Perhaps no member of the Hanover Branch of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) was more crucial to the purchase, restoration, and early interpretation of Scotchtown than Norine Dickson Campbell. Born in South Carolina in 1899, Norine married Leslie D. Campbell, Sr – a descendant of Patrick Henry – in 1919, and they would live in Hanover for many years together. Their son, Leslie D. Campbell, Jr., was an attorney and state senator. The Campbells would leave an indelible mark on Scotchtown’s history, and their efforts were instrumental in preserving the home for posterity.
By the first half of the 20th century, Scotchtown was in rough shape. The home had been owned by the Sheppard-Taylor family during the 19th century, but upkeep of the house diminished in the 1900s. Upon the death of Sallie L. Taylor 1941, ownership of the home entered a legal quagmire. Nine relatives claimed a stake in the property, and exactly what to do with the place was a major bone of contention. During this dispute, Scotchtown continued to be inhabited by tenant farmers, a new age vegetarian, a self-styled prophet, and several goats. However, it was falling apart; the locks and doorknobs had been stolen and siding was disintegrating. Without the intervention of dedicated preservationists, Scotchtown would continue to deteriorate at an alarming rate.
Scotchtown was a landmark in Hanover, and the house’s history was well-known; although the details were sometimes exaggerated or misplaced, everyone knew it was once Patrick Henry’s home. The Campbells were essential in the push to save Scotchtown. The central committee of the APVA had pledged 15,000 dollars to the purchase of the house, but this would only cover a fraction of the costs. Norine set out on a fundraising campaign of monumental proportions in the first half of 1956. Hundreds of people contributed, many in small increments of 5 or 10 dollars, and others pledged larger amounts toward the project. Norine contacted neighbors, Henry descendants, and philanthropists from all across the United States – many in Virginia but some from as far afield as New York and California. Not only did this campaign build up the funds to purchase the house, it also served to put Scotchtown in the public eye.
By 1958, the legal scuffle surrounding Scotchtown’s ownership had made it all the way to the Supreme Court of Virginia. Their ruling in early March paved the way for Scotchtown to be put up for auction that June. Although there were other bids, the APVA managed to purchase the property for $37,000. Thanks to Norine’s fundraising efforts, Scotchtown was now in the hands of people who could save it, and the APVA had built the infrastructure to support and interpret the home going forwards. This would only be the first step in a lengthy journey- and Mrs. Campbell would be involved through the process of restoring and furnishing Scotchtown before the site’s reopening.
After the most significant restoration work was completed, Scotchtown was opened to the public in 1963. Further work would continue for years to come – archaeological exploration, the reconstruction of outbuildings – and Norine Campbell would steer Scotchtown through the stresses and strains of the site’s early growth. Each year she would call on the Virginia General Assembly for their support in the preservation of the home, and spoke before the delegates on several occasions to make the case for Scotchtown’s significance. Her correspondence with delegates demonstrates her tireless efforts to promote Scotchtown.
Norine Campbell held Patrick Henry in enormous esteem, and this shines through not only her advocacy of Scotchtown as a historic site and shrine to the patriot but also in the biography she published of the man in 1969. Patrick Henry: Patriot and Statesman is a book with clear reverence for its subject. In the introduction Mrs. Campbell outlined her goals: to address Henry’s critics and expand the reader’s perception of Henry from merely an orator into a mighty force for American independence, statecraft in the nascent Commonwealth of Virginia, and a statesman of the highest order. The book, naturally, includes a thorough and detailed description of Scotchtown and its history. If her tireless work at Scotchtown was not ample enough evidence of Norine Campbell’s dedication to the legacy of Patrick Henry, her biography of the patriot certainly is.