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“I live for those who love me.”
That was the life motto of Culpeper legend Thomas Obed (T.O.) Madden Jr., owner of a 1,200-acre farm in Culpeper County.
Madden was Culpeper’s largest African American landowner at the time, followed only by the Inskeep family and the Swans. Madden was born in 1903 to his two school teachers and by the 1970s had come to own nearly half of Culpeper County’s farmland.
On February 13, the Culpeper History Museum partnered with the African American Heritage Alliance to host a panel discussion about the lives of Culpeper County’s most influential African Americans, featuring Madden along with other early 20th century figures. The extraordinary contribution of was highlighted. From the late 1800s to his 20th century.
Eugene French, a Brandy Station resident and member of numerous boards and organizations, including service as Piedmont Minority Secretary, veteran farmer, and associate pastor of Rising Zion Baptist Church in Winston, Virginia. -Triplett Jr. was part of the panel and spoke about farming and Madden’s extraordinary life.
“T.O. was an extraordinary man,” he said. “He did something that very few black people did at the time…He got a lot of land! He bought everything for cash.”
Triplett explained how Madden was frugal, saving money and avoiding obstacles African Americans had to face when obtaining loans, such as unusually high interest rates.
“During the summer, we had boys from Virginia Baptist School in Petersburg come and work for us,” Triplett said. “Some of the boys he took in were orphans, others who got into trouble. He was able to teach them a work ethic… At the time, he was at risk of losing their land. We were also helping people who were exposed to.”
Angela Dennis Jeffers Chapman, a lifelong Culpeper resident and contributor to Culpeper’s historic projects, also spoke on the panel, providing an overview of African American education in Culpeper County.
“Here in Culpeper County, there was a lot of inadequacy and very little education.
African American children. There was another education system, an example of which was books.
We had different books, we didn’t have enough school supplies,” she said, adding that some parents, demanding the same educational equality, had given up land in the county to build new schools for their children. He explained the process behind offering and selling the plots.
“There was no high school for black students in the county until George Washington Carver Regional High School was established in October 1948 to serve students in grades 8 through 11.”
“There was no 12th grade until the fall of 1955,” Chapman said.
Annie Laura Payne Lovell (left) and Henry Gordon “Ace” Payne (left).
The school served Orange, Madison, Rappahannock, and Culpeper counties, with gradual consolidation occurring in the 1960s.
Chapman went on to talk about the life of Annie Laura Payne Lovell, a schoolteacher in Culpeper for more than 40 years.
After earning a degree in business administration from the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute in Petersburg in 1913, Lovell worked until the 1950s, teaching at the former A.G. Richardson, then known as the Culpeper County Training School.
She was known as a pillar of the community and passed away in 1990 at the age of 97.
Zan Nelson, historical researcher, author, and advocate of setting the record straight, concluded the panel discussion on issues of civic engagement and public concern.
“There was an expectation that people in positions of status, whether they were teachers or successful businessmen, would and should use their positions to address issues of public interest.” she says. “This has created an environment that requires intelligence, creativity and perseverance.”
Nelson spoke about the life of Henry Gordon “Ace” Payne, who had a lifetime of public service to Culpeper County.
Born around 1915 in Culpeper, Payne was a sergeant during World War II, a third-generation barber who was instrumental in the success and patronage of George Washington Carver Regional High School, and was involved in community service throughout his life. , spoke out to improve people’s lives. others. He was an active member of his Antioch Baptist church and was active in social service, politics, voting, and equality for all people throughout his life.
The event, which honored Black History Month and highlighted important structural contributions within Culpeper, was both enlightening and emotional for some attendees. Questions asked after the panel discussion demonstrated a deep-rooted sense of unity and pride in understanding how ethnic minorities work together within the bonds of community.
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