Near Timberlake in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Callaway-Steptoe Cemetery

Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 25, 2013

1. Callaway–Steptoe Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Nearby are buried several prominent area settlers and their descendants. Col. William Callaway, in 1755 one of the first two members of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Bedford County, donated the hundred acres of land on which the town of New London was built. His son Col. James Callaway served as county lieutenant (commander in chief) of the Bedford County militia , during the Revolutionary War. James Callaway s son-in-law James Steptoe was a close personal friend of Thomas Jefferson and served for 54 years as the first clerk of Bedford County. Steptoe’s home. Federal Hill, stands nearby.

Erected 1997 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-135.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #03 Thomas Jefferson, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1755.

Location. 37° 18.308′ N, 79° 17.672′ W. Marker is near Timberlake, Virginia, in Bedford County. Marker is on East Lynchburg-Salem Turnpike (U.S. 460) west of Ryland Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Forest VA 24551, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers.

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Bedford County / Campbell County (approx. 0.2 miles away); New London Academy (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named New London Academy (approx. 0.7 miles away); New London (approx. 0.8 miles away); Crafting a Masterpiece, Longing for Home (approx. 3.3 miles away); “I have this summer built a wing of offices...” (approx. 3.4 miles away); Mounds Made of Ideas and Sweat (approx. 3.4 miles away); Transforming a Plantation into a Private Retreat, 1806—1826 (approx. 3.4 miles away).

More about this marker. Marker is on a high-speed divided highway and no pull-over is provided.

Regarding Callaway-Steptoe Cemetery. Cemetery is visible from the marker in the center of a field, but the field is fenced and there is no path to the cemetery.

Also see . . .
1. Col. William Callaway, Sr. “William Callaway commanded militia in the French and Indian Wars that were waged between 1755, and 1761. He was commissioned a Colonel during his service, and also participated in the American Revolutionary War. He later presided at the first court held in Bedford County, but this was just the beginning of his civil

Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 25, 2013

2. Callaway–Steptoe Cemetery Marker

service, because William remained in the Virginia House of Burgesses for thirteen sessions.” (Submitted on May 29, 2013.)

2. Col. James Callaway. “He participated in the French and Indian Wars and was on the Bedford County Patriotic Committee of 1774. James Callaway held several successive commissions in the local County Militia, and from 1766 to 1769 he was a member of the House of Burgesses from Bedford County. He was also the treasurer for the New London Academy and he built the first iron furnace south of the James River. Colonel Callaway was a personal friend of General George Washington and the evidence of the importance of his iron furnace is visible by the fact that James was exempt from military service, during the Revolutionary War in order to ensure it’s constant operation.” (Submitted on May 29, 2013.)

3. An Old Virginia Gentleman. 1911 article by Edna Jones Collier in the Daughters of the American Revolution The American Monthly Magazine. “James Steptoe was beloved by everyone, and especially so by his slaves, whom he had taught different trades that they might support themselves when, by his will, they were all set free. A handsome monument in the old family burying ground in Bedford Co. bears this inscription, ‘James Steptoe, born 1750, died 1826, for fifty-four years the Clerk of Bedford County’.” (Submitted on May 29, 2013.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 24, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,103 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 29, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photos of the cemetery • Photos of the headstones of William Callaway, James Callaway and James Steptoe • Photos of Federal Hill • Can you help?