Blackstone in Nottoway County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Virginia Tech Fight Song

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 24, 2021

1. Virginia Tech Fight Song Marker

Inscription. Blackstone residents Mattie Walton Epes (1896-1993) and Wilfred Preston "Pete" Maddux (1897-1977) wrote the popular Virginia Tech fight song "Tech Triumph" at this house in 1919. Maddux, who had entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute as a freshman in 1916 and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War I, asked Epes to help him write a song for the school. Epes improvised a tune on the piano, while Maddux wrote down the score and composed lyrics. The song, a product of "instantaneous inspiration," was first played at a Virginia Tech football game in Nov. 1919 and quickly won the approval of the Tech Corps of Cadets. Columbia Records issued a recording in 1920.

Erected 2019 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number M-38.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1919.

Location. 37° 4.029′ N, 78° 0.265′ W. Marker is in Blackstone, Virginia, in Nottoway County. It is on South

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Main Street (Virginia Route 40) just north of 10th Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1021 S Main St, Blackstone VA 23824, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jamestown Oaks (approx. 0.6 miles away); Blackstone Female Institute (approx. 0.6 miles away); Union Academy (approx. 0.7 miles away); War Memorial (approx. 0.7 miles away); Blackstone College (approx. ¾ mile away); Blackstone (approx. 0.8 miles away); Nottoway Training School (approx. 0.9 miles

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 24, 2021

2. Virginia Tech Fight Song Marker

away); First National Bank of Blackstone, VA. (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blackstone.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Blackstone Female Institute (was approx. 0.6 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on September 26, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,808 times since then and 128 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.