Features

The Iron Forger and the Gold Digger , by Maggie Brydges

Sam Jones and Peggy Upton grew up in the Berkley neighborhood of Norfolk, in the 1920s, and each became wealthy in a different way–he as a moralistic businessman, she as a notorious courtesan.

Putting Up the Harvest , by Ellen F. Brown

Community canneries were staples of rural life in the first half of the 20th century. Now they are busy again as communities seek to preserve a tradition.

In Every Issue

Letters | Contributors | Natives | Reviews | Style | Bellwether | About Town | Odd Dominion | Departures

The Ambassador , by Richard Ernsberger Jr.

Ralph “Chopper” Wilson, a barber turned real estate developer, is an example of urban entrepreneurship.

A Nimble Thief , by Caroline Kettlewell

Never underestimate the gray squirrel.

Requiem for an Inventor , by Bland Crowder

Did a music prof conceive the zip code?

Highway of Death , by Bill Glose

A rough-and-ready master sergeant tackles the perils of travel in Baghdad.

Prolific Punkster , by Sarah Sargent

Steve Keene is a conceptual folk artist who enjoys taking jabs at the preciousness surrounding fine art.

Departments

Profile | One Man at a Time , by J. Tayloe Emery

Chris Howard, Hampden-Sydney’s new president, is a high-wattage hire who aims to raise the profile of a very traditional Southern college.

Sport | Bragging Rights , by Joan Tupponce

The annual football agme between Episcopal High School and Wooderry Forest School is the South’s oldest continuous high school football rivalry–a fierec but friendly struggle that has consumed students, players and alums of the two prep schools since 1901.

Virginiana | Call of the Wild , by Richard Ernsberger Jr.

The Virginia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, now 50 years old, is a front-line group that works to protect natural resources and wildlife habitat by buying land and managing its 60 preserves. Whether tagging migratory birds or improving water quality in the Clinch Valley, TNC takes the long view.

Dining | Culinary Destiny , by Nicole Anderson Ellis and Joseph William Cates

The Clifton Inn, perched on a Blue Ridge hilltop, is a Relaise et Château property with an eponymous restaurant that has won plaudits for years. Executive Chef Dean Maupin says that locals and travelers come to his restaurant with an “expectation” and with his elegant, small-plate dishes, he almost always fulfills it.

Food | Bivalve Revival , by Lisa Antonelli Bacon

A decade ago, on a whim, cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton decided to revive their family’s old oyster business. They knew nothing except how to grow oysters. That’s proved enough: Scores of restaurants now sell Rappahannock River Oysters, and as Travis Croxton quips: “We’ve succeeded in spite of ourselves.”