Party like it’s 1759

Hear ye, hear ye: The colonial town of Culpeper — founded with 40 lots and two named streets — is 250 years old.

This weekend, townsfolk will party like it’s 1759.

From a Lord and Ladies ball and history in the park, to gardens and art on East Street and old-time religion, Saturday and Sunday’s events offer a little bit of something for everyone.

Even better, most of it’s free.

The 250th Anniversary Committee started planning the big celebration earlier this year with Culpeper native T.I. Martin Jr. at the helm as chairman.

Martin — son of the late T.I. Martin Sr., mayor of Culpeper — helped with the town’s bicentennial bash in 1959 as well, so he knows a thing or two about how it works. Although, Martin said, things have changed a lot in his hometown since then.

“Fifty years ago, there wasn’t much going on in Culpeper,” he said of the great popularity of the 1959 celebration. “Nowadays, Culpeper is an active place and you’ve got several things going on most every weekend.”

Still, the 250th celebration promises to be an event to remember, and Martin hopes everyone has a grand time. He’ll be there at the ball Saturday night, costumes optional, though Martin said he’s still wracking his brain for period outfit ideas. Look for him to wear a traditional tux.

Walk Through Time
Culpeper Tourism Director Beth Burns, head of the agency overseeing the weekend’s whole shebang, is keeping a positive outlook, weather-wise, and said Saturday’s picnic at Yowell Meadow Park, starting at 11 a.m., would be lots of fun.

Besides food and games, participants can take a “Walk Through Time,” checking out many history displays.

Timothy Robinson of Madison County’s Heartland Restoration will be there to talk about the latest plans for reconstructing the Westmoreland County home of President James Monroe.

A big pig that used to stand on South Main Street will also be on site in the park for a Walk Through Time.

There will also be live bluegrass, jazz, folk and a fife-and-drum corps.

Volunteers are still needed for the park event as well as banner carriers for Saturday’s Coleman Street Parade on Main Street, starting at 3:30 p.m.

The parade will take a “Walk Through History,” including appearances by George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, the Culpeper Minutemen and members of Antioch Baptist Church, established 1859 as the town’s first black congregation.

As for Saturday night’s big dance at the Daniel Technology Center, “It’s going to be like nothing anybody has ever seen,” Burns said.

Besides live music, good eats and a chocolate fountain, the ball will feature dance contests and the opportunity to check out a who’s who of Culpeper in costume. Although, Burns said, period costumes are optional.

If 2009 is your favorite time period, dress like it’s 2009. As for Burns, she’ll be wearing a colonial gown.

As of Thursday, tickets for the ball — $40 each — were still available. They also can be purchased at the door.

The big events Sunday are a communitywide church service at 3 p.m. at Culpeper Baptist on West Street and a free ice cream social at the Museum of Culpeper History on South Main Street from 1 to 3 p.m.

In addition, the Hazel River Church of Rixeyville is getting in on the celebration with some wholesome charity. At the 6 p.m. service Sunday, the church will distribute 250 bags of groceries, 250 bottles of water and 250 candy bars.

Remembering 1959
Native son John J. “Butch” Davies III, a Culpeper attorney and member of the 250th Anniversary Committee, remembered the town’s bicentennial well.

“The pageant at the high school football field was long, but hundreds were involved,” he said.

Gov. J. Lindsay Almond was grand marshal of the bicentennial parade, Davies said, and he rode down Main Street in a Ford convertible.

“I recall having lunch at the Ritz Hi Hat (on Main Street) and going to watch the parade from the steps of the post office, now the county office building,” he said.

It’s also the spot where two-time Virginia Gov. “Extra Billy” Smith built his mansion in the 1820s, back when he was running a stagecoach line.

The layers of Culpeper history, reaching back before America was an independent nation, go deep. Culpeper’s working class contributed to its foundation for sure, but it also took visionaries.

“The vision of our leaders has played a significant role in our success,” Davies said. “They built consensus and acted. The steps taken were not always the most popular, but they acted for the best interests of our community. It is a legacy we should not ignore.”

Here’s some more perspective on what makes Culpeper tick: The town’s bicentennial celebration was held the week of Aug. 31 to Sept. 5 — a date chosen because it was prior to high school football season.

Progress sometimes slow
And yet progress, especially in the area of race relations, did not always come easy for Culpeper. News of school integration dominated local headlines in 1959.

Culpeper Del. French Slaughter of Mitchells, as reported by the Star-Exponent Feb. 26, 1959, was at the forefront of massive resistance to mixing black and white in county public schools.

To prevent it, Slaughter recommended changing the state constitution to relieve the state of the mandate to operate public schools, the Star-Exponent reported.

“We must try any legal means possible; if we are paralyzed by fear of the courts knocking down our doors and do nothing, we will be integrated and swiftly,” Slaughter told the Culpeper PTA in 1959.

Culpeper County did not integrate its schools until 1968 — 14 years after the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled the legal basis for racial segregation.

Also in 1959, the old Dairy Queen on North Main Street had a 19-cent special on malts and shakes, and there was a Culpeper Book Store on East Davis Street.

Culpeper’s anniversary bash

Here’s to 250 more years of progress, Culpeper, and here’s the 250th anniversary schedule:

Saturday
» Historic East Street Garden Tour & Art Show organized by the South East Street Neighborhood Watch, 9 a.m. to noon. Check out the large gardens out back of East Street’s stately homes while local artists display and sell their art from the porches. Participating homes include the Hill Mansion, Ludwig home, Wisteria, Rhoades house, Rimeikis house, Close house and the Rectory. $2 per person the day of the tour.
» A Walk Through Time Picnic, Music & Old Time Games, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Yowell Meadow Park. Free.
» Coleman Street Parade marches down Main Street at 3:30 p.m. Rain date is Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
» The Lord & Lady Culpeper Historic Costume Ball takes place 7 to 11 p.m. at Germanna’s Daniel Technology Center. Citizens of the land are encouraged to dress festively in attire from their favorite historic period — even if that includes modern times. $35 per person.

Sunday
» Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Social at the Museum of Culpeper History on South Main Street from 1 to 3 p.m. Free.
» Old-Time Religion at Culpeper Baptist Church is a way to learn about Culpeper’s religious history. The event, which starts at 3 p.m., will include a living history interpretation of the Rev. John Leland, a Culpeper minister from Massachusetts and pal of James Madison’s. A mass community choir performs as well.