John Theo

Story by John Theo Jr. Photos provided by Abbott’s Farm, Garden, and Gun Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Jeff Burton, Ward Burton, and Elliott Sadler are a few of the drivers to take the turns on the asphalt at South Boston Speedway.Photo courtesy of Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway. Just off Route 360 in South Boston sits one of the landmarks that ...

Story by John Theo Jr. Photos provided by Abbott’s Farm, Garden, and Gun Spring 2022 Bill and Darnell Abbott The logo says it all:  Abbott Farm, Garden, and Gun. What could be more American than that? Located at 445 South Main Street in Halifax, Va., it is a must-stop for any visitor passing through, or the rare resident who has ...

By John Theo Jr. Good’s Lawn and Garden Center is a multi-generation, family-owned business located at 4007 Halifax Road in Centerville. It began in 1963 as James L. Good’s Lawn Service out of James’s home in South Boston. The landscaping company soon evolved into a storefront located on Route 360 and was rebranded as Good’s Lawn and Garden Center, and ...

Timeless Treasure in Nathalie, Va. By John Theo Jr. US livestock auctions date back to the 1600s with the sale of crops, animals, tools, tobacco, and land. Even in today’s hi-tech world, auctions are still the fastest (and the most efficient) way to sell these items -- a quick mechanism to convert assets into cash. When Robert Coblentz grew up ...

At the new location...South Boston - Halifax County Museum of Fine Arts & History By John Theo Jr Two of the greatest moments in The American Revolutionary War were not, in fact, battles. They were actually river crossings. Most school-age children know about the famous Crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776, which allowed General George Washington to ...

Story by John Theo Jr Photos courtesy of the Library of Virginia When one thinks of northern transplants living in the south, word associations like retirement and Florida may come to mind. Other phrases like lower-cost-of-living or job-relocation sometimes correlate with North and South Carolina, but what brought a northerner like me to South Boston, Virginia of all places? In ...

Story by John Theo Jr Photos courtesy of the Library of Virginia When one thinks of mining in the United States, romantic places like California and Alaska’s Klondike come to mind. But Virginia? How about Halifax County? If we opened our history books to the section where the nation’s first European settlers stepped upon dry land, we would discover that ...

By John Theo Jr. Fifteen-year-old Kaitlyn Reaves has shown an affinity for art since elementary school, and was encouraged to pursue this passion by parents Daryl and Lesley. Over the years, Kaitlyn tried her hand at different art forms such as charcoal drawing, but at her mother’s suggestion, she decided to pursue painting barn quilt squares. When asked why she ...

Halifax County Chamber of Commerce By John Theo Jr. A Chamber of Commerce, as a wholly voluntary institution in the United States, is eight years older than the Declaration of Independence. The New York Chamber of Commerce, first in America, was organized in 1768. Five years later, the first local Chamber was formed in Charleston, SC. Since then, the Chamber ...

Made in the USA Outdoor Furniture By John Theo Jr. Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Shera Henderson, owner of Backyard Etc. located in Semora. Shera and husband Harold own a niche outdoor furniture business that is old-school with a modern twist. With terms like “Hand Made” and “Made in the USA” one would think Backyard Etc. was ...