The shed minus its roof.
The shed minus its roof.
Local Liberty Tree takes root
A Liberty Tree dedication ceremony is set for Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. at the Willowbrook Jackson/Umberger Homestead Museum.
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, the Sons of the American Revolution has undertaken a nationwide effort to plant 250 Liberty Trees in 2026, commemorating the famous elm that stood near Boston Common during the years leading up to the American Revolution.
The original Liberty Tree became a symbol of colonial resistance. In 1765, colonists staged an act of defiance against British authority beneath the tree, which became a rallying point for those opposing British taxation and control. The surrounding area eventually became known as Liberty Hall.
A dedication ceremony for the newly planted Princeton American elm will take place at the Willowbrook Jackson/Umberger Homestead Museum, a property operated by the Wytheville Department of Museums. The tree was planted in April as part of the national America 250 initiative.
The local Liberty Tree became a reality after Mimi Booker brought the idea to Rollie Nye, president of the Lt. David Cox Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Although the chapter was originally chartered in Galax, its 25 members hold quarterly meetings at the Wythe County Historical Society and Genealogical Association.
Nye credited Town of Wytheville Department of Public Works Horticulture Supervisor Tony Duncan with planting the tree alongside Michael Gillman, who supervises historic sites and museum operations at the Homestead property for the Wytheville Department of Museums.
A monument has also been placed beside the tree.
During the dedication ceremony, Nye will deliver an oration tracing the origins and development of the concept of liberty.
According to Nye, the conversation about liberty began with ancient philosophers such as Aristotle and Cicero.
“They started the world’s conversation about liberty,” he said. “The Americans made it a reality.”
Nye said the American concept of liberty was also closely connected to science and innovation, citing the contributions of inventive minds such as Benjamin Franklin.
“It was a challenge to traditional beliefs,” Nye explained. “Women were extremely important to the revolutionary cause, as were African Americans.”
Nye plans to focus on the contributions of those groups, which he believes have sometimes been overlooked in traditional accounts of the American Revolution.
He will also discuss the irony surrounding the physical condition of the original Declaration of Independence. The document's faded ink has made portions of its text difficult to read, a condition Nye sees as symbolic of the way its words are sometimes treated.
“People are forgetting what it really says and, both in the physical and proverbial sense, its words are nearly invisible,” he noted. “Some folks are treating the words of the Declaration of Independence as if it doesn’t exist.”
Nye will also discuss the Sons of Liberty, the network of American patriots that included figures such as Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams and opposed British taxation and colonial control. He plans to address 10 reasons he believes the Articles of Confederation failed.
“There are too many important things that happened to mention,” he added. “The Articles of Confederation led to George Washington coming out of retirement and eventually to the U.S. Constitution.”
The program will conclude with a discussion of the War of 1812, which Nye described as America's second major armed conflict with Britain following independence.
“The two countries more or less had a draw,” he explained. “England and America sort of reconciled after that.”
Nye also emphasized the importance of recognizing the roles women and African Americans played in the nation's development and the ways in which their contributions have sometimes been left out of historical narratives.
“The American Revolution led to the Civil War,” he said. “The American Revolution led to greater education for people, and that was mostly due to women.”
While Nye acknowledged that the expansion of freedom and equality to all Americans remains an ongoing process, he said the ideals established during the founding era provided the foundation for the nation.
“As imperfect as this nation is today, we have made great strides,” Nye said in conclusion. “Others may disagree, and it is their privilege to do so.”
The Liberty Tree dedication ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m. at the Willowbrook Jackson/Umberger Homestead Museum, 1125 Tazewell Street, Wytheville.
The event is free and open to the public, although seating is limited.
A ribbon cutting was held to celebrate the new scoreboard.
A ribbon cutting was held to celebrate the new scoreboard.
Interstate 81 crashes kill one, snarls traffic
Traffic was backed up northbound and southbound for around four miles on Interstate 81 on Thursday afternoon as police investigate a pair of crashes, one a fatality.
At 3:03 p.m., Virginia State Police began investigating a two-vehicle crash that injured four and killed a juvenile. That incident occurred on southbound I-81 at he 64-mile marker.
Police said a Jeep Compass slowing in the left lane due to traffic was rear-ended by a GMC Envoy. According to police, a juvenile and three adult passengers suffered serious injuries. The juvenile, whose name has not been released, died at the hospital. The three adult passengers suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Virginia State Police.
The driver of the GMC also suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, police said. Kathleen Gajewski, 69, of Plainfield, New Jersey, was charged with reckless driving.
At the time of the southbound crash, police were investigating a collision in the northbound lanes around the same area. ‘
The crashes closed the right lanes and shoulders and impacted the left lane as well, backing up traffic and sending spillover onto Highway 11 from Wytheville to the Smyth County line.
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Grant program that's helped Wythe, Smyth farmers now accepting applications (copy)
Earlier this year a new boiler allowed the Wythe County Cannery to return to operation. In 2024, Waller Dairy in Sugar Grove was able to add a dairy processing room and creamery as well as increase the farm’s processing capacity.
These two projects are connected by their funding source.
The Wythe County Cannery’s boiler was bought with the help of a $50,000 Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Infrastructure Grant awarded through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).
The Wallers won a $20,000 AFID grant for their first-generation dairy operation.
Now the department is accepting applications for the fall round of the Governor’s AFID Infrastructure Grant program.
According to a VDACS news release, these reimbursable grants are intended to strengthen Virginia’s agricultural economy, support small business growth, expand market access for local producers, and build long-term economic resilience in rural communities.
The priority project areas for AFID Infrastructure Grants, the VDACS said, include new and existing food hubs, farmers’ markets, commercial kitchens, and other value-added facilities such as those used for processing and packaging meats, dairy products, produce, or other Virginia-grown products. Projects should directly support local food production and forestry while also demonstrating a broad community benefit.
Localities are encouraged to work with small farmers, food producers, local food systems advocates, and others interested in building their community’s local food and farming infrastructure.
Applications must be made by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, such as a county, city, town, industrial and economic development authority, or planning district commission. For example, the Wallers’ grant was made to the Smyth County Economic Development Authority.
Grant applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30. The maximum award per grant is $50,000. This competitive grant requires an equal cash match from the locality, with reduced match available for economically distressed localities.
Created in 2021, this grant program has two funding rounds in each fiscal year. The first round is an open application period in the fall, with a target award announcement date of Dec. 31. The second round is an open application period in the spring, with a target award announcement date of June 30.
Visit the AFID Infrastructure Grant webpage for more information and to view a recorded webinar. Applicants should direct grant program questions to Joyce Blankenship at 804-786-1906 or at joyce.blankenship@vdacs.virginia.gov.
