Elkton in Rockingham County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Jennings House
Confederate Hospital
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2007
1. Jennings House Marker
This eight-room brick dwelling was built in 1840 for Dr. Simeon B. Jennings, a former resident of Port Republic. At the time of the Civil War, it was one of only half a dozen houses located in the Conrad’s Store (present-day Elkton) community.
On the evening of April 19, 1862, Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s 6,000-man army marched by here and into a bivouac that stretched to Swift Run. After Jackson’s men departed on April 30, Gen. Richard S. Ewell’s division crossed through Swift Run Gap east of here and occupied the still-burning campsites for the next two weeks. According to Cpl. Randolph H. McKim, Co. H, 1st Maryland Infantry (C.S.A.), the monotony of camp life was “varied for some of us by visits to Doctor Jennings’, whose charming daughters [Ann, Elizabeth, Virginia, Marietta, Mary, and Malinda] greatly attracted us. ... There we had music and song and bright and merry converse, which speedily banished the memory of the hardships of the past two months.”
After the Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic (June 8-9, 1862), Jennings and his wife Barbara ministered to dozens of wounded Confederate soldiers in their house. The more severely wounded soldiers are said to have been placed beneath this giant burr oak, where they were treated before being transferred
this page online
In October 1864, during Union Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s burning of the Shenandoah Valley, Jennings’ nearby flour mill was destroyed by fire.
Erected by Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 19, 1968.
Location. 38° 24.476′ N, 78° 37.286′ W. Marker is in Elkton, Virginia, in Rockingham County. It is on West Rockingham Street near West Spotswood Trail (Business U.S. 33), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Elkton VA 22827, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. 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: Rockingham Memorial for Families Displaced (approx. 0.3 miles away); Making a Living on the Mountain (approx. 0.3 miles away); Schools and Churches (approx. 0.3 miles away); Family and Community Life (approx. 0.3 miles away); Displacement (approx. 0.3 miles away); Miller-Argabright-Cover-Kite House (approx. 0.3 miles away); Elkton World War II Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elkton.
More about this marker. In the lower center the marker displays a portrait of Dr. Simeon B. Jennings.
On
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2007
2. Jennings House and Marker
On the upper right is a photo of a the Philadelphia brass scales used by Dr. Jennings. They are also on display at the Miller-Kite House Museum.
On the right side is a map of the area described in the text. The map carries the caption, "After the Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic, wounded soldiers of Jackson’s army were carried northward, along an old road which paralleled the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, to Dr. Jennings’ residence at Conrad’s Store (now Elton)."
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2007
3. “The Jennings House”
“1825. Used as a hospital during the Civil War. This plaque erected by the Woman’s Club of Elkton during the Bicentennial Year 1976.”
Photographed by Robert H. Moore, II, circa 2002
4. Contemporary photo of the old Conrad's Store building
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 11, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 4,528 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 11, 2007, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4. submitted on March 4, 2009, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia.
