[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 26, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE PLACEMENT OF ``JOSEPHINE CITY'' IN BERRYVILLE, VIRGINIA ON 
          THE NATIONAL AND STATE REGISTERS OF HISTORIC PLACES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2016

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Josephine Street 
community in Berryville, Virginia, has been officially designated a 
place of national historical significance and that the story of this 
proud African-American community has now been permanently included in 
the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia and of our nation.
  On February 9, 2015, as the newly elected member of Congress 
representing the Northern Shenandoah Valley, I submitted a letter 
enthusiastically endorsing the community's application to the Virginia 
Department of Historic Resources and the National Park Service, to be 
placed on the state and national registers of historic places, and 
within months I received word that both designations had been granted.
  What an incredibly inspiring place the Josephine Street community has 
been since its establishment in 1870, when the 24 founders--former 
slaves and free blacks--purchased 31 one-acre lots from the Clermont 
Farm property owned by Ellen McCormick and turned the land on either 
side of the mile-long street into a thriving community.
  In June of 2014, I was privileged to have been a part of an 
extraordinary walking tour of the community and will never forget the 
wonderful presentations by the elders of the community such as Viola 
Brown and Geneva Jackson. During this walking tour, I learned that the 
history of ``Josephine City'' is the story of a proud, resilient and 
resourceful people who, despite the ongoing negative effects of slavery 
and adversity of segregation, used their own talents, energies, and 
good will to build a remarkably self-sufficient and caring community 
that thrives to this day.
  Through the amazing energy and positive attitude of those early 
residents, a community had been created by the early 20th century that 
included a grade school and a high school, two churches, two public 
wells, two restaurants, stables, boarding houses (including one for 
teachers), a barber shop and gas station, a hat shop, a slaughterhouse, 
a clubhouse and a baseball team.
  I want to thank the many committed people who have been involved in 
obtaining this important historical designation, including Ms. Dee Dee 
Liggins, Reverend James Page, Jr. and Mr. Kenny Liggins of the 
Josephine Improvement Association; the leaders of the Josephine School 
Community Museum, including Dorothy Davis, Helen Carr, and Norma 
Johnson; the elected officials of Clarke County and Berryville; the 
Board of Directors of the Clarke County Historic Preservation 
Commission; and especially, Maral Kalbian, the architectural historian 
of Clarke County.
  All of these individuals and organizations have helped to ensure that 
future generations of Virginians and Americans will be inspired by the 
hard work and indomitable spirit of the residents of Josephine City 
who, despite adversity, created a thriving, caring, self-sufficient 
community that is a model for us all.

                          ____________________