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

Ziontown Community

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, September 28, 2023

1. Ziontown Community Marker

Inscription. The Ziontown Community is located on Ridge Road at Fountain Lane, extending south and ending at River Road. It was founded by Henry Pryor who was born in 1825 in Albemarle, Virginia. Pryor, an enslaved man, was brought to Henrico County when he was willed to Elmsie Higginbotham of Ravenwood, a nearby plantation. In 1870, Pryor purchased five acres of land and named his settlement Ziontown, meaning Heavenly Place. The community prospered and thrived well into the 1960s and contained about fifty neatly built, well-painted houses with up to 275 residents. Pryor was appointed Postmaster of the Rio Vista Post Office from August 1882 to February 1886. He died in 1900 and is buried on the Higginbotham Farm. To his descendant family and residents, he is a celebrated hero, visionary, pioneer and leader.

Erected 2020 by County of Henrico. (Marker Number HC-45.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.

Location. 37° 35.024′ N, 77° 33.393′ W. Marker is in Henrico, Virginia, in Henrico County. It is at the

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intersection of Ridge Road and Ziontown Road, on the left when traveling west on Ridge Road. The marker is located across the street from St. Jude’s Anglican Church (REC). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8102 Ridge Road, Henrico VA 23229, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Central Virginia,

and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ridge Baptist Church UDC Memorial (approx. 1.3 miles away); Westhampton Settlement Subdivision (approx. 1.4 miles away); Dahlgren's Raid (approx. 1½ miles away); Quioccasin, Westwood and Pryor Cemeteries

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 8, 2025

2. Ziontown Community Marker

(approx. 1½ miles away); Skipwith Academy (approx. 1.6 miles away); Quioccasin Baptist Church (approx. 1.7 miles away); Old Westham Bridge (approx. 1.8 miles away); Tommy Edwards (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Henrico.

Also see . . . A Place Called Ziontown. (Submitted on October 1, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 1, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 650 times since then and 71 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 1, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 2. submitted on May 8, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.