You are standing near the site of the original campus of Hampden-Sydney College, which stood on the knoll to your right (see artist reconstruction above). Hampden-Sydney began classes on November 10, 1775, the last college founded in Colonial . . . — — Map (db m54486) HM
Engineer Department Activities
The High Bridge fortifications were built, in part, with the help of area free men of color who were conscripted for Confederate service. The Confederate Congress authorized the draft of free men of color to . . . — — Map (db m83638) HM
Barbara Johns, civil rights pioneer, was born in New York and moved to her parents' native Prince Edward County as a child. In April 1951, at age 16, she led a student walkout to protest conditions at the segregated Robert Russa Moton High School, . . . — — Map (db m171732) HM
Established in 1843, most likely by free Black people, the Beneficial Benevolent Society of the Loving Sisters and Brothers of Hampden Sydney consisted of two mutual-benefit groups for African American men and women of the Hampden Sydney . . . — — Map (db m181175) HM
Beulah African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was founded in 1868. Originally, it was known as The Colored Methodist Church of Farmville. The original wooden-framed building was destroyed, by fire in 1898. The cornerstone on the present . . . — — Map (db m31318) HM
Beulah African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was founded in 1868 as the Colored Methodist Church of Farmville. The original wood-frame building was destroyed by five in 1898. The cornerstone on the present building was laid in 1901.
A . . . — — Map (db m181202) HM
In 1775, the Session of Hanover Presbytery met in this building, the law office of Nathaniel Venable, to lay final plans for the establishment of Hampden-Sydney College. The building was erected between 1737 and 1756 on Venables Plantation, . . . — — Map (db m31338) HM
Near here is the site of Bizarre, owned in 1742 by Richard Randolph of Curles. In 1781, his grandson, John Randolph of Roanoke, took refuge at Bizarre with his mother on account of Arnold's invasion. John Randolph lived here until 1810, when he . . . — — Map (db m30204) HM
Veteran, war-worn, French speaking "chic creoles" of the Donaldsonville Artillery detachment of 43 Louisiana Creole Canonniers received orders to guard High Bridge by the Lynchburg Confederate Military District Commander Francis T. Nicholls, a . . . — — Map (db m83637) HM
In 1781, British Gen. Charles Cornwallis ordered cavalry commander Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton to raid Southside Virginia to seize or destroy private and public supplies of ammunition, clothing, and food. On 9 July, Tarleton left Cobham in Surry . . . — — Map (db m166813) HM
Hampden-Sydney alumni who died in the Civil War
John T. Thornton '42
Parke Poindexter '44
Thomas M.W. Lyle '46
George K. Moody '48
Gustavus A. Bass '50
Crawford H. Jones '51
William R. Carter '52
E.C. Jordan '52 . . . — — Map (db m181179) WM
The cemetery just east of here was established in 1862 to inter Confederate soldiers who died at the Farmville General Hospital. The hospital, open from 1862 to 1865, could accommodate 1,500 patients, many of whom suffered from contagious diseases . . . — — Map (db m171706) HM
1861 Virginia 1865
Defenders of State "Sovereignty".
Confederate Heroes
List of companies organized
In the county 1861.
Company F 18th. Va. Infty.
" " D 18th, " " "
" " D 18th, " " "
" " I 23rd, " " "
" " K 21st, " " " . . . — — Map (db m290955) WM
The President and owner of the Green Front Furniture Company (pictured at left) represents one of the largest business success stories in Virginia.
"Green Front" got jump started in the mid 1960's when Dickie Crall้, a fresh graduate of . . . — — Map (db m171717) HM
Union troops arrived here after crossing the Appomattox River at High Bridge and found Lees army entrenched around the church. After a series of Union attacks, Lee was forced to delay his movement until nightfall when he began marching towards . . . — — Map (db m171711) HM
Here at Cumberland Church, in the afternoon of April 7, 1865, part of the Army of Northern Virginia entrenched to protect the route west to Appomattox Station, where supplies awaited the men. The Confederate line, across the road behind you, . . . — — Map (db m269766) HM
Cumberland County. Area 293 square miles. Formed in 1748 from Goochland, and named for the Duke of Cumberland, second son of King George II. The earliest call for independence came from this county, April 22, 1776.
Prince . . . — — Map (db m30212) HM
Dr. Barbara Smith is the founder of the women's golf program at Longwood and served as head coach from 1966 to 1992. In nearly three decades under her leadership, Longwood became a national powerhouse on the college golf landscape with three . . . — — Map (db m205011) HM
This field is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Elizabeth Burger Jackson '34 for her lifelong dedication to field hockey and the development of young people.
Dr. Jackson was an accomplished student athlete, a member of the United States Field . . . — — Map (db m205042) HM
On this site was the home of
Dr. William W. H. Thackston
1820-1899
A distinguished pioneer dentist who practiced
his profession in Farmville
for more than fifty-five years
A founder of
The Virginia Society of Surgeon . . . — — Map (db m31317) HM
After successfully crossing the Appomattox River at nearby High Bridge, Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys II Corps attacked Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. William Mahone that were entrenched on the high ground around Cumberland Presbyterian Church. . . . — — Map (db m11861) HM
Half-starved and exhausted, the vanguard of the Army of Northern Virginia stumbled into Farmville early on the morning of April 7, 1865. Here, at last, the men found long-promised rations everything from bread to soup and ham. While the head of . . . — — Map (db m290954) HM
The Confederate army marched through this tobacco town, followed by the Union army. Lee hoped to issue rations to his men here before turning south but was forced to flee across the Appomattox River. Grant sent his first dispatch to Lee . . . — — Map (db m290953) HM
Founded on March 5, 1839 as the Farmville Female Seminary Association, Longwood is one of the oldest colleges originally for women in the country. In 1842 the cornerstone was laid for the first true college building, which is today known as . . . — — Map (db m31316) HM
Founded on March 5, 1839, as the Farmville Female Seminary Association, Longwood is one of the oldest colleges originally for women in the country. In 1842 the cornerstone was laid for the first true building at the college, known today as . . . — — Map (db m181198) HM
The First Baptist Church was organized in 1866 as an outgrowth of the predominantly white Farmville Baptist Church. In 1949, following the death of the Rev. C. H. Griffin, the Church voted unanimously to call his son, L. Francis Griffin, as . . . — — Map (db m31310) HM
First Baptist Church in Farmville was organized in 1866 as an outgrowth of the predominantly white Farmville Baptist Church. In 1949, following the death of the Rev. C.H. Griffin, the church voted unanimously to call on his son, L. Francis . . . — — Map (db m181206) HM
Longwood College, formerly known as the State Female Normal School, is the only U.S. school where four national sororities were founded. Kappa Delta, founded on 23 Oct. 1897, was the first sorority organized in Virginia. The sorority with the . . . — — Map (db m31313) HM
Just to the west lies Israel Hill, settled in 1810-1811 by approximately ninety formerly enslaved persons who received freedom and 350 acres from Judith Randolph under the will of her husband, Richard Randolph, cousin of Thomas Jefferson. These . . . — — Map (db m28041) HM
An Episcopal church, built in 1757, formerly stood one-eighth of a mile east of here. According to tradition, a detachment of Rochambeau's army wintered here after the Battle of Yorktown, and seventy French soldiers were buried in the church yard. . . . — — Map (db m31333) HM
When Samuel Stanhope Smith, our first president, named the College after English anti-Royalists, he clearly agreed with Patrick Henrys revolutionary vision. Thus it was logical that Henry should be elected a Founding Trustee in November 1775, . . . — — Map (db m54480) HM
Hampden-Sydney College, in continuous operation since 10 Nov. 1775, was established "to form good men and good Citizens." It was named for John Hampden (1594-1643) and Algernon Sydney (1622-1683), champions of parliamentary rule in England. Patrick . . . — — Map (db m31334) HM
Hampden-Sydney College, in continuous operation since November 10, 1775, was established "to form good men and good citizens." One of the few remaining all-male colleges today, it was named for John Hampden (1594-1643) and Algernon Sydney . . . — — Map (db m181191) HM
Hampden-Sydney College, in continuous operation since November 10, 1775, was established to form good men and good citizens. One of the few remaining all-male colleges, it was named for John Hampden (1594-1643) and Algernon Sydney . . . — — Map (db m31324) HM
From here you can see the 1914 steel railroad bridge that spans the Appomattox River above the brick piers of the antebellum High Bridge, which carried the South Side Railroad. The old wooden bridge and the wagon bridge, just to the east of it, were . . . — — Map (db m29934) HM
There have been higher bridges not so long and longer bridges not so high, but taking the height and length together, this is, perhaps, the largest bridge in the world.
-C.O. Sanford, South Side Railroads chief engineer,1852
In 1854 the . . . — — Map (db m83635) HM
“There have been higher bridges not so long and longer bridges not so high, but taking the height and length together, this is, perhaps, the largest bridge in the world.”
-C.O. Sanford, South Side Railroads chief engineer,1852
In . . . — — Map (db m83636) HM
High Bridge was constructed in 1853 to the cross of the Appomattox River east of Farmville. The Bridge completed South Side Railroad's connection from Petersburg to Lynchburg. The original stood 125 feet above the Appomattox River, built on 21 . . . — — Map (db m171713) HM
The "High" Bridge "There have been higher bridges not so long and longer bridges not so high, but taking the height and length together, this is, perhaps, the largest bridge in the world." C.O. Sanford, South Side Railroad's chief engineer, 1852 . . . — — Map (db m29915) HM
This site served as the county seat when Prince Edward County was founded in 1754. The original courthouse constructed soon thereafter was replaced in 1776. The last courthouse here was built in 1832. The former debtors' prison built in 1787 and the . . . — — Map (db m31342) HM
James F. Lipscomb was born a free black on 4 December 1830 in Cumberland County. He worked first as a farm laborer, then as a carriage driver in Richmond. In 1867 he returned to Cumberland County, where he accumulated more than 500 acres of land. . . . — — Map (db m30244) HM
Here, before the Revolution, stood King's Tavern. The British cavalryman, Tarleton, raiding, camped here in 1781. In the same year sick and wounded French soldiers were brought to this place from Yorktown; seventy of them are buried here. Nearby is . . . — — Map (db m31332) HM
Hundreds of men were interred here after dying in the Farmville Confederate Hospital 1862 - 1865
Sesquicentennial Remembrance by Farmville Chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy — — Map (db m171707) HM WM
The Light of Reconciliation Illuminated in the Courthouse Bell Tower on July 21, 2008, by the Board of Supervisors of Prince Edward County, in honor of Barbara Rose Johns and the students of Robert Russa Moton High School, and all the . . . — — Map (db m171719) HM
Property acquired 1765 by Peter Johnston. Home of Peter Johnston, Jr., Lieutenant in Lee's Legion and judge of Circuit Court of Virginia. Birthplace of General Joseph E. Johnston.
Purchased 1811 by Abraham B. Venable, U.S. senator; organizer . . . — — Map (db m31301) HM
The college opened here in October 1884 as a "state female normal school". In 1914 the name was changed to "State Normal School for Women at Farmville"; In 1924 to "State Teachers College at Farmville"; In 1949 to "Longwood College". Conferring the . . . — — Map (db m29162) HM
Peter Johnston (1763-1831)--jurist, Speaker of the House of Delegates (1805-1807), and father of Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston--inherited Longwood estate from his father. He sold the property after he became a judge on the General Court of . . . — — Map (db m291663) HM
Longwood University is a state-supported institution developed from the privately owned Farmville Female Seminary that was incorporated in 1839. In 1884, it became a public institution when the Commonwealth acquired the property and renamed it the . . . — — Map (db m29164) HM
Main Street
Once named Bizarre in 1736, Farmville was established as a town in 1798. From the town's formation, tobacco was a major factor in its prosperity. The numerous warehouses along the Main Street corridor represent . . . — — Map (db m31352) HM
Martha E. Forrester lived in this house. In 1920 she helped the Council of Colored Women to foster community uplift. As the organization's president for 31 years, she led its campaigns to improve educational opportunities for African American . . . — — Map (db m171724) HM
Just east of here is Needham, location of Virginia's first proprietary law school and home of founder Judge Creed Taylor (1766 - 1836), politician, jurist, and legal educator. Taylor's law school at Needham, which opened in 1821 and closed by 1840, . . . — — Map (db m30239) HM
This is America's first two-college community, with the founding of Prince Edward County in 1754, Hampden-Sydney in 1775, Farmville in 1798, and Longwood in 1839. It is a crossroads of American history, home to Patrick Henry and Barbara Johns, to . . . — — Map (db m181200) HM
New Store, located a short distance to your left, was a stop on the stage road from Richmond to Lynchburg. In 1865 it consisted of Louis D. Jones's house, three offices, a cobbler's shop, and a store. On April 8 virtually the entire Army of Northern . . . — — Map (db m290958) HM
On behalf of local plaintiffs, civil rights attorney Oliver White Hill Sr. and law partners Martin A. Martin and Spottswood Robinson III filed Davis v. Prince Edward in 1951 to challenge racial segregation in public schools. This case, along . . . — — Map (db m171733) HM
Born at Annan, Scotland, November 10, 1710, emigrated to America in 1727 and settled at Osborne's Landing on James River near Petersburg. In 1765 he moved to Prince Edward County, Virginia, where he named his home Cherry Grove, later to be known as . . . — — Map (db m291664) HM
The first Presbyterian seminary in the South was established here in 1812 as the Theology Department of Hampden-Sydney College. It became independent of the college in 1822. After the synods of Virginia and North Carolina assumed joint ownership in . . . — — Map (db m31335) HM
In 1954, after the Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, that United States schools must integrate, Senator Harry S. Byrd and several Virginia governors followed the policy of massive resistance. Integration was . . . — — Map (db m31321) HM
In 1954, after the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka that American schools must integrate, Senator Harry S. Byrd and several Virginia governors followed the policy of "massive resistance." Integration was . . . — — Map (db m181154) HM
Two miles east is the Glebe House where the Rev. Archibald McRoberts lived during the Revolution. Tarleton, raiding through this section in July, 1781, set fire to the house, but a timely rain put out the flames. Accordingly, the place was named . . . — — Map (db m31339) HM
On this site of the former R.R. Moton High School, the actions of some brave African-American students to achieve equal educational opportunities for blacks eventually led to the end of legal segregation in American public schools.
Moton . . . — — Map (db m31319) HM
Just to the west was the medical school of John Peter Mettauer, which became a branch of Randolph-Macon College in 1847. It was discontinued, probably in 1861. Dr. Mettauer, one of the leading surgeons of the day, practiced until his death in 1875. — — Map (db m19805) HM
Farmville's rich history lives and breathes in everything that surrounds us, from the warehouses we shop in, the restaurants we dine in, the trails we walk on and the water that flows through the Appomattox River.
Extensive revitalization . . . — — Map (db m171710) HM
On this site 4-23-51, the students staged a strike protesting inadequate school facilities. Led by Rev. L. Francis Griffin, these students' actions became a part of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which ruled . . . — — Map (db m31320) HM
1939: Robert Russa Moton High School built for 180 students
1940: 219 students
1947: 377 students
1948: 3 tar paper shacks built
1950: 477 students
1951: Moton Students Strike
Hampden-Sydney men who made the supreme sacrifice in World War II
Samuel Anderson Johnston, 1918
Robert Milton Cook, 1922
David Albert Hurt, 1923
Winfield Thomas Jones, 1928
Hugh Thompson Hunt, 1930
Ellis Saunders Allen, . . . — — Map (db m181186) WM
On this site of the former R.R. Moton High School, the actions of many brave African American students to achieve equal educational opportunities for Blacks eventually led to the end of legal segregation in American public schools.
Moton . . . — — Map (db m171727) HM
Samuel P. Bolling was born enslaved in Cumberland County and became a skilled mechanic. After the Civil War he purchased several lots in Farmville, where he established a successful brickyard by 1874. He later acquired more than 1,000 acres in . . . — — Map (db m238093) HM
Here stood the hotel where General U.S. Grant made his headquarters April 7, 1865, and opened correspondence with General R.E. Lee which terminated in the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House two days later. From the . . . — — Map (db m30252) HM
To the west is the estate of Nathaniel Venable (1733-1804), Slate Hill Plantation. He was a prominent citizen of Prince Edward County, serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses from 1766 to 1768. During the Revolutionary War, he was a member of the . . . — — Map (db m31343) HM
In honor of the men and women of Prince Edward County who served their country in the Armed Forces since World War II and in memory of the following who made the Supreme Sacrifice
Korean War
Edwin L. Branscome
Horace J. Divens . . . — — Map (db m171722) WM
In honor of the men and women of Prince Edward County who served their country in the Armed Forces and in memory of the following who made the Supreme Sacrifice in World War I 1917-1918
William H. Anderson
William W. Baker
Ricahrd . . . — — Map (db m171723) WM
This gate is erected by the alumni and friends of Hampden-Sydney College an affectionate and perpetual memorial to those who offered and who gave their . . . — — Map (db m181176) WM
In honor of the men and women of Prince Edward County who served their country in the Armed Forces and in memory of the following who made the Supreme Sacrifice in World War II 1941 - 1945
Billy M. Adams
Harry E. Allard
Edwin T. . . . — — Map (db m171721) WM
