Bill Text: VA HJR181 | 2010 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Town of Boyce on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2010-02-08 - House: Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ181ER) [HJR181 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2010-HJR181-Enrolled.html
|
WHEREAS, the Town of Boyce and its citizens are celebrating their historic 100th anniversary in 2010; and WHEREAS, the Town of Boyce was founded in 1880 at the crossing of the Millwood-Winchester Turnpike that became Route 723 and the newly built Shenandoah Valley Railroad, now the Norfolk Southern Railroad; and WHEREAS, originally a part of Orange County, the Town of Boyce became part of the newly created Frederick County in 1738; and WHEREAS, in 1836 the General Assembly established Clarke County, which was named after George Rogers Clark, a Revolutionary War hero and the brother of William Clark the famous explorer; the Town of Boyce was incorporated in 1910 as the second town in Clarke County; and WHEREAS, depicted as "dense woods" in early descriptions, Boyce's growth was influenced by interesting individuals, such as Joseph Tuley, a wealthy entrepreneur who made a fortune by tanning leather in factories in nearby Millwood during the early 1800s; and WHEREAS, Joseph Tuley's antebellum mansion located just south of Boyce was named "The Tuleyries," a pun on the name of the French royal palace, The Tuileries; General Sheridan's troops quartered at The Tuleyries during the Civil War; and WHEREAS, the Virginia State Arboretum and Blandy Experimental Farm near Boyce were built on what was once Joseph Tuley's grand estate; and WHEREAS, after the Civil War, a prominent St. Louis attorney and Union officer, Colonel Upton Lawrence Boyce, married a niece of Joseph Tuley and the couple made The Tuleyries their home; and WHEREAS, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad Company obtained a charter to build a railroad from Hagerstown, Maryland, to Roanoke, running through downtown Boyce and providing transport for the county's livestock and goods; and WHEREAS, Colonel Boyce was instrumental in finding the money needed to finish laying the steel train rails when the financial panic of 1873 hit the country; and WHEREAS, residents named their community Boyceville to honor Colonel Boyce for his many contributions; and when the railroad finally came to town, 232 acres from five family farms were platted to plan and build what is now Boyce; and WHEREAS, in 1880 R. Powell Page and Addison H. Garvin opened a store and warehouse and John W. Sprint and Sons opened a second store; by the time the Town of Boyce incorporated on November 28, 1910, it had a school, bank, hotel, two livery stables, planing mill, two lumber yards, two grain elevators, and nine stores, including a hardware store, barbershop, butcher shop, harness shop, and department store; and WHEREAS, the Town of Boyce first held elections on December 20, 1910, and William Gaunt was elected mayor; George Garvin, M. O. Simpson, and John T. Sprint were elected as council members; and George Harrison was elected recorder; and WHEREAS, appearing on the National Register of Historic Places, the Town of Boyce remains an attractive and friendly community of residences and shops, churches, a school, eateries, and town offices amidst productive agricultural farmland that provides residents with a good quality of life; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate the Town of Boyce on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of the Town of Boyce as an expression of the General Assembly's recognition of the town's rich history and best wishes for a bright and prosperous future for its citizens. |
