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

Sperryville

By J. J. Prats, June 8, 2008

1. Sperryville Marker

Inscription. Laid out by Francis Thornton, Jr., in 1817, Sperryville survives as an upper Piedmont crossroads village. In the early 19th century John Kiger built Conestoga wagons here. By the 1850s two turnpikes (Thornton’s Gap and Sperryville & Rappahannock) intersected here. In 1867, the Smoot family, of Alexandria, built a nearby tannery that closed in 1911. By that time the town boasted four churches, five general stores, one hotel, six mills, numerous shops, a masonic hall, and a population of 350. Sperryville’s wooden residences and visual charm have long made it a familiar stop for seasonal tourists to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Erected 1997 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number J-31.)

Location. 38° 39.54′ N, 78° 13.808′ W. Marker is in Sperryville, Virginia, in Rappahannock County. Marker is on Main Street (County Route 1001) south of Lee Highway (U.S. 211), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sperryville VA 22740, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. John B. Kiger (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); John Kiger's Second Lot (about 500 feet away); Cavalry Engagement

By J. J. Prats, June 8, 2008

2. Sperryville Marker

(about 600 feet away); Medical Miracle (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sister Caroline (approx. ¼ mile away); Pope’s Army of Virginia (approx. 0.4 miles away); Music, Omens, and Destiny (approx. 2.9 miles away); Banks’s Grand Review (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sperryville.

Also see . . . Sperryville Historic District. (PDF) National register documentation for the historic district. (Submitted on June 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Categories. • Political Subdivisions •

Sperryville Today image. Click for full size.

By Craig Swain, June 7, 2009

3. Sperryville Today

Looking southeast from the marker location down Main Street.

Another View of Main Street Sperryville image. Click for full size.

By Craig Swain, June 7, 2009

4. Another View of Main Street Sperryville

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on June 17, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 909 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 17, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3, 4. submitted on June 8, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.