Long ago, in the small town of Rural Retreat, Virginia, a kind pharmacist named Doctor Charles Taylor Pepper lived with his wife, Belle Howe, at their home, Grassland. He loved to tinker with flavors, much like some people tinker with clocks. After months of experimenting, he created a drink unlike anything anyone had tasted — sweet, spiced, and refreshing.

His friends and neighbors loved it, and the drink became a quiet local favorite in his store, Dr. Pepper's Drug Store.

Eliza Jane Johnston Hoge was a woman of remarkable heritage and social standing in 19th-century Virginia. As the daughter of an influential early settler and the wife of a distinguished lawyer, she lived through a transformative period in Southern history, from the antebellum era through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Her life intertwined with some of Virginia’s most notable families, and her legacy endures through historical records and genealogical accounts.

In a throw away society, old homes, to many, seem irrelevant. A structure may be perceived as stopping progress when designing and developing a community. The “Green” home trend where the focus is on the efficient use of "energy, water, and building materials", seem to exclude the homes from yesteryear. Instead, it is easier to tear down than to restore. But I would disagree since old places connect us to earlier generations and generations to come. Through success and struggles, they tell the story of who we are. A “rootedness” which helps move us smoothly through the transition of time.

As cows graze and bears sleep on the old bramble grown and forgotten cemetery, those who have served our country over generations lie forgotten. Decades of neglected maintenance left graves weathered and broken to the point of obsolescence. Once a father, son and soldier, these abandoned souls passed on leaving many grieving for a life lost through service or otherwise. Now abandoned to a stranger’s care, they seem almost forgotten. Only one worn and battered flag sat memorializing Dr. William E. Hoge who served in the Civil War. But it is not only who we remember, but how we remember them which expresses our values in believing the worth of a life. The neglect of this cemetery is unfathomable. My promise to the dead is to celebrate their life of accomplishments, service and commitment.

To understand the life stories of those who lived at Belle-Hampton and neighboring Sunnyside, we need to begin with a brief history of their ancesters. Prominent names such as De Jarnette, Shannon, Cecil and Trollinger are all buried in the Sunnyside cemetery, however, the main families we will be discussing at length are Hoge and Howe who's descendants are intertwined. Both the Hoge's and the Howe's were the progenitors of their family in the New River Valley. Joseph Howe was engaged in blazing the Catawba trail in 1750 and moved to Sunnyside shortly after along with James Hoge. But their families came across the pond much earlier.