Cooperative Living June 2019 - 33

Edward and Elsie Almand. Edward remembers growing up in Dundas and the way life was
and has been in the community.
people would stop to buy groceries and
other items. "
Established in 1746, Lunenburg
County is a rural enclave known for red
clay and a climate suitable for crops such
as tobacco, grains and vegetables. Dundas
grew up as a Virginian Railway stop, and
lore abounds about its name.
Locals recall stories of someone getting
off the train and saying, " Who dun 'dis? "
A 1975 Richmond Times-Dispatch article
reported that in the early 1900s railroad
officials left it up to the people to name
the community; local worker Logan
Parrish was reported as saying at the depot's
completion, " We done 'dis. " Whatever the
true history, the name stuck.
Passenger trains stopped in 1955, and
in 1959 the Virginian Railway merged
with the Norfolk & Western Railway. The
depot on Easy Street was torn down in the
1960s but freight traffic continued into
the 1970s before all train traffic into
Dundas ended.
There's no sign of the railroad today:
Robert " Robbie " Hawthorne, a retired oil
company owner and Dundas native, says
Dundas rails were so good that the railroad
removed them for reuse elsewhere.
Dundas Ruritan Club, chartered in 1938,
remains a thriving community fixture,
famous for holding sheep stews. A sign
adjacent to the Ruritan Club building
announces, " Welcome to Dundas -
home of the world's best sheep stew -
a gastronomical delight! "
Ruritan volunteers cook the stew every
March and October in four 50-gallon pots
(originally over wood fires; now propane
gas fires the cooking) in a covered shed
area behind the clubhouse. Proceeds from
the stew sales go to multiple Ruritan
service projects.
The Ruritans also have three barbecued
chicken events annually, but the sheep
stew has been a unique tradition since the
1930s. It's not unusual for 1,500 people to
line up to buy the stew.
Almand remembers when the Ruritans
sold a " tray meal " of sheep stew, roll and
soft drink for 75 cents. Today, it's sold in
to-go quarts for $10 per quart and always
The Sheep Stew sign that stands adjacent to
the Ruritan Club. It's not unusual to see 1,500
people line up to buy the stew.
sells out. Local farmer/Ruritan member
Wayne Parrish notes, " There's a 25-quart
per person limit, first-come, first-served. "
According to a 2001 documentary film
The Sheep Stew of Dundas, available online
at folkstreams.net, sheep stew was first
cooked by a stewmaster from nearby
Danieltown; Hawthorne says he heard
that the stew was first created by a
German immigrant. Ruritans started
cooking the stew and it became an
entrenched tradition. The unusual stew
uses " culled " (old or unproductive) sheep
meat for the stew and is cooked through a
lengthy process.
" Sheep stew consists of 800-900 pounds
of meat, bones, everything, along with
Postal Clerk Carol Wood, who lives
in nearby Victoria, has worked at
the post office since 2016.
co-opliving.com
Easy Street is where the train
depot used to stand before
being torn down in the 1960s.
Robert " Robbie " Hawthorne, a
retired oil company owner and
Dundas native.
Wayne Parrish is involved with
many of the projects as a
member of the Ruritan Club.
June 2019 | Cooperative Living | 31
http://www.folkstreams.net http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2019

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