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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
★ 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
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 deincorporated . . . — — Map (db m40740) HM
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Much of the Blueridge area was settled in the early 1700’s and cleared for agricultural purposes. The land was not economically suited for small farms. These farms were abandoned in the 1860’s with the opening of western lands and the Civil . . . — — Map (db m162786) HM
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
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 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
