A trip back in time

By LATALA PAYNE
Staff writer
Bob Carter, a Rockingham County historian who also works with the archives at Rockingham Community College, spoke at Leaksville United Methodist Church last Sunday. He gave a talk about the histories of Draper, Leaksville and Spray, which combined to form Eden in 1967.
Phyllis Stickles, president of the Eden Preservation Society, said everyone was excited to hear Carter because he has a reputation for being extremely knowledgeable about Rockingham County.
“I’ve heard him talk on several different occasions, and I was just amazed at the wealth of knowledge he has about this area,” Stickles said.
Stanford Croum, an Eden resident, went to grade school with Carter. He was born in one of the homes which came up in Carter’s discussion.
“I was born in a home that was two miles before the Galloway farm, and my great-grandmother was buried in a cemetery up there,” Corum said. “I have a lot of history here and it’s nice to hear Bobby talk about it.”
Bob and Peggy Taylor, who recently moved to the area from Pennsylvania, said they came to hear Carter speak so they could learn more about Eden.
“We have been here for about a month and a half and we heard about this presentation from Chaney’s Restaurant,” Bob Taylor said. “What interested us the most was the information on what happened to the covered bridges in this area. We are a part of an organization that preserves the covered bridges in Pennsylvania, so that was a very interesting part of the talk.”
Carter covered topics that ranged from the history of the Dan River boat landings, to the stories of various farms and plantations in the area. He also noted some important buildings in each area of Eden, and went over their previous owners and when they were built.
Stickles said the preservation society plans on having other events like this in 2010. She said she hopes to have Bob Carter back next year for other presentations on Rockingham County.
The Eden Preservation Society would also like to remind individuals who enjoy their events to attend their bake sale today from 2 to 5 p.m. at Pace-Stone on Washington Street. This is their major fund-raiser of the year which helps fund their projects, as well as programs like this throughout the year.