On Interstate 64 at milepost 100.3 east of Three Notched Mountain Highway (U.S. 250), on the right when traveling east.
Just west of here is the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile-long scenic route that links Shenandoah National Park in VA with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in NC. An internationally recognized feat of landscape architecture . . . — — Map (db m308003) HM
On Afton Depot Lane 0.2 miles west of Afton Mountain Road (Virginia Route 6), on the left when traveling west.
The Blue Ridge Tunnel, which opened to railroad traffic in 1858, lies beneath Rockfish Gap, where Interstate 64, U.S. Route 250, Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail converge. The Blue Ridge Railroad Company, overseen by . . . — — Map (db m234008) HM
On Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail 0.2 miles west of Afton Depot Lane, on the right when traveling west.
Claudius Crozet (1789-1864) was born in France and grew up in Paris. In June 1816, he married, and the newlyweds soon sailed to the United States. They landed in a country that matched Crozet's temperament. In France, he had studied engineering, . . . — — Map (db m170627) HM
On Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail 0.6 miles west of Afton Depot Lane, on the right when traveling west.
The Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel, 4,273 feet in length, was the longest railroad tunnel in North America when constructed in 1849-1858. Irish and enslaved craftsmen and laborers excavated the tunnel using hand drills and black powder. Chief Engineer . . . — — Map (db m170631) HM
On Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail just west of Afton Depot Lane, on the left when traveling west.
The Blue Ridge Tunnel was constructed between 1849 and 1859 beneath Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. The tunnel first opened in 1858 to allow rail access through Afton Mountain. It was designed by French immigrant . . . — — Map (db m170605) HM
On Interstate 64 at milepost 100, on the right when traveling east.
Near this site on September 21, 1933, Richard C. duPont was launched from Afton Mountain in his Bowlus sailplane, Albatross. Four hours and fifty minutes later he landed at Frederick, Maryland, establishing a United States distance record for . . . — — Map (db m21799) HM
On Interstate 64 at milepost 100, 0.5 miles east of U.S. 250, on the right when traveling east.
At its western edge, this 16,300-acre historic district takes in Rockfish Gap, which at 1,903' elevation is the lowest passage through the Blue Ridge Mountains for a span of more than 110 miles. The district has been a focal point for routes . . . — — Map (db m106831) HM
On Rockfish Gap Turnpike (U.S. 250) at Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway, on the right when traveling east on Rockfish Gap Turnpike.
Nelson County. Nelson County was named for Thomas Nelson, Governor of Virginia from June to November, 1871. It was formed in 1807 from Amherst County. Oak Ridge, birthplace of William Cabell Rives and later the residence of Thomas Fortune . . . — — Map (db m21701) HM
On Blue Ridge Parkway at Howardsville Turnpike, on the right when traveling south on Blue Ridge Parkway.
Low passway across Blue Ridge, elev. 1909. Served the buffalo, Indian, and covered wagon. Thomas Jefferson came via stage coach in 1818 to Rockfish Tavern. He presided over a prominent group who resolved to locate the University of Virginia "in the . . . — — Map (db m71553) HM
On Interstate 64 at milepost 100, on the right when traveling east.
The commission appointed to select a site for the University of Virginia met 1-4 August 1818 in the tavern that stood nearby. Among the 21 members present were former presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, as well as judges Spencer Roane, . . . — — Map (db m21831) HM
On Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail 0.4 miles west of Afton Depot Lane, on the right when traveling west.
Chief engineer Claudius Crozet divided the Blue Ridge Railroad into sixteen construction sections, but not all at once. Section one was the Blue Ridge Tunnel and 1,000 feet beyond each portal. Sections two, three and four moved east from Nelson . . . — — Map (db m170628) HM
On Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail 0.4 miles west of Afton Depot Lane, on the right when traveling west.
In early 1850, hundreds of Irish famine immigrants poured into the counties of Albemarle, Nelson and Augusta. Accompanied by relatives, they came to build the Blue Ridge Railroad and its four tunnels. Those working in the Blue Ridge Tunnel . . . — — Map (db m170630) HM
On Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail 0.1 miles west of Afton Depot Lane, on the right when traveling west.
At the close of the eighteenth century, Virginia stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio River. The coastal plain, Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, and Alleghany Mountains lay between, with the James River running east to west. From the . . . — — Map (db m170607) HM
On Thomas Nelson Highway (U.S. 29) south of Oak Ridge Road (County Route 653), on the right when traveling north.
Two miles east, at Oak Ridge, was born William Cabell Rives, May 4, 1792. He was minister to France, 1829-32 and 1849-53; United States Senator, 1832-45; member of the Peace convention of 1861 and of the Confederate Congress. He died, April 25, . . . — — Map (db m10228) HM
Nelson County's most famous contributor to American popular culture, Earl Hamner, Jr., was a television writer and producer best known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s as the creator of two long-running series, The Waltons and Falcon Crest. As a . . . — — Map (db m233031) HM
Nelson County's most famous musician, Jimmy Fortune, was inducted into the Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2018. He toured with the legendary Statler Brothers for 21 years, during which time he wrote several songs for the group including three . . . — — Map (db m233030) HM
On Thomas Nelson Highway (U.S. 29) south of Oak Ridge Road (County Route 653), on the right when traveling north.
About two miles east is Oak Ridge, a 4,800-acre estate first patented in the 1730s. Robert Rives (1764-1845), a tobacco planter and international trader, built his house there in 1802. In 1867, William Porcher Miles (1822-1899), a former Confederate . . . — — Map (db m10229) HM
On Thomas Nelson Hwy (Virginia Route 29) at Cooperative Way, on the right when traveling south on Thomas Nelson Hwy.
In 1803, the Virginia General Assembly established Cabellsville one mile west of here on the Old Stage Road, on 25 acres owned by Congressman Samuel Jordan Cabell. The village was platted before Nelson County was formed from Amherst County in 1807, . . . — — Map (db m18829) HM
On Thomas Nelson Highway (U.S. 29) east of State Route 6, on the right when traveling west.
Nelson County. In the foothills of Virginia’s Piedmont,
Nelson County was formed in 1807 from Amherst County. The county was named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., governor of Virginia from June to November 1781. The county seat is Lovingston. The . . . — — Map (db m44042) HM
On Thomas Nelson Highway (U.S. 29) 0.1 miles east of Tidbit Trail, on the right when traveling east.
On August 20, 1969, torrential rains, following remnants of Hurricane Camille, devastated this area. A rainfall in excess of 25 inches largely within a 5-hour period, swept away or buried many miles of roads, over 100 bridges, and over 900 . . . — — Map (db m23471) HM
On Rockfish Valley Parkway (State Highway 151) 0.5 miles south of River Road (State Highway 6).
The Rockfish meetinghouse was established here by 1746, making it one of the oldest Presbyterian churches in the region. James McCann conveyed land for a church and school. Samuel Black became the first pastor of the church in 1747. Thomas Mason . . . — — Map (db m40716) HM
On Thomas Nelson Highway (U.S. 29) at Mosby Lane, on the right when traveling north on Thomas Nelson Highway.
Confederate Col. John Singleton Mosby was born in Powhatan County on 6 Dec. 1833. Nearby stood the early childhood home in which Mosby lived from soon after his birth until his family moved to Charlottesville by 1841. Before the Civil War, Mosby was . . . — — Map (db m10231) HM
On Court Street (Virginia Route 1001) at Main Street on Court Street.
★ Erected April 1965 ★
In memory of the heroic Confederate Soldiers of Nelson County who served in the War Between the States
1861 ★ 1865
Love makes memory eternal — — Map (db m40772) WM
On Front Street (Business U.S. 29) just south of Main Street (State Route 1001), on the right when traveling south. Reported permanently removed.
This place became the county seat of Nelson when it was formed from Amherst in 1807. It was named for James Loving, Jr., who gave the land for the courthouse, built in 1808-09. The town was incorporated in 1807 and again in 1871, and . . . — — Map (db m40740) HM
On Front Street (Business U.S. 29) south of Main Street, on the right when traveling south.
Nelson County was formed from Amherst County in 1807. James Loving Jr. gave land here for a county seat, and the town of Lovingston was laid out in 1809. The two-story arcaded courthouse opened in 1810. The town benefited from its location along . . . — — Map (db m312408) HM
On Thomas Nelson Highway (U.S. 29) 0.3 miles south of Callohill Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Lovingston High School is entered in the National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, June 23, 2003
Lovingston High School is registered as a Virginia Historic Landmark, Virginia Historic Landmarks . . . — — Map (db m179862) HM
Nelson County Courthouse
Erected 1809
Placed by Board of Supervisors
Honoring American Bicentennial
1776 - 1976
September 1974
Nelson County Courthouse
has been registered as a
Virginia
Historic
Landmark . . . — — Map (db m179867) HM
On Court Street (Virginia Route 1001) near Main Street.
In memory of the men of Nelson County who lost their lives in World War II 1941 - 1945
George David Akers •
Richmond Oliver Allen •
Harry Philmore Anderson •
Samuel Harvey Anderson •
Garland Golden Ashley •
Cyrus Edison Banton •
James . . . — — Map (db m40774) HM
On Court Street (Virginia Route 1001) near Main Street.
In memory of the men of Nelson County who lost their lives in the World War, 1917 - 1918
Hope W. Massie Lieut.
Robert Penn Brent Corp.
Richard Witt Wright "
Lawrence Allen Pvt
Frank R. Beasley . . . — — Map (db m40773) HM
Near Thomas Nelson Highway (Route 29) 0.3 miles south of Callohill Drive, on the left when traveling north.
Established as a lasting memorial to the citizens of Nelson County and the surrounding counties who suffered and died in the Flood of August 1969. — — Map (db m179863) HM
On Crabtree Falls Highway (State Highway 56) just south of Dickie Road (State Route 666).
Hurricane Camille struck central Virginia in August 1969, and many Nelson County people lost their lives and homes. Communities situated on riverbanks such as Massie's Mill on the Tye River were hardest hit. This park is dedicated to their memory. . . . — — Map (db m40722) HM
On Crabtree Falls Highway (State Highway 56) at Dickie Road (State Route 666) on Crabtree Falls Highway.
One mile from here is "Level Green," the home of Major Thomas Massie (1747-1834). Commander of the Sixth Virginia Regiment of Infantry, later Aide to Governor Thomas Nelson at the siege of Yorktown, and one of the first magistrates of Nelson County . . . — — Map (db m40720) HM
On Blue Ridge Parkway 3 miles south of Campbells Mountain Road ( Route 814), on the left when traveling south.
In June and July during corn-choppin time, this cliff serves the folks in White Rock community as a time piece. Twenty minutes after sunlight strikes the rock face, dusk falls on the valley below — — Map (db m61338) HM
On Rockfish Valley Highway (State Highway 151) north of Adial Road.
William Harris Crawford was born in this vicinity, February 24, 1772. Early in life he was taken to Georgia and became a leading politician of the era. He was United States Senator; Minister to France; Secretary of War and of the Treasury; . . . — — Map (db m40718) HM
On Norwood Lane (Virginia Route 626) at Capel Lane ( Route 727), on the left when traveling west on Norwood Lane.
Born in Richmond in 1869, William Archer Rutherfoord Goodwin lived in Norwood from 1871 until he entered Roanoke College in 1885. Goodwin’s childhood education and strong religious background helped shape his adult endeavors. While he was an . . . — — Map (db m92922) HM
Near Patrick Henry Highway (Virginia Route 151) 0.4 miles Firehouse Road ( Route 675), on the left when traveling south.
From 1931 until 1971 the American Cyanamid Company operated a 50-acre site in Piney River to extract and refine titanium ore for the manufacture of titanium dioxide used in paint pigments.
Although bringing prosperity to the region, . . . — — Map (db m92926) HM
Near Patrick Henry Highway (Virginia Route 151) 0.4 miles south of Firehouse Road ( Route 675), on the left when traveling south.
On the night of August 19th, 1969, Hurricane Camille passed over a sleeping Nelson County, forever changing the land and the people who lived here. The storm initially made landfall in Mississippi and weakened as it headed inland, thus forecasters . . . — — Map (db m92927) HM
Near Patrick Henry Highway (Virginia Route 151) 0.4 miles south of Firehouse Road ( Route 675), on the left when traveling south.
The Tye and Piney Rivers provide recreation, wildlife habitat, and scenic value to this region of Central Virginia. Fishing, camping, canoeing, and kayaking are all popular activities.
Both rivers begin in the Blue Ridge Mountains and . . . — — Map (db m92928) HM
Near Patrick Henry Highway (Virginia Route 151) 0.4 miles south of Firehouse Road ( Route 675), on the left when traveling south.
Since commerce began, the need has existed for an accurate method to determine the weight of bulk commodities. The rapid expansion of railroads in the middle of the 19th century merely exacerbated this problem.
In St. Johnsbury, Vermont, . . . — — Map (db m92929) HM
Near Patrick Henry Highway (Virginia Route 151) 0.4 miles south of Firehouse Road ( Route 675), on the left when traveling south.
The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway was formed in 1914 to haul American Chestnut timber for local lumber companies. As a short-line railroad of 16 miles, the Railway was intended to connect to larger rail systems with national reach. By the 1920s, the . . . — — Map (db m92925) HM
On Patrick Henry Highway (Virginia Route 151) 0.4 miles south of Firehouse Road, on the right when traveling north.
This is the Piney River Depot of the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway, a short-line railroad built in 1915-1916 to transport lumber from industrial sawmills at Woodson and Massies Mill. Steam engines were used until 1963, when the railroad converted to . . . — — Map (db m295845) HM
On James River Road (U.S. 56) at Findlay Mountain Road (County Route 647), on the right when traveling east on James River Road.
Known for helping to develop Methodism as a circuit rider in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, Peter Cartwright was born three miles southeast. His library, which he carried in his saddlebag, included a Bible, a hymnal, and The . . . — — Map (db m46306) HM
On James River Road (State Highway 56), on the right when traveling north.
Buckingham County. Buckingham County was formed from Albemarle County in 1761. The county seat is Buckingham, originally known as Maysville. In 1822 a courthouse, Virginia's first temple-form porticoed courthouse, was constructed there based . . . — — Map (db m31757) HM
On James River Road (State Highway 56), on the right when traveling north.
Three miles southwest is Union Hill, home of William Cabell. He was born, March 30, 1730. Cabell was a burgess, signer of the Articles of Association, member of the Revolutionary Conventions and of the Ratifying Convention of 1788. He died March 23, . . . — — Map (db m31755) HM
On Rockfish Valley Highway (U.S. 151) 0.1 miles south of Horizon Village Road, on the right when traveling east.
On August 20, 1969, torrential rains, following remnants of Hurricane Camille, devastated this area. A rainfall in excess of 25 inches largely within a 5-hour period, swept away or buried many miles of roads, over 100 bridges, and over 900 . . . — — Map (db m40719) HM
