Local history buff Jimmy Thompson witnessed the demolition and provided details
March 12, 2024 — I received a message from Jimmy O. Thompson — the local historian of the Union Level ghost town who starred in two of my Union Level history videos — that two of the old buildings have been razed to the ground.
Which Buildings in Union Level were destroyed?
Union Level’s recently demolished buildings can be seen in the photo below, separated by a large tree. The brick building on the left, formerly a store and a post office, was demolished and buried, as was the big, red, wooden dance hall seen on the right.
One of the reasons Jimmy invited me out to Union Level in the summer of 2023 to record a history of the ghost town, was because he believed the buildings were endangered. He wanted to be sure we captured his memories and knowledge of the place while it was still intact.
Jimmy witnessed the demolition at Union Level, Virginia
Jimmy was present on the day of demolition and recounted to me what he saw. He said there was a large hole prepared behind the brick store, where the two buildings could be buried. Jimmy said the two buildings were demolished from behind and were buried in the hole, with a lot of dust and trash in the air.
Jimmy described a scenario where one big piece of equipment skirted too close to the foundation and tipped onto its side, so another machine was brought in to rescue the first one, but by 5 p.m., both buildings had been pushed into the hole and smoothed over with dirt.
History of Union Level
Jimmy was raised in Union Level and lived in a house that still stands across the street from these old buildings. He has vivid recollections of life in the town, supported by historic documents in his possession.
To hear the history of the town in Jimmy’s own words, please watch the videos below:
Video history of the Union Level Ghost Town
Buy the book Jimmy presented in the video: Around South Hill by John Caknipe Jr.
In the video, Jimmy refers frequently to this book: Images of America: Around South Hill, written by John Caknipe Jr. If you’d like a copy, it’s available on Amazon here.
Thanks for reading!
Keith
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Stopped by Union Level today as part of our semi annual trip to the area. Came across your article in trying to see what happened to those buildings…
You, or Jimmy are mistaken as to which buildings were demolished. The red building is gone, but the brick one next to it is still alive and well. It was the brick building on the other side of the red building that was demolished. I had been told by a local years ago that the short brick building was a post office and that it was the last building in operation.
The white building across the street has also been cleaned up. There is no longer anything on the front porch.
I’d love to have Jimmy’s contact info and meet. With him sometime.
Thanks for the clarification. I must have misunderstood Jimmy on what buildings were demolished
Just wondering if Mr. Thompson is any relation to Mr. John A. Thompson in the picture in front of the drug store?
Yes! That’s Jimmy’s uncle — they called him Uncle Ashley, from his middle initial.
Cool!, I wished we could hear a little more about his and other’s lives, they were so distinguished back then.