Chapter 11

THE OLD BRICK CHURCH AT BENN'S--SUFFOLK'S FIRST RAILROAD, ETC.

It is interesting to read of relics of the olden times and bring up associations connected therewith. I will now notice an antiquated old building in Isle of Wight county, Va., on the main road leading from Suffolk to Smithfield, and about five miles from the latter place. It is called Old Benn's Church. At what time it was built I have never heard, but it must have been soon after the settlement of this country. The rude hand of time has reduced it to bare walls, and nothing is left of its interior to show that it was ever a place of worship. That it was built when this country was a colony there can be no question. There is a burying ground at the place, on which can be seen tomb stones of very ancient date, and if I mistake not, the first rector of the church or some of his family was buried in it. A tablet, noting the fact, could be seen set in the building. Bishop Meade, in his history of the Episcopal Churches in Virginia, mentions Benn's Church as being one of, if not the oldest, church in the State. It has been snatched from further decay by some benevolent ladies and will soon again become a place of worship. Let the names of these ladies form the future history of that sacred old church, and let future generations know that it was at one time from decay reduced to bare walls, and that by the humane efforts of some ladies it has been reclaimed and once more presents the appearance of a house of worship, standing as a monument to its former renown and greatness. There are several Episcopal churches in this county that should not be allowed to go to decay. They stand as landmarks in Virginia; built long before the recollection of any one now living. I know of several places in this county that I have been told were Glebe property, and at one time were, and had erected on them, Episcopal churches. In many places these churches have gone down, the land escheated and are now occupied by churches of other denominations. And it may have been so, as they are just such places as old Episcopal churches now stand, on elevated sites near running streams. I could state some very interesting facts connected with many places in this county which might appear very meritorious, nevertheless they are true, and form a part of the history of the county.

I will now mention Mount Pleasant, the home of the Meades, of Virginia. This was at one time a very beautiful estate, on the west bank of what is now known as Smith's Creek, and is the southern branch of the Nansemond river. Long before the revolution this place was settled, and at the time very large vessels could navigate the creek as far as Mount Pleasant, it then being a wide and deep river, and I have been told that a direct foreign trade was carried on with that place. A grave yard can be seen at Mount Pleasant which is very singular, and has some curiously inscribed tomb stones in it of persons who died there many years ago. By the ruthless hand of time many of the tombs were mutilated, and it may be that little is left of them. I had the inscriptions of some of them, but gave them to a gentleman from Westmoreland county, Virginia. He wanted them on account of their singularity, and he being an antiquarian he said they would be quite an acquisition to his cabinet of curiosities. It is highly probable that Mount Pleasant was settled long before the Dismal Swamp was known or heard of, and I doubt if any one thought that there could be found such a place as really was existing, and having hid in its dark foliage such a beautiful place as Lake Drummond.

The first great enterprise that was commenced in Suffolk after the surrender, was the building of the railroad of the Suffolk Lumber Company, which runs from Suffolk to Asher, in Gates county, North Carolina, where is the home of the Hon. C. A. Whaley. As soon as the road was completed as far as Whaleyville, in Nansemond county, Va., a town soon sprung up, and a mercantile business was commenced, which for time paralyzed business in Suffolk. It stopped the channel through which flowed the life-blood of the town from where it started. This road is owned by Governor Eliew Jackson, Co. & Brothers, of Maryland, and has from its commencement done a heavy business. It has been ably managed by W. M. Whaley, Esq., and Mr. D. B. Cannon. Whether it has been of any great good to Suffolk is a question that we are not prepared to answer, though the land holders through which it has passed have been benefitted. It brought their pine timber into market, which otherwise would have remained a primeval forest and a dead expense to its owners. The sale of it to Jackson & Co. has cleared many of debt, and to that extent the road has been a benefit. The company has bought large landed possessions in Alabama and Georgia, and will soon move their field of operations to those points. The quantity of wood and timber that has been transported over the road is incredible. To say the least of Jackson & Brothers they started a spirit of enterprise, which, to some extent, has been a benefit. New ideas have been infused into the minds of our people, and instead of keeping their capital locked up they have invested it in various directions for the improvement and benefit of trade, thereby causing to spring up factories and machine shops, to say nothing of the many other advantages that are derived through patriotic motives.