In 1945, Thomas Hunter Lomax wrote,“My road to Richmond takes methrough the lovely little Town of

Bowling Green. I know of no prettier vil-lage in all of the old Virginia lowlands.”

Lomax, known as the “Poet Laureate ofthe South,” was just one of many authorsover the last several centuries to fall in lovewith and write about the beautiful oldtrees, wide spacious lawns and amazingarchitecture of Caroline’s county seat.

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Richmond

Roanoke

Charlottesville81

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LEESBURG

HEATHSVILLETANGIER ISLAND

WAKEFIELD

BOWLING GREEN

VICTORIA

BRIDGEWATER

NEWCASTLE

CLARKSVILLE

WARM SPRINGS

The year 2012 marks the 15th anniversary of CooperativeLiving magazine’s popular DOWN HOME feature,so we’re revisiting the communities we profiledin 1997, the first year of the series.On this seventh stop,we’ll be …

DOWN HOME SERIES

DOWN HOME IN

BOWLING GREEN

The town of Bowling Green has as itsmain street Route 301, which today runsfrom Richmond to Washington, DC, but wasonce part of the “Old Stage Road,” the oldestnorth-south road in the Colony of Virginia.As colonists began to move away fromthe coast, the Old Stage Road connectedWilliamsburg and the plantations along theJames River with Virginia’s northern frontier.

One of those colonists, an adventurernamed Major Thomas Hoomes, crossed the

Story and photos by Susan Sili, Contributing Writer

Cooperative Living/August 2012

Amid the famous old trees of Bowling Green’s Main Street, the Caroline Courthouse withits arcade and keystones lends a Jeffersonian presence to the town. The front lawn of this1835 Roman Revival gem is also home to two Civil War Trails signs detailing thestories of local residents who lived through this defining moment inAmerican history.

frontier into the land that would one daybecome Caroline County. In the late1600s, he was granted land, calling theestate “Bolling Green” after his family seatin England. Despite the fact that he wasdeemed “foolhardy,” Hoomes, one of ahandful of military men to brave Indianterritory to establish a homestead, pros-pered. Just north of the manor house, hisheirs opened a tavern on the Old StageRoad where it intersected the Tobacco or“Rolling” Road leading to the Rappahan-nock River in Port Royal. At this intersec-tion, a trading settlement grew that wasfirst called “New Hope.”

AN ILLUSTRIOUS PASTIn 1804, a grandson, John Hoomes,

donated the land across the street fromthe tavern for a new courthouse. Thetown adopted the name Bolling Greenand began to call the manor house “OldMansion.” Hoomes had served in theVirginia House of Delegates from 1791-1795 and in the Virginia Senate from1796-1803 and corresponded withThomas Jefferson on matters of state’srights. Hoomes was a prominent patriotand leaders of the American Revolutionfrequently stayed at his tavern at theBolling Green or the manor house.Guests included George Washington,The Marquis de Lafayette, and the Comtede Rochambeau on his way to Yorktown.

The tavern became the focal point ofthe village, where “drummers,” or travel-ing merchants, set up their wares on CourtDay. In fact, an easement dedicating the

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lawn of the tavern to the public has con-veyed through the centuries. Old Mansionhas been described as a venerable Pre-Georgian manor house and remains on alane just off south Main Street. Privatelyowned, it has been opened down throughthe years for special events.

Notwithstanding its illustrious but tradi-tional founding, Bowling Green has a ratherunique and unusual narrative going for-ward. History shows that although a largepercentage of men from Caroline did notreturn from the Civil War, many of thosewho did made their home in BowlingGreen. So while other towns were strug-

gling during Reconstruction, Bowling Greenenjoyed a revival as the men who survivedthe war returned, married and built church-es, businesses and institutions of learning.

TWISTS OF FATEA few generations later, in another twist

of fate in 1941, a third of Caroline Countywas taken by the federal government andhundreds of families were relocated to makeroom for Fort A.P. Hill. The town was rocket-ed from the effects of the Depression andboomed, taking full advantage of the arrivalof such training divisions as General GeorgeS. Patton’s troops.

In an even stranger twist of fate, thetown’s business district was twice destroyedby fires starting at the same location, exactly55 years to the day on Easter Sunday,respectively in 1900 and 1955. Each timethe town rose from the ashes immediately,rebuilding itself with rapid determination.The business district today reflects thebrick-and-glass look contemporary at thetime of the last fire in 1955.

Here and there, however, a touch ofolder architecture survives in the district.The Classical Revival old Bank Building(now a florist), was once home to UnionFirst Market Bank, which was founded

August 2012/www.co-opliving.com

1. Across from the courthouse, the surviving wing of New Hope Tavern has been renovated andturned into an attractive complex of suites, complete with courtyard, by local business entrepreneursWebb & Associates. The building provides quarters for the service members attending the trainingschools at Fort A.P. Hill. 2. Kenmare, an example of the vintage architecture represented in town, ishome to one of Bowling Green’s famous resident ghosts, Mattye Chandler. 3. On Main Street,Bowling Green’s “Walkabout” maps out points of interest around town. Just in front of the“Walkabout” is the marker commemorating the town’s place as a National Historic District.

POPULATION: 1,111

LAND AREA: 1.6 miles square miles

ELEVATION: 220 feet

FOUNDED: 1827

FACTOID: Bowling Green’s founder, John Hoomes, import-ed the first racehorses to the NewWorld and they becamethe foundation stock of today’s Thoroughbred winners.Organized horse races were held at “The Bolling Green” inthe late 18th century, giving the town its slogan, “Cradle ofAmerican Horse Racing.”

AT A GLANCE...

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here in 1903, and is still headquartered inBowling Green. The town’s residential dis-tricts are an incredible mix of vernacularcottages, like the Molly Todd House, datingfrom the early 1800s, to the ramblingVictorian style reflected in the fully restoredKenmare. Bowling Green enjoys NationalHistoric District status and there are 169designated structures.

Over the years, the town has beendescribed as small and quiet, with men stillgathering on the street to talk about theweather, crops and politics. Look closer,however, and you will find history repeatingitself with new businesses arising despiteeconomic challenges. Three new antique/artshops have opened in the business district inthe past several years, and a Town ArtCommission has formed and regularly devel-ops professionally run shows. The businesscommunity has become a mix of the old andthe new. Flower Fashions, the florist thatfound a home in the old Bank Building, has a40-year history in Bowling Green, and AliceFarmer knows her customers well after 39years with Nationwide Insurance, a businesslocated in Bowling Green for over fivedecades. There are a number of wonderfuleateries within the corporate limits, featuringhome-style cooking and a wide variety offinely crafted homemade desserts.

The local hardware store is a great exam-ple of how a business can adapt to changingtimes. First located in one of 11 buildings tosurvive both fires on the corner of MilfordStreet, Borkey Hardware, founded in 1944,became A&M Hardware in 1976. Today, in anew location on Main Street, manager JaredHagemen utilizes all of the latest tools tobring in customers, including Facebook anda website.

MULTI-TASKING RESIDENTSIn typical small town-fashion, the resi-

dents and business folks wear multiple hats.Mark Bissoon, for example, works in thehardware store but also spends much of histime at his own business, American All StarRealty, located in part of the surviving wingof the old Tavern building. The balance ofthe building has been renovated into a mod-ern Inn to house military trainees from Ft.A.P. Hill. Bissoon, commenting on the localreal estate market says, “The one thing thatnever seems to change is the desire to have ahome in Bowling Green. I used to hear allthose ‘Accidental Tourist’ stories of the peo-ple who were just passing through and werestruck by the beauty of the town and boughta home either that very day or in themonths to come. It really is true, even a

Cooperative Living/August 2012

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1.Nationwide Insurance has been a fixture onMain Street for over five decades and is a gather-ing spot for residents. Dale Ballew (standing, left) works for the town and is pictured here withretired Caroline County Sheriff Ottie Moore, Nationwide Insurance Manager and Agent AliceFarmer, and TownCouncilmanOtisWright. Seated (l-r) are longtime customers Ann Baylor, LindaGrey and business founder, Mrs. Robert W. (Lois) Farmer, Jr. 2. Caroline Cleaners’ owner AllenBrown offers pick-up and delivery service. 3. Tom and Emily Swoap head for the local Farmer’sMarket. Tom served on the Town Council and Planning Commission and is the town’s oldest livingmale resident. 4.MarkMallin helps sell homemade breads and plants at Bowling Green’s popu-lar Farmer’sMarket, a concept hehelpedbring to fruition.Cheryl Englishof EnglishAcresNurseryis also a regular market vendor. 5.Davis Farmer (left) of D&JMeats has become quite famous inthe catering world for custom preparations. 6. Jason Satterwhite serves on the Bowling GreenTown Council. He, his wife Brooke and son Leyton live in one of the new subdivisions, BowlingGreen Meadows. 7. Hunter Rothwell, Mary Motley, Mark Bissoon, and Manager JaredHageman of A&MHardware are famous for the best old-fashioned customer service in the town.

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modern home in the relatively new subdivi-sion of Bowling Green Meadows is a much-sought-after commodity.”

Local business owner Cheryl English ofEnglish Acres Nursery also plans specialevents for the town, such as a shoppingextravaganza called “Ladies Night Out,” heldin November. This year, she introduced abrand-new event called “Mayberry Days,”held in the spring, which included AuntBee’s Pie Contest. English is also a regular atBowling Green’s Farmer’s Market, held everySaturday from April through October. TheFarmer’s Market was the brainchild of for-mer Town Council member, Mark Mallin.The market features everything from freshproduce to canned goods to high-end craftsto homemade breads to plants of every vari-ety. A recently passed golf-cart ordinanceallows residents to move around town at abit slower pace.

THRIVING BUSINESS COMMUNITYThe proactive business community

extends north of Main Street to the shoppingcenters. D&J Meats is located in BowlingGreen Plaza and offers everything fromhigh-end catering to barbecue and a readyselection of fresh seafood and Boar’s Headmeats. Stone Creek antique owner SusanDurrett says, “I think the word is gettingout. We look like Mayberry but we havesome very vibrant business happening here.In town you will find an expert tailor, bead-ing and art classes, and can buy everythingfrom handbags to clothing, as well as thejewelry and antiques.”

The town is governed by a mayor andseven-member Town Council. The councilrecently gave the go-ahead to the building ofa new park for children, which is scheduledto be open this summer on property locatedadjacent to Town Hall. In a recent bold movethe Town formed and created a utility districton the annexed Route 301 corridor andmade the major step after paying off its origi-nal utility debt of adding water and sewer toprime businesses properties in the newerarea. The project will be completed this year.

If history repeats itself, Bowling Green willgrow in a time of adversity when other com-munities are pulling in their belts. TownCouncilman and member of the Town’sEconomic Development Committee DanWebb says, “We worked long and hard onthis project, making sure that we obtained thevery best deal we could and with a repaymentplan that makes sense and not only grows thetown but brings us revenue in the long run.Bowling Green can be America’s very bestsmall town and still continue to grow.”�

IF YOU GO...Plan to walk the paths of history in one of

Virginia's most charming towns.There are eight Bowling Greens in the United

States, all drawing their name from this small com-munity, but residents think this is the very best one.Townsfolk enjoy having visitors admire the well-keptlawns and avenues of old trees. Once called “NewHope,” the town incorporated in 1837 and hereone can find every style of architecture from GothicRevival to Italianate to high-styled Victorian. Thetown kicked off “TheWalkabout” several yearsago, complete with marked routes, distances andwalking paths on an oversized sign in the yard ofwhat was onceNew Hope Tavern.You may choose to start your journey on the

east side of Main Street in front of the Courthouse,designed by students of Thomas Jefferson and fullyrestored in 1976. Open for special occasions, theinterior features an English-style jury box and whatmost first-time visitors describe as a “surreal” portraitgallery. It includes original, classical oil portraits ofthe founding fathers; Edmund Pendleton, first actinggovernor of Virginia; Gen.WilliamWoodford, heroof the Battle of Great Bridge; GeorgeWashington,and many more. The gem in the collection is theoriginal English coronation portrait of QueenCaroline. England has the copy. The exterior of theCourthouse strongly reflects the pavilions of Mr.Jefferson’s University.The complex also includes a Pauley Jail, built in

1900 and one of only three left in the United States.Toward the front of the complex, there are twomarkers that are part of the most successful tourismprogram in America, Civil War Trails. Both signscommemorate the events toward the close of thewar as Grant pushed Lee closer to Richmond, andone figures significantly into the events of the assassi-nation of President Lincoln.The sign facing Courthouse Lane looks toward

the property where once stood the infamous StarHotel, haven for Confederate spies and whereWillie Jett was awakened by the Union posse in pur-suit of JohnWilkes Booth. Also of interest is a largemural in a glass case by the late National ParkService artist, Sidney King, depicting the Unionoccupation of Bowling Green in 1864. The muralalso shows the buildings that still stand today andthat survived both devastating town fires in 1900and 1955.Across from the complex on Courthouse Lane,

located on what was known as “Lawyer’s Row”after the Civil War, is the Caroline Museum andCultural Center. Open by appointment and for spe-cial events, the museum has recently had the goodfortune to obtain an important loan of never-before-seen materials. They’re part of an archeology digfrom a property closely associated withOldMansion and shed new light on the founding of thetown of Bowling Green. The dig was conducted bystudents of historic preservation from the Universityof MaryWashington on “Oakridge,” home ofthe daughter of Bowling Green’s founder, JohnHoomes. Research shows that Sophia Hoomes

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was instrumental in founding the business districtandMain Street of Bowling Green. The artifactswill be on display in the late autumn of 2012.While on your downtown tour,Old Court-

house Cafe (also open for breakfast) and Jack’sCafe onMain Street offer home-cooked meals.For more information, contact the

Bowling Green Town Hall, 117 Butler Streetin Bowling Green, 804-633-9084; or visit:www.TownofBowlingGreen.com. �

Proprietor Ruth Limberick (center) of FlowerFashions offers custom-designed arrangements.

Owner John Bissoon (second from left) offersanarrayof homemadedesserts at John’s Place.

The Pumpkin PaintingContest is a beloved tradi-tionat BowlingGreen’s annualHarvest Festival.

Stone Creek Antiques owners Dean and SusanDurrett display their new line of handbags.