The slide presentation at the Booker T. Washington National Monument is inspirational, but that is not surprising.  The subject is the phenomenal journey of a young boy, born here in slavery, who grew up to found Tuskegee Institute and become an unofficial advisor to three United States presidents.  The images of this 15-minute program are poignant and the evocation of the life of young Booker T. Washington striking.  It sets the stage for your walking tour of this pre-Civil War plantation.

The Plantation Trail takes you through a partial reconstruction of James and Elizabeth Burroughs's 200-acre tobacco farm.  It was typical of the area's working-class farms on which slaves were used to grow a cash crop of tobacco.  A reconstructed kitchen cabin stands near the location of the original cabin where a slave child, simply called Booker, was born in the spring of 1856.  Like many slave cabins of the period, it has no windows, just crude openings and a bare earth floor.  Booker, his mother Jane, his brother John and his sister Amanda slept on rags piled in the corner of a similar cabin.  The slide show quotes young Booker on the discomfort of a new flax shirt.  It felt like chestnut burrs pressed against his skin.  He also complained about the slaves' crude wooden shoes.

As a child, Booker carried water, fed the livestock, took corn to the mill and fanned flies away while the Burroughs family ate.  Though his ambition as a boy was to "secure and eat ginger-cakes" like his owner's daughters, he developed more ambitious goals.  After Emancipation in 1865, he moved with his family to West Virginia.  Life was still hard, but he was finally permitted to learn reading and writing.  His workday at a salt furnace began at 4:00 A.M. and he studied the alphabet at night.  When he heard about the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute for African Americans, he became determined to attend although he had no idea where it was located or how he could get there.

Booker walked and begged rides across Virginia to reach Hampton.  His experiences at this school changed his life.  Because of his outstanding scholastic performance, the principal at Hampton recommended Washington for a position as principal at a school in Tuskegee, Alabama.  When Washington arrived in Tuskegee, there were no teachers, classrooms, supplies or campus.  Washington, however, established the school and made it successful.

Booker T. Washington's roots were in the rural Piedmont farm where he lived as a slave and he referred to his early days on the plantation throughout his life.  In fact, his most autobiographical book was called Up From Slavery.  It is amazing to reflect, as you walk the paths of this out-of-the-way farm, that a slave boy born here ended up having tea with Queen Victoria and informally advising Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt and Taft.

The National Park Service maintains the farm today.  On this living historical farm are reconstructed 19th-century buildings, farm animals, a kitchen garden and fields of tobacco and other crops.  During the summer months, interpreters dressed in 19th-century garb are on hand.  The visitor center at Booker T. Washington National Monument is open year-round.  Park hours are from 9:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.

While in the area you may want to visit nearby Smith Mountain Lake, a state park rivaling Lake Tahoe in beauty and sports opportunity, according to Virginia enthusiasts.  With 525 miles of shoreline, this is the largest lake within Virginia’s boundaries.  The Blue Ridge Mountains form a backdrop for fishing, boating, swimming and camping at this 22,000 acre manmade lake.  There are numerous marinas and campgrounds around the lake. 

The well-stocked lake offers record-size striped bass and muskies.  Altogether 5,000 acres have been set aside for hunting, fishing and wildlife development.  Local game includes squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, woodchuck, whitetail deer and an occasional bear.  Game birds include dove, quail and wild turkey.  

There is a Smith Mountain Dam Visitors Center with energy exhibits and an overlook.  Guided tours are given but call ahead for scheduling details at (540) 985-2587.  For information on all the activities in the Smith Mountain Lake area call (800) 676-8203.

Directions:  From I-81 in the Roanoke Valley, take I-581 south to Route 220 to Rocky Mount.  At Rocky Mount follow directional signs north on Route 122 to the park.  For the lake continue north on Route 122.