Mathews County has a new history book for all ages. “The Colorful Heritage of Mathews County, Vol. 1” has just been released. The new coloring book contains 32 images of Mathews County’s historic or notable sites, some which no longer exist.

It is the product of Matthew Allyn, the artist who did the drawings, and Janet Burgess, his mother, a Mathews County resident, the editor. She said her son, who lives in the western part of Virginia, takes naturally to drawing and has created greeting cards and pictures for friends.

The 32 images are hand drawn, created from memory and photographs, Burgess said.

She has edited the works and compiled them with narrative. Burgess notes that coloring is not for children only, and that coloring books for adults are enjoying a surge in popularity.

“Remember the days when you tightly clutched a crayon in your hand while coloring a picture in a new coloring book? The smell of the crayon wax; the imagination brought on by the ...