On May 26, 1864, Union Gen. David Hunter marched south from Cedar Creek near Winchester to drive out Confederate forces, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley, and destroy the railroads at Lynchburg. His raid was part of Gen. Ulysses S. . . . — — Map (db m182682) HM
The village of Brownsburg, established on
23 November 1793, is an enduring example of
a mid- to late-19th-century Shenandoah Valley
community. By 1835 Brownsburg was a thriving commercial hub and was centrally located
on the stagecoach line . . . — — Map (db m45721) HM
Born and raised near this spot, James Hall bought 215 acres
land on Buffalo Creek, Sept. 25, 1771. As a member of
Murray’s company of Botetourt Militia, which was
composed of men from the “Fork of James” area, he fought
in the battle . . . — — Map (db m105100) HM
On the knoll 400 yards west, Presbyterian
settlers of the Upper Buffalo Valley founded a
congregation in 1758 and constructed a log fort
that was also used as a place of worship. A stone
church replaced it after the Revolutionary War.
The Rev. . . . — — Map (db m122192) HM
Near this spot
Dr. Ephraim McDowell
was born November 11, 1771
The Father of Abdominal Surgery
Beginning medical study in Staunton, Virginia, continuing it in Edinburgh, Scotland, he later received the honorary degree from the . . . — — Map (db m23780) HM
Nearby is the cemetery that contains the grave of Capt. John McDowell, who died on 18 Dec. 1742 during a conflict between Iroquois Indians and colonial settlers. Although accounts differ on how the conflict arose, it resulted in the deaths of more . . . — — Map (db m23777) HM
Nearby once stood a log house painted red built by the McDowell family. John McDowell received land here for surveying Borden's Grant in the late 1730's. In 1742 McDowell was killed during a conflict between settlers and Indians. Dr. Ephraim . . . — — Map (db m23783) HM
In memory of Frank Padget, a coloured slave who during a freshet in James River in January 1854, ventured and lost his life by drowning in the noble effort to save some of his fellow creatures, who were in the midst of the flood, from . . . — — Map (db m49863) HM
Heavy rains in late Jan. 1854 left the James
River and the treacherous Balcony Falls in
full flood. On 21 Jan., the canal boat Clinton
and its passengers became stranded in the
raging waters. Frank Padget, a skilled
boatman and slave, . . . — — Map (db m49859) HM
On 18 Dec. 1742, the first known clash between
Indians and colonial settlers in Rockbridge
County took place near the mouth of the
Maury River. Iroquois en route south from
Pennsylvania encountered pioneers led by
Capt. John McDowell. Although . . . — — Map (db m49825) HM
Alleghany County. Area 458 Square Miles. Formed in 1822 from Bath, Botetourt, and Monroe, and named for the Alleghany Mountains. At Fort Mann in this county a battle took place between settlers and Indians led by Cornstalk, . . . — — Map (db m46391) HM
We the members of the Goshen First Aid Crew, Inc. on this 10th Day of November 1991 wish to dedicate this memorial to the charter members of the Goshen First Aid Crew, who unselfishly and lovingly gave of their time, help, and effort to make this . . . — — Map (db m172847) HM
Rockbridge County. Area 616 Square Miles. Formed in 1778 from Augusta and Botetourt, and named for the Natural Bridge. Samuel Houston and Cyrus H. McCormick were born in this county. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried . . . — — Map (db m34306) HM
Built in 1819 by William Youel, Scottish immigrant who fought in the American Revolution. William, who died in 1834 at age 100, and his wife are buried in the family cemetery up the hill. The house, later owned by William’s son and grandson, was . . . — — Map (db m209526) HM
A series of armed conflicts between Native
Americans and settlers of European descent
occurred along the western frontier of the British
colonies during the 1750s and 1760s. In Oct. 1759,
during the Seven Years’ War, Shawnee Indians
from the . . . — — Map (db m105102) HM
The Massacre of Kerr's Creek took place near the Big Spring a few hundred yards from this spot.
Oct. 10, 1764
A band of Shawnee Indians coming over the mountains from the Ohio surprised the fort and killed from fifty to sixty persons. This was . . . — — Map (db m107985) HM
On March 2, 1793, the noted soldier and statesman Sam Houston was born in a log cabin on a nearby knoll. Houston served with distinction in the U.S. Army and later as a congressman and governor of Tennessee before moving to Texas in the 1830s. In . . . — — Map (db m32089) HM
In a cabin on the hilltop to the east Sam Houston was born, March 2, 1793. As commander-in-chief of the Texas army, he won the battle of San Jacinto, which secured Texan independence, April 21, 1836. He was President of Texas, 1836-1838, 1841-1844; . . . — — Map (db m32087) HM
Sam Houston was born in a log house just east of here 2 March 1793. His family moved to Tennessee in 1807. After serving in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, Houston studied law, was twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and became . . . — — Map (db m211083) HM
The private residence of the Thompson family since 1848, Church Hill is listed on both the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Church Hill is available by reservation for lodging and private . . . — — Map (db m185668) HM
The oldest congregation in the Fincastle Presbytery, the Falling Spring Presbyterian Church, was organized before 1748. The Hanover Presbytery met here in October, 1780. The present Gothic Revival church was constructed of slave-made brick during . . . — — Map (db m165888) HM
Jane Todd, pioneer heroine of abdominal surgery, was born 12-23-1763 just west of here across Whistle Creek near Todd’s Mill. She married Thomas Crawford in 1794. In 1809 she rode 60 Mi. on horseback to the home of Dr. Ephraim McDowell in Danville, . . . — — Map (db m32137) HM
Washington and Lee University traces its origins to Augusta Academy, a small classical school established din 1749 by Scotch-Irish pioneers some twenty mile north of Lexington. In 1776, the patriotic fervor of the American Revolution caused Augusta . . . — — Map (db m32111) HM
This school, which was founded in 1777 and finally grew into Washington and Lee University, stood a short distance to the southwest of this point. — — Map (db m32083) HM
On this spot stood
New Monmouth Church
Organized 1746
by the first settlers
the Scotch-Irish Presbyterians.
The first building of logs
was erected in 1748 and was known as
"Forks of James"
The second building of hewn timber
was . . . — — Map (db m240311) HM
This is the site of the first church, built 1746. Just northeast was the birthplace of William McCutchan Morrison, born, 1867, died, 1918. A missionary to the Belgian Congo, he translated the Bible into native languages and exposed conditions there. . . . — — Map (db m122189) HM
Future Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and his second wife, Mary Anna Morrison, owned a house on Washington Street from 1859 to 1861, while he taught at the Virginia Military Institute. It is the only house he ever owned. A . . . — — Map (db m32099) HM
Home of Colonel John Bowyer, an officer in the Revolutionary War, and of General E.F. Paxton, commander of the Stonewall Brigade, killed at Chancellorsville May 3, 1863. — — Map (db m67318) HM
Early in the 20th century lumber companies built narrow gauge railroads far into the mountains. This railroad, which was 50 miles long, carried more than 100 million board feet of logs to the mill. It was built in 1919-1920 and a section has been . . . — — Map (db m169022) HM
That is how Thomas Jefferson described the Natural Bridge in his Notes on the State of Virginia. The Bridge so impressed him that he purchased the arch in 1774 along with the surrounding 157 acres of land for 20 shillings, or $200 in today’s . . . — — Map (db m231352) HM
Before dying in 1980, this more than 1600 year old specimen of the Arbor Vitae tree was the oldest and largest known in the world. It’s (sic) diameter measures 56 inches. Depending on climatic conditions that determine it’s (sic) growth rate, the . . . — — Map (db m105822) HM
Muskets cannot fire without gunpowder – this cave supplied the ingredients used by American soldiers for decades.
Saltpeter Cave was carved out of the nearby limestone by thousands of years of stream erosion, and after the discovery of nitrates . . . — — Map (db m231354) HM
Natural Bridge has enormous proportions. Man first discovered Natural Bridge a few hundred years ago. But Nature, through millions of years, had worked with patient labor and magnificent skill to construct this monument which would stand for all . . . — — Map (db m105824) HM
The waterfall before you has been known for decades as Lace Falls. The waters of Cedar Creek that tumble gently down the rock face resemble lace, leading to its nickname. Standing 50 feet tall, this waterfall marked the end of Thomas Jefferson's . . . — — Map (db m253990) HM
Around 1750, while surveying
Natural Bridge, George
Washington carved his initials
under the bridge's arch.
His initials can still be seen
today, directly across Cedar
Creek and 23 feet up. — — Map (db m11082) HM
At 200 feet tall, the Natural Bridge is estimated to weigh 36,000 tons - as much as 2,500 school buses! How does something like this come about? The answer is in the limestone all around you.
Most of the rock in and under the park is . . . — — Map (db m254015) HM
From high on the south end of the first ridge of the Alleghany Mountains, 180 miles away, originate the headwaters of Cedar Creek. Before you, Cedar Creek plunges 50 feet to the creekbed. As the seasons change, the waterfall transforms from delicate . . . — — Map (db m105828)
Around 1812, workers from the nearby Saltpeter Cave heard water flowing from behind the limestone rock where you are now standing. They blasted away the stone with black powder explosives and exposed the Lost River.
They built a pipe system to . . . — — Map (db m231355) HM
About 1812, workmen from the Saltpetre Cave heard the waters of the Lost River, and blasted the opening to it that you see today. A water main was attached to transport water to the hoppers and kettles used to extract the nitrate from the cave. . . . — — Map (db m105865) HM
The Monacan Indian Nation and Natural Bridge invite you to witness, in a living history environment, glimpses of what life would have been like in a small Monacan Village (sic) 300 years ago along the banks of Cedar Creek.
This is a project of . . . — — Map (db m105825) HM
(Preface): On May 26, 1864, Union Gen. David Hunter marched south from Cedar Creek near Winchester to drive out Confederate forces, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley, and destroy transportation facilities at Lynchburg. His raid was part of . . . — — Map (db m33398) HM
(Preface):
On May 26, 1864, Union Gen. David Hunter marched south from Cedar Creek near Winchester to drive out Confederate forces, lay waste to the Shenandoah Valley, and destroy transportation facilities at Lynchburg. His raid was part . . . — — Map (db m254025) HM
Natural Bridge holds a unique place in American history as one of the natural wonders and first tourist attractions in the New World. Artists and illustrators popularized its image. This natural semielliptical arch is made of limestone carved by . . . — — Map (db m48) HM
1926
This tablet
commemorates the fact
that the
Natural Bridge
patent was surveyed by
George Washington
about 1750 A.D.
and was granted to
Thomas Jefferson
July 5, 1774 A.D.
Erected by
The Natural Bridge Chapter
of the . . . — — Map (db m105821) HM
Patrick Henry was born into slavery in 1787 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He worked hard to purchase his own freedom, which he accomplished in 1811. He moved to nearby Lexington to be with family, and in 1816 purchased his wife Louisa's . . . — — Map (db m254014) HM
Rockbridge County. Area 616 Square Miles. Formed in 1778 from Augusta and Botetourt, and named for the Natural Bridge. Samuel Houston and Cyrus H. McCormick were born in this county. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are . . . — — Map (db m55788) HM
During the War of 1812 and the Civil War (1861-1865), earth from this cave was mined for the bird and bat droppings that it contained, to make gunpowder. The earth was saturated with cold water and left in hoppers for a day or two. Once boiled in . . . — — Map (db m105826) HM
You are surrounded by time travelers along this trail. The northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) is mainly found far north of where you now stand. Native Americans in Canada ate its leaves to counteract the effects of scurvy, and they saved a . . . — — Map (db m254017) HM
Cyrus H. McCormick inventor of the reaper was born on this farm, Feb 15, 1809. Here he completed the first practical reaper in 1831 — — Map (db m67240) HM
Birthplace of: The Synod of Virginia 1788. Women of the Church. Presbyterian Church U.S.A. 1812. —————— It was one of the first churches in America to have a Sunday School and adjacent cemetery. —————— It has been in continuous use since the . . . — — Map (db m185631) HM
Rockbridge County. Area 616 Square Miles. Formed in 1778 from Augusta and Botetourt, and named for the Natural Bridge. Samuel Houston and Cyrus H. McCormick were born in this county. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are . . . — — Map (db m23760) HM
Agriculture has changed in the Shenandoah Valley since McCormick’s day. Once known as the “breadbasket of the Confederacy” because of the amount of wheat grown here, the Valley grows very few small grains today. Much of the grain . . . — — Map (db m67242) HM
A mile and a half northwest, Cyrus H. McCormick perfected, in 1831, the grain reaper. In that vicinity, in 1856, J. A. E. Gibbs devised the chainstitch sewing machine. — — Map (db m255134) HM
Here at the head of small-boat navigation on the Maury (North) River, Cedar Grove had become a transportation hub and market center by the 1830s. The community grew along with the region's iron industry, which played an important role in . . . — — Map (db m298831) HM
Pierre Daura, Catalan-American painter and
sculptor, trained in Barcelona under Pablo Picasso’s
father. In Paris in the 1910s and 1920s, he immersed
himself in modern art, exhibited frequently, and
won critical acclaim. He married . . . — — Map (db m173347) HM
Timber Grove, two miles northeast, is believed to be the first European American settlement in what is now Rockbridge County. The community, composed mainly of Scots-Irish immigrants, had been formed by the late 1730s. Presbyterian minister John . . . — — Map (db m255133) HM
