Heathsville in Northumberland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Stars Are Falling! The Stars Are Falling!
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 9, 2026
1. The Stars Are Falling! The Stars Are Falling! Marker
Hannah got up sleepy-eyed every day at dawn to draw a bucket of water from the well. But as she left the house on the morning of November 13, 1833, she got the shock of her life. Hannah, sixteen-years-old and Black, ran screaming to her mistress: "The stars are all falling down!" The whole plantation was awakened to see the Great Leonid Meteor Shower.
In Northumberland Countyand across North Americapeople were witnessing the first recorded Leonid Meteor Shower. Among the witnesses were President Abraham Lincoln and the great abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass.
Oldest Resident of State Passes Away
"Aunt" Hannah Crockett, believed actually to have attained the age of 118, which she claimed, died at her home near Reedville at an early hour on Friday morning. She was in full possession of her faculties and conscious to the last.
"Aunt" Hannah, as she was familiarly known, was highly respected in Reedville, in which she made her home all of her life. She was a former slave and vividly recalled many stirring incidents of the Civil War though her memory carried her back much farther than that period.
Afew nights before her death "Aunt" Hannah entertained members of her family by singing a number of old hymns. She is survived by five children, ten grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. She is believed to have been the oldest resident of Virginia.
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Hannah Johnson Crockett was married four times. All of them having preceded her to the grave
Rappahannock Record January 26, 1933
[Sidebar:]
Ernestine's Fun Facts About Meteors
Meteors are space rocks.
Meteors are pieces of rock or metal that come from space and burn up when they enter Earth's atmosphere.
What is a meteorite?
If a meteor makes it through the atmosphere and lands on Earth, it is called a meteorite.
Most meteors are tiny.
Some are no bigger than a grain of sand. They usually burn up completely before reaching the ground.
What is a shooting star?
It's a meteor streaking across the sky. When lots of meteors enter Earth's atmosphere, the sky looks full of shooting stars.
Be on the lookout for a meteor shower!
Famous meteor showers like the Perseids and the Geminids happen every year.
[Captions:]
Leonid Meteor
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 9, 2026
2. The Stars Are Falling! The Stars Are Falling! Marker
Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass viewed the Leonid Meteor Shower in 1833.
Erected by Northumberland Public Library.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Air & Space • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is January 26, 1933.
Location. 37° 54.918′ N, 76° 28.169′ W. Marker is in Heathsville, Virginia, in Northumberland County. It can be reached from Northumberland Highway (U.S. 360) east of Courthouse Road (Virginia Route 201), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7204 Northumberland Hwy, Heathsville VA 22473, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Northern Neck. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Necessity and the Mothers of Invention (here, next to this marker); Who Invented the Crab Pot (a few steps from this marker); Hooray for Steamboats! / Meet Daisy / The Amazon of Its Day (a few steps from this marker); Chesapeake Bay Watermen (within shouting distance of this marker); The Long Road to Today's Library (within shouting distance of this marker); The Small Fish that Made Reedville Rich (within shouting distance of this marker); Holley-Graded School (within shouting distance of this marker); Northumberland County (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Heathsville.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 10, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
