I hope everyone is aware of the series of Virginia county road order books published by the Virginia [Highway and] Research Council over the years, and still progressing under the Council's historian Ann Miller. All or most of these books are now online on vtrc.virginiadot.org. Years ago, the Council's Howard Newlon and Mason Pawlett published a long-running series of historical articles called "Backsights: Essays on Transportation History" in the monthly VDOT newsletter, which alas, these days, has no historical articles anymore. About half of these essays were collected into one volume and published in 1985. The rest were collected and ready for publication when VDOT ran out of funds for such things. It's time for this second volume to be resurrected. For people like me, the Council's historical work is the best thing VDOT ever did. Bill Trout Virginia Canals & Navigations Society [log in to unmask]