Lohmann: Boydton’s bouncing back

SLIDESHOW: Boydton still refuses to die

BOYDTON In 1977, U.S. News & World Report declared Boydton "a small town that refuses to die."

Despite some tough times in the ensuing years, Boydton is still not dead, although it is kind of quiet. If you stop and listen, however, you can hear the town's heartbeat -- the rhythmic hammering coming from the historic courthouse.

At a time when cities and towns of all sizes are scrambling not to fall behind, Boydton, population less than 500, is actually staging a comeback, fueled by millions of dollars' worth of construction projects -- including the restoration and renovation of the courthouse -- that are giving the town a face-lift and an infusion of hope.

"The good news is, we've been unaffected by the present [economic] downturn," said Mayor Bob Salzmann. "The bad news is, an economic downturn all but killed the town 40 years ago, and the town has been trying to scratch its way back ever since."

The seat of Mecklenburg County, Boydton is a compact little town, past golden fields of soybeans, just off U.S. 58, about 90 miles southwest of Richmond. The town used to hum with commerce: gas stations, grocery and hardware stores, an automobile dealership and a barber shop, but now they're all gone, a sign of the times in a region that has relied on manufacturing and tobacco.

Construction of the 58 bypass made travel far safer but also diverted traffic around the town.

Despite the bad news, Boydton has looked like a great big construction zone in recent times.

The local rescue squad has a new home, Boydton United Methodist Church built a new fellowship hall and Boydton Medical Center ("Health Care on the Square") takes up a full block of former storefronts with its ultramodern facilities.

The town's centerpiece -- and lifeblood -- is the courthouse, built in 1842 and patterned after the state Capitol. It's closed now, meaning county business is being conducted elsewhere until the $11 million project is completed and the courthouse reopens next year.

"When the courthouse was active, downtown certainly boomed all week long," Salzmann said as he gave me a tour around town.

But now, there's no boom, although the town is certainly poised for it. Many of the town's buildings, including the 18th-century Boyd Tavern, a one-time center for food and lodging, have been rehabbed. Much of the town looks great with new sidewalks and new streetlights. Spiffy storefronts and handsome display windows disguise empty buildings, just waiting for the courthouse to open and new businesses to move in -- the town hopes.

You can still get a good stromboli at Rose's and seafood and live music at the Copper Kettle. The Southern Heritage Bed & Breakfast still welcomes guests. You can shop for daily necessities at the Dollar General and antiques at Bill Thompson's Olde Lamps & Thangs, pump iron at the town's fitness center and check your e-mail at one of the town's wireless hot spots.

Willow Grove Marina, with 135 boat slips, will open next spring, just down the road on Buggs Island Lake, and there's talk of housing developments, a horse park and a conference center, as well as an assisted-living facility above the medical center.

The Tobacco Heritage Trail, a multiuse recreational trail being developed along abandoned rail beds in Southside Virginia, comes right through town.

"If half of the things that appear as possibilities occur, this town will be booming in 10 years," said Salzmann, a transplanted New Yorker who along with wife, Jenny, bought a magnificent home here 23 years ago and moved here full time seven years ago.

"We're trying to get back to a viable downtown, keep the historic ambience and create an economic spark plug . . . that will provide some jobs and a reason why kids who go off to college will come back and make this their home again instead of going off and living somewhere else."

That 1977 U.S. News & World Report story? It came in the aftermath of the town's first Boydton Day celebration, which the magazine viewed as evidence of Boydton's perseverance. The 33rd annual Boydton Day will be held Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. It will feature a parade and pony rides, music and dancing, arts and crafts, a barbecue and Brunswick stew.

Like the town, Boydton Day is still kicking.

"This town," Salzmann said, "is definitely refusing to die."

Contact Bill Lohmann at (804) 649-6639 or . Follow him at http:// twitter.com/wlohmann.