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| Pennsylvania (Adams County), Heidlersburg — 372 — John Studebaker |
| | Had his wagon works 2.5 miles SE of here, 1830 to 1836, when he moved west. In 1852 his sons formed the Studebaker Company, the world's largest maker of horse-drawn vehicles and, in 1897, a pioneer in the automobile industry. — Map (db m185) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — E 124 — Alfred Street Baptist Church |
| | Alfred Street Baptist Church is home to the oldest
African American congregation in Alexandria,
dating to the early 19th century. It has served as a
prominent religious, educational, and cultural
institution. In 1818, the congregation, then known
as the Colored Baptist Society, began worship
services here in the midst of the Bottoms, a free
black neighborhood. By 1820 the church created
its educational branch, providing religious and
secular opportunities for both black children . . . — Map (db m14623) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Battery Rodgers |
| | Historical Site Defenses of Washington 1861-1865 Battery Rodgers
Here stood Battery Rodgers, built in 1863 to prevent enemy ships from passing up the Potomac River. The battery had a perimeter of 30 yards and mounted five 200 pounder Parrott guns and one 15-inch Rodman. It was deactivated in 1867. — Map (db m8460) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — First Catholic Church in Virginia — A. D. 1795 |
| | This stone taken from the canal of the Potomac Company of which Washington and Fitzgerald were Directors commemorates the erection of the First Catholic Church in Virginia, A. D. 1795, which stood until 1839 about twenty feet behind this marker.
In grateful acknowledgement of their aid in establishing this church the three trees to the north of this stone have been dedicated as follows to General George Washington as subscriber to the building, Colonel John Fitzerald, his . . . — Map (db m8475) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — First Original Federal Boundary Stone — District of Columbia |
| | Placed April 15, 1791. Protected by Mount Vernon Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, April 30, 1926. — Map (db m8461) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Home of Edmund Jennings Lee — Completed 1801 |
| | Eminent lawyer, he lived here until 1837. His son, Cassius Francis Lee until 1865. Edmund Jennings Lee served as Vestryman and Warden of Christ Church, whose Glebe lands he successfully defended from confiscation after the Revolutionary War. Major of Alexandria 1814–1818. Robert Edward Lee, his nephew, considered this his second home. — Map (db m8566) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — E-91 — Lee’s Boyhood Home |
| | Robert E. Lee left this home that he loves so well to enter West Point. After Appomattox he returned and climbed the wall to see “if the snowballs were in bloom.” George Washington dined here when it was the home of William fitzhugh, Lee’s kinsman and his wife’s grandfather. Lafayette visited here in 1824. — Map (db m8548) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — E-93 — Lee-Fendall House |
| | “Light Horse Harry” Lee, Revolutionary War officer, owned this land in 1784. The house was built in 1785 by Phillip Fendall, a Lee relative. Renovated in 1850 in the Greek Revival style, the house remained in the Lee family until 1903. John L. Lewis, labor leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, was the last resident owner, from 1937 to 1969. — Map (db m8567) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Lee-Fendall House |
| | Built by Philip Richard Fendall in 1785 on land purchased from Henry (Light Horse Harry) Lee. Lee was a brilliant cavalry officer in the Revolution, close friend of George Washington, Virginia Assemblyman, member of Congress and Governor of Virginia. Borh 1756, died 1818. His ashes lie in the chapel crypt at Washington and Lee University beside his son, Robert E. Lee. — Map (db m8596) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Lloyd House |
| | Built 1797 by John Wise, tavern keeper, and his residence, until 1799. Rental property when sold to Major Jacob Hoffman 1810–1825, included outbuildings, gardens, small sugar refinery. Next owner Elizabeth Thacker Hooe leased house to Benjamin Hallowell, schoolmaster, who had prepared Robert E. Lee for West Point. Lee was often a guest at the house. Purchased 1832 by John Lloyd and remained in his family to 1918. Saved by Robert V. New from demolition 1956. With contributions from . . . — Map (db m8613) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — Mistress Margaret Brent — (c1601–c1671) |
| | On September 6, 1654, this site was included in a patent of 700 acres granted by the Colony of Virginia to Mistress Margaret Brent (1601–c1671). An extraordinary woman, she spent most of her adult life fighting discrimination of her sex, she was the first private owner of the rectangular tract of land on the Potomac River above Hunting Creek that became the nucleus of Alexandria. — Map (db m8462) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — E-92 — Site of First Synagogue of Beth El Hebrew Congregation |
| | On this site stood Beth El Hebrew Congregation’s synagogue, the first structure built as Jewish house of worship in the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1859, Beth El, the first reform Jewish congregation in the Washington area, is northern Virginia’s oldest Jewish congregation. Beth El built the synagogue here in 1871 and worshipped in it until 1954. A new synagogue on Seminary Road, Alexandria, was dedicated in 1957. — Map (db m8604) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — The Confederate Statue |
| | The unarmed Confederate soldier standing in the intersection of Washington and Prince Streets marks the location where units from Alexandria left to join the Confederate Army on May 24, 1861. The soldier is facing the battlefields to the South where his comrades fell during the War Between the States. The names of those Alexandrians who died in service for the Confederacy are inscribed on the base of the statue. The title of the sculpture is “Appomattox” by M. Casper Buberl.
. . . — Map (db m8605) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — The Lyceum — The Jean E. Keith Memorial |
| | Built in 1839 by the Alexandria Lyceum Company under the leadership of Benjamin Hallowell, this building housed the Alexandria Library and was the scene of concerts, meetings, debates and lectures featuring such speakers as John Quincy Adams and Caleb Cushing. It served as a hospital from 1861–1865 and later became a private residence. This fine example of Greek Revival architecture was saved from demolition in 1970 and restored in 1974.
On March 27, 1979, the City of Alexandria . . . — Map (db m8607) |
| Virginia, Alexandria — E-106 — Washington-Rochambeau Route — Alexandria Encampment |
| | Most of the American and French armies set sail from three ports in Maryland—Annapolis, Baltimore, and Head of Elk—in mid-Sept. 1781 to besiege the British army in Yorktown. The allied supply-wagon traln proceeded overland to Yorktown, its itinerary divided into segments called “Marches.” Its “Fourth March” was from Georgetown to Alexandria; the wagons took two days, 24-25 Sept., to cross the Potomac and reunite in Virginia. The Alexandria camp was roughly a . . . — Map (db m8570) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-1d — Charlottesville |
| | The site was patented by William Taylor in 1737. The town was established by law in 1762, and was named for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. Burgoyne’s army, captured at Saratoga in 1777, was long quartered near here. The legislature was in session here, in June 1781, but retired westward to escape Tarleton’s raid on the town. Jefferson, who lived at Monticello, founded the University of Virginia in 1819. — Map (db m8643) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-1b — Charlottesville |
| | The site was patented by William Taylor in 1737. The town was established by law in 1762, and was named for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. Burgoyne’s army, captured at Saratoga in 1777, was long quartered near here. The legislature was in session here, in June 1781, but retired westward to escape Tarleton’s raid on the town. Jefferson, who lived at Monticello, founded the University of Virginia in 1819. — Map (db m19843) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-23 — Charlottesville General Hospital |
| | During the Civil War, the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, the Charlottesville town hall and the courthouse, as well as nearby homes and hotels were converted into a makeshift hospital complex called the Charlottesville General Hospital. It treated more than 22,000 wounded soldiers between 1861 and 1865. The first of the wounded arrived by train within hours of the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) in July 1861. One of the facilities, known as the Mudwall or Delevan Hospital, received . . . — Map (db m8664) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-24 — Charlottesville Woolen Mills |
| | As early as 1795, several types of mills operated here. In 1847, Farish, Jones, and Co., opened a cotton and woolen factory. John A. Marchant gained control of it by 1852 and renamed it the Charlottesville Manufacturing Company. His son, Henry Clay Marchant bought it in 1864. Although the Union army burned the factory in 1865, Marchant reopened it in 1867 as the Charlottesville Woolen Mills, which became Albemarle’s largest industry. A community grew up around the mill and Marchant built worked . . . — Map (db m17981) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Claude Moore, M.D. — 1892–1991 |
| | A native of Radford, Virginia, Dr. Moore was a 1916 graduate of the School of Medicine and a gifted player on the University’s football team. He served in the Army Medical Corps in France during World War I. Dr. Moore began his career in radiology at the Mayo Clinic and later worked at George Washington University and in private practice. — Map (db m8823) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-29 — Edgar Allan Poe |
| | Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)—writer, poet, and
critic—was born in Boston, Mass. Orphaned at a
young age, Poe was raised by John and Frances Allan of Richmond. He attended schools in
England and Richmond before enrolling at the University of Virginia on 14 Feb. 1826 for one term, living in No.13 West Range. He took classes in the Ancient and Modern Languages. While at the university, Poe accumulated debts that John Allan refused to pay. Poe left the university and briefly returned . . . — Map (db m8765) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Fernando Símon Bolívar — 1810–1898 |
| | Fernando Bolívar, a native of Venezuela, attended the University of Virginia in 1827. He was the nephew and adopted son of Símon Bolívar, The Liberator, who sent him to study in the “Republic of Washington and Jefferson.” A friend of James Monroe and an admirer of Thomas Jefferson, Bolívar chose to continue his studies at the University. He returned to Venezuela where he became a distinguished man of letters and a brilliant diplomat. — Map (db m8820) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-16 — First Baptist Church, West Main Street |
| | The Charlottesville African Church
congregation was organized in 1864. Four years later it bought the Delevan building, built in 1828 by Gen. John H. Cocke, and at one time used as a temperance hotel for University of Virginia students. It became part of the Charlottesville General Hospital and sheltered wounded soldiers during the Civil War. The church members laid the cornerstone for a new building in 1877 on the Delevan site, and the First Baptist Church, West Main Street, was completed in . . . — Map (db m8824) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-25 — Gen. Alexander Archer Vandegrift |
| | Gen. Alexander Archer Vandegrift was born in Charlottesville on 13 Mar. 1887. He entered the U.S. Marine Corps in 1909 and served
on posts in the Caribbean, Central America,
China, and the United States. General
Vandegrift led American forces in their first successful major Pacific offensive in World War II at Guadalcanal and was awarded the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor.
He also served as the Commandant of the Marine Corps from l944 to 1947 and in 1945
became the first active-duty . . . — Map (db m18547) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-26 — Georgia O’Keeffe |
| | Georgia O’Keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887. Her mother moved to Charlottesville in 1909 and rented the house here. Beginning
in 1912, O’Keeffe intermittently lived with
her mother and sisters. She took a summer
drawing class taught by Mon Bement at the University of Virginia. O’Keeffe taught art classes at the university each summer between 1913 and 1916. O’Keeffe used a number of mediums to showcase her artistic talents throughout her long career. In 1916. noted photographer, art . . . — Map (db m19092) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Historic Courthouse Square |
| | This building, in continuous use as a
courthouse for over 200 years, is one of America’s most historic. No other courthouse has been used by three early
American Presidents at the same time, The original wood frame courthouse was erected on a two-acre lot in 1762 when
the city was founded by Dr. Thomas
Walker. Here local elections were held and the County Court conducted business with the help of young attorneys and magistrates such as Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. These men along . . . — Map (db m19723) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-17 — Jack Jouett’s Ride |
| | On 4 June 1781, John “Jack” Jouett Jr. arrived at the Albemarle County Courthouse to warn the Virginia legislature of approaching British troops. The state government under Governor Thomas Jefferson had retreated from Richmond to reconvene in Charlottesville because of the threat of British invasion during the Revolutionary War. Jouett had spotted Colonel Banastre Tarleton and his 180 dragoons and 70 cavalrymen 40 miles east at Cuckoo Tavern, and rode through the night to reach here . . . — Map (db m18549) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — G-23 — James Monroe’s First Farm — Site of the University of Virginia |
| | In 1788 James Monroe purchased an 800-acre farm here to be close to his friend Thomas Jefferson and to establish a law office. In 1799 the Monroes moved to their new Highland plantation adjacent to Monticello and sold the first farm. In 1817 the Board of Visitors of Central College purchased 43¾ acres of Monroe’s old farm, for the Lawn and the Ranges of the “academical village” that Jefferson was planning to build with private contributions. On 6 Oct. President Monroe, with former . . . — Map (db m8762) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-30 — Jefferson School |
| | The name Jefferson School has a long association
with African American education in Charlottesville.
It was first used in the 1860s in a Freedmen's
Bureau school and then for a public grade school
by 1894. Jefferson High School opened here in
1926 as the city’s first high school for blacks, an
early accredited black high school in Virginia.
The facility became Jefferson Elementary School
in 1951. In 1958, some current and former Jefferson
students requested transfers to two white . . . — Map (db m19834) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Meriwether Lewis and William Clark — 1774–1809, 1770–1838 |
| | Bold and farseeing pathfinders who carried the flag of the young republic to the western ocean and revealed an unknown empire to the uses of mankind.
A territory of 385000 square miles was added to the country by the efforts of these men, an area larger than the then existing size of the United States. — Map (db m8353) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — W-200 — Monticello |
| | Three miles to the southeast, Thomas Jefferson began the house in 1770 and finished it in 1802. He brought his bride to it in 1772. Lafayette visited it in 1825. Jefferson spent his last years there and died there, July 4, 1826. His tomb is there. The place was raided by British cavalry, June 4, 1781. — Map (db m23436) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-31 — Monticello Wine Company |
| | The Monticello Wine Company’s four-story brick building was located on the middle of Perry Drive on the north side. Founded in 1873 using grapes from local vineyards, it operated until about the time Prohibition began in Virginia in Nov. 1916. Spurred by production increases and highest-awards honors from exhibitions in the United States and abroad, the Charlottesville region proclaimed itself the “Capital of the Wine Belt in Virginia.” In 1904 its wine was used to christen the USS . . . — Map (db m17993) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Paul Goodloe McIntire — 1860–1952 — Jackson Park |
| | Paul Goodloe McIntire (1860–1952) commissioned in 1921 the statue of General Thomas Jonathan (“Stonewall“) Jackson from Charles Keck. He gave the statue and this park to Charlottesville, the city of his birth, for the pleasure of all who pass by.
The regeneration of this park is dedicated in loving admiration to Mary Frazier Cash 1903–1971 by her friends and family. Her leadership in community affairs and good government, her infinite tolerance and her hopes . . . — Map (db m19753) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — President Monroe’s Local Homes |
| | In 1789 James Monroe moved to Charlottesville and for one year his home was located in the first block west of this site. Then he lived for nine years in the home he built on what is now called “Monroe Hill” at the University of Virginia. His final Albemarle home, near “Monticello” was his “Highland” estate, now called “Ash Lawn.” — Map (db m19808) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Site of Old Swan Tavern |
| | Site of old Swan Tavern where lived and died Jack Jouett, whose heroic ride saved Mr. Jefferson, the Governor, and the Virginia Assembly from capture by Tarleton June 1781. — Map (db m18552) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-20 — Stone Tavern and Central Hotel |
| | George Nicholas, Albemarle County’s Virginia General Assembly delegate in 1783, built a stone house here in 1784. James Monroe occupied it 1789-1790, while improving the dwelling at his nearby farm, later the site of the University of Virginia. Here on 15 Dec. 1806, while the house was being operated as the Stone Tavern, the return of Meriwether Lewis from his expedition to the Pacific with William Clark was celebrated with a dinner. Thomas Jefferson hosted a reception in the tavern (renamed . . . — Map (db m19830) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — G-27 — Technical Sergeant Frank D. Peregory |
| | Born at Esmont on 10 April 1915, Frank D. Peregory enlisted in May 1931 in Charlottesville’s Co. K (Monticello Guard), 116th Inf. Regt., 29th Inf. Div. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, T. Sgt. Peregory landed in the assault on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France. At Grandcamp, on 8 June, he single-handedly charged an enemy stronghold with grenades and bayonet, killing 8 soldiers and capturing 35. Six days later he was killed in action near Couvains. For his valor T. Sgt. Peregory was awarded the Medal of . . . — Map (db m18584) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Q-27 — The Farm |
| | The Farm stands on a 1020-acre tract acquired by Nicholas Meriwether in 1735 and later owned by Col. Nicholas Lewis, uncle of Meriwether Lewis. A building on the property likely served as headquarters for British Col. Banastre Tarleton briefly in June 1781. In 1825, Charlottesville lawyer and later University of Virginia law professor. John A. G. Davis purchased a portion of the original tract and engaged Thomas Jefferson’s workmen to design and build this house. It is considered one of the . . . — Map (db m19582) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — The University “Corner” — A Student Rendezvous Since the Mid-1800s |
| | In the early 1900s “The Corner,” so named by the University crowd, was but a sparse collection of businesses at the entrance to the University Grounds—literally just a corner. In the intervening years “The Corner” has grown into a bustling commercial district.
Many of “The Corner’s” early structures still stand along University Ave.—between 14th and Chancellor Streets—including the C&O railroad bridge (1901), also known as the . . . — Map (db m8681) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Thomas Jefferson Monument |
| | Proclaim Liberty throughtout the land unto the inhabitants thereof —Leviticus XXIV.
This monument to Thomas Jefferson was presented to the people to perpetuate the teachings and examples of the Founders of the Republic.
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
Religious Freedom of 1776. —God, Jehovah, Brahma, Atman, Ra, Allah, Zeus. — Map (db m8805) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — I-3 — University of Virginia |
| | Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia. The cornerstone of its first building was laid on October 6, 1817, in the presence of three presidents of the United States—Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. In 1825, the university admitted its first scholars, who were educated in what Jefferson called “useful sciences.” Following Jefferson’s beliefs, the university was nonsectarian and allowed its students to choose their own courses of study. The honor system . . . — Map (db m8684) |
| Virginia, Charlottesville — Watering Fountains |
| | During the late 1800’s, the City of Charlottesville installed four watering fountains in the downtown area. The fountains were designed to provide water to the citizens, their horses and other domesticated animals. Water was provided by the City water system and fed through four fish-like features to the upper bowl. The overflow then filled the lower trough for the smaller animals. A fountain similar to this once stood in front of the courthouse on Jefferson Street and was removed a the time . . . — Map (db m19739) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — C-19 — Bull Run Battlefields |
| | Ten miles west were fought the two Battles of Manassas or Bull Run. — Map (db m619) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — BW-2 — Burke’s Station Raid |
| | Burke’s Station, four miles south, was raided by Stuart’s cavalry, December, 1862. Stuart telegraphed to Washington complaining of the bad quality of the mules he had captured—a famous joke. — Map (db m618) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Fairfax — Spies, Mosby and Marr |
| | On June 1. 1861, the first major skirmish of the Civil War occurred on the main street of Fairfax Court House. In the pre-dawn hours 50 men of Co. B, Second U.S. Cavalry, led by Lt. Charles H. Tomkins, rode into town firing their weapons. As Capt. John Quincy Marr, commander of the Warrenton Rifles, rallied his men against the Union attack, he was killed by a stray bullet—becoming the first Confederate officer to die in the war.
On March 9, 1863, Confederate Col. John
S. Mosby and . . . — Map (db m626) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Fairfax Court House |
| | Built in 1800. This building, designed by James Wren, served as the first permanent courthouse of Fairfax County. — Map (db m621) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Fairfax Court House |
| | Built 1800 Old Town Fairfax This building is on the National Register of Historic Places. George and Martha Washington’s wills were recorded here and still remain in this complex. Confederate President Jefferson Davis reviewed strategy in the tavern across the street with his generals on October 1 and 2, 1861. — Map (db m6259) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Historic Fairfax Elementary School |
| | Built 1873 Old Town Fairfax This is the oldest, two-story, brick public school house in Fairfax County. Bricks were made from a clay pit on the Farr property across Main St. The original portion of this structure, the rear, was build for then considered exorbitant cost of $2,750. The front was added in 1912. — Map (db m6303) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Monument to John Q. Marr |
| | This stone marks the scene of the opening conflict of the war of 1861–1865, when John Q. Marr, Captain of the Warrenton Rifles, who was the first soldier killed in action, fell 800 ft. S. 46 W. Mag. of this spot, June 1st, 1861. — Map (db m620) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Old Fairfax Jail |
| | Built in late 19th Century Old Town Fairfax The original “gaol” (1802) burned down in 1884. The Alexandria jail was used until this building was completed. The last jailer, Mr. William F. Lowe, and his family lived in the front quarters of this building until 1954. The structure is of the Italianate architecture. — Map (db m6256) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Peyton Anderson |
| | Payton Anderson of the Rappahannock Cavalry was severely wounded on picket duty 122 ft. N.W. of this spot May 27, 1861.
The first soldier of the South to shed his blood for the Confederacy. — Map (db m1020) |
| Virginia, Fairfax — Ratcliffe-Allison House (Earp’s) |
| | Built 1812 Old Town Fairfax This is the oldest house in the City of Fairfax and the first city-owned building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places (1973). The oldest section of the house, the eastern portion, was built by Richard Ratcliffe around 1812 to the specifications of the original lot sales in the Town of Providence. — Map (db m6261) |
| Virginia, Harrisonburg — A-35 — End of the Campaign |
| | Here Stonewall Jackson, retreating up the Valley before the converging columns of Fremont and Shields, turned at bay, June 1862. A mile southeast Jackson’s cavalry commander, Ashby, was killed, June 6. At Cross Keys, six miles southeast, Ewell of Jackson’s army defeated Freemont, June 8. Near Port Republic, ten miles southeast, Jackson defeated Shields, June 9. This was the end of Jackson’s Valley Campaign. — Map (db m2869) |
| Virginia, Harrisonburg — The Big Spring — Our Anchor in Time |
| | “For generations this great spring was the main source of water supply for the town. Before the white man settled around it the Indians and the buffaloes knew it well. It was at the crossing of two old trails—one up and down the Valley, since widened into the Valley Turnpike, the other crossing the Valley from east to west. During the Civil war thousands of soldiers, Blue and Gray, quenched their thirst at this generous place of refreshment. But some time after 1896,when the new . . . — Map (db m11720) |
| Virginia, Manassas — Steam Locomotive Tire Fire Alarm – 1909 |
| | One of the challenges for volunteer fire departments is how to alert their members to a fire. In July 1909, the Town of Manassas authorized Mr. J. I. Randall, the first town Fire Chief, to purchase three locomotive tires to be suspended in frames in different parts of town to be used as fire alarms. Each alarm was to be furnished with a hammer or other device to strike the tire.
One alarm was located on Center Street by the Town Hall, another was placed on Grant Avenue at the present . . . — Map (db m392) |
| Virginia, Naval Station, Norfolk — Virginia and Monitor |
| | Across Hampton Roads from this point the C.S.S. Virginia (Merrimac) and the U.S.S. Monitor fought, March 9, 1862. This was the first combat between iron-clad vessels in the history of the world. After a severe engagement in which each vessel failed to pierce the other’s armour, the Monitor retired. On the previous day, the Virginia had destroyed the U.S.S. Congress and the U.S.S. Cumberland, and dispersed the remainder of the Federal fleet. — Map (db m16420) |
| Virginia, Richmond — SA–42 — Richmond Evacuation Fire |
| | After midnight on 3 April 1865, Confederate
soldiers set fire to several tobacco warehouses
nearby on orders from Lt. Gen. Richard S.
Ewell, as the army evacuated Richmond and
marched west. Two distinct fires spread
rapidly throughout the commercial and industrial sections of the capital. The core of the
burned-out area, some 35 blocks, extended
from the James River in some areas as far
north as Capitol Square, and from 4th St.
east to 16th St. Frightened citizens huddled
in Capitol . . . — Map (db m8161) |
| Virginia, Richmond — Slave Auction Site |
| | You are standing in the geographical heart of the slave trading district of Richmond.
To your left, around and behind you, were the cobble stone streets that led to the large, fashionable, brick hotels where dealers had their first floor offices and buyers rented upstairs rooms. The St. Charles Hotel, one of the major sales sites, was located on this corner. Adjacent was Bell Tavern (later known as the City Hotel) and nearby was the Exchange and Ballard hotels.
Public auctions . . . — Map (db m20779) |
| Virginia, Richmond — Slave Trade Reconciliation Triangle |
| | Identical statues in Liverpool, England; Benin, West Africa; and Richmond, Virginia, memorialize the British, African and American triangular trade, now identified as the Reconciliation Triangle. Traders profited from delivering over 100,000 Africans to Virginia between the 1600’s and the American Revolution—and at least 260,000 to other North American places before 1808. The “triangle” extended between Liverpool and other large British cities, the Republic of Benin, and other . . . — Map (db m20766) |
| Virginia, Richmond — The Treasury Building of the Confederate States of America |
| | This wall was once a part of the Treasury Building of the Confederate States of America.
In it were the offices of the President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Treasurer of the Confederate Government.
Here too President Jefferson Davis, who had been indicted May 8, 1866 under the charge of treason against the United States, appeared either in person or by counsel before the Circuit Court of the United States demanding trial, first on June 5, 1866 . . . — Map (db m8152) |
| Virginia, Richmond — The Triangle |
| | Liverpool, England • The Benin Region of West Africa • Richmond, Virginia
During the 18th Century, these three places reflected one of the well-known triangles in the trade of enslaved Africans.
Men, women and children were captured in West and Central Africa and transported from Benin to other countries. They were chained, herded, loaded on ships built in England and transported through the unspeakable horrors of the Middle Passage.
They were imported and exported in . . . — Map (db m20765) |
| Virginia, Staunton — Ast Building |
| | The photo shows the staff of Ast Hardware around 1915; Capt. Joseph P. Ast is second from left. In 1975, this half of the Ast building was demolished to provide an access ramp to the new parking garage, leaving the blank wall of the remaining part of the building. In 1980, a competition was held to choose a mural design for this blank wall. The whimsical result is if a painter painting back the original side wall of the old Ast Hardware building! — Map (db m12452) |
| Virginia, Staunton — Augusta County — 1738–1988 |
| | Established November 1, 1738 by an act of the General Assembly, Augusta County extended from the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east to the Mississippi River on the west and from the southern boundary of the Colony north to “the utmost limits of Virginia” in the vicinity of the Great Lakes.
The County was named for Princess Augusta, wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of George II and father of George III. In 1742 William Beverly, the patentee, deeded this site to the County . . . — Map (db m11757) |
| Virginia, Staunton — Augusta National Bank Building |
| | This engraving of the southwest corner of downtown Staunton’s busiest intersection, Beverley and Augusta Streets, dates from about 1885. In the center is the Augusta National Bank building surrounded by older, smaller structures, most of which were rebuilt or remodeled during the city’s turn-of-the-century “boom” years.
It is interesting to note that this corner site has housed only banks for over a century. United Virginia Bank’s new building, begun in 1981, preserves this . . . — Map (db m12375) |
| Virginia, Staunton — A-61 — Birthplace of Woodrow Wilson — U.S. President 1913–21 |
| | Three and one half miles south, on Coalter Street in Staunton, is the birthplace of Thomas Woodrow Wilson, 8th Virginia-born President. New Jersey Governor, 28th President (World War I). He was chief author and sponsor of the League of Nations. Born Dec 28, 1856, died in Washington, Feb 3, 1924. The birthplace is maintained as an historic shrine. — Map (db m12363) |
| Virginia, Staunton — A-63 — Dr. Alexander Humphreys |
| | Dr. Humphreys (1757–1802), an important teacher in 18th-century Virginia, received his M. D. from the University of Edinburgh. He practiced medicine in Augusta County and Staunton from 1783 to 1802 in an office facing the county courthouse. Among Dr. Humphreys’ many students were Dr. Ephraim McDowell, the “Founder of Abdominal Surgery;” Dr. Samuel Brown, a pioneer in the use of smallpox vaccination; and President William Henry Harrison. Dr. Humphreys is buried in the churchyard of Trinity Episcopal Church. — Map (db m11761) |
| Virginia, Staunton — Dr. Alexander Humphreys |
| | This weathered stone was inscribed: “Dr. Alexander Humphreys departed this life 23 May, 1802, in the 45th year of his age.”
Born in County Armagh, Ireland, educated in medicine in Ireland, settled in Augusta County, practiced in Staunton from 1788, conducted a Medical School here, and was the teacher of the pioneer abdominal surgeon, Ephraim McDowell.
Physician • Teacher • Civic Leader — Map (db m11763) |
| Virginia, Staunton — A-64 — Dr. William Fleming |
| | Physician, soldier, and statesman, Dr. William Fleming (1728–1795) studied medicine in his native Scotland before practicing in Staunton from 1763 to 1768. His home stood at the crossing of New Street and Lewis Creek. Dr. Fleming’s career included periods as commander of the Botentourt Regiment, Commissioner for Kentucky, member of the Continental Congress, delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention, and Acting Governor when the Virginia General Assembly met in Staunton in June, 1781. — Map (db m11802) |
| Virginia, Staunton — I-17 — Mary Baldwin College |
| | The oldest college for women related to the Presbyterian Church, U. S. Founded 1842 by Rufus W. Bailey as Augusta Female Seminary; renamed in 1895 to honor Mary Julia Baldwin, pioneer woman educator and Principal, 1863–1897. — Map (db m12366) |
| Virginia, Staunton — I-21 — Stuart Hall |
| | Chartered on 13 January 1744 as the Virginia Female Institute, Stuart Hall is Virginia’s oldest college preparatory school for girls. The Rev. Dr. Richard H. Phillips headed the school from 1848 until 1880. Flora Cooke Stuart, “Mrs. General” J.E.B. Stuart, for whom the school was renamed in 1807, was principal from 1880 until 1899. Two of General Robert E. Lee’s daughters attended Stuart Hall, and Lee served as president of the school’s board of visitors from 1865 until 1870. — Map (db m12372) |
| Virginia, Staunton — T. J. Collins & Son |
| | “The beauty of a city is largely dependent upon the artistic ideas and abilities of its architects and Staunton is certainly to be congratulated on having in its midst that eminent firm of architects, T.J. Collins & Son. whose work is memorialized not only on many magnificent structures in Staunton, but by hundreds of others in every section of the south.”
The description above is from 1906 when T. J. Collins had practiced in Staunton for 15 years. Collins moved to Staunton from . . . — Map (db m11759) |
| Virginia, Staunton — The Hon. Archibald Stuart |
| | This Stone covers the mortal remains of the Hon. Archibald Stuart. He died on the 11th day of July (d1832) aged 75 years 3 m. and 22 days. Merits the tribute of grateful remembrance having performed well his part in life.
When a youth, he fought for his country the war which achieved her independence.
And in maturer years contributed to Convention; to confirm her Liberties by the adoption of our national constitution.
He was distinguished as an able lawyer, a wise legislator, an . . . — Map (db m11776) |
| Virginia, Staunton — I-16 — The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind — Founded 1839 |
| | A state residential school created by an act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia on March 31, 1838 for the purpose of educating the deaf and the blind children of the state. — Map (db m11797) |
| Virginia, Staunton — The Wesleyan Female Institute |
| | The Wesleyan Female Institute stood on this site from 1850–1870. — Map (db m11803) |
| Virginia, Staunton — QC-1 — Trinity Church |
| | Known originally as Augusta Parish Church, it was founded in 1746 as the county parish. The Virginia General Assembly met here in June 1781 to avoid capture by British raiders. The present church was erected in 1855 and was used by the Virginia Theological Seminary during the War Between the States. The first bishop of Virginia, James Madison, was a member of this church. — Map (db m11782) |
| Virginia, Waynesboro — Q-2-c — Virginia Metalcrafters |
| | Virginia Metalcrafters had its first beginnings with the founding of the Waynesboro Stove Company in 1890 by William J. Loth. The company, which made ornately cast cookstoves, heaters and all accoutrements for kitchens of the period, later developed the electric Hotpoint Range. It merged with Rife Ram Pump Works, inventors in 1884 of the ram pump widely used to pump water in rural areas before electrification. In 1938, the Rife-Loth Corporation began selling finely crafted brass accessories under the name Virginia Metalcrafters. — Map (db m4031) |
| Virginia, Waynesboro — Q-2-b — Waynesboro |
| | Settlers began to arrive to present day Augusta County in the 1730s and by the Revolutionary War a small hamlet existed here. By 1797, it was known as Waynesborough, for Revolutionary War hero Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne. It became a town in 1801 and was incorporated in 1834. The last battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley took place in Waynesboro on 2 March 1865, near the end of the Civil War, when Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan defeated Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early. Basic City . . . — Map (db m4032) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Afton — Z-20 — Nelson County / Albemarle County |
| | Nelson County. In the foothills of Virginia’s Piedmont,
Nelson County was formed in 1807 from Amherst County. The county was named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., governor of Virginia from June to November 1781. The county seat is Lovingston. The Nelson County courthouse was built under the supervision of George Varnum in 1809, according to the plans submitted by Sheldon Crostwait, one of the justices. Though the courthouse has been modified and enlarged over the years, it is one of Virginia’s . . . — Map (db m4030) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Batesville — GA-40 — Staunton and James River Turnpike |
| | The Staunton and James River Turnpike ran
through here at Batesville and stretched for
43½ miles from Staunton to Scottsville.
Construction began in 1826 and was completed
by 1830. The turnpike provided a direct
route for Shenandoah Valley farmers to
transport agricultural products to Scottsville,
then to Richmond via the James River and
Kanawha Canal. Because the turnpike became
impassable during wet weather, it was
converted to a plank road (wooden boards laid
crosswise to the . . . — Map (db m21696) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Brownsville — The Rothwell Family ... / Elisha Wm. Robertson ... |
| | The Rothwell Family of Albemarle County Virginia.
Claiborne one of the first of the Rothwells to live in this county, was born about 1741 as reported in The Virginia Advocate, Saturday Oct. 11, 1828 and “died on Oct. 6 in his 87th year... He was a kind and affectionate husband and father, a good neighbor and a humane master ... a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.” He was buried in the family cemetery, remains of which may be seen near the home of Wm. D. Ballard, . . . — Map (db m3996) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Z-15 — Albemarle County / Greene County |
| | Albemarle County. Albemarle County was formed in 1744 from Goochland County and named for William Anne Keppel, the second Earl of Albemarle, titular governor of Virginia from 1747 to 1754. A portion of Louisa County was later added to Albemarle County. In 1761, part of Albemarle County was divided to form Buckingham and Amherst Counties. President Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) was born in this county at Shadwell and here he built his home Monticello. The city of Charlottesville is the . . . — Map (db m21585) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Q-1a — Charlottesville |
| | The site was patented by William Taylor in 1737. The town was established by law in 1762, and was named for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. Burgoyne’s army, captured at Saratoga in 1777, was long quartered near here. The legislature was in session here, in June 1781, but retired westward to escape Tarleton’s raid on the town. Jefferson, who lived at Monticello, founded the University of Virginia in 1819. — Map (db m19844) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — W-199 — Clark’s Birthplace |
| | A mile north was born George Rogers Clark, defender of Kentucky and conqueror of the Northwest, November 19, 1752. — Map (db m17271) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Kappa Sigma Fraternity |
| | Here on December the tenth MDCCCLXIX the Kappa Sigma Fraternity was founded by William Grisby McCormick • George Miles Arnold • John Covert Boyd • Edmund Law Rogers • Frank Courtney Nicodemus. Manet Mansuraque Est. — Map (db m8812) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — G-29 — Monacan Indian Village |
| | Near here, on both sides of the Rivanna River, was located the Monacan Indian village of Monasukapanough. This village was one of give Monacan towns that Captain John Smith recorded by name on his 1612 Map of Virginia, though many more existed. Monasukapanough was a chief’s village and was occupied for several centuries until it was abandoned in the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. Monacan descendants still reside throughout the central Virginia area. The tribe’s headquarters today is on Bear Mountain in Amherst County. — Map (db m19841) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — W-163 — Revolutionary Soldiers Graves |
| | Jesse Pitman Lewis (d. March 8, 1849), of the Virginia Militia, and Taliaferro Lewis (d. July 12, 1810), of the Continental Line, two of several brothers who fought in the War for Independence, are buried in the Lewis family cemetery 100 yards south of this marker. — Map (db m3994) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Rio Hill — Artifacts Found at Rio Hill |
| | Civil War relic collectors found Stuart’s winter camp and skirmish site (shaded area of map) long before the Rio Hill Shopping Center opened in 1989.
Metal detectors were used to search the area and artifacts—bullets, buttons, belt and harness buckles, shell fragments, camp equipment and personal items—were found.
Photo (A) shows a recovered Confederate officer’s two-piece “CS” belt buckle, while a Virginia state seal and Confederate block and script . . . — Map (db m7692) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Rio Hill 1864 Skirmish — George A. Custer Attacks a Confederate Winter Camp |
| | In December 1863, Confederate troops established winter quarters here. The approximately 200 soldiers, under the command of Capt. Marcellus N. Moorman, were from Stuart’s Horse Artillery Battalion and were equipped with 16 cannons. The men built huts and their horses grazed on surrounding fields during the encampment.
While the artillery troops rested through the early months of 1864, Union Generals Ulric Dahlgren and Judson Kilpatrick raided Richmond in an unsuccessful attempt to free . . . — Map (db m7690) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — G-26 — Rio Mills |
| | The 19th-century mill village of Rio Mills stood 600 yards west of here, where the former Harrisonburg-Charlottesville Turnpike crossed the South Fork of the Rivanna River. Following the Battle of Rio Hill on 29 February 1864, Union General George Armstrong Custer burned the covered bridge and gristmill at Rio Mills. Immediately rebuilt under the direction of Abraham L. Hildebrand, the gristmill continued to grind wheat and corn for the Confederacy. The milling operation apparently closed down soon after 1900. — Map (db m19836) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — W-197 — Skirmish at Rio Hill |
| | On February 29, 1864, General George A. Custer and 1500 cavalrymen made a diversionary raid Into Albemarle County. Here, north of Charlottesville, he attacked the Confederate winter camp of four batteries of the Stuart Horse Artillery commanded by Captain Marcellus N. Moorman. Despite the destruction to the camp, 200 Confederates rallied in a counterattack which forced Custer’s withdrawal. Few casualties were reported. — Map (db m7685) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — These Willow Oaks |
| | These willow oaks were planted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip in ceremonies honoring the royal visit to the Western Virginia Bicentennial Center July 10, 1976. — Map (db m21950) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Q-22 — Union Occupation of Charlottesville |
| | On 3 Mar. 1865, Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s Union Army of the Shenandoah entered Charlottesville to destroy railroad facilities as the 3rd Cavalry Division led by Bvt. Maj. Gen. George A. Custer arrived from Waynesboro. Mayor Christopher H. Fowler, other local officials, and University of Virginia professors Socrates Maupin and John B. Minor and rector Thomas L. Preston met Custer, just east of here. Fowler surrendered the town, and the professors asked that the university be protected, . . . — Map (db m3990) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — Vanguard of Freedom — United States Army — Bicentennial 1775–1975 |
| | Citizens of central and western Virginia have contributed significantly to national defense and to the U.S. Army throughout its 200-year history.
During the Revolutionary War, Virginians fought valiantly as members of the militia and the Continental Army under Washington. Noteworthy is Captain Jack Jouett’s all-night ride to Charlottesville in 1781 to warn Jefferson of the impending arrival of British cavalry. John Peter Muhlenbert, a Lutheran clergyman in the Shenandoah Valley, became a . . . — Map (db m21890) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Charlottesville — William Holding Echols — 1859–1934 |
| | William Holding Echols (1859–1834), Professor of Mathematics, lived in this pavilion. By precept and example, he taught many generations of students with ruthless insistence that the supreme values are self respect, integrity of mind, contempt of fear and hatred of sham. The Eli Banana Order, by this tablet, honours Reddy Echols and his unique place in the history of the Order. — Map (db m8810) |
| Virginia (Albemarle County), Earlysville — GA-41 — Earlysville Union Church |
| | Earlysville Union Church is a rare surviving
early-19th-century interdenominational church
constructed in Albemarle County. Built in
1833, this frame structure served as a
meetinghouse for all Christian denominations
on land deeded by John Early, for whom
Earlysville is named. This building provided
an early home for several local congregations
of the Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian
faiths. The church is an excellent example of
the 19th-century public architecture of . . . — Map (db m21650) |
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