16Feb 2019 by VCNS

Black History Month – Message from Dr. Bill Trout:

Black History Month, Frank Padget Memorial
[caption id="attachment_15474" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Dr. William E. Trout, III beside the Monument for Frank Padget beside the James River, Dec. 30th, 2018. Photo by Holt Messerly[/caption] BLACK HISTORY MONTH Let’s not forget that during the batteau and canal eras in Virginia, African Americans did the hard work. Here’s a link to the Lynchburg Museum’s February post, for Black History Month. Created by museum volunteer Tyler Wilson, it illustrates the three types of Virginia’s river and canal boats -  a freight boat, a small and large packet boat, and a batteau. The post invites readers to let the museum know of old photos and family information about boatmen. We’re eager to know what turns up! You can also click on the site to subscribe to the museum’s posts. Click here to…
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03Nov 2018 by VCNS

Annual Fall Float and Meeting of the James River Batteau Festival. Howardsville, VA, October 20th, 2018.

Batteau, James River Batteau Festival, JRBF Fall Meeting
[caption id="attachment_15410" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Howardsville, Virginia - Boat Ramp - Loading the batteau on the trailer.[/caption] The JRBF fall meeting took place on October 20, 2018 at Howardsville. The day started out cool and cloudy but the weather turned beautiful and it was a lovely fall day. The fun and fellowship included a paddle from Wingina to Howardsville just prior to the meeting and even the foot of mud on the boat launch didn’t dampen the spirits of the paddlers. There was good food, thanks to Roger’s culinary skills with hot dogs on the grill and everyone’s pot luck dishes (lots of beans!), and luckily everybody made it in time for the meeting and cookout. Four children also attended the event but were busy building something out of sticks and…
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13Sep 2018 by VCNS

James River Batteau Festival – Fall Meeting 2018 by Andrew Shaw

Batteau
Hey Folks, I hope everyone has had a great summer and is looking forward to the fall.  In the last several years, we have lost the tradition of having a fall meeting due to the fact that it was connected to the Tireless James, which was frequently canceled due to rain.  Many have expressed a desire to get back to a regular fall meeting, which has typically been more social.     With that in mind, I hope you all can make it to Howardsville on October 20.  My hope is that folks will float that day, we will have a brief meeting at 6:30 and for those who desire, camp out in the evening.  Several folks have stepped up in the last few months to say they would like to…
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30Jul 2018 by VCNS

2018 James River Transportation Festival, by Brian Coffield

Batteau, James River & Kanawha Canal, James River Transportation Festival
On July 21, 2018, the VC&NS participated in the 7th annual James River Transportation Festival on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This festival, which began in 2012, was conceived of by Peter Hamel, who is the Ridge District interpreter for the Blue Ridge Parkway.  His goal is to bring attention to the James River Visitors Center and increase awareness of historical modes of navigation in the area. Participants this year included Brian Coffield, Bill Trout, Philip de Vos, Roger Nelson and Randy Waycaster. [caption id="attachment_15225" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The Batteau Slate River at the 2018 James River Transportation Festival.[/caption] Randy brought the batteau Slate River, which is the centerpiece of the festival, as he has done for the past six years,   The batteau sits in the James River within 100 feet from…
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09Jun 2018 by VCNS

Second Annual Amherst County Batteau Day – June 9, 2018.

Amherst County Batteau Day
[ngg src="galleries" ids="20" display="pro_horizontal_filmstrip" order_by="filename"]          The second annual Amherst County Batteau Day was held beside Rucker Landing beside the James River on the Amherst County Side. The weather was beautiful as I toured the various period craft booths and groups such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and a nice group of ladies from the Legacy group. A man played his instruments and sang in front of the James River Association's Lynchburg office. Dr. Bill Trout and Philip de Vos had the VC&NS booth with the many publications and information on display. Octavia Starbuck was all smiles as she rode the golf cart to check on things. Mike Rucker and Jeff Taylor put on a skit about the history of the batteaux in Amherst County.…
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