful little church located near the courthouse were built during that earlier era. Despite its longevity, the town has never grown into a city. It has a small number of business establishements and only one grocery. We can predict winter storms by looking at the parking lot. Folks from mountain peaks and mountain hollows crowd its spaces as they shop before their roads become too treacherous to travel. Amherst's first courthouse was replaced in 1870, then remodeled several times.
In 1998, the County Board of Supervisors, when presented with the problem of replacing the structure, made a decision worthy of King Solomon. The former front entrance and broad, green lawn still look the same from Main Street. The courthouse appears to be a two story structure of modest Federal architecture, with a white-painted brick exterior and black shutters at its windows. But visitors find its front door is securely locked. They are advised to go to the back of the building to find what is now its front! Another surprise is that the new front facade does not match the old one. This side has classic Greek influence,a red brick exterior, and shite Doric columns rising from the top of its steps to its roofline. It overlooks a parking lot. Our courthouse is not simply an old building with a new annex; it is like a pair of charming,architectural, non-identical pair of Siamese twins. Everyone in town seems to like both of them.
To celebrate its 100th birthday, Amherst will have a parade, then a party on the old courthouse lawn. Downtown Main Stree will be decorated with American flags suspended from poles attached to parking meters that no longer serve their purpose. The Town Council voted to stop using the meters for revenue a few years ago, but they felt they needed to keep the meters to display flags on patriotic holidays. Recently, a local artist suggested an oxymoron, "tasteful graffiti," for the meters. Once again, everyone in town seems to like them. They're a challenge to tourists who try to put coins in them, but the project was another solution worthy of King Solomon in the eyes of the residents of my hometown!
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