blog

Martijn & I want to thank everyone for coming to the reveal and for supporting us making it happen. Special thanks for the speakers, Bruce Woerner, mayor of Clarksville, Jennifer Loux, DHR representative, Ann Shreve, descendant of the sisters Carrington and Linda Pulliam, member of Clarksville Presbyterian Church. And our friends Patty & Brad for helping.

The following is my speech, slightly modified for this blog

Today we write history by revealing the Sunnyside School ca. 1870-1908 Historical Highway Marker. The first Historical Highway Marker within the city limits of Clarkville VA.

The marker is about the Sunnyside school founded by four of the eight Carrington sisters who lived with their parents at Sunnyside. After the Civil War, when their father’s health declined and people were wrestling with the Reconstruction Period, they started the school not only as a form of existence, but also to provide young women the opportunity to strive in live.

Before buying the Sunnyside we knew already something about its almost 200 year history, its former residents, and its former function but details we learned only later.
A lot of its history has been written down by its former residents and their descendants, such as the Carrington family, Allan P. Johnson family, Molly and Jeremy Price and Dr. and Helen Clippinger. The latter ensured that the Sunnyside was entered into the National Register of Historic places in 1996.

When I coincidentally came across a manuscript written in 1935 by Mr. J.D. Eggleston, former president of Hampden-Sydney College and related by marriage to the Carrington sisters, it gave me an idea. Mr. Eggleston felt that the memory of the school should be preserved. He therefor requested former pupils and former teachers to write about their impressions of the Misses Carrington, the subjects that were taught and any other memories they thought worthwhile.
It was this manuscript that gave me, us, the idea to also find a way to preserve this piece of history but even more permanently.

The Highway Historical Marker program was the ideal way for a more definitive memory. In the meantime, I had met local historian Linda Pulliam and she helped fill out the application and write and edit the marker text. Thank you again for that Linda.
We are very happy that we succeeded because we now know for sure that this piece of history will be preserved for the future, for the generations to come.

We are also grateful that the following people and organizations helped us finance this beautiful marker:
•    In memory of Helen and Frank Clippinger
•    Clarksville Presbyterian Church
•    Debbie Colvin
•    Ann and John Shreve
•    In memory of Allan Perkins and Edith Dutro Johnson
•    Anna and Keith Wilder
•    Marty Clippinger Walker
Thank you.

Unfortunately, the memorial plaque is delayed but as soon as it arrives, we will place it next to the front door and we will dedicate a blog to it.

Have a great weekend!