CAMPBELL COUNTY, VA - HISTORY - Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches Rivers and Creeks, Ferries and Bridges ----¤¤¤---- CAMPBELL CHRONICLES and FAMILY SKETCHES Embracing the History of CAMPBELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA 1782-1926 By R. H. EARLY With Illustrations J. P. BELL COMPANY LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 1927 Rivers and Creeks, Ferries and Bridges Chapter V Water Courses CAMPBELL is peculiarly favored in water courses. Along its northern and northeastern border flows James river; along its southern and southeastern border the river which locally passes by the name of Staunton, and emptying into the latter, a short distance from Alta Vista in the western section, Otter river flows in from Bedford: near Leesville, Goose creek, also from Bedford sources, joins Staunton river. In the east Falling river, with its tributary, Little Falling, has numerous branches feeding it, which form a network of streams. There are many creeks large enough to be designated by names and these are fed by numberless brooks, from valleys between the hills and mountains. Tussocky and Little Beaver add their overflow to Beaver creek which empties into the James near Mt. Athos. Little Opossum and Opossum having source in Candler's Mountain, flows (near an island of the same name) into the James, and not far off Fishing creek empties into the James at Lynchburg. Whipping, Hills, Seneca (aided by Little Seneca), Cheese, Bishops and Back creeks add to Staunton's volume, while Buffalo, Johnson, Tardy, Flat and Troublesome creeks contribute to Otter's waters. Marrowbone creek, Steel branch, Jennican branch, (from Appomattox) ; Beaver pond branch, Cane branch, Entray creek into Little Falling; Burger branch, Pulliam branch, Rattlesnake branch, Molley's creek, Suck creek, Hat creek into Falling, which with the additional waters of Little Falling, then, empties into Staunton river at Brookneal. Burton (formerly Rock Castle) and Tomahawk creeks join to form Dreaming, which, with Ivy, forms Blackwater creek and that in turn empties into James river at Lynchburg. Lynchburg procures its water supply from Pedlar basin in Amherst county fifteen miles distant: but in earlier times it made use of James river water, until that river received the waste from dye mills along- its course. There were also a number of bold springs in the town, which furnished fine drinking water before a water system was established; these springs were filled over as the town grew and building space became congested: one, on the premises of Captain Early in a depression near Main and 6th streets, of which he gave the city the use, supplied all the neighborhood with water. The Acadmey of Music now covers the site of the spring, water from which was piped across the street to a pump placed there for the convenience of those who used it. The river locally designated Staunton, is called Roanoke from its source in Montgomery county to the point at which it passes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and resumes the latter name when it unites with the Dan in Mecklenburg county. The Jefferson and Fry maps use Staunton for the western end of the river from its confluence with the Dan to its source: but in his "Notes on Virginia" Thomas Jefferson makes no mention of the name Staunton, but calls the whole stream by the Indian shell word Roanoke. The dual name is said to have arisen from the fact that when white settlements were first established in Staunton river vicinity in order to protect them from the incursions of Indians a company was organized to patrol the territory of Roanoke river from the mountains to the mouth of the Dan and placed under the command of a Captain Henry Staunton. From this circumstance that part of the stream came to be called first Staunton's river and later Staunton by which name it appears on the map and is known to the people of the surrounding country. Captain Staunton served in the Revolutionary War, but probably received his title during this patrol work. During the time he was patrolling the country, Mary Crawford, a girl about twelve years of age who lived at the White settlement (a place in Pittsylvania county about a mile and a half from the present Hurt Station and back from the river) was stolen by the Indians and taken to their .camping ground above Smith's Mountain, where she was kept a prisoner for four days. In the search made for her recovery, Captain Staunton succeeded in discovering where she was held, and watching a chance he stole into the camp, rescued her and brought her down the river, through which he waded and swam a good part of the way in order not to leave foot tracks by •which the Indians could pursue and retake her. This story of Mary Crawford's rescue was related by Colonel Abner Anthony, a nonagenarian and he had been told of it by older people who knew of the occurrence. Colonel Anthony was familiar with the county's early history and contributed articles concerning it to local newspapers, and through these contributions information has been preserved which otherwise would have passed into oblivion. The family he represented was originally of the Quaker sect and he was of the branch which remained in the county, descendants of whom still bear the name of Anthony. Staunton river has ever provided sport for fisherman, one of whom reports that fish were always abundant in that stream, the spawning period being in early Spring time when they frequent the falls of the river, and wherever they can find a swift current over a bed of gravel, they collect in shoals and deposit their spawn. The fish can be captured in large numbers with a seine from eighty to one hundred feet in length, not drawn to shore when filled, but after the seine is enclosed, the fish taken out then in the middle of the stream. The first fish to run in the spring are found to be the salmon trout, which must be caught in March; next to these come the winter or black sucker, followed by the sorrel-horse, or red fin sucker, the largest of that family; then in turn come the blue fin, later the May sucker and after these the black bass. Fine game fish have been found in the stream known as King William perch and the mill ponds in spring and autumn furnish a good stock of pike or jack fish, red eyes and silver perch, mill pond and flat back suckers. The Norfolk and Western Railway Magazine provides hints as to where anglers should throw their lines in Campbell waters, thus locating fish haunts in the Otter, Seneca and Falling rivers, (tributaries of the Staunton) in Buffalo, Flat, Opossum, Beaver, Bear, Goose, Molley's and Bishop creeks. This territory is not mountainous and is consequently deficient in the large cold springs necessary to the welfare of trout and small mouth bass. A few big mouth bass are found in James river but mostly ISTew River cats, suckers and eels and abundance of carp. The Otter contains mud cats, red horse, perch, a few big mouth bass and eels. Falling river and its tributaries have red horse, suckers, mud cats and eels. Red horse fish from the Staunton run up into Otter river, its tributary, while mud cats suckers, perch, and carp remain in the larger stream. Ferries and Toll Bridges In 1778 John Ward, who had kept a boat for the free use of those crossing Staunton river from his land in Bedford to that in Pittsylvania, asked to be allowed to have a ferry there: in 178O David Ross petitioned for a ferry from his land at the mouth of Archy's creek, on James river in Bedford, to the land of Robert Bolling in Amherst. John Lynch, who had operated a ferry, which was not used in 1782, asked for repeal of the act discontinuing it, across Fluvanna river from his Bedford to his Amherst land. In 179O Campbell and Pittyslvania residents petitioned for a ferry across the Staunton from John Connefax' land in Campbell to John Ward's in Pittsylvania. There had been a ferry from Moses Fuqua's land in Campbell to Joseph Echols in Halifax, but it became abandoned, and Campbell, Halifax and Pittsylvania people requested in 1793 a new one started from Echol’s land to John Hix' in Halifax: their petition not meeting with response they repeated it in 1797, explaining that Samuel Pannill then owned Fuqua's land, and they asked that Pannill be allowed to run the ferry at the same rates. A year later a petition was made for a ferry across the Staunton from Thomas East's in Pittsylvania to John Brown's in Campbell. In 18O1 a petition was made for a ferry across the Staunton from John Brooks' in Campbell to the late Patrick Henry's land in Halifax at lower end of Seven Islands. On December 22nd 18O7 Edmund Tate petitioned for permission to erect a toll bridge across Blackwater creek on the road leading from the county line by Samuel Scott's place to Lynchburg. Three years, later John Lynch, Sr., petitioned to build a toll bridge across the river (James) to his land, he had been informed that another petition would be presented to Assembly with request to construct a bridge about 1OO yards above his ferry and he asked that he receive justice in the case: no action being taken, a few days later fifty Lynchburgers sent in a petition stating that in their opinion John Lynch should be allowed a toll bridge. A second petition followed that of John Lynch from 6OO Campbell citizens for a toll bridge across James river at Lynchburg and asked that commissioners be appointed to open books of subscription for that purpose. In 181O John Ward petitioned for permission to establish a toll bridge across Staunton river from his land in Campbell to that in Pittsylvania. In 1817 a remonstrance was sent by the president and directors of the Lynchburg Toll Bridge Company against a petition of Amherst people and town of Lynchburg for a free bridge: this was followed by a petition from Amherst and Lynchburg for erection of a new bridge across James river from the land of Benjamin Schoolfield in Amherst to the land of George Cabell near Lynchburg. In 1821 a remonstrance was sent by stockholders of Lynchburg Toll Bridge Company, against a petition of James C. Steptoe that he might take over the Lynchburg Toll Bridge. In 1823 Lynchburg citizens petitioned for another toll bridge across the James river and completion of the road leading to it. Two petitions were sent in 1831 for permission to build a toll bridge from Schoolfield's land in Amherst over James river to William Daniel's land on the opposite bank: this was foliowed by a remonstrance from the Lynchburg1 Toll Bridge Co. against that petition. Schoolfield made a second petition for a bridge near his ferry across James river. In 1841 Samuel Pannill asked that the tax on his bridge across Staunton river for that year be refunded and the bridge be exempt from future tax: in 1844 he sent a similar petition. In 1842 William J. Isbell asked to establish a ferry across the James from his Amherst land to opposite bank in Campbell. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com ___________________________________________________________________