Sports & Recreation

Walk in the footsteps of Virginia’s earliest hikers.

For more than two decades hikers on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia walked through some of the most beautiful landscapes of the southern mountains. Then, in 1952, the Appalachian Trail Conference moved the trail more than 50 miles to the west. Lost in that move were opportunities to scramble over the Pinnacles of Dan, to sit on Fisher’s Peak and gaze out over the North Carolina Piedmont, or to cross the New River on a flat-bottomed boat called Redbud for a nickel.

Historian and lifelong hiker Mills Kelly tells the story of a 300-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that is all but forgotten by hikers, but not by the residents of the Southwestern Virginia counties that the trail used to cross.

The deadrise and cross-planked bottom style of boatbuilding started on Chesapeake Bay in the 1880s, when builders of wooden boats began to shift away from constructing vessels out of logs and into using planks to create hulls with a V-shaped bottom. Marine historian Howard I. Chapelle says that the style started in the North and Deep South (on the Gulf of Mexico)—but was not popular in those areas—before coming to Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay’s choppy, shoal water conditions were ideal for a shoal draft, V-bottom style of boat. The availability of good wood, a dynamic cottage industry that grew, and diverse inshore fisheries that supported a bay-wide fleet all encouraged demand for various sizes of wooden deadrise boats on the bay. Over time, the hull style became so popular that in 1985, the State of Maryland named the deadrise and cross-planked sailing skipjack as Maryland’s state boat, and Virginia’s legislature named the motor-powered classic deadrise style as the state boat of Virginia. 

During the 1880s, Chesapeake Bay boatbuilders began constructing small wooden open boats, referred to as deadrise boats, out of planks with V-shaped bows. As boatbuilders created larger deadrise boats, decks were installed to provide more work and payload space; these deck boats also had a house/pilothouse near the stern and a mast closer to the bow of the boat. Deck boats were powered by gasoline engines but also utilized sails and wind. From the 1910s to the 1940s, auxiliary “steadying” sails were raised to help steady the boat when encountering adverse seas. More deck boats were built in the 1920s than in any other decade. Over the history of the boats, several thousand worked the bay in the freight business, were used to buy and plant oysters, worked in the bay’s pound net fishery, and dredged for crabs and oysters. Approximately 40 boats are left on the bay. A few still work the water. Some have found new life as recreational yachts, and others are education boats owned by museums and nonprofits. In 2004, boat owners formed the Chesapeake Bay Buyboat Association, which holds an annual rendezvous at different ports as a way to educate the public about this unique aspect of Chesapeake Bay maritime history.

Every history of the Appalachian Trail tells the story from the top down, focusing on who proposed the trail, who built it, who maintain it, and on a few of the most famous hikers. A Hiker’s History of Appalachian Trail tells the trail’s history from the ground up, or more accurately, from the boots up.

Several million hikers each year set foot on the trail for a few hours, a few days, or perhaps a few weeks. The trail was created for them, yet their role in its history is largely ignored. Working with trail shelter logbooks, hiker accounts submitted to trail clubs, newspaper and magazine stories about the experiences of casual hikers, Mills Kelly reveals what it was like to hike the trail from the late 1920s until the 2020s.

What did those hikers eat? What kind of gear did they carry? Why did they go hiking in the first place? What was their relationship to the natural world they found along the trail? What was it like to hike as a woman, as a person of color, as someone with a disability? And how did all those things change over the 100 years of the trail’s history?

For over 200 years, Northern Virginia has enjoyed a respected reputation for its equestrian heritage. The present-day home of horse museums and libraries, as well as breeding, sports, and shows of all sort, Northern Virginia truly is "hunt country." Northern Virginia's Equestrian Heritage showcases the area's early hunting history and offers a singular glimpse into the past glory days of fox hunts, hound-breeding, horse races, and horse shows. Beautiful estates where men and women gathered, partied, and hunted once dotted the landscape; today, however, many of these estates remain only in photographs and memories. The area's picturesque countryside has enticed well-known families, including the Kennedys and the DuPont Scotts, to join in the local favored pastime. Some of the world's best fox hunting took place in Loudoun County before the Civil War; afterwards, the hounds were let loose and very few quality packs remained. It took the combined help of fox hunters and land barons to reinstate the breeding of prestigious hounds and increase the sport's popularity once again. Upperville, the home of America's oldest horse show, dates to 1853 and has given shape to horse shows all over the country. Even women's place in equestrian history was rallied for in Northern Virginia; Viola Townsend Winmill, who became one of the "first ladies" of fox hunting, and her husband Robert C. Winmill lived in Warrenton for more than 50 years and played polo, raced horses, raised hounds, and collected coaches.

Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks share an incredibly rich surfing history. Virginia Beach is home to major surfing institutions so iconic and long lasting they are simply referred to as "ECSC,'? "WRV'? and "17th Street.'? Of course, the Outer Banks has the consistent waves. The barrels. The lighthouse. Its beaches have been the setting for iconic moments in the history of the Eastern Surfing Association. Local surfing historian Tony Lillis chronicles the rich history of surfing along Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks from the early twentieth century, when world travelers brought home tales of Hawaiian surfing, through the heyday of the 1960s and into the twenty-first century.

From the August 1957 VIR race program: "The rolling Virginia hills have been painstakingly clad with an ultra-smooth skin of macadam to provide a course of great natural beauty. The superb spectator visibility is nicely equated to a road layout that will test the best in racing machines and men." In the late 1950s, a group of sports car enthusiasts dreamed of creating a first-class racing facility. The result was Virginia International Raceway, a challenging 3.2-mile course with 12 turns, 2 straightaways, and over 100 feet of elevation change. Located in southern Virginia, east of Danville and just across the North Carolina border, the track opened in 1957. During VIR's first 18 years of existence, races featured some of the top names in American motorsports including Carroll Shelby, Roger Penske, Walt Hansgen, and Richard Petty. The track also hosted numerous important events including SCCA Nationals, the President's Cup, a Trans-Am race in the first season of that circuit, as well as IMSA races in the early 1970s. Facing financial difficulties, the track shut down in 1974, and for the next 25 years VIR was a cow pasture. It was reopened in 2000 and the outstanding new facility is again one of the top racing venues in the country.

From 1895 until 1969, the city of Portsmouth, Virginia, fielded a professional minor league team. Fans flocked to see the Truckers, Cubs, Merrimacs, and Tides as they battled opponents on the dirt and grass of local diamonds. Many locals are surprised to discover that such renowned ballplayers as Pie Traynor, Hack Wilson, Eddie Stanky, and Harry "The Cat" Breechen got their start in Portsmouth. In 1933, Negro League legend Buck Leonard first played for the Portsmouth Revels and later returned to briefly star with the 1953 Merrimacs, his only opportunity to play integrated ball during his storied career. A number of former big-name players guided the team from the bench including Tony Lazzeri, Jimmie Foxx, and Pepper Martin to name a few.

The images in this pictorial volume showcase only a fragment of the vast chronology of baseball as it was played in Portsmouth over the years. Yet their visual appeal and historical representation of the game allow the reader to experience and recall what it was once like to have the National Pastime as an integral part of the city.

The Chesapeake Bay has been a multifaceted engine of American history and commerce since its first settlers touched the shore in the early 1600s.

Since English settlers first touched the shore of the new country in 1607, the Chesapeake Bay has been a multifaceted engine of American history and commerce. The body of inland tidal water between the largest bay cities, Norfolk and Baltimore, was large enough to be the setting of adventure and close enough to allow smaller towns and cities to grow up on its shores. The common community came to life with the technologies of steamboats that could cover the long distances between North and South relatively quickly. Steamers filled in the nooks and crannies of the bay's geography, and by the mid-19th century, the skies over the bay were lined with dark, waterborne contrails in all directions. Strong machines built to master rough seas while moving gently enough for small harbors, many steamers had life spans that crossed whole eras in American history.

Some were drafted into distinguished service in domestic and foreign wars. The steamers plied the bay and its rivers with a feminine grace well into the mid-20th century, when they were overtaken by the rush of modern times. The last steamer sailed into oblivion exactly 150 years after the first of them appeared in Baltimore harbor.

Pictured is the legendary Myers Field c. 1950, where Norfolk ballplayers, visiting major league stars, and Piedmont League opponents once dueled upon its dirt and grass. The story of baseball in Norfolk, Virginia is as fascinating and enduring as the game itself. Christy Mathewson, Phil Rizzuto, Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, and a myriad of other charismatic players from the game spent time developing their raw and untested skills on the diamonds of Norfolk. Military stars of the powerful World War II Navy teams and legends of the Negro Leagues performed to the delight and fascination of local fans. Over the years, the mighty New York Yankees with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio showcased their mythical talents during scheduled exhibitions, as did dozens of other big league teams and their stars.

The images depicted within this pictorial feature only a fragment of the vast chronology of the game of baseball as it was played in Norfolk over the years. They allow the reader to revisit the past, examine the present, and ponder the future of baseball in the city of Norfolk. All photographs were painstakingly selected by the authors for their dynamic visual appeal and historical impact to accurately reflect the story of baseball in Norfolk.

From Daddy Boschen's first professional baseball "shoe shop team" to our current Richmond Braves, from the ballyards of the old fairgrounds of Monroe Park to the Diamond on the Boulevard, baseball in Richmond has flourished. Whether known as the Bluebirds, Bloody Shirts, Lawmakers, Crows, Johnnie Rebs, Colts, Vees, or Braves, each team brought fans through the turnstiles to cheer them to victory, and those fans always left the park with lasting baseball memories. Richmond's ball-gardens and cranks played host to the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, and Ted Williams, as well as homegrown stars, including Billy Nash, Ray Dandridge, Eddie Mooers, Tom West, and Granny Hamner.

Every history of the Appalachian Trail tells the story from the top down, focusing on who proposed the trail, who built it, who maintain it, and on a few of the most famous hikers. A Hiker’s History of Appalachian Trail tells the trail’s history from the ground up, or more accurately, from the boots up.

Several million hikers each year set foot on the trail for a few hours, a few days, or perhaps a few weeks. The trail was created for them, yet their role in its history is largely ignored. Working with trail shelter logbooks, hiker accounts submitted to trail clubs, newspaper and magazine stories about the experiences of casual hikers, Mills Kelly reveals what it was like to hike the trail from the late 1920s until the 2020s.

What did those hikers eat? What kind of gear did they carry? Why did they go hiking in the first place? What was their relationship to the natural world they found along the trail? What was it like to hike as a woman, as a person of color, as someone with a disability? And how did all those things change over the 100 years of the trail’s history?

Virginia, mother of presidents, is also the mother of American horse racing. From the very beginning, Virginians have risked it all on the track as eagerly as on the battlefield. Follow the bloodlines of three foundation sires of the American Thoroughbred through generations of rollicking races and larger-than-life grandees wagering kingly stakes, sometimes on horses not yet born. How did the horse nicknamed Damn His Eyes get protection money from other horse owners? What did it mean to tap the claret to break a neck-and-neck tie? Why was Confederate cavalry so much better than Union—was it the riders, or was it the mounts? All these and many more stories of horsemanship on and off the track fill the pages of Virginia Horse Racing: Triumphs of the Turf.

Just steps from the shores of the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth's historic Olde Towne sits the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. From its inception in 1966, this special shrine celebrating the legendary sports heroes of the Commonwealth has grown into one of the most respected and admired museums honoring athletic excellence the state level. Since its first inaugural class was announced in 1972, more than 230 individuals have become esteemed members of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and were awarded special places of honor in the Hall. Inductees are legendary in the world of sports; they have names such as Arthur Ashe, Sam Snead, Lawrence Taylor, Moses Malone, Eppa Rixey, Ann Donovan, Bruce Smith, and David Robinson to mention only a few.

From its humble beginnings as a club team with hand-me-down football jerseys, William and Mary men's soccer team has become an exemplary intercollegiate program. Whether judged by their 30 consecutive winning seasons or the success of their graduates--including Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and MLS stars Wade Barrett, Steve Jolley, and Adin Brown--Tribe soccer has become what college soccer should be. For almost 50 years, William and Mary has not only developed outstanding individuals and teams, but has also exerted an amazing amount of influence on soccer in their community by contributing to the growth of youth, high school, and women's soccer.

Around Richmond, it's simply known as "The Classic." From 1938 to 1979, Armstrong High and Maggie Walker High, the only two all-black high schools within the city limits, converged on the gridiron each Thanksgiving weekend as spirited rivals. Each year more and more people packed the old City Stadium, sometimes as many as thirty thousand, sometimes too many to count. They cheered as the players fought for field position, pride, and bragging rights, and when the game was over, they fought for equality in the face of segregation, prejudice, and Jim Crow justice. Enjoy a view from the press box as Richmond sports historian Michael Whitt offers a summary of every Armstrong-Maggie Walker Classic and the often volatile social and political context in which they were played. The two schools may have produced one of Virginia's greatest prep rivalries, but they also helped shape its greatest achievement in unity.

Paul Hatcher won 897 games as the head coach of the Robert E. Lee High School boys' basketball team in Staunton. Astoundingly, he won 85 in a row from 2003 to 2006. In a career spanning forty-three years, Hatcher won four state titles, was named coach of the year an amazing eleven times and is a member of five halls of fame. The beloved mentor also developed nationally recognized talent like Kevin Madden and Tyler Crawford. Author and journalist Patrick Hite presents the dramatic story of a legend in high school basketball history.

Through classic images, Old Dominion University Men's Basketball traces the rise of the basketball program from a school born during the Depression to today's vibrant university with more than 26,000 students and a multimillion-dollar sports venue. Encounter great Monarch teams that thrived under coaches Tommy Scott, Bud Metheny, Sonny Allen, Paul Webb, Tom Young, Oliver Purnell, Jeff Capel, and Blaine Taylor. Meet the Monarchs' All-Americans, including Leo Anthony, Dave Twardzik, Joel Copeland, Wilson Washington, Mark West, and Kenny Gattison. Experience the thrill as ODU captures 13 conference championships, an NCAA National Division II Championship, bids to 8 NCAA Division I Tournaments, and 19 games in the National Invitation Tournament.