by Irene Luck

Often when we hear of organizations related to things like local history or historical societies, the expectation is that those associated with them – and often the leadership itself – are long-standing members of the local community. Supporters call the area “home” and have a vested interest in keeping it like they remember from their childhoods. Often there is historical significance to an area, and the members are working to preserve and protect that history while teaching its importance to the next generation. In many instances that is the correct assumption, as was the case with the original Mineral Historic Foundation.

There are certainly no shortage of historically-significant events that Louisa County can lay claim to, nor are there a lack of historical structures dotting the landscape of the over 500-square-mile jurisdiction. However, as society has become more mobile and global, many of those structures and stories are in danger of being lost because people don’t stay near their birthplaces. Often by the time they have become adults, people have moved several times without establishing the deep roots their ancestors did.

As a child, this writer can remember sitting with her grandparents, great uncles, and other family and community members. We would listen as they recounted to us stories from their past, how the families in the community were interconnected when someone’s sister married their best friend’s brother a few generations earlier. People didn’t move around as much years ago, and their history became shared history. This writer also learned how the towns and small communities within Louisa County came to be based on who settled the area, what their profession was, or what drew people to a section of the community.

The history of the town of Mineral is colorful and varied. Nearly 25 years ago, representatives of several of its prominent families and residents decided the town’s history needed to be preserved, forming the Mineral Historic Foundation. The organization was active in working to preserve the town by getting a large portion of the main thoroughfare designated on the State and National Historic Registers in 2005. The group also compiled information on the town’s formation, first as a mining town known as “Tolersville” in 1890, and later being incorporated and renamed “Mineral City” in 1902. In the ensuing years, the town dropped its incorporation status and became known as Mineral.

The original Mineral Historic Foundation ceased to exist around 2010, when several of its members passed away or were no longer able to maintain the organization. Much of its memorabilia and materials were donated to the Louisa County Historical Foundation when the group disbanded.

Fast forward a decade, and new faces have arrived in Mineral. Ron Chapman and his spouse were searching for a home away from the city. They were living in Fredericksburg, and Chapman was looking for a new, modern home with all the bells and whistles – no repairs needed.

“I wanted the dishwasher, the instant hot water, the fancy sparkling appliances,” he said. “Our realtor convinced us to look at some older homes which I was not interested in, but the realtor convinced us to look at ‘just one more.’ We stood in the parking lot of the Family Dollar and saw the house from the side, then went across the street and viewed it from Miller’s Market’s parking lot. I fell in love, and the house wasn’t even on the market yet. We put in a bid the day it went on the market without ever seeing inside.”

The couple moved to Mineral about two years ago, and Chapman began researching the history of his home. He eventually stumbled on the fact that it was one of the oldest ones in town, having been built in 1894 by J. S. Harlow.

Other new arrivals to town included Chris Guerre and Olivia McCarthy, along with Catherine Blair, who has been a Mineral resident for about nine months. Along with the Chapmans, the group met when the town of Mineral was discussing the possibility of dissolving the town. They decided they wanted to work together to preserve the locale’s history, not lose it.

“I quickly realized that the town was steeped in rich history, and we needed to find a way to preserve it,” Chapman explained. “I didn’t realize there had been a previous Mineral Historic Foundation when I started talking about forming one.”

Chapman started talking about forming the foundation with anybody who would give him a minute. In September 2021, he went before the Mineral Town Council with a proposal to form the Town of Mineral Historic Foundation. To his surprise, he received overwhelming support.

In order to start the process of becoming a non-profit organization, a board had to be established. Thus, the foursome divided up the duties. Chapman became the president, McCarthy the vice president, Blair the treasurer, and Guerre the secretary. There were 13 people at the first meeting and 30 at a recent one. While much of the publicity for the meetings is through the group’s Facebook page, they are working to develop a set of incorporation documents and by-laws.

In the meantime – not wanting to lose momentum – the group participated in the Louisa County Parks and Recreation’s Christmas festival with a booth and entry into the parade. They also hosted a Christmas parlor tour of several homes and Mineral United Methodist Church.

The focus of the rejuvenated Town of Mineral Historic Foundation is to protect not only the structural history of the town, but its oral history as well. “We want to sit down with the elder generation and hear their memories of the town and its families,” said McCarthy. “Those stories give us the day-to-day history of the community, the anecdotes, the connections to other families.”

All four residents are committed to protecting the community they now call home, and each have purchased older homes in the town. Blair lives at the former Peyton house, Guerre resides in the Spicer home (more recently owned by the Halls), and McCarthy bought the home which served as the Besley residence for many years.

“I strongly believe this is one way to create stronger community ties,” McCarthy said. “By sharing the history, we are learning about our homes and the families that once lived there. We can encourage others to do the same and pull the town together for the betterment of all.”

McCarthy said she had always been drawn to smaller towns primarily because of her parents’ upbringing. Her childhood was spent traveling with the military, so she never had the opportunity to put down roots or get to know her neighbors well, but she loved visiting family in those small towns.

“I want to be able to contribute to my community, and Mineral just clicked when we arrived,” she said. “It felt like I was home.”

Guerre has friends who live in Louisa County, and before moving to the area, he would visit them throughout the year. The family was looking for a school for their son and found one in the area. It just seemed so right for them to stay, so they did. “Although we do like it that we aren’t too far from the metro areas,” he joked.

Prior to moving in to the former Payton house, the Blairs were living in Fredericksburg. During the pandemic they were looking to relocate and found the house that fit all their needs, with several buildings on the property, high speed internet, and a pool.

While the group continues to work toward its non-profit status, they were looking forward to celebrating the town’s 120th birthday in April.

“We also want to reinstate Mineral’s Beautification Day, which has been dormant for a couple of years because of Covid, and possibly hold a spring garden tour,” Chapman explained.

The group also wants to expand the historical display in the Mineral Town Hall, update and revise the Historic District designation, and possibly hold functions of historic interest to the community.

“We know of one building that has been demolished and needs to be removed from the designation, and I am sure there are others that need modified,” Chapman said. “But all these activities require manpower, and right now we are looking for anyone who has an interest in history, particularly Mineral history, or those who want to know more about the community in which they live.”

Currently, meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend and are announced on the Mineral Historic Foundation’s Facebook page and the town’s website. For more information, all of the board members can be reached through the group’s Facebook page.