Culpeper in Culpeper County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Raccoon Ford
"Thence to Raccoon Ford"
| | Road to Revolution | |
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 6, 2026
1. Raccoon Ford Marker
Darius O'Neil was born in 1764, and was a resident of Culpeper, Virginia.
On June 10, 1781, 800 Pennsylvania Continental soldiers, led by "Mad" Anthony Wayne, splashed through the ford in front of you to get across the river. Waiting here for them was the Marquis de Lafayette with 1,000 Continental soldiers and 2,000 New York militia. A few days later, William Campbell's additional 1,000 militia arrived from southwestern Virginia. With over 4,500 armed men, Lafayette was now strong enough to march on to confront Cornwallis, who was making his way up the Virginia peninsula towards Richmond.
Thus began the Yorktown Campaign of the American Revolution, which led to the defeat of Cornwallis that prompted the end of the war. And it all started here at a little-known river crossing on the Rapidan River in southern Culpeper, Virginia.
Why Raccoon Ford?
Local lore has it that in 1781 while building the ford, a tree was cut down per Lafayette's instructions. This displaced a family of raccoons, and they scampered across the river. Hence,
this page online
Graphic Captions:
Raccoon Ford as seen in 1867. The road network was similar to those taken by Lafayette's American forces in 1781. Courtesy Library of Congress
The American soldiers who crossed and gathered here were largely uniformed like this. Armed with French-made muskets, hunting shirts, and round hats. Courtesy Frontier Culture Museum
Erected 2025 by VA250 America.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Colonial Era • Roads & Vehicles • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical date for this entry is June 10, 1781.
Location. 38° 21.862′ N, 77° 56.517′ W. Marker is in Culpeper, Virginia, in Culpeper County. It is on Raccoon Ford Road (Virginia Route 617) half a mile south of Algonquin Trail ( Route 647), on the left when traveling south. Marker is at the entrance drive for The Inn at Raccoon Ford. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17169 Raccoon Ford Road, Culpeper VA 22701, United
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 6, 2026
2. Raccoon Ford Marker
The Inn at Raccoon Ford, built ca. 1890, is at left. The "graveyard" beyond the marker is a Halloween decoration. The ford itself is down the road to the right of the marker, out of frame.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Culpeper County / Orange County (approx. 1.8 miles away); Eckington School (approx. 2.9 miles away); Mitchells Presbyterian Church (approx. 4.6 miles away); a different marker also named Mitchells Presbyterian Church (approx. 4.8 miles away); Salubria (approx. 5.9 miles away); Pete Hill (approx. 6 miles away); Signal Stations (approx. 6 miles away); Religion in Stevensburg (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Culpeper.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Opening of the Wilderness Campaign
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, January 6, 2026
3. Raccoon Ford
The ford at the end of Raccoon Ford Road; this is the modern ford, viewed from the south (Orange County) side. The original ford was upriver. Travelers crossing here would wade across the shallow water from the north bank, pass across the island in the middle of the river - hence the puddled, pitted, and worn appearance of the gravel area directly in the center of the picture - then re-enter the water to wade or ride their horses/wagons across to the south bank. Erosion has erased the bank grading and the wooden ramps that made such activity possible.
Regarding Raccoon Ford. Raccoon Ford, at the time of Lafayette & Wayne's crossings of the Rapidan, was not the Raccoon Ford indicated by the marker. In 1781, Raccoon Ford was the crossing of the Rapidan River by the Carolina Road - the trace of which still exists. Because of the location of the Carolina Road trace, the old ford, located about mile upriver of the "modern" Raccoon Ford, is posited to be opposite Orange County's Mount Airy Road, or slightly north in line with the road trace, but certainly within the confines of the former Stringfellow property called "Retreat." The marker's reference to the ford at the end of the Raccoon Ford road is in error, an inaccuracy known to Culpeper historians since at least 1937, when Margaret Jeffries' WPA survey of the property was completed. Culpeper historian Eugene Scheel confirmed this location in his 1994 Archaeological and Architectural Survey of Culpeper County, commissioned by the board of supervisors.
Lizzie Watkins Stringfellow, granddaughter of Robert Stringfellow whose old property the Carolina Road and original
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, circa 2026
4. Raccoon Ford - The "Old" Ford
This recreational drone photograph shows the vicinity of the original ford - where the events on the marker actually occurred - with the Orange County side of the riverbank shown. The trace of the Carolina Road coming down from the Culpeper County side disappears about 500' above the river, essentially directly under the drone. Culpeper historian Clark Hall puts the old ford a further 1,100 feet southwest, with a road trace suspected just above Mt. Airy Road's intersection with Raccoon Ford Road. The water is certainly more shallow at the latter location than the silted bend shown here.
At the upper end of the Retreat farm, when the Rapidan was low, could be seen remains of the old bridge that Lafayette constructed when on his way to Scottsville after Cornwallis had driven him back into the wilderness to await aid with which to return to the peninsular where the British were finally conquered. This is also where Lafayette crossed the Rapidan River and began the Marquis Road so often referred to.
The ford site was relocated down river some years after the war as mills constructed on the river altered the water flow over the original ford.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. This list shows various locations of Wayne's March in that started in York, Pennsylvania into Virginia to meet up with General Lafayette in the actions leading to the British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown.
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, circa 2025
5. Carolina Road - Traversed by Lafayette & Wayne
This view is the Culpeper County side of Old Raccoon Ford. The north bank of the Rapidan River is just visible in the lower right corner. The Carolina Road runs from center, where the tree line angles to parallel the river, up towards the right - it comprises the wooded strip running between the two open fields in distant right. Retreat, the Robert Stringfellow house and setting of Lizzie Watkins Stringfellow's recollections, used to stand in the wooded lot in the middle of the nearest field but was replaced by a 20th century house that has since been demolished.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 18, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 145 times since then. Last updated on June 19, 2026, by John Laycock of Sykesville, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 18, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
