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Fincastle in Botetourt County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Fincastle

 
 
Fincastle Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 30, 2015
1. Fincastle Marker
Inscription. Miller’s place here was selected as the county seat of Botetourt in 1770. In 1772 the town of Fincastle was established on land donated by Israel Christian and named for Lord Fincastle, eldest son of Governor Lord Dunmore. It was incorporated in 1828. In 1845 it has a population of 700. Present courthouse was erected about 1850.
 
Erected 1941 by Virginia Conservation Commission. (Marker Number D-28.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial EraGovernment & PoliticsPolitical SubdivisionsSettlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1770.
 
Location. 37° 29.938′ N, 79° 52.76′ W. Marker is in Fincastle, Virginia, in Botetourt County. Marker is at the intersection of Fincastle Road (U.S. 220) and West Main Street (Local Route T-630), on the right when traveling north on Fincastle Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fincastle VA 24090, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
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At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Botetourt County Courthouse Fire (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Santillane (approx. 0.4 miles away); Breckinridge Mill (approx. 1.7 miles away); Fort William (approx. 3.1 miles away); Roanoke Valley Baptist Association (approx. 3.7 miles away); Coming of the Railroad (approx. 4.3 miles away); Greenfield (approx. 4.6 miles away); Daleville College (approx. 6.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fincastle.
 
Regarding Fincastle. From Wikipedia: The population from the 2000 census is 359.

Fincastle was founded in 1772 and named after Lord Fincastle, son of Lord Dunmore, Virginia’s last royal governor. As the seat of Botetourt County, Fincastle was something of the last outpost before the Western frontier serving as a supply station for settlers heading West. From its inception until the Revolutionary war, Fincastle oversaw a massive governmental district that stretched to the Mississippi River and included parts of modern day Wisconsin. Town lore says that
Fincastle Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 30, 2015
2. Fincastle Marker
folks who lived more than 500 miles away were excused from jury duty. Fincastle’s courthouse was designed by Thomas Jefferson and today still houses county government functions for a much smaller county and contains a vast archive of public records relevant to the late colonial Virginia and the Western expansion periods. George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and other prominent Virginians either appeared in Fincastle or sent their agents to lay claim to tracts of wilderness lands. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark departed from Fincastle when they were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase. A little over a year after his arrival back in Virginia, Clark married Julia Hancock of Fincastle, a cousin, on January 5, 1808.

The Judith River in Montana was named in honor of Julia Hancock by Clark during the Expedition; he mistakenly thought that was her given name, because he knew her as a child as “Judy.” Upon his return from the West, he quickly took up courting his cousin in Fincastle. She moved with him to St. Louis, where besides their children, they raised and educated Jean
Old County Jail, Now the Chamber of Commerce image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 30, 2015
3. Old County Jail, Now the Chamber of Commerce
Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Sacagawea.

The Bowyer-Holladay House, Brugh Tavern, Breckinridge Mill, Fincastle Historic District, Greenfield, Hawthorne Hall, Prospect Hill, Santillane, Wheatland Manor, and Wiloma are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
World War II Memorial is the Foreground. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 30, 2015
4. World War II Memorial is the Foreground.
Botetourt County Courthouse image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 30, 2015
5. Botetourt County Courthouse
This replica of the 1850 courthouse was rebuilt in 1975 after the old courthouse burned.
1840 Wysong Blacksmith Shop image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 30, 2015
6. 1840 Wysong Blacksmith Shop
The shop is across and down the street from the courthouse. The memorial sign on the building reads: “The Wysong Blacksmith Shop, circa 1840, was donated to [Historic Fincastle, Inc.] by Rufus Wysong and Dr. H.D. Wysong in honor of a family ancestor, Fiedt Wysong (1755–1837), an early settler and blacksmith in Fincastle. ¶ The shop has a blacksmith display and meeting room furnished with donations from local residents. ¶ Blacksmiths were important to early America as they made iron tools, shod horses, and made utensils with a hammer and anvil. The iron was heated in a fire kept hot by hand-operated bellows. ¶ This memorial sign is dedicated to the Wysong Family for their support of HFI and the Town of Fincastle. 2013.”
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2015, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 950 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 7, 2015, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.

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Mar. 19, 2024