SCHUYLER — By thousands the pilgrims come, into the Blue Ridge foothills in search of the quiet calm, the steadfast morality, the sweet, strong love that inspired TV's "The Waltons."
Their quest ends in this old stone-cutting town on the Rockfish River. Here, author Earl Hamner Jr. -- the real-life John-Boy -- grew up in an unassuming, tin-roofed house crowded with siblings. A few doors down, the model for Ike Godsey ran a real-life country store. Neighbors who became the fictional Baldwin sisters concocted moonshine that became "the recipe."
But the faithful find the real-life Walton's Mountain an unfamiliar place these days: Schuyler is in the grip of a most unwholesome feud.
Hamner's younger brother, the real-life Jim-Bob, has been booted off the board of a community center and museum that pays tribute to the series.
Earl Hamner has responded by yanking his belongings out of the museum, and helping to plan another 20 miles away in Lovingston, the Nelson County seat.
The town, and even families, are divided over how it all started, and whether Schuyler can survive without the family that put it on the map.
* * *
On its face, the controversy grew from a letter Jim Hamner wrote last spring.
Earl Hamner blames "a small group of outsiders" for the town's pain. "Most of the people in Schuyler are good people, and fair people," he said from his home in Studio City, Calif. "And that's why I grieve for the people there, as well as for my family."
Valda Mulkey, the museum's former director, sees newcomers as the trouble, too. "There are the people who've always lived here," she said. "There are the people who lived here, and maybe left for a while, and came back. Then there are those who come here from some other place, and seem to feel the need to teach the natives how to do things."
Others see the split as the Hamners' doing and say the town was forced to kowtow for years to its famous family, and reached a point where it could do so no longer.
"Everybody who lived there knew those stories were more fiction than fact," said Robert Brent Hall, a Schuyler native and the museum's curator. "The family members have taken on the persona of being the Waltons. And they are not the Waltons."
* * *
Everyone agrees that 30,000-plus tourists would not venture to Schuyler each year were it not for Earl Hamner.
Earl Hamner Sr., the real-life John Walton, worked in the quarry. He and his wife, Doris -- the real-life Olivia -- lived with their eight children in the town's center.
Earl Jr. left home, served in World War II, and later, in New York, wrote "Spencer's Mountain," a novel modeled on his boyhood. By the time it was made into a 1963 Henry Fonda movie, Hamner had written "The Homecoming," a prequel to the earlier book. It was recast as a made-for-TV movie in 1971,and struck such a chord with viewers that CBS tapped Hamner for a series. "The Waltons" was born.
The pilgrims started arriving before the first season ended.
* * *
One day Earl Hamner's mother mentioned all those visitors to Woody Greenberg, a reporter for the Nelson County Times. They kept coming even after Doris Hamner died, and after the show went off the air in 1981.
Then, a little more than 10 years ago, the county shut down the Schuyler school. Greenberg was a county supervisor by then, and cast about for ways to turn the building into a community center. He recalled Doris Ham- ner's stories.
It seemed to Greenberg that a Waltons-themed museum might provide little Schuyler with enough income to keep a community center running. The New York transplant approached the Hamners. Earl and Jim thought it was a great idea.
Dozens of townsfolk pitched in to build it. Robert Brent Hall, an interior designer, remade classrooms into approximations of the Waltons' kitchen and living room, John-Boy's room, Ike Godsey's store. Hamner donated $10,000,along with his papers, knicknacks, and an Emmy.
When the Walton's Mountain Museum opened, in October 1992, 6,000 people crowded into Schuyler. All the cast but Richard Thomas turned out. It was a day that folks in town still talk about with happy awe.
Alas, the seeds of discord were sown then, too. Some townspeople felt that Earl Hamner hadn't done as much as he might have. And some found Hamner too controlling, too insistent that the community center's board -- which oversaw the museum -- do things his way.
True, the museum wouldn't exist had Hamner not toiled for years on his books and screenplays. And yes, his memorabilia gave it a stamp of authenticity it would otherwise lack. But still.
* * *
Not least of the sore points was Jim Hamner, the last of the family in Schuyler.
Late last February, Jim Hamner wrote a letter of reference for an old family friend, Judi Dudley. The three-paragraph letter identified Dudley as a community center employee who worked "30 to 35 hours per week," who'd "done an outstanding job for us," and whom he considered "a fine young lady."
Unfortunately, Jim Hamner signed the letter as the museum's treasurer and printed it on museum letterhead. The board never authorized it.
Worse, Jim Hamner's letter spoke on behalf of a woman who on Feb. 28 was sentenced to three years in prison, on a charge that she'd embezzled money from a Charlottesville firm. And worst of all, she had access to the community center's checks.
* * *
Mulkey, then the center's director, said she tracked down two checks that had been cashed without the proper OKs. They totaled more than $600. "As soon as I found those two checks, I called Jim Hamner and said, 'Jim, we're in trouble,'" Mulkey recalled. "And Jim said, 'Let's go right to the bank.'"
The bank covered the checks, but Buck Whitehurst, the board's president, asked Jim Hamner to resign. Jim Hamner wanted the board to decide the matter, so Whitehurst called a special meeting.
It was an unpleasant affair. "They tore that man to shreds," Mulkey said. "It was the worst thing I've ever seen in my life.
"He fired off a few volleys of his own, but not nearly as cruel as they did, and he finally said, 'I don't have to put up with this,' and he got up and left."
It wasn't long before Earl Hamner was in touch. "I learned recently that while representing me a member of my family was caused pain, humiliation and mental anguish at one of your meetings," he wrote the board. "Since my position on family relationships and obligations is well known I am sure you will understand that I cannot continue to give you my support or allow you the use of my name."
* * *
And so the lines were drawn, between those who felt the town's well-being was inextricably linked to its Walton's Mountain alter ego, and those who saw the museum as simply a means of financing the community center.
Finally, in late May, the center's membership was asked to vote on whether to keep Whitehurst as president. It elected to do so, "knowing they would have to suffer the wrath of Earl," Whitehurst said.
Earl Hamner wrote another letter, announcing that he would pull his belongings from the museum. "What I once considered a benefit to the people of Schuyler has become the target of petty quarrels, back biting and mean spirited bickering," he wrote. "It has turned neighbor against neighbor."
In the meantime, Mulkey was fired for insubordination. "The board decided to terminate my leadership while I was on vacation," she said. "I came back and they'd changed the locks."
* * *
What Earl Hamner removed from the museum in late August "fit into a couple of cardboard boxes" and won't be missed, said Bill Luhrs, a New York native and the museum's first director.
Whatever the case, the museum's trials did not end. Earl Hamner soon pledged his name, influence and belongings to a historical and cultural center that Greenberg has proposed.
"The idea would be to recreate the Waltons' homestead," Greenberg said.
"We'd use the house as a way of celebrating not just the TV program and Earl Hamner's life, but as a way of paying tribute to Nelson County's history."
FAQs
In addition to the Walton characters, other roles, such as the “recipe-making” Baldwin sisters and General Store owner, Ike Godsey were also inspired by real people.
Where were the outside scenes of the Waltons filmed? ›
Most of the exterior scenes were shot in Burbank on the backlot known as the Warner Bros. Ranch. Rural areas, such as the Waltons' house, various dirt roads, Ike Godsey's store and Drucilla's Pond were shot on the Jungle set.
What mountains was the Waltons filmed? ›
Deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the legend of television's Walton family lives on in the tiny town of Schuyler, Va.
Who was the real Walton family? ›
Lies the small town of Schulyer, Virginia, home of the Hamner family – the real-life family on which the Waltons were based. The mountain town of Schuyler is home to about 400 residents, and there the two-story Hamner family home still stands.
Is Corabeth Godsey still alive? ›
Ronnie Claire Edwards (February 9, 1933 – June 14, 2016) was an American actress, best known for playing Corabeth Walton Godsey on the TV series The Waltons. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. Dallas, Texas, U.S.
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Film.
Jason suggests he try courting her again. Ike's first attempt is to ask his wife to a candlelit dinner and a Schumann concerto in Charlottesville . Corabeth rejects his proposal. Rose and Mary Ellen decide to talk with Corabeth, where they learn she is divorcing Ike because of adultery.
Is the house where The Waltons was filmed still standing? ›
The show aired from 1971-1981 and won an Emmy in 1974. The original house that served as the backdrop to Hamner's childhood was built in the early 20th century in the village of Schuyler in Nelson County, where it still stands today.
Did Ralph Waite and Michael Learned get along? ›
“And we loved each other as much as anybody could love anybody. We never slept together. But our love was so deep and spiritual. And you know, Ralph would put me in my place when he thought was being an a–hole.
Is the Baldwin sisters house still standing? ›
Across the lawn from the fountain is the structure known as Skeffington House which was where the Baldwin sisters lived. Other more rural locations were filmed at the Angeles National Forest and the Kern River area. In November 1991 the original home was burned to the ground by an disgruntled studio employee.
Where is The Waltons truck today? ›
The iconic red and white F-150 has become an icon of Walton's roots and a staple of downtown Bentonville. The truck that has been parked outside the Walmart Museum is a replica that is also used for parades and store openings. The original truck has been on permanent display inside the museum.
Measuring about 1,600 square feet, this white clapboard building has just one bathroom, and as many as four of the famous family's eight children would share one of the three bedrooms.
Was the house on The Waltons a real house? ›
The Walton's made use of many period appropriate buildings, sets and locations. Being a domestic, family based drama much of the action was staged in and around the Walton family home. While the interiors were filmed on Stage 26 of the former Burbank studios, the house exterior was filmed on the jungle set.
Did any of The Waltons date each other? ›
The love stories carried over behind the scenes. Ma and Pa Walton — Ralph Waite and Michael Learned — quietly fell on love on set. And remember Jason and Toni, who we just mentioned in the prior paragraph? Well, actors Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison tied the knot in real life in 1979!
How much of The Waltons was true? ›
All of the Waltons were based on real people — Hamner's family, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his brothers and sisters, of whom there were seven in the show but eight in real life.
Did John Boy Walton marry? ›
John-Boy then turned his attention to reporting news instead and gained a steady means of living once more, but would one day have to break the news of the John F. Kennedy assassination. It was in this profession that he finally found the love of his life in the form of Janet, and they eventually married.
Did Corabeth and Ike get divorced? ›
Ike is served with his divorce papers citing adultery as the reason. When Corabeth arrives for more of her items he learns that she has found out about Pamela Morris. Ike finds another hidden letter from Pamela and reads it to Corabeth. In it the woman accepts Ike's love for Corabeth and lets him go.
Is Ronnie Claire Edwards still alive? ›
How many children did Ben Walton have? ›
In "A Day For Thanks on Walton's Mountain" in 1982, Ben and Cindy had two children, Virginia and Charlie. Cindy was pregnant with Charlie in "A Wedding on Walton's Mountain". In "Reunion" they were still mourning the death of Virginia...with no mention of Charlie at all!
Was Corabeth an alcoholic? ›
But when soldiers were almost killed because of the drinking, the friend was forced to get help. John suggests that Corabeth get help for her alcoholism. John then brings in Aimee to show that her daughter still loves her.
Did Corabeth have a drinking problem? ›
Her family is finding her rather erratic at the moment though, but Elizabeth puts this down to the possibility that Corabeth may be going through the change of life. The truth though is that she is having a problem with alcohol.
Corabeth eventually married Ike Godsey (Joe Conley), and they adopted a daughter. ”I'd be on the up escalator in a store and the people on the down would be shouting, 'We hate you.
How many bathrooms did The Waltons have? ›
“We've also had to make some modern conveniences — the Waltons only had one bathroom,” Johnson said, noting each room in the bed-and-breakfast will have a bathroom. In the Depression-era, wood was the exterior of the Hamner house and the home depicted on “The Waltons.”
Does Waltons Mountain still exist? ›
People have been asking for more than four decades if "the family is real" and "is there a 'real' Walton's Mountain?" The answer is yes.
Are any of the Hamner family still alive? ›
In addition to The Waltons, Hamner created the long-running TV drama Falcon Crest and collaborated with Rod Serling on The Twilight Zone. Hamner is survived by his wife, Jane; son, Scott; and a daughter, Caroline.
What was an orange squeeze on The Waltons? ›
Typically an Orange Squeeze is made with rum, ice, and fresh squeezed oranges in a blender. First acknowledgement of Grandma's "illness," which was introduced into the storyline after Ellen Corby suffered a major stroke in November 1976.
Were Ma and Pa Walton in love in real life? ›
She told Fox News at one point the actors who played Ma and Pa Walton actually developed strong romantic feelings for one another. "We had a deep love for each other that we would have ruined if we had taken that extra step, and we didn't," Learned said. "We never did. We thought about it, but we didn't.
Did Jim-Bob Walton become a preacher? ›
Later during the service the Reverend announces to the congregation's surprise that Jim-Bob has chosen to become a preacher. Grandma gives Jim-Bob the Bible she received for her christening in 1883.
Which sisters on The Waltons made moonshine? ›
For the actors who played the Baldwin sisters, Mary Jackson (Miss Emily) and Helen Kleeb (Miss Mamie), they spent the rest of their life refusing to share "the recipe" with fans who stopped them on the street wherever they went to beg for the ingredients list to make their own Baldwin brand moonshine.
Is the Dragonfly Inn The Waltons house? ›
It was originally used as The Waltons' family home:
UPDATE: Steve tells me: “This house was not the original Waltons house (which burned down in late 1991) but a reconstruction on the Warner Ranch (the first one had been on the Burbank backlot), and was used for the three 1990s Waltons reunion movies.
Did The Waltons have indoor plumbing? ›
The Walton family also had electricity and indoor plumbing, including a modern bathroom — a luxury my mother didn't have until she was much older.
The Obstacle – The Waltons (Season 7, Episode 15) | Apple TV (CA) S7 E15: The Walton family takes in an old school friend of John-Boy's who is confined to a wheelchair after suffering an injury in the war.
Do The Waltons still run Walmart? ›
The Walton family is still the major shareholder of Walmart Inc.
How many Waltons are left? ›
Overview. The three most prominent living members (Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton) have consistently been in the top twenty of the Forbes 400 list since 2001, as were John ( d. 2005) and Helen (d. 2007) prior to their deaths.
What is the door in the Waltons living room? ›
Most likely the door in the living room is a coat closet. It is also possible that the two closets are connected with a walk through section. Sometimes though these frequently unused doors will serve a different purpose to suits the director of each episode.
Can you stay at the Waltons house? ›
Now you can experience life just like 'America's favorite family' by staying in a Walton inspired, depression era Virginia home. All overnight guests are invited to join Carole Johnson, Owner/Proprietor, at the kitchen table each morning after breakfast for conversations all about the Waltons. No reservations required.
Who owns Walton Mountain? ›
The Waltons - The Hamner Family.
Can you visit where The Waltons was filmed? ›
Visiting the Walton's Mountain Museum is a special experience that blends both history and nostalgia with just a touch of Hollywood. The museum has seven rooms containing memorabilia and replicas of sets from the television series. You can visit the Waltons' kitchen, living room, and John-Boy's bedroom.
Is there a real Boatwright University? ›
Earl Hamner Jr., creator of the hit CBS-TV series The Waltons, attended Richmond College during Boatwright's tenure, and named the fictional Boatwright University where the character of John-Boy Walton attended college after him.
What time period is The Waltons set in? ›
So when “The Waltons,” set in 1932 and running through World War II, debuted on CBS on Sept. 14, 1972, the Currys identified closely with the storylines. Millions of others felt the same, and the Thursday night drama about a Depression-era family in rural Virginia became one of TV's most popular and enduring programs.
Did Mary Ellen and Jonesy divorce on The Waltons? ›
Then Curt was killed at Pearl Harbor in the 1978 season, and Mary Ellen found new love with Arlington Wescott “Jonesy” Jones (Richard Gililand) while taking premed courses. The romance was threatened when Curt was discovered not to have died after all, but the two decided their marriage had ended and divorced.
Mary Ellen marries Dr. Curtis Willard and they have 1 child, John Curtis, before he is lost and presumed dead after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Eventually she remarries Arlington Westcott Jones "Jonesy" and together they have 2 children, Clay and Katie.
Why did Olivia leave The Waltons and then come back? ›
Her character's abrupt disappearance was explained by Olivia developing tuberculosis and entering a sanatorium in Arizona. She made occasional guest appearances until the show's cancelation and later appeared in four of the six Waltons reunion movies made during the 1980s and 1990s.
Was Ike Godsey a real person? ›
In addition to the Walton characters, other roles, such as the “recipe-making” Baldwin sisters and General Store owner, Ike Godsey were also inspired by real people.
What happened to the real Jim Bob on The Waltons? ›
Harper is not currently active in show business,choosing to live a quiet, private life; however, he does occasionally appear at such Waltons-related functions as cast reunions, collectible and memorabilia fairs. After working at a variety of jobs, he went to school to study business.
Was there a real Jim Bob Walton? ›
James Hamner was the model for Jim-Bob because he was the youngest of eight siblings, Earl Hamner Jr. said from his office in California. Schuyler and the Hamners inspired the1972-1981 series about a large, close-knit family in Depression-era Virginia.
How many children did Olivia and John Walton have? ›
On the screen, the Waltons were obviously a large, tight family. That same spirit carried behind-the-scenes, as well. For the young stars who played the seven children of John and Olivia, their costars became like siblings.
Who married Elizabeth Walton? ›
They pursue their relationship throughout the rest of the series. Drew goes away to college. Drew later returns to Walton's Mountain to work in the mill, and Elizabeth tells her father that she will eventually marry Drew.
Is John-Boy Walton in Ozark? ›
More recently, he appeared in Netflix's Ozark and is touring with To Kill a Mockingbird as Atticus Finch.
...
Television series.
| Year | 1972–1977 |
|---|
| Title | The Waltons |
|---|
| Role | John-Boy Walton |
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| Notes | 124 episodes |
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43 more columnsAll of the Waltons were based on real people — Hamner's family, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his brothers and sisters, of whom there were seven in the show but eight in real life.
Is Joe Conley still alive? ›
The main story is set in Walton's Mountain, a fictional mountain community in the fictitious Jefferson County, Virginia. The real place upon which the stories are based is the community of Schuyler in Nelson County, Virginia.
Is there a real Walton's Mountain? ›
While the television series took place on a fictional "Walton's Mountain," in Virginia, and the book on "Spencer's Mountain" in Wyoming, both are actually based on Hamner's hometown of Schuyler, VA. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that the Walton's Mountain Museum is located right here in Schuyler, VA.
What happened to the real Jim-Bob on The Waltons? ›
Harper is not currently active in show business,choosing to live a quiet, private life; however, he does occasionally appear at such Waltons-related functions as cast reunions, collectible and memorabilia fairs. After working at a variety of jobs, he went to school to study business.
Did they eat the food on The Waltons? ›
Michael Learned, who played mom Olivia Walton, had a foolproof way of handling dinner scenes — she just didn't eat the food! "We always joke about how Michael Learned never actually ate," Norton remembers. Learned would move the food around her plate or say her line right before she put food in her mouth.
What happened to the real John-Boy on The Waltons? ›
The Waltons ran until 1981, receiving five Emmy awards in its first season and more than a dozen over the years. Hamner, the AP reported, died in Los Angeles and had recently been battling pneumonia, said Ray Castro Jr., a friend of Hamner's who produced a documentary, Earl Hamner Storyteller, about the writer.
Who has passed away from The Waltons? ›
Dorothy Stickney (Miss Emily) 1998 age 101 at her home in NYC. Cleavon Little (Hawthorne Dooley) 1992 age 53 of colon cancer in Sherman Oaks, CA. Woodrow Parfrey (Ike Godsey) 1984 at age 61 of a heart attack in LA.
How does The Waltons end? ›
The final episode, titled “The Revel,” aired on June 4, 1981. In the episode, John-Boy goes to New York to pursue his writing career but arrives to find that his manuscript has been rejected. His publisher's secretary gives him enough money to return home and advises him to start a new book.
What kind of disease did Earl Thomas Conley have? ›
Only Alabama and Ronnie Milsap had more number one hits during the decade. This month, at age 77, Conley died after spending many months in hospice care for cerebral atrophy, a condition that had caused progressive loss of memory over several years.
Is The Waltons house still standing? ›
The show aired from 1971-1981 and won an Emmy in 1974. The original house that served as the backdrop to Hamner's childhood was built in the early 20th century in the village of Schuyler in Nelson County, where it still stands today.
Who did John-Boy Walton marry? ›
Olivia Daly Walton. Olivia, also known as Liv, Livie, or Mama, (pilot, Patricia Neal; series, Michael Learned) is John Walton's soft-spoken, patient, loving wife, who complements his tough-skinned, opinionated nature.
The three most prominent living members (Jim, Rob, and Alice Walton) have consistently been in the top twenty of the Forbes 400 list since 2001, as were John ( d. 2005) and Helen (d. 2007) prior to their deaths. Christy Walton took her husband John's place in the ranking after his death.
Where is the house where The Waltons was filmed? ›
The location of the Walton's house, barn and mill was filmed on the backlot at The Burbank studios. Visible from certain angles Walton's Mountain could be see through the trees. Drucilla's pond was part of the Jungle set.
