Friends of Rivermont Historical Society
Please note that the Friends of Rivermont Historical Society website was last updated on 06/30/2025. This website is an archive, and it is not being updated. The names of places and terms have been kept as they were documented on the original website.
Rivermont Memories
Annie Massie Interview
Born at Virginia Baptist Hospital in 1931, Annie Robertson Massie spent most of her 83 years in Lynchburg. Her father was a lawyer who grew up in the Diamond Hill neighborhood, while her mother was raised on Daniel’s Hill. Though it is hard to believe today, when Annie’s grandparents were born, there was only one home past Point of Honor (now owned by the Lynchburg Museum System) where what is now the Rivermont neighborhood. That home, located on F Street, is named Rivermont and it’s that house that inspired the name for the entire area. When the Rivermont Land Company built the Rivermont Bridge to connect to both Church Street and Main Street, the planning of a residential area commenced. Annie’s maternal grandfather purchased 1700 Rivermont around 1902. Built by R. Taylor Gleaves, Chief Engineer of the Rivermont Land Company, the house was designed by Edward G. Frye. Later, around 1915, Annie’s grandfather, using designs by Stanhope Johnson, significantly altered the house to the appearance we are familiar with today.
Annie’s family were not only residents of Rivermont but major investors in its development. When the Rivermont Land Company gave $100,000 to help fund the establishment of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, a group of Lynchburg citizens raised a matching gift of another $100,000. These citizens included Annie’s great-grandfather, R.H.T. Adams and his brothers, William and Isaac. Decades later her family also contributed to the purchase of George Bellows’ masterwork, Men of the Docks, for the college’s art collection.
When Annie was born, her parents lived on North Princeton on the edge of where Randolph’s hockey field used to be, the current location of the Bell Residence Hall parking lot. The house had a downstairs apartment where R-MWC Latin professor, Dr. Herbert Lipscomb, lived. After her grandmother died Annie and her parents moved to 1700 Rivermont to be with her grandfather. With that, Dr. Lipscomb moved into the main part of the house. So revered by the college community, the Lipscomb Library at Randolph is named for him.
In her youth, Annie vividly remembered sleigh rides on Fredonia, sledding on Norfolk, ice skating on College Lake and Timber Lake, and walking or roller skating to Garland-Rodes School (2244 Rivermont Avenue). It was at Garland-Rodes that she first discovered her passion for the arts. That interest was enhanced by attending many performances at Smith Hall on the campus of R-MWC. After she graduated from Saint Mary’s Junior College in Raleigh, North Carolina, she then returned to Lynchburg to attend Randolph-Macon Woman’s College as an English major minoring in Latin and Greek. Annie played field hockey, joined Delta Delta Delta sorority, and fondly recalled her two years at R-MWC, clearly remembering the view of Rivermont filtered by the large magnolia trees from her two Main Hall rooms. After completing her degree and taking an opportunity to travel in Europe, she taught English at E.C. Glass High School from 1955-1960. It was at this stage of her life that she began to take art classes which led her to become not just an admirer of the arts, but an artist, a painter, in her own right.
Annie met her husband, William (Bill) Massie, while they were students at E.C. Glass High School. When they were married in 1960, the couple moved to Charlottesville where their two children, Ann and Will, were born. Moving back to Lynchburg in 1963, the Massie family lived at 1664 Spottswood Place for five years. When she and Bill heard that 3204 Rivermont was about to go on the market, they jumped at the chance to purchase the home. Doing a great deal of landscaping with the help of a landscape designer, they were able to add a significant architectural feature from one of her family’s ancestral homes on Daniel’s Hill.
When Annie’s great uncle, who had been living at 405 Cabell Street, passed away, Annie’s mother bought it and gave it to the Preserve Lynchburg Foundation, one of the precursors to today’s Lynchburg Historical Foundation. However, Annie asked if she and Bill could have the beautiful if heavily damaged wrought iron fence from the property. The Foundation agreed and that fence, augmented by newly forged pieces to fill in the gaps, lines the sidewalk in front of 3204 to today.
Annie’s passion for Lynchburg’s history and for the architectural heritage of the city was apparent to all who knew her. First president of the Lynchburg Historical Foundation, Annie’s interest in historic preservation was particularly sparked by the demolition of the impressive Scott House at 1705 Rivermont at the corner of Fauquier, across from the home where Annie was raised and owned by Annie’s mother’s first cousin. Replaced by cinderblock apartments, she always saw that destruction as a tear in the fabric of the Rivermont landscape, and would often show an old photo of the home to demonstrate what was lost and what could continue to be lost without the establishment of a historic district in Rivermont.
Throughout the years Annie was involved in the various, though ultimately unsuccessful, attempts to designate Rivermont a historic district. However, the opportunity for success came due to a confluence of events — the acceleration of the historic preservation movement throughout the country, the razing of a fine home by Centenary Methodist Church (the land, initially intended for a parking lot, was ultimately planted with trees), and the arrival of Rachel Flynn, Director of Community Development for the City of Lynchburg from 1998 to 2006. According to Annie, “Without Rachel this never, ever would have happened. She was the great visionary of Lynchburg.”
A foundation, the Friends of Rivermont, was established and a board elected: Annie served as president, Frances Harriss as vice president, Peter Parker as treasurer, Carolyn Zimmerman as secretary and Marilyn Martin as historian. As Annie recounted, “having grown up at 1700 and living at 3204, I seemed to be a good choice to lead the board.” What also worked to the board’s advantage was that all of the officers either lived on or quite near Rivermont. In fact, Carolyn Zimmerman’s home was the house that Annie grew up in. Working with other historic districts and many other concerned citizens and putting in countless hours in endless meetings, the Friends of Rivermont were well prepared to make their case. Though the Lynchburg City Council voted against the proposal at first, Annie and other advocates would eventually have their efforts recognized when the council proclaimed Rivermont Avenue as a historic district.
In 1995, Annie was awarded an Alumnae Achievement Award from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She served as an advisory board member of the Randolph-Macon Woman’s College Maier Museum of Art, a board member of Amazement Square, chairman of the Point of Honor Museum Collections, and, as noted earlier, president of the Lynchburg Historical Foundation and the Friends of Rivermont Historic District. Annie Massie’s ceaseless dedication throughout her life to Lynchburg and Rivermont Avenue is unquestionable. Her legacy is clearly visible to all who live, work, worship, visit, or even drive down Rivermont Avenue today.
Interviewed 6/14/2010
Alex & Adgie Dirom Interview
Much of Alex and Adgie Dirom’s story has occurred on or near Rivermont Avenue. Alex was born in Lynchburg, Adgie came to go to college here, but for over sixty years, with one hiatus, Lynchburg has been their home and Rivermont their passion.
Alex was born in Lynchburg in 1934, and spent his earliest years in a house his parents rented from Randolph-Macon located at the corner of Quinlan and Norfolk (torn down in 1985) and attended Garland-Rodes Elementary School. He has vivid memories of riding the streetcar as a very young child, and then the buses when they came in around 1940. He, like so many Lynchburgers of his generation, remembers when Norfolk Avenue would be closed for sledding and that a large bonfire would be built to keep everyone warm. Though his parents would later move a bit further afield from the Avenue, he always had a connection, for 2315 Rivermont was the home of his grandparents, who had moved there in 1917. Though his grandfather has passed away before Alex was born, the house stayed in the family. Divided into a main house and an upstairs apartment, his aunts from Scotland, the “Dirom widows,” would live on the top floor for years.
Adgie’s story begins not in Virginia, but in Arkansas. When it was time to think about attending college, Adgie had no interest in attending an all woman’s institution, but her mother had other ideas. Adgie’s mother was the guidance counselor at the high school that she attended and had invited Annie Whiteside, the Registrar from R-MWC (sister of Greek Professor Mabel Whiteside of Greek Play fame) to come to Little Rock to talk about Randolph-Macon. Though skeptical, Whiteside convinced Adgie to apply to R-MWC by showing her a map of where all the men’s schools were in the area such as Washington & Lee, VMI, University of Virginia, and Hampden-Sydney. After Adgie saw that map, she did not apply anywhere else but R-MWC.
Adgie did what most women at the college did at the time including joining a sorority, in her case Kappa Alpha Theta, during her sophomore year. She also waited tables at one of the dining rooms on campus and made enough to cover half of her tuition costs. She “absolutely loved Randolph-Macon,” and knew she had made the right choice.
Life changed for both Alex and Adgie the Thanksgiving break of her first year. Unable to go all the way home to Little Rock, she was despondent about being so far away from her family for the holiday. Set up on a blind date, she was invited to a dance at the Boonsboro Country Club by Alex Dirom. Clearly they hit it off, for as Alex recounted, the day after that date he was already telling people “I’m going to marry that girl.” And indeed, they were married at the end of Adgie’s junior year and by the time of her graduation in the spring of 1957, she was six months pregnant with their first child. When they were first married they lived in a basement apartment at 2807 Rivermont, at the corner of Rivermont and South Princeton, catty-cornered from Smith Hall. Later they would also live on Norfolk Avenue.
After Alex graduated he pursued his career in teaching, a career that was suggested to him by Dr. Quillian, the president of R-MWC. Working as a teacher and, eventually, an administrator, he worked in Lynchburg and Charlottesville and later in Maryland and Amherst County. Ultimately they spent eighteen years, 1966-1984, away from Lynchburg. In 1984 they had the opportunity to return to Lynchburg and purchase the family home at 2315. In their first years in the house they would continue to rent out the apartment, including for several years to beloved R-MWC/Randolph College History Professor Marjorie Wheeler-Barclay, and her husband, Daryl.
Intensely interested in preserving Rivermont’s beauty and history, Alex was very involved with the final push for the establishment of the historic district. Though attempts had been made before, as he recalled, “the time had really come” by the early 2000s. He gives a great deal of the credit to Rachel Flynn, Director of Community Development for the City of Lynchburg from 1998 to 2006, calling her the “real force behind establishing the historic district.” Along with Rachel, community members who served as the first officers in the Friends of Rivermont, deserve due credit as well. In addition to Rachel, Alex also attributed the success to people such as Annie Massie, Frances Harriss, Marilyn Martin, and Carolyn Zimmerman among others who worked tirelessly to make it happen. The list of those who should be applauded for helping to establish Rivermont as Lynchburg’s largest historic district should certainly include Alex and Adgie Dirom.
Interviewed 6/16/2015
Katie Cyphert Interview
Katie Cyphert bought her house in Lower Rivermont in 2003. The house was built in 1903 by Benjamin C. Smoot, who was a contractor. The house was the first on the block and takes up three lots. The house was made into a duplex in the 1980s when the owner’s grandchildren moved in and the upstairs was made into a separate apartment. In 1982 aluminum siding was added and all the decorative woodwork was taken off.
Katie initially intended to share the house with her adopted grandmother, Rosa Mae Jennings (nee Hancock) who took care of her when she and her siblings were children. Born on Leap Day 1916 on 5th Street, Rosa graduated from Dunbar High School in 1934 when Anne Spencer was serving as the school’s librarian. A congregant at Jackson Street United Methodist Church, by the early 2000s Rosa was in her late eighties. Though Rosa initially entertained the idea of moving in, she ultimately declined Katie’s offer. As Katie recounted, Rosa said that she could not live on Rivermont because “When I was growing up I wasn’t allowed on Rivermont unless I was in uniform going to work.”
When Katie bought the house, it had three pages of inspection orders. She and her husband have done a great deal of work to the home including removing heaps of trash from the backyard, installing a new heat pump, and removing the aluminum siding. They lived in the main floor apartment until 2010 when they removed the wall that separated the two apartments making the home back into a single family home. In the process they rebuilt the staircase, the railing being salvaged from a house on Cabell Street. The house still has some of the no longer used radiators that were original to the home that now serve as decorative elements, as are the coal burning fireplaces. When they first bought the house, they had a ghost that would hide her shoes and line her husband’s shoes up. They have also heard footsteps upstairs when no one else was in the house.
Interviewed 7/6/2015
Ann Reams Interview
Ann Reams lived most of her life on or near Rivermont Avenue. Ann was born in her grandparents’ home at 227 Warwick Lane and grew up across the street at 226. Her parents later moved to 3 Riverview Place before moving onto the Avenue at 2132. She recalled 2132’s big rooms, including two large parlors, and a porch that went along the entire back of the house. She had vivid childhood memories of taking the trolley to Garland-Rodes Elementary School and attending May Days and Greek plays (performed in Greek!) at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. Downtown was a special place growing up, whether it was going to the movies at the Paramount, the Isis or for westerns at the Academy, eating at the White House Restaurant, or having a root beer at Craighill and Jones Drug Store. For penny candy, she could always stop by Thornhill’s Grocery Store on Rivermont. When she was a bit older she would attend dances at Oakwood Country Club. After the dances the Texas Inn was a popular place for the younger crowd.
Ann’s Rivermont memories include getting married at her parent’s home in 1944, in the midst of World War II. So many of their friends were stationed elsewhere that it was a small wedding but her dress, like all bridal gowns, was beautiful, even more so because it was made by her mother-in-law. Over the years five other brides wore the dress and a sixth wore the veil. Though their very first home was a Quonset hut on a naval base, after they returned to Lynchburg she and her husband lived at 7 North Princeton Circle. Her children would attend Garland-Rodes as she had done, but now had to walk to school because the trolley was long gone. Eventually the family moved to 771 Bonair Circle, not so far from Rivermont, where Christmas was special as her four children, twelve grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren would come to the house to celebrate.
While acknowledging that downtown had fallen on some hard times starting in the 1970s, she was happy to see its revitalization, including First Fridays, and to see so much work being done to keep up the magnificent homes along Rivermont Avenue.
Interviewed 5/23/2010
Louise & Michael Dodgion Interview
In March of 1968, Louise Dodgion and her husband, Waverly, moved into 2214 Rivermont Avenue (built in 1926) and she has lived there ever since. On Sunday drives with her husband, Louise admired the 2 1/2 story American Foursquare-style house designed by Stanhope Johnson. They originally thought of making the house into an apartment building, but they decided against any alterations because they liked the house’s appearance so much. Throughout the years, the Dodgions and their son, Michael, established many friendly relationships with their neighbors, especially the McDaniels who formerly resided at 2216 Rivermont. Louise and Michael praised the positive quality of living, as well as access to local shops on the Avenue and downtown. They both clearly love living on Rivermont and cannot imagine a better place to live in the Hill City.
Louise remembered that when she moved into 2214 downtown Lynchburg was a true destination in the 1960s, as was Rivermont Avenue. The Jones Library was still at its original location on Lower Rivermont, or, as it was called in earlier times, Library Hill. Louise also recalled a humorous anecdote of being designated as a child in the Jones Library records because of her height even though she was already a grown (and married!) adult. Michael reminisced about his time at Garland-Rodes, located so close to his home that he easily could go home for lunch as well as having recess in Riverside Park.
Though it has since been revitalized, downtown was greatly affected by the mass exodus of venerable department stores, shoe stores, furniture stores, movie theaters, and so on to Pittman Plaza, then River Ridge Mall and still later to Wards Road. Closer to home, the Dodgions spoke highly of the establishments that had previously lined Rivermont, such as Pearson’s Drug Store (now Magnolia Foods) or Katie Mundy’s Columns restaurant (now the Randolph College Admissions Office). The Dodgions will always think fondly about the family friendliness of local ice cream shops and toy stores as well.
Rivermont Avenue has surely changed over the years, but the Dodgion family does not plan to leave any time soon. Their dedication to life on the Avenue and their historical knowledge of their neighborhood is nothing short of remarkable.
Interviewed 6/15/2011
Carl & Deanna Hester Interview
In 1986, Carl and Deanna Hester moved to Lynchburg from Germany where Carl had been teaching at the University of Tübingen to take a position in the Religion Department at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. When they bought their house at 1607 Rivermont, it required the repairs that all owners of older homes are familiar with, such as the removal of many old layers of wallpaper and the application of plenty of fresh coats of paint. That being said, the house itself was still quite remarkable with its large rooms, coffered ceilings, and original, and therefore antique, light fixtures. Though they had traveled widely and had lived in New York City and overseas, the Hesters loved Rivermont, especially because of the access to local produce, the proximity of Riverside Park, musical events at the Ellington, and the welcoming atmosphere of the neighborhood. Though she did not attend the college, one of Carl and Deanna’s daughter would even get married in the Dell on the campus of R-MWC.
Throughout their years, the Hesters remained boosters for Rivermont and Lynchburg, hosting many friends and colleagues, including more than a few from Germany, enjoying the opportunity to show off their new adopted home. Deanna would also serve on the board of the Friends of Rivermont. Though they did not have any ghost stories to share, Deanna mentioned a year where the belligerent Lynchburg groundhogs kept stealing her tomatoes. She collaborated with a few of her neighbors to eventually catch the thieving groundhog red-handed, though a few false miscreants, such as a raccoon, were also caught along the way. Though Carl passed away in 2019, Deanna still lives at the house where so many memories have been made. She remains a proud advocate for the preservation of the Rivermont Historic District.
Interviewed 6/29/2011
Muriel Casey Interview
When Muriel Zimmerman Casey was inspired to leave New York City by her older cousins to attend Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (R-MWC) in 1949, she could only imagine the brilliant future that lay ahead. Her first year at Randolph-Macon was characterized by the myriad of activities one would expect from attending college at the time, including being rushed by a sorority in the first week after arriving on campus. Though some college social aspects were certainly restrictive by today’s standards including no consumption of alcohol within twenty miles of Lynchburg, no cars on campus until the second semester of the senior year, signing in and out when leaving campus, and being allowed off campus only three weekends per semester, she didn’t view these as burdens at the time. Rather, she took full advantage of the college experience, including immersing herself in various athletic events at the old gymnasium (located where the Bell residence hall is now), performing in Twelfth Night in the Smith Hall Theater, and attending readings by poets such as Robert Frost and Dylan Thomas. Beyond the red brick wall of the College, she would often take the bus downtown (or people would offer you rides, such was the nature of the neighborhood at the time) to go to the movies at the Paramount, Warner, and Isis theaters.
Within the College’s neighborhood, only the Cavalier Restaurant and the Dahlia, which has since been revitalized, remained off-limits for R-MWC students due to their (certainly overstated) shady reputations. However, finding good food was not a problem at the time. Each residence hall had its own dining room with chefs who would compete for the reputation as the best at the College. When her parents and other relatives visited, the Virginian Hotel and Katie Mundy’s The Columns restaurant were fine establishments to eat delicious meals, or even to grab a brownie or a brown sugar tart. At the time of her graduation in 1953, it became clear that Muriel’s life would keep her in Lynchburg, where she would become an influential member of the community.
Married to William Mallan Casey Jr. in the summer after she graduated, Muriel would live on N. Princeton Circle in one of the few affordable non-basement apartments in Lynchburg at the time. The house, once the infirmary for R-MWC and a tea house, would be their home until 1956. After briefly living on Dellwood Drive, the couple moved to 1919 Rivermont Avenue after having two children together, living there for ten years. The Casey children loved this house as it had a huge backyard large enough for a barn and a pony. Muriel taught English at the Seven Hills School and later served as the Assistant Headmistress while also completing graduate school. In 1972, Muriel returned to R-MWC to direct the efforts of the Alumnae Relations Office which was then located on the ground floor of Smith Hall. Significant changes had occurred on the campus, as well as the entire southeastern portion of the United States when Muriel took on her position at the College. Sororities on the campus had been discontinued since the 1960-1961 academic year and R-MWC officially integrated in 1963. Building additions to the alluring campus were also notable since Muriel had graduated including the chapel, the then-new gymnasium off of Norfolk Avenue, the Leggett Building, and the Maier Museum. After a long career, Casey retired from R-MWC in 2003. Over the years she volunteered and participated in events with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education in Washington D.C., Trinity Episcopal Church in Lynchburg, the Lynchburg Mental Health Association, the Woman’s Club of Lynchburg, the American Association of University Women, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Muriel’s legacy has lived on with the naming of the Muriel Zimmerman Casey Alumnae House across from the campus at 2615 Rivermont. Her longstanding connection with the College, as well as the history of the city of Lynchburg, is unmistakable.
Interviewed 6/22/2010
Flo Traywick Interview
Flo Traywick’s family moved to Lynchburg from Chicago when her father came to Lynchburg to teach at the Piedmont Business School located at 307-311 Rivermont. Growing up at 859 Belmont Street near the Jones Library, she has fond memories of Rivermont Avenue from her earliest days. As a young child who would ride on her tricycle up and down the Avenue, sometimes as far as the fire station at 1210 Rivermont. Impressed by the beauty of Rivermont from a young age, she was particularly fascinated by the magnificence of the well-landscaped exterior of the Jones Library. When inside, she enjoyed access to plentiful children’s programs and piles of interesting books. When going downtown with her parents, she regularly rode the trolley, which she was able to do through her senior year at E.C. Glass High School. Flo recalled the woven cane seats of the trolley that could be flipped depending on the direction of travel. Many Lynchburg residents like Flo were heartbroken when the trolley cars were replaced by buses, but as they were told at the time, it was a necessary change to improve the flow of traffic on Rivermont Avenue.
Flo attended grade school at Ruffner Elementary School on Bedford Avenue and then junior high at Bigger School at 5th and Clay Streets (both since demolished). After she graduated from the old E.C. Glass high School on Park Avenue in 1941, she went to Hollins College (now Hollins University) in Roanoke to further her education. Unfortunately, like so many other college students at the time, Flo’s education was put on hold after the attack on Pearl Harbor — she would complete her Classics degree at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College when she was 55 years old. She has fond memories of her time at R-MWC, particularly the excellent Classics faculty, Herbert Lipscomb (for which Randolph’s library is named), Mabel Whiteside (for which the Dell is named), and Robert Lloyd.
Flo met her husband, Heber, known to everyone as Bo, during World War II. Bo spent 2 1/2 years overseas during the war and she feared his fate every single day due to slow communications. Thankfully, Bo would return and resumed his marketing career. As newlyweds they could not afford their own home, so Bo approached several property owners asking if he could fix up their carriage house to make it into an apartment that they could rent. The Pearsons, who lived at 2144 Rivermont and who owned the three Pearson’s Drug Stores in town, did not want to have their carriage house converted but offered to rent an apartment on the 3rd floor to Flo and Bo. While living there the Pearsons were very nice landlords, bringing the Traywicks ice cream from Pearson’s Drug Store and offering to babysit so the young couple could go to the movies downtown. That first child would be joined by two more who, like Flo, grew up on or near Rivermont, though never in one house all that long. Spending most of their married life on Rivermont, Flo and Bo found the time to renovate houses at 3128, 3101, and 3400 and renovated one of the two large units on the second floor of the Woodstock Apartments at 2934.
Throughout Flo has adored life on the Avenue with its ease of access to downtown. For many years, she and Bo frequented establishments like the White House and Columns restaurants. When they sought motion picture entertainment, the Paramount, Isis, Trenton (later the Warner), and Academy theaters were all very fine choices. Though many of these venues have disappeared from the Lynchburg experience, the stories of what they were like as well as the story of the changes on Rivermont Avenue live on through families like the Traywicks.
Interviewed 6/11/2010
William Quillian Interview
Born in Nashville, TN in 1913, Dr. William Quillian contributed much to his adopted home town in the many decades he spent in Lynchburg. When he arrived at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in 1952 to become the President of that storied institution, he would start a movement to create change to better provide a more “modern” and inclusive education for R-MWC students.
The former President’s House, located at 2460 Rivermont Avenue, provided many memories for Dr. Quillian over the course of his 26-year presidency. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Quillian hosted guests such as Pearl S. Buck, Elizabeth Taylor, and even U.S. President Gerald Ford. Beyond the famous who would come to the house, one of the traditions Quillian fondly recalled was the annual ice cream parties he and his wife, Margaret, would host for the college’s sophomores.
Under his leadership, the college was able to attract more donors to the college and increase financial support through its affiliation with the Methodist Church. Dr. Quillian oversaw multiple additions to the college, including the Bell Residence Hall, the Maier Art Museum (affiliated with the National Gallery), the Houston Chapel, athletics facilities, and the Leggett Building. Dr. Quillian also oversaw the establishment of the University of Reading study abroad program. He also started the Asian Studies program and introduced the teaching of Russian, Japanese, and Chinese languages during his tenure.
Dr. Quillian’s presidency was not without any controversy. Under his direction, the Board of Trustees eliminated the existence of sororities on campus. This was viewed as a necessary change within the administration due to their questionable reputation in the small college community. More significantly, in the 1950s and 1960s, as the Civil Rights movement was spreading throughout the United States, R-MWC had to confront the challenges of a changing world. As examples, both local Lynchburg newspapers were critical of Dr. Quillian after the college hosted an African-American official from the national YWCA on campus, referring to this event as a “disturbance.” His reputation, at least among some, was tarnished further when he bailed out two students from jail after they participated in a sit-in at the Main Street Patterson’s Drug Store lunch counter in December of 1960. He even took supplies and course materials to the students when they were jailed for a brief time. Many subsequently saw Dr. Quillian to be progressive on the issue of equal rights for students on the basis of race, but he certainly did not make friends among everyone at the time — some R-MWC alumnae and board members were quite openly opposed to integration.
Dr. Quillian remained involved in community affairs even after the conclusion of his time as President of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. He was philanthropically involved with the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust, United Way, and the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce. Though Lynchburg is very different than when Dr. Quillian was President of R-MWC, the city is a better place because of his forward-looking leadership.
Interviewed 6/16/2010
Harriet Whitten Interview
Though Harriet Whitten was born in Norfolk Virginia, she knew of the Hill City from her earliest days. As a child Harriet would travel to Lynchburg to visit her grandparents where she thought it was a “totally different world” compared to Norfolk — unlike people coming and going in the navy town of Norfolk, people seemed to stay in Lynchburg, and many would have their extended families nearby in a town where it seemed like “everyone knew everyone else.”
When inspired by her high school Latin teacher, Ms. Tillett, to attend Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in 1955, Harriet anticipated both the new and the familiar. Rush week for sororities was one of Harriet’s first experiences on campus — one that was very hectic and distracting to her studies. Though determine to be in one, she never fully believed in the sorority system, for they seem to cause division in what was an otherwise close-knit college community. When they were later banned after her graduation, she did not mourn their loss. She also recounted the required chapel services where Dr. Quillian, the College President at the time, would talk and talk about how people believed in the school and would therefore financially support it. Though at the time she was not sure why she as a student needed to hear so much about donors and supporters, as she entered into her career of development she realized how important cultivating such support is for non-profits, reflecting that Dr. Quillian, for this and many other reasons, was “a person ahead of his time.”
Reminiscing about life in College, a few businesses that stick out in Harriet’s memory include Pearson’s Drug Store, the Cavalier Store, and the Hollins Mill Drive-In. The Cavalier Store was a popular choice amongst Randolph for their tasty hot dogs. The Hollins Mill Drive-In was also sought after by many students at the time as they would pile into their cars to eat at the entertaining “hole in the wall.” Some establishments remained off-limits for R-MWC students, such as the Dahlia on Bedford Avenue — a few students took the risk in going sometimes. Back on campus, various rules were in place to create a proper learning environment for R-MWC students. Even if they were of age, students were not allowed to drink within 20 miles of Lynchburg city limits. There was also a sign-in rule that was in place to ensure that all students were accounted for. One of the “unintended benefits” of the strict R-MWC atmosphere was Peggy Hicks, who worked at the campus switchboard (ultimately for 45 years!), would provide her perception of the blind dates that would come to pick up the ladies at the college for their planned nights out.
After she completed her degree and her children were older (she met her husband, Franklin while in college), Harriet would later return to Randolph-Macon after meeting with Muriel Casey who had also attended R-MWC and had returned to serve as the Director of the Alumnae Office. Harriet replaced the retiring Ellen McNamara where she would help run the school’s campaign and efforts for public donations, including the Annual Fund. When Harriet started working at the college, the development offices were on the third floor of Smith Hall, now classrooms and faculty office space. Her office later moved to the Butler House, named for Dr. Butler, the pharmacist at the College Pharmacy (called “The Drug” when she was in college), across the street from the college on Norfolk Avenue. Harriet spent twenty years at the college before moving on to her work as Development Officer for Patrick Henry Boys & Girls Homes (later renamed Patrick Henry Family Services).
Harriet also touched upon the history of the Whitten Funeral Home. Working for an already existing funeral home, Harriet’s father-in-law had noted the differences between funerary services for the well-off versus those of more modest means. Deciding that all people needed to be better served, he founded the Whitten Funeral Home in 1937. Located at 1336 Park Avenue, over the decades other branches have opened up throughout central Virginia.
From her childhood visits to arriving at Randolph-Macon, finding her love in Lynchburg, and having several careers (including working at her alma mater), Harriet has seen many changes over the years but one constant is that Lynchburg has been home, and those who know Harriet and her contributions to the city are the better for it.
Interviewed 6/29/2010
Bob & Ann McDaniel Interview
Bob McDaniel was born in 1936 at Virginia Baptist Hospital and raised at 2216 Rivermont Avenue. As he grew up in the 30s and 40s, he attended Garland-Rodes where the McDaniel housemaid, Emma Winbush, would walk him to school every day. Emma, whose parents were born slaves, developed a loving relationship with Bob. Years later, his affection for her was evident, as he repeated more than once that it was really Emma who raised him. In his free time, Bob would regularly frequent the Jones Library, which had a sensational children’s section, as well as Riverside Park. Bob and his friends commonly saw Mr. Hurt of Cabell Street walk across the train trestle near the park to get to his farm daily, though it was very dangerous to do so. When he was up to no good, Bob and his friends dared each other to get close to or enter a haunted house on Daniel’s Hill — a married couple was said to have abandoned the house after arguing with each other.
Bob also regularly patronized local businesses on Rivermont Avenue with his parents like Pearson’s Drug Store, Piggly Wiggly and A&P grocery stores, and Katie Mundy’s Columns restaurant. The downtown department stores, such as Guggenheimer’s, Millner’s, Miller & Rhoads, Snyder & Bernam, and Leggett’s, were also regular stops on weekend shopping ventures. Of all the institutions that are long gone, he particularly remembered Dr. Butler’s Rivermont Pharmacy. He fondly recalled stopping at Rivermont Pharmacy with his mother for ice cream on the walk back home from the Community Concert Series at Randolph-Macon. He also remembered that Dr. Butler would make his own medical “concoctions.” A standout was Multi-Mulsion, “the worst tasting stuff you ever tasted” that his mother would swear by as a cure for a variety of ailments.
Further reminiscing about his parents, he talked about the two businesses his father had on Cabell Street, a notions and dry goods store, the Standard Notion Company, as well as a grocery store started by his mother’s parent’s, J.B. White & Company, located at the corner of C and Cabell. Bob’s father also owned the old church at 215 Cabell (which is still standing) that he used as his warehouse.
Anne McDaniel worked in the development and alumni offices at the Seven Hills School on Rivermont. Her years at the school were interesting to say the least — she even filled in as a school nurse from time to time. As Ann recalled, for those seeking a small school experience, Seven Hills was a logical choice for female students until Virginia Episcopal School down the road went coeducational in 1986. When Seven Hills closed in 1995, all of its records were transferred to VES. The single-sex educational experience certainly had an impact on their daughter Elizabeth who attended and absolutely loved R-MWC.
Though the Lynchburg experience has changed over the course of time, the McDaniels maintained their warm feelings for the town that remained Bob’s lifelong home. Rivermont Avenue is what it is today because of people like Bob and Ann — a charming and loving place.
Interviewed 6/29/2010
Frances Harriss Interview
Frances Harriss came to Lynchburg during WWII to work in the office of the Craddock-Terry factory where she earned $12.00 a week. She initially lived at the YWCA downtown, “the safest place for a girl to live in those days.” During the war she remembered ration lines were long, power blackouts were a regular occurrence, the city would fill with soldiers from Camp Pickett, and there was a shortage of nurses. Given that, later during the war, she worked as a nurse’s aide at the old Lynchburg General Hospital located at Federal Street and Hollins Mill Road. After she was married she moved with her husband into an apartment on North Princeton Circle and then, in 1955, they moved into 2703 with her mother-in-law. They had an apartment built onto the back to live in until her mother-in-law passed away. She and her husband then moved into the main house and started renting out the apartment in the back. Over the years she often had professors from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College as renters, including Chemistry Professor Muriel Dahlgard and German Professor Linda Thomas. Passionate about art though not an artist herself, she was a long standing member of the Lynchburg Art Club at 1011 Rivermont Avenue, enjoyed many performances and exhibitions at R-MWC and Randolph right across the street from where she lived, and owned Virginia Handcrafts located at the Farm Basket for forty years. As she thought back about her role in the final successful effort to establish the Rivermont Historic District she ended her interview with this statement: “I think getting Rivermont designated as a historic district is one of the most important things I ever got involved in and I’m glad I did.”
Interviewed 6/15/2010
Clifton & Dorothy Potter Interview
Though Clifton and Dorothy Potter first met at Lynchburg College (now the University of Lynchburg), Clifton’s Lynchburg story started much earlier with his birth at Marshall Lodge Memorial Hospital on Grace Street (later the Grace Lodge and recently approved to be converted into apartments). His parents met and fell in love in the Rivermont area, when his father, who lived on the lower end of Victoria Avenue (behind the old Jones Memorial Library) would travel up to 612 Victoria, on the upper end of the street, to court his mother on her parents’ porch. Growing up on Rivermont Avenue would provide warm memories for Clifton, which would be cherished forever. When living at 456 Rivermont Avenue (the old George & Mary Jones House) from 1946-1955, he discovered all sorts of “secrets” that made it a very pleasant and sometimes exciting place to grow up. As an example, at night, Clifton would often hear strange sounds, which he later discovered to be those of an old hand-powered elevator that was used to get a wheelchair bound George Morgan Jones upstairs. However, by the time the Potter family had moved into the house, the elevator had long been removed, adding another ghost story to the many along the Avenue!
During the free time of childhood, he would play games with friends around Riverside Park and Blackwater Creek. Clifton would also regularly visit the Jones Library, where he could not obtain a library card until he proved that he was able to read, which he did to the librarian’s satisfaction in first grade. When he was a teenager, he obtained an “incredibly useful” job at the library where he performed all the essential duties of a librarian. This would further his passion in the field of academia.
When Clifton and Dorothy began their undergraduate careers at Lynchburg College in the early 1960s, they were destined to gain a fine liberal arts education with a small student body and strict Christian principles in place. When they began dating, Clifton and Dorothy frequented the magnificent downtown theaters like the Paramount, the Warner (formerly the Trenton), the Academy, and even Harvey’s Drive-In on Wards Road. While the downtown still had many grand and wonderful department stores, Rivermont Avenue also provided unique shops and institutions to the Lynchburg experience. The Patterson and Pearson drug stores offered access to any needed medications, as well as quick bites to eat at their lunch counters. Mr. Stork’s Grocery on Rivermont offered a quaint Southern neighborhood shopping experience including fresh and local ingredients. Katie Mundy’s establishment, known as The Columns (now the Randolph College Admissions Office), was well-known throughout Virginia — not just the city of Lynchburg. The Columns regularly hosted fancy parties and dinners of which the Potters were lucky enough to experience a few times throughout their lives. Dorothy particular remembered the delicious frozen almond pie and the ham biscuits. However, not all restaurants were part of Clifton’s memories. When growing up on Rivermont, Clifton’s father forbade him from entering two establishments in the Rivermont area, the Dahlia on Bedford and the Cavalier. As of the summer of 2010, Clifton still hadn’t violated his father’s wishes!
The Potters did not shy away from issues of race that were present in the lives of all in the South during the Jim Crow era. As examples, one time, Mr. Potter’s “Yankee grandmother” from New York sat next to an African-American woman on the Lynchburg trolley. When asked to move by white passengers, the trolley operator, as well as the African-American woman, Clifton’s grandmother protested but then reluctantly agreed to avoid a potentially nasty conflict. Decades later, when Clifton supported desegregation while attending E.C. Glass High School, he faced abuse after school from his peers. Both he and Dorothy have maintained a courageous desire throughout their lives to confront the stigma of racism in the South.
Clifton and Dorothy would further their academic careers by completing graduate programs at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and Clifton received a Fulbright grant to study at the University of Oxford in England, where he and Dorothy lived for three years. They obtained their doctorates and both taught at Lynchburg College, Clifton for over fifty years, both retiring in 2018. To the Potters, Lynchburg has managed to maintain its charm through the many years of change, and they plan to stay here for many years to come.
Interviewed 7/5/2010