Bound for Bedford

by

Travel

A blood-stained Bible, a wristwatch that likely stopped running in the first moments of D-Day, a picture of a boy who might have become an all-time great baseball player, and those symbols that tragically so many times are emblematic of the ultimate sacrifice—seven Purple Hearts.

If you visit Virginia’s Bedford County, you may be reminded of William Faulkner’s famous quote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

This is a county that not only honors its World War II hometown heroes, but many other historical eras, as well. Yet Bedford offers a great many present-day charms as well. Here’s what we experienced on a recent sojourn.

We spent our honeymoon in Bedford County at the Peaks of Otter Lodge and journeyed there for our one-year anniversary. For our 40th anniversary, we dined at one of our favorite restaurants anywhere, Liberty Station in downtown Bedford.

The Blue Ridge Parkway often brings us to many of these destinations, and the parkway has been the site for a number of picnic and bird watching expeditions over the years.

Bedford’s James River and Smith Mountain Lake attract anglers and boaters from around the country.

Fork’s Country Restaurant

We drove over from Botetourt County before breakfast, so we were quite hungry when we arrived in downtown Bedford. If you’re a connoisseur of Southern cuisine, Forks Country Restaurant is a must-visit. Owner Terri Cheek has helmed the restaurant since 1986.

“Our two biggest attractions are our employees, many of them having been with me for 20 or so years, plus our comfort food,” she says. “People come here to see and talk to my staff as much as they come to eat.”

Favorite breakfast entrees include the chocolate chip pancakes, chicken filet biscuit, and the wide selection of omelets. Regular customers often choose chicken dumplings or fried chicken for lunch. For breakfast, I relished the cheese omelet and butter biscuit, while Elaine dined on a biscuit adorned with a scrambled egg.

When we entered, an elderly gentleman dining by himself greeted us. “Welcome, good morning.” And when we departed, he said, “You all be safe, driving.”

Country western music played in the background, and pictures of John Wayne, Gene Autry, the Long Ranger, and Hop-Along Cassidy adorn the walls.

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Bound for Bedford

Bound for Bedford

Vintage posters and pictures are part of the appeal of the Bedford Boys Tribute Center. Bruce Ingram photo

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Bound for Bedford

Bound for Bedford

Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library manager Noelle Woodcock with a display of female and male WWII uniforms. Bruce Ingram photo

Destinations in History

Bedford is a must for folks interested in American history.

After breakfast we drove to the Bedford Boys Tribute Center.

On D-Day June 6, 1944, Bedford suffered, proportionally, the highest per capita loss of any community in the United States. Twenty young Bedford men died, 19 of them during the assault on Omaha Beach.

Ken Parker, executive director and, with his wife, Linda, co-founder of the center, said the intent is to link the boys from Normandy to the town of their youth.

“We have a large collection of Bedford Boys’ personal effects sent back to the parents,” he said. “Some of our more emotionally powerful items are the seven Purple Hearts, and Pfc. John Franklin Reynolds’ wristwatch and blood-stained Bible.”

The tribute center lies in Greens Drug Store, where many of the boys worked. Lead docent Gerry McCloskey aims to share the human side of the lads. For example, on display are the dice that Pfc. Wallace Carter used gambling with fellow soldiers. Carter sent all the money he earned to his parents.

Another display celebrates Sgt. Grant Yopp, who was the “Watermelon Spitting Champ of Bedford County.”

Elmer Wright appears in a picture with fellow major league baseball players Dizzy Dean and Roger Hornsby. “It’s no surprise that the baseball team that the boys formed in England while training won their league championship,” said McCloskey. “They had a MLB-quality player in the form of Wright.”

Another history-themed destination is the Bedford Museum and Genealogical Library.

“We have the Company A Room dedicated to the memory of the Bedford Boys,” said Manager Noelle Woodcock. “One wall contains artifacts having to do with them. Another World War II-themed exhibit honors local female soldiers from that time period.

“We also have a Civil War room that has some different type displays. For example, one is about mourning customs of the time period, and another has children’s toys from that era. There’s a ‘home front’ display that includes information about nurses in local hospitals, and medical artifacts.”

We saw the blood-letting scarificator that Civil War-era nurse Mary Oney Fizer applied as the literal cutting-edge medical technique of the time period, and the riding saddle Bedford’s Peter Huddleston employed both during the Civil War and afterwards during 30-plus years as county sheriff. Another display offered sawdust-stuffed dolls and a miniature china tea set, giving insight on what little girls played with during the Civil War.

A Little Bit of Everything

A must stop in downtown is Zimmerman’s A Little Bit of Everything. Owner Mark Zimmerman says he chose to open a store with a wide variety of items after tiring of the restaurant business.

For example, do you have a hankering for some Australia wine? Then try the affordable bottles of Woop Woop. Romanian spirits are also represented with wine, and check out the Belgium beers. Antiques, sauces, dressings, collectibles, furniture and a host of other products are available.

Of course, after being in business a few years, Zimmerman couldn’t resist adding a restaurant.

“Our menu changes on a daily basis, but I would say customer favorites are our tomato bisques, Reuben sandwich, and a variety of grilled cheese sandwiches.”

While Elaine and I were studying the menu, a waitress approached to said, “Hi, Mr. Ingram, do you remember me?” It was Abby Dudley, a former student of mine at Lord Botetourt High School. She gave us an overview of her favorite entrees. They included Johnny’s Pulled Chicken with BBQ sauce, which is named for Johnny, in the kitchen, who does indeed pull the chicken, and The Larken; a grilled cheese with brie and blackberry balsamic thyme jam, named for the young lady who devised the recipe. There was also Abby’s Italian, featuring salami, pepperoni and ham, with a provolone and pepper medley.

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Bound for Bedford

Bound for Bedford

Bedford Landings Bed & Breakfast adjoins an airstrip and overlooks Smith Mountain Lake. Owners Jack Phillips and Karen DeBord built their home with the intention of operating it as a B&B. Bruce Ingram photo

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Bound for Bedford

Bound for Bedford

Bedford Landings Bed & Breakfast adjoins an airstrip and overlooks Smith Mountain Lake. Owners Jack Phillips and Karen DeBord built their home with the intention of operating it as a B&B. Bruce Ingram photo

Bound for our Base

Karen DeBord and Jack Phillips operate the Bedford Landings B&B, which lies at Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta.

“Bedford and the lake area is a wonderful place to live and to visit,” DeBord said. “We were really attracted to the lake life when we visited. Besides the outdoor recreation at Smith Mountain, there’s a thriving arts culture, and historical attractions like the Booker T. Washington National Monument, National D-Day Memorial, and Bedford Boys Tribute Center.”

Since he was 15, Phillips has been flying small airplanes, and having an airport near the lake drew their attention. The couple purchased land adjacent to the airstrip in 2006 and built a home with the goal of operating it as a B&B. The four rooms sport themes based on some of his hobbies.

We stayed in The Fishing Room, with a view of the lake and, as a whimsical touch, fishing waders and various art and books about fish. Others include The Forest Room, The Flying Room, and the aptly named Fourth Room, which has a different aura every season.

We walked with Phillips to the home’s airplane hangar to see the two working planes he built, including the Pietenpol Air Camper facsimile that only goes 62 miles per hour.

On a less chilly visit we would have spent time on the patio or tried for a viewing of the Milky Way from the home’s star-gazing deck. Instead, we made a short stop to see the chickens that produced the eggs featured in the morning menu.

Breakfasts are a major reason Bedford Landing attracts many repeat visitors.

“Our thick sliced, pecan encrusted bacon with brown sugar and black pepper is our single most requested menu item,” DeBord said.

“Another popular item is our sausage gravy, and for every breakfast we try to include a meat, fruit, bread, and an egg … a main dish like our Kahlua Caramel French Toast or the Southern Casserole. It contains many foods expected in the South like grits, cornbread, eggs, sausage, and cheese.”

Dinner at Liberty Station

Liberty Station’s history—the building is included in the National Register of Historic Districts—is as fascinating as the signature cheesecake. For generations, the structure served as a railroad station and the center of Bedford.

“Our signature entrees are our Salt and Pepper Catfish and N&W Prime Rib,” said owner Heather Williams. “Weekly, we probably go through approximately 200 pounds of catfish, and our prime rib is marinated for three to five days, and seasoned with herbs before we slow roast to serve.

“Our cheese cakes are our claim to fame and our biggest selling desserts,” she said. For dinner, Elaine chose the Chicken and Cornbread Stuffing, while I selected Grilled Salmon Filet, which is always one of my favorites. We opted for Key Lime Pie for dessert. As always, everything was perfect.

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Bound for Bedford

Bound for Bedford

The Necrology Wall lists some 2500 Americans and another 1900 or so allies’ service members who died on June 6, 1944. Bruce Ingram photo

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This simulation of soldiers storming Omaha Beach is one of the most important displays at the National D-Day Memorial. Bruce Ingram photo

National D-Day Memorial

The National D-Day Memorial honors the bravery and sacrifice of all Allied forces during the June 6, 1944, Normandy invasion.

Visitors can explore the 88-acre site, which includes evocative sculptures, plaques, and a reflective pool, all designed to deepen understanding of the D-Day operation that ushered in the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe.

“I think our most poignant display is our Necrology Wall, listing some 2,500 Americans and another 1,900 or so allies’ service members who died on June 6, 1944,” said site Director of Education John Long.

The memorial displays a Higgins boat, which is one of the personnel carriers that ferried troops ashore from ships off the French coast. “Only about nine are known to still exist in the U.S.,” he said.

Of special interest were details about what a typical American soldier carried in his knapsack (rations, drink powders, first-aid kit, spare socks and skivvies); the poignancy of the rows of names on the Necrology Wall; and a simulation of what approaching Omaha Beach from the sea would have been like.

Though we’ve been there many times, we will enjoy another visit to Bedford.