On Laurel Mills Road (County Route 618) at Richmond Road (County Route 729), on the left when traveling east on Laurel Mills Road.
After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863, he led the Army of Northern Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north through central Maryland and across the Mason-Dixon Line into . . . — — Map (db m50140) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) west of Viewtown Road (County Route 642), on the right when traveling west.
Here Stonewall Jackson, on his march around Pope’s army by way of Jeffersonton to Bristoe Station, turned north, August 25, 1862. — — Map (db m8263) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) east of Holly Springs Road / Weaver Road (County Route 639), on the right when traveling west.
Here, J.E.B. Stuart, raiding around Pope’s army, turned northeast, August 22, 1862. He passed through Warrenton and went on to Catlett’s Station, where he captured some of Pope’s wagons, in one of which were found Pope’s order book and uniform. — — Map (db m8294) HM
On Viewtown Road (County Route 642), on the left when traveling south.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River to Virginia and camped at Bunker Hill in the northern Shenandoah Valley after the September 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam. Union Gen. George B. McClellan and the . . . — — Map (db m64423) HM
On Laurel Mills Road (County Route 618) at Richmond Road (County Route 729), on the left when traveling east on Laurel Mills Road.
Dangerfield Newby (ca. 1820-1859), a free mulatto for whose family this crossroads is named, was the first of John Brown’s raiders killed during the attack on Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859. He was the eldest child of Henry Newby and a slave, . . . — — Map (db m50611) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) at View Town Road (County Road 642), on the right when traveling east on Lee Highway.
Eliza Brown was a slave on the Pierce farm several miles west of here. When Union Gen. George Armstrong Custer camped here in August 1863 after the Battle of Gettysburg, he hired her to be his servant and cook. Custer's wife, Libbie, mentioned . . . — — Map (db m173058) HM
On Laurel Mills Road (County Route 618) at Richmond Road (County Route 729), on the left when traveling east on Laurel Mills Road.
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee passed through Rappahannock County on four occasions during the Civil War. The first occurred on August 26, 1862, on the march to Manassas, and the second took place in October during the retreat after the Battle of . . . — — Map (db m49652) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) at Richmond Road (Virginia Route 729), on the right when traveling east on Lee Highway.
After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863, he led the Army of Northern Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north through central Maryland and across the Mason-Dixon Line into . . . — — Map (db m49449) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211), on the right when traveling east.
In mid-August 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee concentrated the Army of Northern Virginia on the western bank of the Rappahannock River near Jeffersonton, about 10 miles east of here. Union Gen. John Pope’s Army of Virginia was located on the . . . — — Map (db m64421) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) at Richmond Road (Virginia Route 729), on the right when traveling east on Lee Highway. Reported permanently removed.
The three brick cabins in the field before you are tangible connections to the enslaved people of Rappahannock County before and during the Civil War. Many slaves escaped to Union lines here and elsewhere, and some former bondsmen served in the U.S. . . . — — Map (db m49451) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) just west of Richmond Road (County Road 729), on the right when traveling east.
The three brick cabins in the field before you are tangible connections to the enslaved people of Rappahannock County before and during the Civil War. Many slaves escaped to Union lines here and elsewhere, and some former bondsmen served in the . . . — — Map (db m173050) HM
On Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522) at Obannons Mill Road (County Route 650), on the right when traveling north on Sperryville Pike.
Rappahannock County. Area 274 square miles. Formed in 1833 from Culpeper, and named for the Rappahannock River, headwaters of which are in this county.
Culpeper County. Area 384 square miles. Formed in . . . — — Map (db m8415) HM
On Chester Gap Road, on the left when traveling south.
This mountain pass was of strategic importance throughout the Civil War. Union and Confederate forces occupied and traversed it on numerous occasions. The first significant use of the gap occurred July 7-18, 1862, as Gen. Nathaniel Bank’s corps of . . . — — Map (db m32070) HM
On Chester Gap Road, on the left when traveling south.
(Preface): After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863, he led the Army of Northern Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north through central Maryland and across the Mason-Dixon Line into . . . — — Map (db m32028) HM
On Remount Road (U.S. 522), on the right when traveling south.
Warren County. This lower Shenandoah Valley county was formed from Shenandoah and Frederick Counties in 1836. The county was named for Joseph Warren, a Boston Revolutionary War patriot killed during the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. It . . . — — Map (db m49779) HM
This is the burial site of a Mosby Ranger who sacrificed himself for a friend. By the autumn of 1864, Confederate John S. Mosby's Rangers had so harassed Union troops, supply lines, and railroads in northern Virginia that Union Gen. Ulysses S. . . . — — Map (db m49528) HM
On Zachary Taylor Highway (Route 522) just south of Cowgillmiller Lane, on the right when traveling north.
Flint Hill
Baptist Church
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1854
Flint Hill
Baptist Church
Erected 1854
has been listed in . . . — — Map (db m171256) HM
On Zachary Taylor Highway (U.S. 522) at Hittles Mill Road, on the right when traveling south on Zachary Taylor Highway.
After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863, he led the Army at Northern Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north through central Maryland and across the Mason-Dixon Line into . . . — — Map (db m194893) HM
On Zachary Taylor Highway (U.S. 522) 0.4 miles north of Hume Road (County Route 635), on the right when traveling north.
Pvt. Albert G. Willis, Co. C, Col. John S. Mosby's Partisan Rangers (43d Battalion, Virginia Cavalry) and at least one other Ranger were captured about 13 Oct. 1864 near Gaines Crossroads by Union Brig. Gen. William H. Powell's U.S. 2d Cavalry . . . — — Map (db m31904) HM
On Skyline Drive, 13.8 miles south of Stonewall Jackson Highway (U.S. 340), on the right when traveling north.
From here, looking east from the Blue Ridge crest, you see the Piedmont, a broad plain dotted with few low hills. Noting similarities to their European homeland, early settlers named this land "piedmonte," Italian meaning . . . — — Map (db m74099) HM
On F.T. Valley Road (Virginia Route 231) near Sharp Rock Road / Slate Mills Road (County Route 707), on the left when traveling south.
F. T. Baptist Church was founded nearby as Ragged Mountain Church in 1778. According to tradition the congregation worshipped in a log structure at Sharp Rock until about 1802 before moving to the former F. T. Village by 1804 where it became known . . . — — Map (db m8393) HM
On Water Street (County Road 1002) just east of U.S. 522, on the left when traveling east.
In July 1862, Gen. John Pope brought the first hint of "total war"—in a mild form by later standards—to Rappahannock County residents. This new Union policy, designed to inflict intense pain on civilians who supported the Southern . . . — — Map (db m171338) HM
On River Lane, 0.1 miles east of Water Street (County Road 1002), on the right when traveling east.
As the Civil War grew bloodier in the summer of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 300,000 additional Union volunteers. Patriotic immigrants formed an important pool of recruits. To encourage their enlistments, a former German . . . — — Map (db m173036) HM
On Piney River Area Road west of Skyline Drive, on the left when traveling west.
Civilian Conservation Corps
During the 1930’s, this area
was the site of CCC Camp
NP-12, Company 1393, known
as the “Redbird Camp.” — — Map (db m122990) HM
On Piney River Area Road, 0.1 miles west of Skyline Drive, on the right when traveling west.
The Piney River Technical Building is one of the few remaining structures that reveal the rich history of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Shenandoah National Park. Camp NP-12, also known as Camp Red Bird, was established on July 4, 1935. . . . — — Map (db m122979) HM
(Upper Plaque):This Property has been placed on the National Register Of Historic Places (Lower Plaque):John B. Kiger well known wheelright lived in this unique log and stone house and built Conestoga wagons on this site in the 1830s. . . . — — Map (db m25725) HM
(Upper Plaque):This property has been place on the National Register of Historic Places (Lower Plaque):The Second of Two Lots Owned by John Kiger This Building Was A Blacksmith shop. Conestoga Wagons Were Made Behind This Building . . . — — Map (db m25786) HM
On Skyline Drive, on the left when traveling south.
Drill, blast, and clear. Drill, blast, and clear. For three months workers repeated this process, carving through 600 feet of solid granite (granodiorite) to complete Skyline Drive's greatest construction challenge, Marys Rock Tunnel. Twice each . . . — — Map (db m13232) HM
On Main Street (Virginia Route 1001), on the right when traveling south.
This building housed the medical office of Dr. William Amiss, whose brother Dr. Thomas Amiss practiced in Slate Mills and later in Page County. Together, the two men accomplished a medical achievement virtually unheard of during the Civil War. . . . — — Map (db m65034) HM
On Lee Highway (Route 211) 1 mile west of Pearl Lane, on the right when traveling west.
In honor of these Rappahannock County landowners, families, and others not yet identified who were displaced for the establishment of Shenandoah National Park, this memorial was dedicated in the Spring of 2017.
Armentrout •
Atkins •
Aylor . . . — — Map (db m171321) HM
On Skyline Drive, on the left when traveling south.
An exceptional mountain, very different from the rest - that's Old Rag. The distinct rock-covered ridgecrest in the distance has long been a noted area landmark. Old Rag's rugged summit consists of spectacular outcroppings of Old Rag granite, the . . . — — Map (db m13234) HM
On Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522) south of Lee Highway (U.S. 211), on the right when traveling south.
On 26 June 1862, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Maj. Gen. John Pope to command the Union army that operated in Virginia. The Corps led by Maj. Gen.
Franz Sigel, who had recently replaced Maj. Gen. John C. Frémont, posted around Sperryville, . . . — — Map (db m239846) HM
On River Lane, 0.1 miles east of Water Street, on the right when traveling east.
Prejudice against foreigners, poor leadership, and circumstances conspired against German-born Gen. Franz Sigel and his troops. Sigel was late to the Battle of Cedar Mountain after leaving Sperryville on August 8, 1862, because of confusing . . . — — Map (db m173040) HM
On Skyline Drive, on the left when traveling south.
The only tunnel on the Skyline Drive passes for 700 feet through Mary's Rock Mountain. It was blasted out of granite-like rock. Only 1,300,000,000 years ago this rock was still molten magma. — — Map (db m13229) HM
Near Lee Highway (U.S. 211/522) at U.S. 522, on the left when traveling west.
The Union Army of Virginia existed for a little less than 3 months in the summer of 1862. Gen. Franz Sigel's 1st Corps was camped on this ground for a third of that time. About half of Sigel's force formed from the division of Louis Blenker. . . . — — Map (db m171345) HM
Near Lee Highway (U.S. 211) at Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522).
Caroline Terry, known locally as “Sis-tah Cah-line” (1833-1941) was born a slave, perhaps in Southampton County, but spent most of her life in Rappahannock County. She later took the surname Terry. By 1846, Francis Millan of Culpeper . . . — — Map (db m26518) HM
On Slate Mills Road (Virginia Route 707) 0.8 miles east of F.T. Valley Road (Virginia Route 231), on the left when traveling south.
During the Civil War, this road led from Sperryville to Madison, Slate Mills, and James City, west of Culpeper. The F.T. Church and Fink's Store (now the Conyers House) were familiar landmarks. To the west, the Blue Ridge Mountains offered . . . — — Map (db m230631) HM
Near Lee Highway (Route 211/522) at U.S. 522, on the left when traveling west.
This quiet crossroads village, long an overnight stopping point on important north-south and east-west roads to the Shenandoah Valley, was the scene of many events during the Civil War. Union Gen. Franz Sigel's Corps of the Army of Virginia . . . — — Map (db m171341) HM
On Main Street (County Route 1001) south of Lee Highway (U.S. 211), on the left when traveling south.
Laid out by Francis Thornton, Jr., in 1817, Sperryville survives as an upper Piedmont crossroads village. In the early 19th century John Kiger built Conestoga wagons here. By the 1850s two turnpikes (Thornton’s Gap and Sperryville & Rappahannock) . . . — — Map (db m8373) HM
On Skyline Drive (at milepost 17), on the right when traveling south.
"It is a wonderway over which the tourist will ride comfortably in his car while he is stirred by a view as exhilarating as the aviator may see from the plane." Senator Harry F. Byrd, Virginia
When construction began on Skyline Drive . . . — — Map (db m134291) HM
On Old Mill Road (County Route 683), on the left when traveling south.
During the Civil War, two mills stood on the Rush River in this vicinity on the property of John Jett, who resided at Ellerslie half a mile south of here. They included the Avon Mill before you and the Jett Mill (no longer standing), located half a . . . — — Map (db m31910) HM
On Bank Road at Lee Highway (U.S. 211) on Bank Road.
In July and August, 1862, the Union Army of Virginia’s 2nd Corps under Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks
camped in and around Little Washington. Col.
Charles E.F. Collis’s Zouaves, noted for their
French-style red and blue uniforms, served as
Banks’s . . . — — Map (db m77529) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road, on the right when traveling west on Library Road.
When Union Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks marched east into Rappahannock County through Chester Gap in July 1862, he and his 16,000 men were still reeling from recent defeats in the Shenandoah Valley. There, although Banks's command had bested . . . — — Map (db m171260) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road (County Road 683), on the right when traveling west on Library Road.
When Union Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks's 2nd Corps, Army of Virginia, camped here in the summer of 1862, Capt. Karl Sauer Csaky von Nordendorf (1840-1884), served as Banks's aide-de-camp and cartographer. Known as Charles C. Nordendorf, the Austrian . . . — — Map (db m171295) HM
On Skyline Drive (at milepost 17), on the right when traveling south.
”Park roads are for leisurely driving only. If you are in a hurry you might do well to take another route now, and come back when you have more time.” From an early National Park Service brochure
This is no . . . — — Map (db m134299) HM
On Gay Street just south of Piedmont Avenue, on the left when traveling south.
This monument is erected through efforts of the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and other notaries of Southern Chivalry, a tribute of honor and affectionate regard for the unwavering patriotism, faultless valor, and . . . — — Map (db m171309) WM
On Lee Highway (Bypass U.S. 211) at Tiger Valley Road (County Route 626), on the right when traveling east on Lee Highway.
One-half mile southeast of this location is Ellerslie, which was built in 1814 by French Huguenot Col. John Jett and his wife Hannah Calvert for their son James Jett, Jr., on a 1,000-acre tract. In 1749, George Washington named Jett Street in the . . . — — Map (db m8371) HM
On Porter Street (County Road 626) at Mt. Salem Avenue (County Road 626), on the right when traveling east on Porter Street.
Believed to be the zero mile marker for the roads of Rappahannock county when the Town of Washington was established as the county seat in 1833.
With thanks to Charles K. "Pete" Estes - Oral Historian
— — Map (db m171311) HM
On Gay Street, 0.1 miles north of Porter Street, on the right when traveling north.
During the Civil War, military units were recruited locally, and neighbors, friends, and relatives fought and died side-by-side. Almost 1,200 of the approximately 6,000 white male residents of Rappahannock County in 1860 served in thee . . . — — Map (db m171308) HM
In the years before the Civil War, Virginia’s laws restricted free blacks and also tightened the legal grip on slaves. Some blacks, however, struggled through the system to freedom, just as many slaves wended their way to Union lines during the . . . — — Map (db m31191) HM
On Long Mountain Road (County Road 626) 0.1 miles west of Ridgeview Road, on the left when traveling west.
Mt. Salem Baptist
Meeting House
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1824
Mount Salem Baptist
Meeting House
1824
has been listed . . . — — Map (db m171258) HM
After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863, he led the Army of Northern
Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north through central Maryland and across the Mason-Dixon Line into
Pennsylvania. . . . — — Map (db m77528) HM
On Skyline Drive, on the left when traveling south. Reported missing.
From here you can see a rare Skyline Drive view, a look southwestward down the length of the Blue Ridge. Many of Shenandoah National Park's highest peaks are visible here, including Stony Man, the northernmost Blue Ridge peak to rise above 4,000 . . . — — Map (db m106702) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road (County Road 683), on the right when traveling west on Library Road.
While there were no large-scale military actions, several dozen skirmishes and many troop movements occurred here. As a gateway to the northern Shenandoah Valley, the county was a major thoroughfare for both Union and Confederate forces on a . . . — — Map (db m171306) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road (County Road 683), on the left when traveling east on Library Road.
Freedom - upon death of owner
"I do hereby free and emancipate all my slaves that I may own at my death… Such of my said slaves are so nearly white as to render it unsafe for them to go to Liberia I desire may be sent to the State of . . . — — Map (db m171307) HM
On Main Street (Business U.S. 211) at Mt. Prospect Lane, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
Middleton Miller, who built this residence about 1840, owned a woolen factory on the Rappahannock River near Waterloo about 15 miles east of here. It manufactured "Confederate Gray" cloth, and Union troops destroyed it early in the war. Miller . . . — — Map (db m171313) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road (County Road 683), on the left when traveling east on Library Road.
More than 1,000 Rappahannock County men fought for the Confederacy. Many were mustered into service here in Washington.
The Rappahannock Old Guard (Co. B, 6th Virginia Cavalry), which carried an unusual dark battle flag, played an important . . . — — Map (db m173043) HM
On Gay Street at Jett Street, on the right when traveling south on Gay Street.
Surveyed and platted by George Washington with the assistance of John Lonem and Edward Corder, as chainmen; August 4, 1749.
Organized and established as a town by the General Assembly of Virginia, December 14, 1796.
Incorporated as a . . . — — Map (db m166355) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road, on the left when traveling east on Library Road.
In July and August 1862, 30,000 men in two corps of Gen. John Pope's newly formed Union Army of Virginia camped across much of Rappahannock County. Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson had recently defeated them during Jackson's . . . — — Map (db m171263) HM
On Library Road (County Road 683) at Old Mill Road (County Road 683), on the right when traveling west on Library Road.
For nearly a month in the summer of 1862, the 2nd Corps of the newly created Union Army of Virginia had its encampment on this ground with outposts extending several miles to the east, south and west. Organization and leadership were in constant . . . — — Map (db m171296) HM
On Piedmont Avenue (County Road 626) just east of Oden Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
Washington Graded School was built here ca. 1924 to serve African American students. The Parents' Civil League, a local organization of African Americans, conveyed the land to the district school board. Contributions for the two-teacher building . . . — — Map (db m171312) HM
On Main Street (Business U.S. 211) at Baldwin Lane, on the right when traveling north on Main Street.
Of the 28 Washingtons in the United States, the “records very conclusively disclose” that this town, “the first Washington of all,” was surveyed and platted by George Washington on the 24th of July (old style), 1749. He was assisted by John Lonem . . . — — Map (db m204083) HM
On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) at Library Road (County Route 683), on the right when traveling west on Lee Highway.
One of more than thirty Washingtons in the United States, only this town, “The First Washington of All,” was surveyed and platted by George Washington on the 24th day of July (old style) 1749. He was assisted by John Lonem and Edward . . . — — Map (db m8296) HM
On Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522) south of Hawlin Road (County Route 816), on the left when traveling south.
John Jackson, Piedmont guitar master and influential traditional musician, was born near here on
25 Feb. 1924. One of fourteen children of tenant
farmers Suddy and Hattie Jackson, Jackson learned
songs on the guitar and banjo from his . . . — — Map (db m8398) HM
On Hawlin Road (County Road 618) 0.1 miles west of Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522), on the left when traveling west.
Woodville's location about a day's march from Culpeper Court House encouraged both Union and Confederate forces to camp here frequently. They established many camps in the fields and hills around the town, and both sides in the conflict used the . . . — — Map (db m171353) HM
On Hawlin Road (County Road 618) 0.1 miles west of Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522), on the left when traveling west.
If you had been standing here at dawn on November 27, 1863, you would have seen Col. John S. Mosby and his partisan rangers herding a string of mules bearing dejected-looking Union prisoners. Among the captives was Pvt. Robert Knox Sneden, 40th New . . . — — Map (db m52953) HM
On Hawlin Road (County Road 618) 0.1 miles west of Sperryville Pike (U.S. 522), on the left when traveling west.
After Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's stunning victory at Chancellorsville in May 1863, he led the Army of Northern Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, then north through central Maryland and across the Mason-Dixon line into . . . — — Map (db m171355) HM
