| In the little community of West Point, Virginia where I | | | | School, a private kindergarten, was taught there. Later, |
| live, we haven't saved many of our old historic | | | | when there were public school kindergartens, the |
| buildings. Some of that loss is due to fires that burned | | | | community center class shifted to a nursery school. |
| near the turn of the 20th century and destroyed many | | | | For many years, the building housed a teen club with |
| of the structures in the old downtown. | | | | Friday evening dances. Perhaps most memorable of |
| Recently, we had a chance to rescue an important | | | | all, art classes were taught on the upper floor in a |
| aging building that over the years has served a huge | | | | flood of light beneath wide skylights in the ceiling. |
| number of citizens in our little town. People talked | | | | The sprawling brick building held lots of memories for |
| among themselves about the importance of saving the | | | | townspeople of all ages. |
| old "community center," one of the few remaining | | | | Bulldozing equipment has wiped those memories |
| buildings with plenty of history, but no one came | | | | away. Memories have been leveled for a parking lot or |
| forward with ideas or the funding to rescue it. | | | | flattened for some other purpose. |
| Town officials involved said it would be far too | | | | West Point is a truly historic town. Soon after the |
| expensive to renovate this big old brick building that in | | | | settling of the first permanent English colony at |
| recent years has housed a medical center. They | | | | Jamestown, Captain John Smith explored the rivers |
| simply did not have the money to fix it up. | | | | and creeks that surround this community. The Indian |
| Sad that keeping a piece of town history came down | | | | tribes were here long before that and two |
| to money. But it did. | | | | reservations, the Mattaponi and the Pamunkey, remain |
| In the mid-1900s, this building served as a central | | | | situated nearby. |
| gathering place for the town. Civic clubs met there. | | | | Surely, a community with history that dates back so |
| Dinners and luncheons were served for all kinds of | | | | far should welcome the opportunity to keep its historic |
| groups. Children took dancing classes. Before the days | | | | buildings for future generations to visit. Sadly, this one |
| of kindergarten in public schools, York River Day | | | | did not. |