Dr. Jim Jordan, Author at Farmville

Holliday Creek

Buckingham County

From The Archive: In 1837, they found gold in Holliday Creek

In 1837, you didn’t have to go to California to strike gold. All you’d have had to do was cross over the Appomattox River into ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Saturday, May 20, 2023 12:02 am

ghostly bell

Haunted History

From The Archive: Longwood’s ghostly bell and baggage wagon

FARMVILLE – Our story begins more than 100 years ago, with a ghostly bell, a wagon and the Farmville train depot.  The year was 1896, ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Friday, April 28, 2023 5:11 pm

FARMVILLE THE MAGAZINE

A Look into the Past — Farmville in 1899: ‘We have a great and growing town!’

A page one article in The Farmville Herald in 1899 began, “Farmville is the metropolis of Southside Virginia — the best built, best kept, best ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Friday, April 16, 2021 6:00 am

FARMVILLE THE MAGAZINE

A Look into the Past — The Great Blizzard of 1940 — stranded by snow and saved by a mule

Story by Dr. Jim Jordan Photos courtesy of Bob Flippen Farmville had a dark and stormy night like no other January 23, 1940. The next ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Saturday, December 26, 2020 6:00 am

FARMVILLE THE MAGAZINE

Thanksgiving in Farmville 1,000 years ago

Story by Dr. Jim Jordan The Thanksgiving we celebrate today did not exist until 1621. That year the Pilgrims living in the little village of ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Friday, November 6, 2020 6:00 am

FARMVILLE THE MAGAZINE

A Look into the Past: A tale of two burials — out of sight but not out of mind

Story by Dr. Jim Jordan Archeologists are good at finding buried things, and when things turn up where they aren’t supposed to be, well, we ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Friday, October 16, 2020 6:00 am

FARMVILLE THE MAGAZINE

A Look into the Past: Farmville’s ‘bad old days’ — past and present

Story by Dr. Jim Jordan The world of Farmville is currently upside down! The undoing of our social lives, economy, schools and our health by ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Wednesday, September 23, 2020 6:00 am

FARMVILLE THE MAGAZINE

A Look into the Past: Farmville’s fling with spring

There’s a tale told about a judge some 200 years ago in Farmville who happened to gaze out his courtroom window one warm April day. ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Friday, April 24, 2020 6:00 am

Church & Community

When Farmville went to the dogs

When Farmville was founded in 1789, it would have been a most unusual family that did not own a number of dogs. Even two centuries ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Thursday, April 21, 2016 5:54 am

Columns

Sights, sounds and smells of Farmville’s past

On Easter weekend 151 years ago, the Civil War was ending in Farmville. The battles at Saylers Creek and High Bridge had been fought, and ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Thursday, March 24, 2016 11:18 am

Church & Community

Drama unfolds beneath theater — Archaeologists uncover evidence of Farmville’s past

When people think of an archaeological dig, they usually picture a desert or a farmer’s field or someplace deep in the woods. But there is ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Thursday, February 18, 2016 5:37 am

Columns

Out with the old – in with the new

Have you ever wondered why people in Farmville do rather unusual things the last few hours of December and first few hours of January? The ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Thursday, January 21, 2016 4:06 pm

Columns

The Christmas tree: mystery and magic

Once upon a time, a long time ago, an evergreen tree was brought into a house. We don’t know exactly where that house was, but ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Wednesday, December 23, 2015 11:10 am

Columns

A Thanksgiving menu — 3,000 years ago

The Thanksgiving holiday we will celebrate in Farmville next week did not exist until the year 1621 when Pilgrims in a little village called Plymouth, ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Thursday, November 19, 2015 2:28 pm

Columns

Farmville’s Missing Civil War Treasure

I teach archaeology at Longwood University, and one of my favorite courses is “Folklore of Virginia.”  My students are interested in the legends about Farmville’s ... Read more

by Dr. Jim Jordan, Thursday, September 24, 2015 11:09 am

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