Historical Markers and War Memorials in Southampton County, Virginia
Courtland is the county seat for Southampton County
Adjacent to Southampton County, Virginia
Franklin(17) ► Greensville County(7) ► Isle of Wight County(73) ► Suffolk(61) ► Surry County(36) ► Sussex County(25) ► Gates County, North Carolina(7) ► Hertford County, North Carolina(20) ► Northampton County, North Carolina(26) ►
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Four miles
west stood the home of John Y. Mason,
statesman. Mason was a member of the
House of Representatives; United States
district judge; twice Secretary of the
Navy; United States Attorney General,
and Minister to France. He took . . . — — Map (db m48525) HM
Near this point
Tarleton, the British cavalryman, entered
the road from the south and moved westward
to clear the fords for Cornwallis's army,
May 14, 1781. Cornwallis was moving north
on Petersburg. — — Map (db m48523) HM
On the night of 21-22 August 1831, Nat Turner, a slave preacher, began an insurrection some seven miles west with a band that grew to about 70. They moved northeast toward the Southampton County seat, Jerusalem (now Courtland), killing about 60 . . . — — Map (db m22796) HM
The Stealthlike Nottoway of 1650
Edward Bland’s 1650 account of his journey along the lower reaches of the Nottoway and Meherrin river valleys contains the earliest known written record of direct contact between the Nottoway and . . . — — Map (db m226144) HM
The House of Burgesses set aside two tracts of land known as the "Circle and Square" containing over 40,000 acres of land.
To Be…
From 1735 to the late 1800s, sections of Nottoway Reservation land were gradually sold off, or otherwise . . . — — Map (db m226141) HM
One mile north was
the estate of Major Thomas Ridley. In the
servile insurrection of August, 1831, the
houses were fortified by faithful slaves
and made a place of refuge for fugitive whites.
In this vicinity Nat Turner, the leader of
. . . — — Map (db m48527) HM
Nottoway History
From Barter … to Buffer … to Be …
Ancient Native American trade routes were in existence long before first contact with Europeans. Nottoway trade expeditions provided a chance to . . . — — Map (db m238385) HM
Born six miles north of here near Courtland in the Berlin-Ivor District of Southampton County, African American Benjamin Hicks made his living by farming. Highly respected for his industrious and creative talents, he used the anvil, forge, and . . . — — Map (db m48945) HM
In Aug. 1831, following the revolt led by enslaved preacher Nat Turner, white residents and militias retaliated by murdering an indeterminable number of African Americans—some involved in the revolt, some not—in Southampton County and elsewhere. At . . . — — Map (db m224336) HM
Courtland School, which served African American
students during the segregation era, was erected
here in 1928-29 at a cost of $4,000. The local
African American community raised $1,000, while
the county contributed $2,500. The Julius
Rosenwald . . . — — Map (db m107407) HM
Dred Scott, a slave lived as a child northeast of here on Peter Blow plantation early in the 1800s. The
Blows moved to Missouri and in 1830 sold Scott to an army officer who was stationed in various free
territories. Scott sued for his and . . . — — Map (db m69290) HM
General George H. Thomas, "The Rock of Chickamauga," was born on July 31, 1816, about five miles to the south. A graduate of West Point, Thomas sided with the Union during the Civil War and won distinction in the campaigns in Tennessee. — — Map (db m18155) HM
Six African American trustees purchased this land in 1897 and established The Courtland Colored Cemetery, renamed Helping Hand Cemetery in 1912. The Helping Hand Club, a benevolent organization founded by educator Ersulia Wynn Evans, offered health . . . — — Map (db m243626) HM
One of the oldest buildings in Southampton County, Mahone’s Tavern was a social, transportation, and political hub of Jerusalem (now Courtland) because of its proximity to the county courthouse. Beginning in 1796, the structure served as a tavern, . . . — — Map (db m18118) HM
The "Southampton Cavalry" was formed just north of this site in May, 1861 at what was the Gillette Farm, Cedar Lawn. Joseph E. Gillette was elected captain. The Company eventually became Company A of the 13th Virginia Cavalry. Gillette was promoted . . . — — Map (db m18161) HM
The Nottoways' first recorded contact with the English colonist occurred in 1650 in present-day Sussex County. By 1694, due to hostile Indian attacks and encroaching settlers, the Nottoways had moved their main settlement to the mouth of Assamoosick . . . — — Map (db m48293) HM
Just to the north was the Nottoway Indian Reservation. William Byrd, while running
the boundry line between Virginia and North Carolina, visited these Indians April
7, 1729. Indians were living here as late as 1825. — — Map (db m186498) HM
In loving memory of the many citizens of Southampton who answered the call of their country in all wars. Their names are inscribed for eternity on history’s roll of honor. — — Map (db m113899) WM
A work in progress - The Nat Turner Era
Donated to the Southampton County Historical Society by Jack and Ina Gee Pittman.
Its historical significance in our county history: The last house on the insurrection scene in which anyone was . . . — — Map (db m60734) HM
In 1600, there were approximately 40 tribes in Virginia. Today, the Commonwealth officially recognizes only eleven tribes.
When the Jamestown Settlers arrived in Virginia in 1607, they encountered several Virginia Tribes. The Chesapeake Tribe . . . — — Map (db m120348) HM
Confederate forces guarded this Blackwater River crossing from 1862 to the end of the Civil War. On 12 Dec. 1862, Capt. J. H. Sikes and soldiers of Company D, 7th Confederate Cavalry, were captured during a dismounted skirmish with elements of the . . . — — Map (db m18159) HM
Birthplace of Colgate
Whitehead Darden, Jr. 1897-1981
Soldier-Educator-Statesman Veteran
World War I Member of the General
Assembly of Virginia Member of the
United States Congress Governor of
Virginia President of the . . . — — Map (db m48529) HM
Nearby along the eastern bank of the Blackwater River once existed the community of South Quay, also sometimes called South Key, Old Quay, or Old South Quay. Founded by 1657, South Quay by 1701 had become the site of a landing and trading post. A . . . — — Map (db m18181) HM
East of here near the Nottoway River stood a Late Woodland Indian settlement occupied intermittently circa A.D. 700 to 1650, and long claimed by the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway). Excavated in the 1960s, occupation phases included features such as a . . . — — Map (db m60635) HM
Three and a half miles southwest, at Monroe, Major-General William Mahone was born, December 1, 1826. He served brilliantly in the Confederate army throughout the war, and won the title, "Hero of the Crater," at Petersburg, July 30, 1864. He was . . . — — Map (db m18153) HM
Born here: July 31, 1816
Son of John C. Thomas
and
Elizabeth Rochelle Thomas
West Point, Class of 1840
General - United States Army
Loyal to conscience, country
and family
Died: San Francisco March 28, 1870
Buried: Troy, New York . . . — — Map (db m18131) HM
Gen. George H. Thomas was born in this house on July 31, 1816. He lived here until his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1836, where he roomed his first year with William T. Sherman. After graduation in 1840, Thomas entered . . . — — Map (db m18125) HM
During the Civil War, Confederate forces guarded this Blackwater River crossing as a part of the Blackwater defensive line. On 14 Nov. 1862, Col. Charles C. Dodge, 1st Battalion New York Mounted Rifles, led his troops in a skirmish against elements . . . — — Map (db m18157) HM
Southampton County. Area 604 Square Miles. Formed in 1748 from Isle of Wight and Nansemond. Named for a locality that was originally named for the Earl of Southampton, active in the first settlement. General William Mahone was . . . — — Map (db m18109) HM
