November 1, 2008
The Northern Neck
The Northern Neck
Between the yellow Rappahannock
And the broad Potomac blue
There’s a lovely bit of country
Down in old Virginia true.
Just a narrow strip of inland
On the map it’s scarce a speck,
But it’s Home to everybody
In the good old Northern Neck.
You go sixty miles from nowhere
Down a winding country road,
Past a picturesque old mill pond,
And a patriot’s first abode.
Yes, it’s rather isolated
But I know when you reflect
You will surely want to linger
In the good old Northern Neck.
You’ll find many stately mansions
Of the true Colonial style
Tucked behind old-fashioned gardens
Filled with flowers all the while.
River views, with steamboat landings,
Everything you could expect
Of Virginia’s rich tradition
In the good old Northern Neck.
The folks have got a charming way
Of saying, “Come right in.”
There’s smoke cured ham and batter-bread
With potatoes in the bin.
The people still believe in God,
And home is not a wreck.
And everybody’s “Kith and kin”
In the good old Northern Neck.
Sure, I’ve heard them sing of Heaven
Guess ‘twas never meant for me.
But sometimes I stop and wonder
How the next world’s going to be.
But St. Peter needn’t work
When I’m cashing in my check,
For my soul will stay forever,
In the good old Northern Neck.
James S. Allen
Warsaw, Virginia, July 20, 1925
Nothing that I could possibly add to this.
Katrina said,
June 16, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
True, that poem says it all. I’m proud to make this place my home.
Agnes Andrews said,
January 21, 2011 @ 5:39 pm
Found your blog because I was looking for the poem The Northern Neck by James Allen. Thanks. I know your brother, Ken. I knew your father too, because I’ve worked in Essex County Courthouse in Tappahannock since the mid-seventies. I really liked your father. He had a great sense of humor! I wish I had more time to read your writings. Really enjoyed the Seinfeldian moments in the post office. A young local attorney here has made that same comparison. Keep it up. I shall return.