16

is year Cooperative Livingis taking a road trip along thelength of U.S. Route 1 as it

crosses Virginia from the NorthCarolina border to Washington,D.C. In each issue, correspondent

Deborah Huso will relate herexperiences along the way, her...

tories fromthe Road

COVER STORY

Cooperative Living/January 2013

17January 2013/www.co-opliving.com

If you were to ask Cheryl Johnson, co-owner of the Alberta General Store &Deli, how I happened to walk into her

establishment just off the beaten path ofold Route 1 about midway betweenPetersburg and the Virginia-NorthCarolina state line, she’d probably say itwas an act of God.

No, not on the scale of a hurricane, butsome things, you know, were just meant tobe — like that hankering I had to take aquick jaunt off the main drag while cruis-ing through Brunswick County oneMonday afternoon in late October and seewhat there was to see.

And after a couple of hours of chit-chat with loquacious Cheryl and her moredemure husband Chuck, author of thecreamy chicken salad sandwichI sat munching on while being introducedto stewmasters and town dogs, I knewthat I’d hit a little pot of gold in south-central Virginia.

But that’s how things go on road tripslike this, and I’ve been taking them as farback as I can remember. Long before Icould even drive, I’d climb into my dad’spick-up truck on lazy Saturday afternoonsonce the farm work and yard chores weredone, and he and I would hit the localback roads, fording streams, scamperinginto old country stores for ice cream, dis-covering little farms hidden in the hollowsof Virginia’s Blue Ridge, living life on the flyto see what we might come across.

And that’s pretty much how I startedmy semi-random journey up Virginia’s oldRoute 1 from the North Carolina line toAlexandria, tripping along at a leisurelySunday-driver pace and pausing to take inwhatever struck my fancy, from roadsideflea markets in the middle of nowhere toone-dog towns known for championshipBrunswick stew.

by Deborah Huso,Contributing Writer

HEADING UP HISTORIC ROUTE 1Before construction of I-95, Route 1

was the primary north-south corridor fromthe very tip of the Florida Keys to thesouthern coast of Maine. And, not unlikeits more famous counterpart, Route 66, itwas chock full of roadside diners, ranch-style motor inns, funky tourist traps, gasstations selling glass-bottled pop, and MainStreet towns loaded with character. Route 1was known as the Atlantic Highway whenfirst conceived in 1911, and as automobilesgained supremacy as the primary mode ofAmerican transportation, the highway’s sig-nificance grew and grew.

That would all change, however, withthe construction of the nation’s InterstateHighway System, authorized by Congressin 1956. By the late 1970s, I-95 was com-plete, creating a faster north-south corridorand relegating Route 1 to “local road” sta-tus. And with that change in status came a

A Stew of Discoveryin Southside

change in the economy for many of thelocalities through which the old highwaypassed. Bypassed by the Interstate, businessesand communities that depended on vehicu-lar traffic for economic sustenance began toclose up, deteriorate, and become things ofthe past. And all along Route 1 throughVirginia, you’ll see the remnants of thosebygone years in the heyday of Americans’love affair with the automobile.

CRUISING INTO SOUTH HILLBut even as I passed long-boarded-up gas

stations and restaurants on my journey fromthe southern state line north, I found plentyof communities along the old corridor thathad found ways to coax passersby like me offthe Interstate and onto the back roads.

Some places, like South Hill, have actual-ly grown since I-95’s construction.Population 4,635, this old railroad townincorporated in 1901 was once a stop on the

Alberta

SouthHill

Among his duties is giving travelers likeme the grand tour of the model railroads thatnow call this depot home, one of which wasdonated by a gentleman who once mademodels like these for the movies. One end ofhis railroad is a to-scale replica of the town ofSouth Hill. The museum’s other model rail-road was donated by a Charleston, S.C., resi-dent who worked on the model from the ageof 12 until he died. His model is appropriate-

ly named the Wiggledy Bump & AggravationRailroad … or at least that’s what the “GrandPoopah” says.

The depot’s doll museum is anotherunusual treasure, consisting of over 500 dollsdonated by former local schoolteacherVirginia Evans, who said she’d give her col-lection to the Chamber on the condition thatthe organization never allow any other dollsbut hers into the museum.

The depot is a good place to start a visitto South Hill, but just wanderingaround town can get you acquaintedwith the flavor of this little communi-ty pretty quickly, too. The streets hereare lined with neat little Arts andCrafts-style homes under giant shadetrees, and the locals are so darn friend-ly, it almost takes your breath away.Pop into the Dollar General onAtlantic Street for a soda, and youmight be shocked by how the cashierbegins talking as if you are an oldfriend, asking how you’re going tospend this lovely, sunny afternoon.

That’s one thing that inspired relativelynew South Hill resident Daphne Glover tosettle here for the long haul. A waitress at thevery popular Brian’s Steakhouse just off I-95Exit 12, she lived 20 years in Winston-Salem,N.C., where she says folks were friendly butnot in a South Hill-way of friendliness.“People here are genuinely friendly,” Gloversays in her sweet southern drawl. “Theymean it.” And I could believe it, too. As I sat

Atlantic and Danville Railway and was thethird-largest flue-cured tobacco market inVirginia. Today, the old railroad depot down-town serves as headquarters for the SouthHill Chamber of Commerce, as well as forthe South Hill Model Railroad Museum andthe Virginia S. Evans Doll Museum.

If you’re lucky, you’ll stop into the rail-road depot on a day when curator MaxCrowder is on duty. The self-proclaimed“Grand Poopah” of South Hill (and yes, hehas a nametag to prove it), Crowder is a fontof information on everything from theregion’s railroad history to where to find thebest eats. Retired from Burlington Industries,Crowder is quick to note that he is not aChamber volunteer. “They actually pay meto do this job,” he says with a little chuckle.

18 Cooperative Living/January 2013

The best place to start a tour of South Hill isat the South Hill Chamber of Commerce

Visitor Center, also home to the South HillModel Railroad Museum and Virginia S.Evans Doll Museum and Wildlife Exhibit(201 S. Mecklenburg Ave., 434-447-4547,www.southillchamber.com). And while you’re intown, be sure to get a grounding in the region’stobacco-growing heritage at the Tobacco FarmLife Museum of Virginia on the corner ofWest Main and Lunenburg Ave. You can alsotake in a show at The Colonial Center for thePerforming Arts (220 S. Mecklenburg, 434-262-4170, www.colonialcenterva.org), arestored 1925 Vaudeville theater. If you’re intoantiques, be sure to stop in and say “howdy” toLucy Gillespie Queen, owner of J’s Antiques(photo at left), which offers an assortment ofperiod furniture, china, accessories, and chair

caning (106 N. Mecklenburg Ave., 434-447-7089). And if you need gear for a fishing tripon nearby Lake Gaston or the John H. KerrReservoir, stop by Twin Lakes Outfitters(1320W. Danville St., 434-447-2710).For the best eats, the locals go to Brian’s

Steak House (625 E. Atlantic St., 434-447-3169, www.brianssteakhouse.com), whichserves up not only sirloin and prime rib, but alsopulled pork barbecue, Virginia cured countryham, and fried chicken livers. Other optionsinclude The Horseshoe Restaurant (311W.Danville, 434-447-7781), a classic diner that’sbeen operational since the 1930s, and KahillsRestaurant (1791 N. Mecklenburg Ave., 434-447-6941), a local favorite for seafood.While traveling up Route 1 from South

Hill, be sure to take a side trip to Alberta,and have lunch (or should I say Brunswick

The old railroad depot in South Hill houses itsChamber of Commerce, as well as a modelrailroad museum and a doll museum.

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January 2013/www.co-opliving.com 19

dog (appropriately named “Albert,” ofcourse). And the centerpiece of this villageis the Alberta General Store & Deli, whichhas been in continuous operation as a gener-al store about as far back as anyone here canremember, which is about 1930 or so.

“Uncle Chuck” Johnson, who purchasedthe store a year and a half ago with his wifeCheryl, is a third-generation native ofAlberta. He met San Diego native Cherylmore than 25 years ago after telling herfather, with whom he worked in the insur-ance business, that he wanted to date hisdaughter. The rest is history ... and an inter-esting one at that.

The couple, who lived in Norfolk untilpurchasing the Alberta General Store in thesummer of 2011, said they took a giant leapof faith in moving back to Chuck’s home-town. The two had been making Brunswickstew for church fundraisers and festivals foryears. “Everybody told us to make it profes-sionally,” explains bubbly Cheryl, who is alittle amazed herself that her meeting withdestiny should come through a stewpot.

The Johnsons decided to take theirfriends’ and acquaintances’ advice andactually bought the store in Alberta ashome base for their stew and as a gatheringpoint for all the stewmasters who cometo Brunswick County each October forThe Taste of Brunswick Festival. Chuck’sBrunswick stew is the menu favorite,though I have to admit he makes a meanchicken salad and some darn good“skin-on” fries, too.

Chuck says most of the couple’s businessis local, which is almost hard to believewhen you see how quiet this little town is… at first, anyway. But after only a couple

hours’ visit, I found myself walkingthe village with a Pied Piper-typegathering of locals that Cheryl hadcoaxed into joining us wheneverthey popped their heads in thestore or drove by on the street.

Among the folks we picked up wastown clerk Gloria Roberta, who

admits she doesn’t see a whole lot ofaction. In fact, Cheryl said she fell in

love with Alberta the day she walked intoRoberta’s office and watched a complaint

being filed on a sticky note. “That’s when Iknew I had to move here,” she laughs.

And in the last year and a half, theJohnsons have made the Alberta GeneralStore a centerpiece of the community. Justlike in the good old days, kids pop in forsoda and candy and get their height meas-ured and recorded on a post at the back ofthe store. “This isn’t just a store,” saysCheryl. “It’s a place of fellowship.” �

stew?) at the Alberta General Store &Deli (106 W. First Ave., 434-949-7020,www.albertageneralstore.com). If you’re anadventurer, consider learning to scuba diveat Lake Rawlings Scuba & Camping Park(804-478-9000, www.lakerawlings.com) innorthern Brunswick County.

FOR TRAVEL INFORMATION:Learn more about the history of old

Route 1, and obtain detailed maps andvisitor guides at www.historicrouteone.com.

Mecklenburg Countywww.mecklenburgva.com

Town of South Hillwww.southhillva.org

Brunswick Countywww.brunswickco.com�

While the town of Brunswick, Ga.,often lays claim to being where

Brunswick stew originated, make that sug-gestion to anyone in Brunswick County,Virginia, and you might get a guffaw at best.Especially if you suggest it to George Danielof the RedOak Stew Crew in Alberta.A lifetime resident of Brunswick County

and three-years-running champion of ATaste of Brunswick Festival, this local auc-tioneer and stewmaster is a bit protective ofthe history of Brunswick stew, if not his ownpersonal recipe for it. “If I were to give youmy recipe, it wouldn’t taste the same.”That’s likely true because, chances are, alot of Daniel’s friendly bravado goes intothat stew. At last year’s festival, his stewcrew made 85 gallons of the stuff, whichwas gobbled up by some 10,000 festivalattendees. “If you like my stew, you’re com-ing back,” says Daniel, who notes the festi-val, which is going into its 17th year, fillsBrunswick County with such a divine smellthat you can pick up the scent two milesaway from the festival site on the campusof Southside Virginia Community College.Last year, 27 stewmasters competed,including Chuck Johnson of the AlbertaGeneral Store.And there is no more appropriate place

to be cooking up Brunswick stew, which istypically a blend of chicken and vegeta-bles, since, as legend has it, the stew startedhere. Purportedly, the stew came out of alocal hunting party’s culinary efforts in1828. While the hunting party of Dr.Creed Haskins was out searching forgame, the doctor’s cook, “Uncle” JimmyMatthews, shot some squirrels, tossed themeat in a pot with some butter, onions, andstale bread, and created the concoction(with a dash of Dr. Haskins’ brandy) wenow know as Brunswick stew.For more information on the 2013

A Taste of Brunswick Festival, visitwww.TasteofBrunswickFestival.com.�

Chuck and Cheryl Johnson bought the AlbertaGeneral Store and moved from Norfolk to thetiny village. Their four-legged family member,Albert, is the only dog in town.

in a corner booth savoring a meal of steaktips and wild rice, watching the locals comeand go, I saw customer after customer stopand chat with their neighbors, recountingbirths of grandchildren and marriages ofdaughters. It’s the kind of place where every-body knows everybody.

THE NOT-TO-MISSVILLAGE OF ALBERTA

The same might be said of the little vil-lage of Alberta, about 15 miles north ofSouth Hill. It’s the kind of place you couldeasily miss but shouldn’t. This one-streettown has one store, one policeman, onetown clerk, two hairdressers, and one town

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Brunswick Stewmaster George Daniel