The Botetourt County Courthouse

With Virginia and the nation celebrating 250 years of freedom from England in 2026, I thought it might be fun to occasionally bring up some local history. At one time, Botetourt County stretched all the way to the Mississippi and into Wisconsin, which means my county's history is also the history of much of the nation.

Botetourt County Courthouse 2024

Our county courthouse renovation has caused quite a stir among the local citizens. Many opposed the construction of a new facility because the old courthouse building was an iconic feature of Fincastle, the county seat.

However, the story of Botetourt County’s courthouse is not a simple tale of an old building finally giving way to time. It is a long cycle of loss, rebuilding, and adaptation, stretching back more than 250 years.

Botetourt’s first courthouse dates to the 1770s, when county business was conducted in a log structure that reflected the realities of a frontier region. When Botetourt was formed, this area was basically the wild west.

By 1820, the county had grown enough to warrant a permanent structure. That year former president Thomas Jefferson designed a new courthouse for Botetourt and sent the plans from Monticello. His influence would linger far longer than that single building.

In the 1840s, a more substantial Greek Revival courthouse rose in Fincastle. Built between 1841 and 1848, it became the architectural centerpiece of the town. This courthouse carried forward some of Jefferson’s original design and stood for more than a century. 

That ended in 1970, when the courthouse was destroyed by fire. In the immediate aftermath, historians feared that Botetourt’s records, some dating back to colonial times, had been lost. According to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, those documents survived because they were stored in a secure vault. The fear of the loss of records to fire forced the Virginia General Assembly to pass legislation requiring deeds, wills, and other vital records to be copied and microfilmed, with the duplicates sent to the Library of Virginia in Richmond for safekeeping.

The courthouse itself, though, had to be replaced. In 1975, a new building went up on the same site. Although it looked old, it was not. Designed as a modern structure wrapped in historical clothing, it incorporated the four surviving columns from the 19th-century courthouse and echoed Jefferson’s proportions and layout. 

For 50 years, that building served the county. Over time, however, its limitations became impossible to ignore. It did not meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, for one thing. Nor could it be adapted to modern security standards. Mold infestation became a persistent problem, and water leaks plagued both the roof and the walls. The courthouse may have looked solid, but it was no longer safe or functional for the people who worked there daily, including judges, clerks, and staff, or for members of the public who regularly conducted business inside.

Under Virginia law, specifically §15.2-1643, counties are required to provide adequate courthouse facilities. Botetourt had little choice. Repairing the building was not feasible given the extent of the damage and the lack of space. If the county had not acted, the judiciary could have ordered the construction of a new courthouse anyway.

A rendering of the new courthouse alongside the old structure.

By this point, the county’s historic records were no longer stored on paper alone. They are now preserved digitally, a direct descendant of the reforms prompted by the 1970 fire. Still, the building that housed them had reached the end of its useful life.

In May 2025, the 1975 courthouse was dismantled. Construction is now underway on a new facility, part of a $35.7 million project. When completed, the new courthouse is expected to look much like the ones that came before it, continuing the architectural thread that began with Jefferson more than two centuries ago. Completion is projected for July 2027.

Throughout all these changes, one thing has remained constant. The Botetourt County Courthouse has long drawn genealogists and historians. They know that the county's early records apply not only to Virginia, but to places that are now entire states away. The building itself may keep changing, but the county courthouse remains a keeper of history. Our legacy will survive.

Sunday Stealing

One Word Answers ONLY

1. Where is your cell phone? - Desk

2. Tell us about your hair. - Gray

3. What's your favorite thing? - Sunshine

4. What room are you in? - Office

5. Where did you grow up? - Country

6. What aren't you good at? - Drawing

7.  Your favorite drink? - Water

8. Where do you want to be in 10 years? - Alive

9. Your mood. - Eh

10. Last time you cried. - Funeral

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: So Young

Saturday 9: You Make Me Feel So Young (1956)

 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This morning, do you feel younger or older than your years?

A. I think I just feel my age.

 

2) In this song, Frank Sinatra tells us that every time he sees his lover's grin, he's happy. What's something you can reliably count on to lift your spirits?

A. Disco music. I know it gets a bad rap, but it is hard to sit still when disco is playing.

 

3) The lyrics mention hide-and-seek. What games did you play when you were young? 

A. The usual. Hide-and-seek, jacks, Monopoly, tag, dodge ball, etc.

4) Frank Sinatra was a fan of Campbell's chicken and rice soup, believing it helped his throat feel better after an evening of performing. Is Campbell's soup in your kitchen right now?

A. Yes, of course it is.

 

5) Frank's favorite dessert was a slice of lemon ricotta torte. He believed every meal should include "a final flourish." Do you more often indulge in or skip dessert?

A. I do both and I don't keep track, so I have no idea whether I indulge more often or skip dessert more often.

 

6) At Sinatra's home in Palm Springs, CA, you'd find a less sophisticated dessert. He always kept Entenmann's Crumb Cake on hand for his young granddaughters. Share a memory of your grandparents. 

A. My grandmother on my mother's side kept a "rag bag" in the bottom of the hall closet. We'd pull old sheets, towels, etc., out of there and play with them. Those old pieces of cloth became capes while we were superheroes, tents, blankets, - whatever we needed. My grandfather was a gruffly kind man who worked really hard, but he would pay us all a quarter each to mow the yard. Then we'd troop up to the Orange Market for a soda, a candy bar, and a comic book - all for 25 cents. 

 

7) In 1956, when this song was popular, Frank was tooling around Southern California in a blue Continental Mark II. That model was known for its interior of hand-stitched imported Scottish leather. 70 years later, Scottish leather is still used in luxury cars because it's both soft and durable and the production methods minimize environmental impact. If you could splurge on something right now, what would it be? A luxury car, jewelry, travel, clothes, something else? (No responsible answers allowed!)

A. I would travel, but I'd want to take an entourage with me. Someone to pack, make the reservations, ensure I get on the plane or train, do my hair, pick out my clothes, whatever. I mean, if I'm going to splurge, I may as well do it up like Madonna, right?

 

8) Also in 1956, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Forbidden Planet were popular at the box office. Do you have a favorite sci-fi movie?

A. I will go with a Star Wars movie, although I'm also torn between a Star Trek one.

 

9) Random question: What were you doing three hours ago?

A. I was eating a bowl of Cheerios.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen #945

Things That Exist for No Good Reason

1. The tiny pocket inside the bigger pocket on jeans.

2. The plastic “window” on envelopes that never lines up with the address.

3. The perforated edges on frozen‑food boxes that never tear cleanly.

4. The little paper circles hole‑punchers spit everywhere.

5. The twist‑ties that come with every loaf of bread even though no one uses them correctly.

6. The cardboard tube inside wrapping paper that immediately collapses.

7. The stickers on fruit that require surgical precision to remove.

8. The extra button sewn into shirts that never matches anything you own (except maybe that particular shirt).

9. The plastic tabs on milk jugs that serve no purpose except to fall into the sink.

10. The “open here” arrows on packaging that point to the strongest glue known to humankind.

11. The cardboard sleeves on hot takeout cups that never stay put.

12. The fake drawers under kitchen sinks that taunt you with their uselessness.

13. The tags on throw pillows that are longer than the pillow itself.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 945th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

A Caricature of Me

 

My Facebook friends are all having ChatGPT make a caricature of themselves. Some of them are really cute. So, I asked ChatGPT to make one of me. This is what it came up with. 

A cow, a bluebird, a guitar, a notebook and pencil, and a cup of something with my beloved Blue Ridge in the background.

Winter's Benefit

This winter has been brutal with its cold, ice and snow. While each winter has its own personality, this one has been particularly brisk. 

We've had several mild winters in recent years, and nothing like the current deep freeze in a very long time. This year, the biting cold and ice feel almost corrective, as if nature is taking a long, bracing breath to let us know she's here. 

In moments like this, I hope that the bitter cold is doing more than numbing our fingers and making it hard to feed the cattle. I cross my fingers and wonder if it might also be thinning out the ranks of the insects that have plagued our homes, gardens, and forests. 

Stink bugs, spotted lanternflies, and other invasive pests have become unwelcome fixtures in Virginia. Could a hard freeze help eliminate these pests?

I went looking to see what I could find out.

Basically, extreme cold can kill bugs, but the story depends on the species, the timing, and the way each insect has adapted to survive winter.

The Limits of Insect Toughness

Most insects survive winter by entering a state called diapause. This is a kind of suspended animation that slows their metabolism and helps them conserve energy. Many also produce natural antifreeze compounds that keep their cells from rupturing in the cold. But these adaptations have limits. Every species has a “lethal temperature threshold,” the point at which cold overwhelms their defenses.

For the brown marmorated stink bug, which showed up in Virginia about 20 years ago, that threshold is surprisingly high. Research shows that prolonged exposure to temperatures below 14°F (–10°C) can kill a significant portion of the population. A deep freeze that lasts several days can reduce their numbers, especially if it arrives suddenly before they’ve fully acclimated. 

The catch is that stink bugs often overwinter inside human structures. They're in our attics, wall voids, barns - basically anywhere temperatures stay warmer than the outdoors. The ones tucked into your siding will likely survive; the ones sheltering in leaf litter or tree bark may not.

The spotted lanternfly, a far newer invader, has a different vulnerability. Adults die off each winter regardless of temperature, but their egg masses are the real concern. Studies suggest that lanternfly eggs begin to suffer mortality when temperatures drop below 10°F (–12°C), and extended cold can kill a large percentage. 

Because lanternflies lay eggs on exposed surfaces such as trees, rocks, firewood, and outdoor equipment, they are more at the mercy of the weather than stink bugs. A deep freeze can meaningfully reduce the number of hatchlings come spring.

Other pests, such as ticks, emerald ash borers, and certain agricultural insects, also face winter mortality when temperatures plunge. But again, survival depends on microclimates: a few inches of insulating snow, a south‑facing slope, or a warm pocket under bark can make the difference between life and death.

Why Timing Matters

A sudden cold snap after a mild autumn can be especially damaging to insects. If they haven’t fully hardened off, meaning a physiological process that prepares them for winter, they are more likely to die. Conversely, if the freeze arrives after weeks of steady cooling, many species will already be in their most resilient state.

This year’s freeze, arriving after a stretch of unseasonably warm days in December, may have caught some pests off guard. Egg masses, nymphs, and adults that failed to find proper shelter could experience higher mortality than usual.

The Hope and the Reality

A deep freeze rarely wipes out an entire pest population. Nature is too redundant, too stubborn, too adaptive for that. But winter can knock populations down a notch, buying time for ecosystems, agriculture, and homeowners. Even a 20–40% reduction in surviving eggs or adults can translate into noticeably fewer pests in the spring and summer.

For invasive species like the lanternfly, which have no natural predators here and reproduce explosively, every bit of winter mortality helps. For stink bugs, which have become frustratingly adept at using human structures as winter condos, the effect is more modest but still meaningful.

A Quiet Partnership with Winter

There’s something satisfying about imagining the cold doing some of the work for us. In a world where invasive species often feel unstoppable, winter reminds us that the natural world still has its own checks and balances. The deep freeze may not be a silver bullet, but it is a quiet ally. It is thinning the ranks, slowing the spread, and giving our forests, orchards, and homes a brief reprieve from these damaging insects.

And when spring finally arrives, the survivors will emerge. Hopefully, they will be fewer in number.

References

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)
• Cira, T. M., et al. “Cold Tolerance of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.” Environmental Entomology, 2016.
• Penn State Extension. “Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: Winter Survival and Cold Tolerance.”
• USDA ARS. “Invasive Stink Bug Winter Mortality Research.” Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)
• Urban, J. M. “Perspective: Shedding Light on the Spotted Lanternfly.” Environmental Entomology, 2020.
• Penn State Extension. “Spotted Lanternfly Egg Mass Survival in Winter.”
• USDA APHIS. “Spotted Lanternfly: Biology and Seasonal Patterns.”
General Insect Cold Tolerance
• Sinclair, B. J., et al. “Insect Cold Tolerance: Ecology, Physiology, and Evolution.” Annual Review of Entomology, 2015.
• Virginia Cooperative Extension. “How Winter Temperatures Affect Insect Populations.”