Near Burkeville in Nottoway County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Hyde Park

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 21, 2017

1. Hyde Park Marker

Inscription. John Fowlkes constructed Hyde Park in the late 18th century; it was expanded in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Richmond department store-owner William B. Thalhimer Sr. purchased the property in 1938 and created a haven, training program, and model agricultural community for Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. He rescued several dozen young students of Gross Breesen Agricultural Institute in modern-day Poland. They established dairy and truck farms, created a modern chicken farm, and cultivated tobacco. With immigration halted, the farm did not become economically viable and it closed in the spring of 1941. Later, many of the students fought against Germany in World War II.

Erected 2011 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-176.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.

Location. 37° 6.639′ N, 78° 10.487′ W. Marker is near Burkeville, Virginia, in Nottoway County.

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It is on West Court House Road (County Route 625) one mile east of Lewiston Plank Road (County Route 723), on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Burkeville VA 23922, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old Nottoway Meeting House (approx. 3.2 miles away); Lottie Moon (approx. 4.8 miles away); Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1370 (approx. 5 miles away); Ingleside Training Institute (approx. 5.1 miles away); Crewe (approx. 5.3 miles away); Roger Atkinson Pryor

Hyde Park Marker at Hyde Park Farm image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 21, 2017

2. Hyde Park Marker at Hyde Park Farm

(approx. 5.3 miles away); Peter Francisco: Hercules of the Revolution (approx. 5.3 miles away); Peter Francisco: Washington's One Man Army (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Burkeville.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Ingleside Training Institute (was approx. 5.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . .
1. German students visit Nottoway farm that was a safe haven for German Jewish refugees. 2014 article by Bill Lohmann in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “William B. Thalhimer worked for years on the resettlement of German Jewish refugees around the United States, and came upon the idea of bringing refugees to rural farms, away from urban congestion and in settings where young Jews who had been banned from educational institutions could learn practical skills. Thalhimer purchased Hyde Park Farm, near Burkeville, planning to relocate 25 students from an agricultural school called Gross Breesen.

“Immigration was a tough sell in the United States in the 1930s, and Thalhimer battled the State Department for more than a year before

The Virginia Plan: William B. Thalhimer & a Rescue from Nazi Germany image. Click for more information.

3. The Virginia Plan: William B. Thalhimer & a Rescue from Nazi Germany

2001 book by Robert H. Gillette on Amazon.com
Click for more information.
This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase.

the visas were finally issued in 1939. The 25 visas were issued, though only 22 ultimately made the journey. The remaining three were detained and eventually died in concentration camps, a fate that most certainly awaited the others had they not found their way to Nottoway County.” (Submitted on August 27, 2017.)

2. Wikipedia entry for Thalhimers. Thalhimers was a department store in the Southern United States. Based in Richmond, Virginia, the venerable chain at its peak operated dozens of stores in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and one store in Memphis, Tennessee. Thalhimers’ traditions were most notable during the holiday season with visits from the sticker-distributing Snow Bear and, in later years, the arrival of Lego Land at the downtown Richmond store. (Submitted on August 27, 2017.)

3. Finding Thalhimers. 2010 book by Elisabeth Thalhimer Smartt on Amazon.com. “As one who grew up in Virginia, I am all too easily swept away just by the name Thalhimer and the memories it evokes. Finding Thalhimers is a complex book, chronicling the rise and fall of a great department store while

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tracing the lives and times of the Thalhimer family, from Germany to the American South, through Elizabeth Smartt's in-depth research. A rich and evocative read.” — Lisa Tracy. (Submitted on August 27, 2017.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.

Additional commentary.
1. Hyde Park Farm
Hi my name is Rosa Carter, I have been interested in Hyde Park Farm since my husband Robert became the caretaker of his ancestors land, it was passed on to him by the last remaining Carter family member. The land is adjacent and was part of Hyde Park Farm, it was purchased from Mattie Fowlkes by our GGGG Grandmother Martha J Johns, on September 19th, 1898. We have the deed which we hunted down in Crewe Virginia Court House.

I was excited to find this page and read the history, when we searched for the deed we could not find it until I remembered that these things were segregated between Black and White, and sure enough we found it in the colored section in the back. I have been trying to find Matties real name or her husbands to see who the original owners were. Thank You for this page and any further information please email me. Thank You Robert and Rosa Carter.

— Submitted March 31, 2022, by Rosa Carter of Camden Wyoming, Delaware.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,304 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photos of Hyde Park • Can you help?