Martinsville teacher publishes book highlighting historic, untold stories from Patrick County

MARTINSVILLE, Virginia. – A Martinsville Middle School history teacher shares the untold stories of Patrick County in her newly released book, “Patrick Pioneers Part One.”

Beverly Belcher Woody spent three years writing the book, but her fascination with the story began long before that.

“I’ve always loved history, ever since I was a little kid. I just love hearing about ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” Woody said.

“Patrick Pioneers Part One” is a compilation of 100 stories of people who lived in Patrick County, dating back to the 18th century.

“If we don’t continue to share and tell these stories, they will be lost forever. And some of them have done truly miraculous things and they are survivors,” Woody said.

Some stories come from her own family and have been passed down through generations.

“This is a recipe for baked chicken that my grandmother wrote down. She said, ‘Go to the henhouse at night. Choose a chicken that is fairly plump but not too fat. Grab it by the legs and hold it by the neck so it doesn’t cluck,'” Woody read.

Woody plans to tell even more stories in the second part, which she is already working on.

“I’ve only just scratched the surface of what can be shared in Patrick County alone. Every community has stories like this, every community. But this is just my small contribution to the world,” she said.

“Patrick Pioneers Part One” is currently available on Amazon.

Woody plans to donate proceeds from book sales to the Patrick County Historical Society and Museum and the Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Museum to be used for educational programs for youth.

The book will be offered for sale for the first time on July 28 at 2 p.m. during the “Tom Talks History” program at the Ararat Ruritan Club.

Proceeds from the day’s book sales will benefit the Perry Family Scholarship, which supports prospective students at Patrick County High School who are pursuing a history degree.