Presentation and Book signing

On Saturday, October 17th, Kathy Shearer will discuss her newest book, Working for Stuarts, followed by a reception and book signing at Appalachian Arts Center. The event will begin at 2:00pm, and is free and open to the public. Reservations are required in order to ensure adequate seating. Working for Stuarts chronicles the labor and lives of people who worked on one of the oldest and largest cattle farms east of the Mississippi, Stuart Land & Cattle Company. At its peak, Stuart Land & Cattle Company’s farmlands covered over 45,000 acres, mainly in Russell County, with smaller acreage in Tazewell, Smyth, and Washington counties. The book is a history of the Company and its sister operation, Elk Garden Products, as told by the people who worked the thousands of acres at Clifton, Rosedale, Rich Mountain, and Elk Garden, and the ones who managed the company. The book contains many oral histories and documents, as well as hundreds of photographs. Area historian Kathy Shearer has published several books on southwest Virginia. Her other books include Memories from Dante, Wilder Days, Cleveland on the Clinch, and Tales from the Moonshine Trade. For more information, or to reserve a seat for this free community event, please contact the Arts Center at 276- 596-9188, or via email at appartsinfo@sw.edu