Near Middlebrook in Augusta County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Virginia Institute

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 18, 2011

1. Virginia Institute Marker

Inscription.
Near this spot stood the frame dwelling of David Frederick Bittle, pastor of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, in which he began in the Fall of 1842, with the assistance of Christopher C. Baughman, also a Lutheran minister, a school for young men called Virginia Institute. The following summer two log buildings were erected a short distance north of this site, and the school was chartered as Virginia Collegiate Institute, January 30, 1845. Here it remained until the spring of 1847, when it was relocated at Salem, Va., and was rechartered March 14, 1853, as Roanoke College.

Erected 1943 by the Lutheran Synod of Virginia.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. A significant historical date for this entry is January 30, 1830.

Location. 38° 4.701′ N, 79° 11.494′ W. Marker is near Middlebrook, Virginia, in Augusta County. Marker is on Mt. Tabor Road (County Route 694) 0.9 miles north of Middlebrook Road (Virginia Route 252), on the left when traveling north. It is on the grounds of the Mount Tabor Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 334 Mt Tabor Road, Middlebrook VA 24459, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mount Tabor Lutheran Church (here, next to this marker); Middlebrook Historic District (approx. 2.2 miles away); Glebe Burying Ground

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(approx. 2½ miles away); Bethel Church (approx. 4.3 miles away); Roanoke College (approx. 4.3 miles away); Avenue of Trees (approx. 4.7 miles away); Augusta County Training School (approx. 5.8 miles away); West View (approx. 6.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Middlebrook.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Use this link to map the distance between this marker and the marker for Roanoke College in Salem.

Also see . . . Roanoke College History and Traditions. College website entry:
“Roanoke College was founded in 1842 as the Virginia Institute, a preparatory school for boys near Mt. Tabor Church, about eight miles from Staunton, Virginia. The dreamchild of two Lutheran pastors, David F. Bittle and Christopher C. Baughman, the school attracted local boys to its classes to prepare them for Gettysburg College and, hopefully, its Seminary. In 1845, the state incorporated the school as the Virginia Collegiate Institute. Bittle left the school to return to full-time ministry in Maryland. Baughman, seeking a better location and a greater population from which to recruit students, moved the Institute to its

Two Markers at Mount Tabor Lutheran Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 18, 2011

2. Two Markers at Mount Tabor Lutheran Church

permanent home in Salem, Virginia, in 1847. He served the school as principal until 1853, when the Virginia Legislature granted the Institute its collegiate charter under the name Roanoke College and David Bittle returned to accept the presidency.” (Submitted on December 16, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 15, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 558 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 16, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.