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

Railroad Avenue and Beyond

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 15, 2025

1. Railroad Avenue and Beyond Marker

Inscription.
Saturday Afternoons were a busy time for the African community throughout Orange County. It was a day to shop for groceries and other household needs, to get a haircut or hair do for the ladies, meet friends and catch up on the latest news. Railroad Avenue and the surrounding areas of Church, Mill, Short and Chapman Streets would centralize life for African Americans on a Saturday afternoon.

Denied But Not Deprived
Savvy African American business owners serviced the needs of the community. One can still walk the ally that marked the "no man's land" African Americans were not to cross. When denied places to eat, shop or even get their hair cut, the Black community stepped up and took care of their own.

Coleman's Taxi Service
located across the tracks and to your left on Short Street served the needs of the Black community as well as white residents.

Erected 2022 by Orange County African American Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 38° 14.64′ N, 78° 6.61′ W.

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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 in African American Commemorative Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 127 Chapman Street, Orange VA 22960, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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: The Mill Street Community (here, next to this marker); A Place Called Home (a few steps from this marker); Crosthwaite Alley (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Battle of Orange Court House (about

Photographed by Evan Dwyer, November 15, 2025

2. Railroad Avenue and Beyond Marker

Marker is the left-most shown.

300 feet away); Historic Downtown Orange (about 300 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 markers in Orange.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Town of Orange (was about 300 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Additional keywords. segregation; Jim Crow era

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 51 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 12, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.