Hello and welcome to “A Pixie From Kilmarnock,” a website devoted to the people, places, and the history of the Northern Neck of Virginia.

In case you’re wondering, yes, Pixie is my real name and finding out my middle name has become a decade’s long pursuit for many of my friends and family. I think it was an inside joke as I was born in a town named after one of Scotland’s greatest poets, Robert Burns. Both towns of Kilmarnock have their Pixies.

I grew up in a segregated Northern Neck. In the face of hatred and denial, also cultivated and harvested were activism, perseverance, excellence, and unity.

Some of the people I interviewed are the elderly. Phone interviews were ideal, especially during the quarantine to ask questions about the place I know as home.

What occurred were the most fascinating conversations with some very fascinating people. Before long, I had a treasure trove of stories. Some were short, some were longer, but all the participants were gracious in sharing their time and memories.

I want to share with you these stories in hopes you are touched by “A Pixie From Kilmarnock.”