Maybe you shold look up how the term 'lynch' came about. It is actually a name and was not intended to be a verb. However, it shold be noted that it was being used to describe hanging white people long before you revised it's meaning for us. You should spend your time rading before you write us again. Go help your old people dying of heat stroke if your such the humanitarian.

First of all, Midge Wilson from Chicago, naming streets is a local issue to be decided by locals and not by someone passing through. I would also point out that Chicago is the home of the infamous Camp Douglas Confederate prisoner of war camp where literally thousands of Confederate prisoners were murdered by purposeful starvation and neglect, as well as beatings and shootings; in many cases murdered by guards who would shoot for sport indiscriminately into the prison shelters while the helpless prisoners were sleeping. In short, Midge Wilson from Chicago you do not come to the table with clean hands so your pious airs are inappropriate.

Southron

Grace Sherwood by local W'burg group Coyote Run --- The young lady singing is the drummer but she is behind the accordion player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pto-XLay6qU

If you go to the Deep Creek locks, there is a small fenced "family plot" graveyard, just beyond the children's playground. I believe it may be a member of a certain Wallace family. Anyway next to the head of the family lies the wife, some of his children, & 1 other woman, whose tombstone clearly defines her in English, as his consort. I just thought I would mention that since Pleasure House Rd was mentioned. Chesapeake should get some of the glory here too, & should not be missed on her next visit. Also visit the Great Dismal Swamp while in the area. It's awesome, with a history rich in questionable activities, & mysterious as well as interesting personages.

Apparently, it is a good thing Pleasure House Road is in VA Beach and not in Chesapeake, otherwise, Del, Cosgrove would be mandating pasties over the signs.

Va Beach has a road named from a witch, Chicago had a fire cause by an Irishwoman's cow. Id rather have the road.

Midge, maybe you should try to consider the fact that America happened HERE, in Virginia Beach, long before it happened in Chicago, and, therefore, you may encounter some history here. The name of this road is not about celebrating the persecution of innocent women, it's just a part of history. To another poster, I loved the comment warning her about Pleasure House Road! And it's only a few miles from Witchduck... Surely, that would offend such a person.

That I've heard of anyway. The ducking in question occured in the water, off of Witchduck Point.... & she was convicted...she did "witch a man's crop", as well as other possible questionable activities,..at the time I believe it was illegal to do some of those as well... might be legal now . Everyone still likes her though. How about the Ducking Chair?.. That's a real good one from history sometimes also administered to women.. for being a gossip, or overly vocal, loud or surly..that type of thing. Maybe should get a road named Chair-duck, possibly near Downtown Norfolk or the Colonial Area. hmm

That's a bit cheeky, Midge, since you come from Chicago with its abysmal slums, long history of crooked politics, and world famous potholed streets. It seems like you'd have plenty to keep you busy in the Windy City without trying to revise our history.

Midge

Next time you are in Virginia Beach you are welcome to come by Ferry Plantation House because we have 342 years of history *on* Grace Sherwood, and it would be a shame to not share it with you. I feel that if you studied part of her history, you would realize the significance of Witchduck Road.

Here we are very proud of our history . . .

Belinda Nash
Historian, Ferry Plantation House

Did you know we have a city in Virginia called "Lynchburg"? Imagine that, a WHOLE TOWN instead of one street. It's our history. Tell us where you are from so we can bash you too.

Because otherwise we'd have forgotten about Grace Sherwood and what she went through.

Calm down, honey. Even the witches around Hampton Roads don't get their panties in a wad over the name - in fact, we enjoy it!

A while back we had a Chicago visitor complaining about the architecture of town center and now we have one complaining about a street name.

Maybe we've been misled about the moniker "windy city". Perhaps it is not weather related, but related to the number of busybodies.

I don't know what the issue is. One would think that getting rid of witches is good for the community! This street serves as a warning to all witches who are considering spreading their way of life to our neighborhoods. Don't bring your pagan magic 'round here! By the way, you should write a letter to the Chicago Blackhawks, as their logo resembles a stereotypical cartoonish "Injun" face. Maybe you have, and good for you, but we folks in Hampton Roads will continue to fight the good fight against witches and witchcraft.

Would it not be better to remind ourselves of past mistakes, so the memory of them serves as a warning of our capability to do terrible things, than to pretend they never happened and leave future generations no signposts to direct them away from the wrongs of the past?

Midge, Here is a Great link for Information and the history on Grace Sherwood. Encluding the statue in her honor and information on Our Governor Tim Kaine who Pardons her, Enjoy :) http://carolshouse.com/witch/

So maybe next time you're in town you can see the road as something other than a negative :)

Dear Midge Wilson:

Thank you for visiting our area. I hope you enjoyed your visit in spite of the distraction of finding out we have a street named Witchduck Road. Obviously, there is a reason and some history behind that. Had you been able to stay a little longer and inquired, you would have learned something of the history of our area. I appreciate your comments on the name of the road but I think it is a bit rude and a show of bad manners for an educated lady like you to suggest we change the name of our street because you don't like it and don't know the history behind it. Chicago has some shady history too.

May have been mistaken on the location of Blood Road. That one may be in MD..Try Crater Road, Petersburg. Its pretty interesting too. The crater , was "created" by miners who dug a tunnel & placed large amounts of explosives under sleeping troops.. I would like to point out that the miners may have come from the North as well. We find ourselves quite civilized, actually. There are a lot of things here far more interesting than Va Beach, where to me personally, the "witchducking" may be one of their only redeeming qualities.. historically. Also Google "Charles Lynch", A Va resident who may be responsible for the word being an verb, since you brought up lynching. Please return to Va. We need the tourist's dollars.

I have a bad neck. Every time I drive by Great Neck or Birdneck or Little neck or west neck it offends me. This lady is either being sarcastic or needs to lighten up.

If you visit one of the famous civil war battlefields in the state, you may see a road, named Blood Road. If a little "witchducking" bothers you, you may not want to research that road. In Va., there is a lot of history, and places near where historic events occur are frequently named pertaining to teh event. Perhaps you have also traveled Battlefield Blvd in Chesapeake as well. In fact, as far as treatment of suspected witches are concerned, Va Beach seems quite lenient in their "punishments", or "verifications" of witchcraft, unlike some of the Northern states who burned them. Happily, Grace Sherwood(convicted witch)survived to be released from "gaol", & was granted land in the VB area. Today more than one place around here is "graced" with the name of Sherwood, also appropriately.

Dear, dear Midge. If "Witchduck" gets your bloomers all twisted, on your next visit, I'd like to introduce you to Pleasure House Road!

Come to think of it, if Hillary had lived during those times, she most probably would have floated.

That happened about 300+ years ago..... Isn't it about time YOU get a life?