Near Charles City in Charles City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ruthville
Charles City County, Virginia
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, January 7, 2010
1. Ruthville Marker
Inscription.
Ruthville. Charles City County, Virginia. This area was one of the centers of Charles City's free black community before the Civil War and was named for Ruth Brown with the establishment of the post office in 1880. Abraham Brown, a major landowner of the area, founded Elam Church in 1810, one of the oldest regularly organized black Baptist churches in Virginia. His son, Reverend Samuel Brown was a prominent local minister. Following the Civil War local residents established a cooperative store, the Mercantile Cooperative Company, and two schools, Bull Field Academy (1881-1911) and the Ruthville Training Center (1911-30). A.Q. Franklin who served in the House of Delegates (1889-91) and W.S. Brown, first black member of the Board of Supervisors (1891-1904) were local residents. Dr. C.S. Franklin, a renowned dermatologist, resided at Cedar Grove. The area was formerly known as Vaidens Crossroads and included Vaidens Store and Boss Ferguson's Northwood Academy.
This area was one of the centers of Charles City's free black community before the Civil War and was named for Ruth Brown with the establishment of the post office in 1880. Abraham Brown, a major landowner of the area, founded Elam Church in 1810, one of the oldest regularly organized black Baptist churches in Virginia. His son, Reverend Samuel Brown was a prominent local minister. Following the Civil War local residents established a cooperative store, the Mercantile Cooperative Company, and two schools, Bull Field Academy (1881-1911) and the Ruthville Training Center (1911-30). A.Q. Franklin who served in the House of Delegates (1889-91) and W.S. Brown, first black member of the Board of Supervisors (1891-1904) were local residents. Dr. C.S. Franklin, a renowned dermatologist, resided at Cedar Grove. The area was formerly known as Vaidens Crossroads and included Vaidens Store and Boss Ferguson's Northwood Academy.
Location. 37° 22.027′ N, 77° 2.55′ W. Marker is near Charles City, Virginia, in
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Charles City County. It is on The Glebe Lane (Virginia Route 615) 0.1 miles west of Ruthville Road ( Route 612), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charles City VA 23030, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,154 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 10, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
