Bumpass, Virginia
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Bumpass, Virginia (originally Bumpass Turnout) is the Jackson District division of Louisa County located between Cukoo and Beaverdam in Hanover County making up most of its north-eastern part (the greater part of zipcode 23024, which is called Bumpass), which has received moderate fame for its unusual name. Named for the Bumpass family (from the French Bon Pas meaning "swift walker") who lived in the area. Bumpass has had an assortment of different business including several farms, lumbering operations, a barrel stave mill, a chicken coop factory, an airport, and even an ice cream spoon factory. It is comprised mostly of smaller unincorporated communities. It contains most of Lake Anna, &c., several houses from the 19th to early 20th centuries and it is also said to be home to some notoriously large black snakes.
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[edit] Capt. John Tom Bumpass
Bumpass is named for Captain John Thomas Bumpass Sr. (1822-1884), "Capt. Tom" who was the son of Jack Bumpass (first to settle in the area.) He was a captain of the Virginia State Militia whom during the Civil War provided fuel and water for troop trains along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad (then Louisa Railroad). His other occupations included Post Master, Station Master, and surveyor. Not much other information than the above is publicly available on him. [Not to be confused with Capt. John Bumpass Sr. (1725-1812) Revolutionary War soldier of Person County, North Carolina A.K.A. "Fighting John Bumpass."]
[edit] Grasberger Ice Cream Spoon Factory
An ice cream spoon factory might seem like a rather unlikely thing to find in a rural area, but for 30 years beginning in the late 19th century the Grasberger family operated the Grasberger Spoon Factory in Bumpass, Virginia and specialized in the manufacturing of ice cream spoons, paper ice cream plates, and pickle/cocktail forks. It shut down in the 1920s, but in 2001 "Field Day of the Past" volunteers salvaged much of the Grasberger's old equipment and transported it from Louisa County to Goochland. There, on the Goochland County's "Field Day of the Past", vintage Grasberger flat wooden ice cream spoons began again to be produced.
[edit] Bumpass in Popular Culture
- Bumpass, Virginia can be found on numerous (if not most) lists of "Weird Place Names" floating around the Internet.
- On episode 31 ("Prime Time") of the television series Alf, at the end of the episode, Bumpass, Virginia is mentioned as one of the places on the phone bill Alf called in a desperate attempt to save his favorite TV show, “Polka Jamboree”, from cancellation.
- In Jean Shepherd's 1994 movie It Runs in the Family there is a family with this name (albeit spelled "Bumpus"); however any connection between the two is unknown. Adapted from the book Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories And Other Disasters in the short story "The Grandstand Passion Play Of Delbert And The Bumpus Hounds."
[edit] Interesting Facts
- Various “skeptics” commonly mistake Bumpass as fictitious.
- The road known as Buckner Rd. does not pass through the Buckner area of Bumpass.
- "Where in the world is Bumpass, Virginia?," (or some similar variation) is a popular slogan adopted by many of the area's inhabitants.
[edit] Villages/Hamlets (Places) in Bumpass
- Buckner, Bumpass
- Bumpass, Bumpass
- Greenes Corner, Bumpass
- Jackson, Bumpass
- Locust Creek, Bumpass
- Plum Tree, Bumpass
- Wickham Corner, Bumpass
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Chronology of the C&Os Piedmont Sub, Bumpass (Site about Bumpass, Virginia)
- Bumpass Family History, Relevant to Bumpass, VA (txt file)
- The Bumpus Brothers Website
- Bumpass Family History, Complete
