Edna Burrill interviewed by Darwin Lambert, transcribed by Chelsea Gutshall

Creator:

Burrill, Edna Elizabeth Browning, 1896-1988, Lambert, Darwin, 1916-2007, and Gutshall, Chelsea

Scope and content:

Records an interview with Edna Elizabeth Burrill, (née Browning), regarding her uncle, James Burrill, who sold a large parcel of land to the state of Virginia in the 1930s to be used for Shenandoah National Park. Mrs. Burrill is joined by her two daughters, Mary Ellen Jennings and Gladys Peaches Burrill, both of Luray, Va. James Burrill was born in Leeds, England, around 1850 and emigrated to the United States as a young man. Burrill soon established himself in America and sent for his wife Ellen, also of Leeds, to join him. Over the next thirty years, James Burrill would achieve great success in a number of business opportunities which enabled him to act as benefactor for numerous civic and commercial ventures in Page County. Mrs. Burrill recalls her uncle's sale of land, estimated at 4,200 acres, to the state at prices ranging from $2.50 to $10.00 dollars per acre. Also mentioned is James Burrill's contribution to the establishment of the Deford Tannery, (later known as Virginia Oak Tannery), and the founding of Christ Episcopal Church of Luray.

Names:

Burrill, Edna Elizabeth Browning, 1896-1988
Lambert, Darwin, 1916-2007
Gutshall, Chelsea

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