Small Virginia town ready to rise anew

BY BILL LOHMANN

Date published: 10/29/2009

BY BILL LOHMANN

Richmond Times-Dispatch

BOYDTON

Despite some tough times in the ensuing years, Boydton is still not dead, although it is kind of quiet. If you stop and listen, however, you can hear the town's heartbeat--the rhythmic hammering coming from the historic courthouse.

At a time when cities and towns of all sizes are scrambling not to fall behind, Boydton, population less than 500, is actually staging a comeback, fueled by millions of dollars' worth of construction projects--including the restoration and renovation of the courthouse--that are giving the town a facelift and an infusion of hope.

"The good news is we've been unaffected by the present [economic] downturn," said Mayor Bob Salzmann. "The bad news is, an economic downturn all but killed the town 40 years ago, and the town has been trying to scratch its way back ever since."

The seat of Mecklenburg County, Boydton is a compact little town, past golden fields of soybeans, just off U.S. 58, about 90 miles southwest of Richmond. The town used to hum with commerce: gas stations, grocery and hardware stores, an automobile dealership and a barber shop, but now they're all gone, a sign of the times in a region that has relied on manufacturing and tobacco.

Construction of the 58 bypass made travel far safer but also diverted traffic around the town.

Despite the bad news, Boydton has looked like a great big construction zone in recent times.

The local rescue squad has a new home, Boydton United Methodist Church built a new fellowship hall and Boydton Medical Center ("Health Care on the Square") takes up a full block of former storefronts with its ultramodern facilities.

The town's centerpiece--and lifeblood--is the courthouse, built in 1842 and patterned after the state Capitol. It's closed now, meaning county business is being conducted elsewhere until the $11 million project is completed and the courthouse reopens next year.

"When the courthouse was active, downtown certainly boomed all week long," Salzmann said.

That 1977 U.S. News & World Report story? It came in the aftermath of the town's first Boydton Day celebration, which the magazine viewed as evidence of Boydton's perseverance. The 33rd annual Boydton Day will be held Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. It will feature a parade and pony rides, music and dancing, arts and crafts, a barbecue and Brunswick stew.

Like the town, Boydton Day is still kicking.

"This town," Salzmann said, "is definitely refusing to die."

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Date published: 10/29/2009