Orange in Orange County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Mill Street Community
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 15, 2025
1. The Mill Street Community Marker
The Mill Street residents were a community of neighbors helping one another. They were also entrepreneurs providing plated meals and sandwiches for sale on Saturdays. One resident remembers as a child eagerly waiting until noon to walk down the street to purchase a potato salad sandwich for a nickel.
[Sidebar:]
This 1919 Sanborn (Insurance) Map illustrates the residential and commercial area along East Church St. and the side street known as Railroad Ave. now as Mill St. The "pink" building on the corner designated as "Pool Rm" became Snead's Barber Shop in the 1960s.
Erected 2022 by Orange County African American Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location. 38° 14.637′ N, 78° 6.61′ W. Marker is in Orange, Virginia, in Orange County. It is at the intersection of West Church Street and Chapman Street, on the right when traveling west on West Church Street. The marker stands within African American Commemorative Park. Touch for map. Marker
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Virginia and in the Piedmont. 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: A Place Called Home (here, next to this marker); Railroad Avenue and Beyond (here, next to this marker); Crosthwaite Alley (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Orange Court House (about 300 feet away); Historic Downtown Orange (about 400 feet away); Welcome to The Town of Orange (about 400 feet away); The Orange Railroad Depot (about 400 feet away); Orange County Visitor Center (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 15, 2025
2. The Mill Street Community Marker
Marker is visible at right, nearest the "Railroad Ave" road sign.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Town of Orange (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 15, 2025
3. Adjacent plaque featuring a poem about the Mill Street Community
If you grew up on Mill Street
There are some stories you could tell,
How old folks raised their children
And things went pretty well.
Children laughed, children played
Without one little care.
Why, talking back to grown-ups
Oh boy, you wouldn't dare -
There was this field on our street
Where we all played baseball.
And, if you hit it across the fence,
You wouldn't get it back at all.
We'd ride our bikes and roller skates
Up and down our street.
Some of us had shoes on
While some had naked feet.
Every child had a chore
That they had better do.
And, if you didn't do them
You knew what would happen to you.
If you grew up on Mill Street
But now you've moved away,
You'll come back to Mill Street
Somehow, some way, some day.
Excerpted from the poem "Mill Street" by Lulabelle Robinson
Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 40 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 12, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
