Dunlop Farms in Colonial Heights, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Dunlop's Station
Photographed by Craig Swain, November 22, 2008
1. Dunlop's Station Marker
At the nearby junction of the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad and the Confederate military spur line to Ettrick, stood Dunlop's Station, a Confederate telegraph post and supply depot. During the siege of Petersburg, southbound passengers were detrained here to avoid Federal shells that endangered travel over the Appomattox River railroad bridge to the south. On 2 April 1865, surplus ammunition was moved here as the Confederates prepared to evacuate Petersburg. During the night of 2 April, the ammunition trains were blown up. Despite warnings, civilians climbed aboard the cars in search of food and clothing and many were killed in the ensuing explosions.
Erected 2000 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number S-34.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 2, 1865.
Location. 37° 16.137′ N, 77° 24.387′ W. Marker is in Colonial Heights, Virginia. It is in Dunlop Farms. It is on East Ellerslie
this page online
Regionally, this marker is 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dunlop Station (here, next to this marker); Ellerslie (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Ellerslie (approx. 0.2 miles away); Electric Railway (approx. 0.8 miles away); "Brave to Madness" (approx. one mile away); Battle of Swift Creek (approx. 1.1 miles away); Swift Creek Battlefield: A Landscape of Change (approx. 1.2 miles away); Chesterfield Highlands Historic District
Another marker is no longer nearby. Union Army Checked (was approx. 1.1 miles away but has been permanently removed).
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,221 times since then and 59 times this year. Last updated on March 1, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1. submitted on December 24, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on June 23, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
