Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 23, 1994 TAG: 9401250270
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: D3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE J. FLINCHUM
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
I try to get back to Christiansburg two or three times each year. Each time my understanding of the town becomes clearer.
Christiansburg has been ruined.
It was ruined by several things, but the past decade or so of commercial development seems an underlying theme. That, and what I would imagine is a record growth in population. The door may have opened in the '60s with the construction of Interstate 81.
Before it all began, there was Mr. Angle, the self-proclaimed, benevolent and most notable, if not only, millionaire in town. In his apron, he swept the sidewalk of Angle's Grocery every day. He cleaned and packaged the fresh eggs I brought to his market. Everyone in the community knew him, and he knew us. His philosophy about business in this country was one of people serving one another.
Now there is Walmart and a half-dozen other new discount stores. They came, some argue, to offer savings to the underprivileged, or to those who had to squeeze a dime in a difficult economic time or who just wanted a good bargain.
But consider what we all gave up for that benefit. Now there are packages of t-shirts on sale - five for $2, and a lot of people who can't afford that because they are unemployed. What price did we really pay? What loss of dignity, self-respect and pride in the community?
Was it really about being progressive and forging into the next century? Didn't the old-world warmth and charm of that little town - and its quaint, family-run businesses - have something to do with how we lived?
And did new development really provide economic opportunity for the individuals living in Christiansburg? Or was it just lining the pockets of affluent outsiders?
The Reagan years were not kind to the masses. But what seems a betrayal here is that the people of Christiansburg, predominantly Republican I think, embraced the '80s and the prospect of commercial growth. No member of the community can be blamed for what we all lost. It was, in my opinion, a carefully targeted campaign by outside developers, who with research, the necessary capital and precision marketing destroyed the beauty of this small town and exploited its people.
I remember Dr. Clark's home/office on Main Street. He charged $3 per visit, until forced to raise his fee to an exorbitant $5 in the '70s, and provided very good health care. I wonder whether the country would be in a health-care crisis if all doctors had Clark's integrity and wisdom. A noble man, he realized that along with his privileges came a certain responsibility to the community.
I remember the Rose's five-and-dime, and the Western Auto with its infamous life-size horse mounted above the awning - charmingly imperfect. The Leggett store was a valued institution. At good prices, we were able to buy all our new clothes for the start of school every fall. Fashion House Furniture, now called The Furniture Market, is a fine and proud example of small business and community working togther. Even today, it is a bastion, standing for honorable commerce.
There was Thompson-Hagen, still defiant under new ownership, and Miller Drugs. And Cromer Furniture.
And, of course, there were the churches. St. Paul's United Methodist, Christiansburg Presbyterian and Main Street Baptist churches still tower majestically after more than a century. It is with a sense of pride in my little hometown that I drive and, gently cresting the top of the hills from any direction, notice the steeples - still signaling goodness and clean, simple living.
The biggest disappointment of all was the demolition of the old courthouse, and the construction of a new, monolithic structure, which had no place, architecturally speaking, in any small town, especially one like Christiansburg.
The old Gothic courthouse, built in 1909-10 and modeled on the design of the 1834 courthouse, had long been a symbol of order, and in design terms was pure and perfect. But like everything else, we betrayed our heritage - perhaps the only real asset we ever had.
And what happened to W. R. Angle & Co.? The county acquired it in 1990 and leveled everything - for the sake of an asphalt parking lot.
There is a bigger picture, though. It isn't the structures that are or aren't there. It is about how the people of Christiansburg feel, and what they think of the town, of themselves.
Take a good look around, and one sees less opportunity. The people now look downtrodden and tired. Many appear disheveled. I think there was a greater sense of individual dignity 20 years ago, even if no one had any money.
Now there are only the fast-food restaurants, the franchises, the strip malls, gas stations, and a few places downtown - if you feel nostalgic. All this has some greater psychological bearing on the town. It affects how we think of ourselves; it affects what we value.
In a time not too long from now, I will bring my grown children to Christiansburg. I think it important that they know that there was a time when there was some semblance of style and grace there. I think it just as important for them to see how decline happens, and how it's packaged to a town full of willing, good-hearted participants.
In the end, I think it is the values, and how they were affected, that I struggle with. The values, the financial prudence and simple needs of the people all symbolized one thing: decency. There was something honorable in the old way we lived. Now, Christiansburg has been reduced to a consumer society, drugged and dependent on fast food and anything accessible and equally disposable.
I welcome change. This is not about how much better the past was. This is about what Christiansburg got out of the deal.
I love those towns which, through their architecture, and storefronts, "bottle" their past for everyone to see. Maybe it could be argued that change was just bound to happen in Christiansburg.
It can never be argued that the change was for the better. Never.
\ Dwayne J. Flinchum, a graduate of Auburn High School near Christiansburg, is executive art director for a New York publishing firm.
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