There was once a small Virginia town with a thriving deaf community. She’s working to bring it back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lantz Mills roots stretch back to the 1760s when a family with deaf loved ones settled in the small Virginia town. An invisible history flows through this hamlet that has been sitting in silence for centuries in the heart of Shenandoah County. But Kathleen Brockway is working to change the narrative. The deaf historian\u2019s mission is personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo I\u2019m here to tell a story about a treasured piece of deaf history,\u201d Brockway said. \u201cThere is so much information that is gone or missing that I strive to revitalize.\u201d Brockway and I communicated with the help of American Sign Language interpreter Weston Broach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dUpon my family research this kept coming up, this idea of a large deaf group who lived here,\u201d Brockway said. This area was a deaf village where both hearing and deaf people alike used sign language to communicate,\u201d Brockway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the number of deaf neighbors grew by the dozens. \u201cBecause this was a deaf space. Historically this is where deaf people came and they felt free,\u201d Brockway said. \u201cThey used a completely different sign language here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Washington-based historian is uncovering oral histories of the deaf who called Lantz Mills home. The deaf people\u2019s contributions were ignored by traditional history books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese hidden stories are missing from the research and I\u2019m fascinated by that history and filling in that gap. So I need to fulfill those histories and fill those gaps to tell the full story of deaf people,\u201d Brockway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Long ago in Virginia, the deaf and people with disabilities were afforded few if any protections. By law, they couldn\u2019t even own land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dThat was not the case here in Lantz Mill. There were several deaf people who owned huge farms including a 94-acre farm. There were properties all around this area. And there were deaf-owned businesses in that direction,\u201d Brockway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of those successful stores is founded by William Christian, a deaf man who owned and operated a funeral and carpentry business. The foundation and ruins of Christian\u2019s wood shop still exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was a very busy area. There was lots of traffic. Lots of stores. Several mills,\u201d Brockway said. Nan Carmack, with the Library of Virginia, is collaborating with Brockway to preserve and promote the story of this little-known landmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dIt is the everyday story of Virginians that really make our history so rich. Lantz Mills is just one example of that,\u201d Carmack said. \u201cBut I cannot think of a more representative story than Lantz Mills of the power of community to overcome whatever needed to be overcome and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carmack said Brockway’s contributions to enhancing deaf culture across the Commonwealth can\u2019t be measured. \u201cI feel like the history until Kat came along was pretty much fading away,\u201d Carmack said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katie Mahar lives on Four Leaf Farm, the former 19th-century homestead of the Christian family who owned the carpentry business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201dI had no idea how much history was here,\u201d Mahar said. \u201cI\u2019m a history buff so to know that this was happening right across the creek, that was really neat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mahar admires Brockway for shedding light on the generations of forgotten and marginalized Virginians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven people that live here didn\u2019t know. Not just us. There are people all up and down these roads back here that probably don\u2019t know the history,\u201d Brockway said. It was common when they died many deaf people were buried in unmarked graves. But at Lantz Mills\u2019 Union Forge Cemetery, the deaf find dignity even in death. \u201cThis was rare to have identifiable tombstones of real deaf people,\u201d Brockway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digging through archives and climbing the family tree also led Brockway to her roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne hundred percent proud to be here. I am proud of my deaf history and the deaf community,\u201d Brockway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By about 1970, with businesses closing and opportunities elsewhere, many deaf families moved away from Lantz Mills. That signaled the end of the once bustling village where the hearing and deaf people lived in harmony. \u201cYes. The deaf were welcomed. They were welcomed here,\u201d Brockway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she pondered and pieced together the past, Kathleen Brockway said she hoped a more comprehensive story of the deaf in Virginia would endure loud and clear. \u201cWe should remember Lantz Mills because it is an important aspect of deaf history which shows we had deaf spaces,\u201d Brockway said. \u201cWe had freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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