Near Dolphin in Brunswick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Smoky Ordinary
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, June 21, 2009
1. Smoky Ordinary Marker
The ordinary that stood on this site catered to travelers on the north-south stage road as early as 1750. During the American Revolution local warehouses were burned by British Colonel Tarleton, and legend says that it was from that occurrence that the ordinary derived its name. During the Civil War the post office (1832-1964) and inn were spared when a Union officer recognized the inn's owner, Dr. George M. Raney, as being a former classmate at the University of Pennsylvania.
Erected 1987 by Department of Conservation and Historic Resources. (Marker Number SN-61.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1750.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 36° 49.992′ N, 77° 43.934′ W. Marker was near Dolphin, Virginia, in Brunswick County. It was on Old Stage Road 0.4 miles south of Smoky Ordinary Road. Touch for map.
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Regionally, this marker was in Southern Virginia, specifically in the Piedmont, and in Southside Virginia. It was also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it was in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found 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 7 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Smoky Ordinary (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Smoky Ordinary (approx. half a mile away); Reedy Creek Baptist Church (approx. 3˝ miles away); Lt. Col. John Lyman Whitehead Jr. (1924-1992) (approx. 5.3 miles away); Ebenezer Academy (approx. 6.3 miles away); Sturgeon Creek (approx. 6.4 miles away); Brunswick County, Virginia (approx. 6.7 miles away); Meherrin Indians (approx. 6.7 miles away).
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, June 21, 2009
2. Smoky Ordinary on Old Stage Road.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Smoky Ordinary (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Additional keywords. Wilson-Kautz Raid
Credits. This page was last revised on September 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,320 times since then and 157 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
