In the Piedmont, you can follow the
footsteps of the many giants who went before. History is everywhere
with several museums and many historic buildings, battlefields, and
interpretive markers throughout the region. More than 215 million
years ago, dinosaurs roamed this land and left behind the largest
discovery of tracks ever found in North America. A set of those tracks
and exhibit about the discovery is on display at the Museum
of Culpeper History. Move forward through time as you move through
the galleries of the region’s many museums and learn of the
Manahoac Indians and early European settlers who called this area
home. Visit the towns, battlefields and historic homes where our
nation was forged. From Revolutionary War, through the Civil War,
to the present day, the Virginia Piedmont lies at the crossroads
of history.
Historic Places
 History
surrounds you in Culpeper with
its historic homes, churches, and even entire neighborhoods. Culpeper
County, chartered in 1749, was named for Lord Thomas Culpeper, Colonial
Governor of Virginia. That year, at the age of 17, George Washington
was commissioned to survey and plot the Town and the County of Culpeper.
The Town of Culpeper was chartered in 1759 by an Act of the General
Assembly as the Town of Fairfax and it was recorded that the Town
occupied a "high and pleasant situation." Culpeper’s
historic downtown is a thriving Virginia Main Street community. Interpretive
panels commemorate Culpeper’s rich African-American history
at buildings like Antioch Church, the oldest African-American congregation
in the Town, and an area known as Fishtown thrived with black-owned
businesses and commerce. Visit the boyhood home of native son, General
A. P. Hill, or trace your family history at nineteenth century Fairview
Cemetery or the Masonic Cemetery, which dates back to Revolutionary
War times.
The
Town of Madison, the County seat, is also an historic district.
Its Main Street is lined with interesting 18th and 19th century
buildings. The Madison Arcade, which dates from 1790, houses a
museum with fascinating exhibits about the County’s history
including an excellent Native American exhibit. Madison Drug Company
is one of the oldest pharmacies in the country and you can still
get a cup of coffee, albeit small, for 10 cents! At the northern
end of town stands the Kemper Residence (1852), the post-war home
of the Confederate Major General James Lawson Kemper, wounded at
Gettysburg and later elected Virginia governor. The Madison County
Courthouse, still in use today, has been designated a Virginia
Historic Landmark. The Courthouse was built by architects trained
by Thomas Jefferson. The Federal brickwork has been declared some
of the finest in America. The Piedmont Episcopal Church, completed
in 1834, was used as a hospital during the Civil War. Its sanctuary
was refurbished with walnut paneling donated by Mrs. Herbert Hoover.
Genealogists find rich material at the Madison County Courthouse,
the Historical Society, the County Library and Hebron Lutheran
Church. This church, located a short car ride from town, was built
in 1733 by German settlers and is the oldest Lutheran Church in
continuous use in the U.S.
 In Orange,
located a few miles west of the Town of Orange is Montpelier,
the estate of President James Madison, often referred to as the “Father
of the Constitution.” Tour the presidential home, which is
being restored to the way it looked in 1817, and enjoy the 2,700
acres of fields, woods and gardens that surround the home. Montpelier
hosts special events throughout the year.
In Rappahannock
in July 1749, a 17-year old George Washington noted in his journal,
"in the Blue Ridge Mountains …I laid off a town."
The young surveyor, assisted by two chainmen, laid out the Town
of Washington in the same five-block by two-block grid that exists
today. The town was officially established by the Virginia Assembly
in 1796. Though there are now 28 Washingtons in the United States,
this is "The First Washington of All." Today Washington
serves as the county seat, is home to the famous Inn at Little Washington,
as well as country inns, shops, and galleries. Other historic small
towns include Woodville (1803), Amissville (1810), Sperryville (1820),
and Flint Hill (1820s), each with its own charm and heritage. At
the northern edge of the county, is Chester Gap.
The Blue Ridge has always been an integral part of Rappahannock
County. In the 1800’s, many families took advantage of
its forests, minerals, and fine highland grazing pastures to carve
out distinctive lifestyles that now form an extremely rich portion
of the county’s heritage. A combination of factors
including depletion of natural resources, shifting economic trends,
and the establishment of the Shenandoah National Park in the 1930’s
brought an end to this traditional mountain life. Many of these folks
were moved involuntarily to resettlement areas along the base of
the Blue Ridge, but memories of the colorful past are treasured by
their descendents. Larger farms and orchards have gradually been
replaced by smaller operations including specialty livestock, organic
produce, and vineyard/wineries, helping to preserve the county's
rural heritage.
Notable People
 In Culpeper,
George Washington really did sleep here and in fact surveyed much
of the region at the age of seventeen. The bravery and leadership
of Culpeper native son Colonel John Jameson led to the exposure of
Benedict Arnold as a traitor. Daniel Boone, Clara Barton, and Walt
Whitman spent time here, and George Armstrong Custer honeymooned
in Culpeper. Confederate General A. P. Hill and Baseball Hall of
Famer Eppa Rixey were born in Culpeper.
In Fauquier
County, remembrance of the Revolutionary War and the Civil
War as well as examples of World War II Barnstorming planes and
Indian artifacts demonstrate the diversity of history found here. Prominent
landowners were John Marshall, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and John Singleton
Mosby. Notable visitors to Fauquier have included General Lafayette,
James Monroe, Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. Union General George
McClellan bade farewell to his troops in Warrenton in 1862. President
Theodore Roosevelt spoke from the balcony of what is known today
as the Warren Green Building in Warrenton, and Wallis Warfield,
future Duchess of Windsor lived in the building, when it was a
thriving hotel, while waiting for her first divorce.
In Madison
County, President Herbert Hoover had a fishing camp known as
his “summer White House” on the Rapidan River that
is now part of Shenandoah National Park. Mrs. Hoover donated walnut
paneling to refurbish the sanctuary of the Piedmont Episcopal Church
in the town. Confederate Major General James Lawson Kemper, wounded
at Gettysburg and later elected Virginia governor lived there.
In Orange
County, the Barboursville Ruins was one of the largest and
finest residences in the region. It is the only building known
to have been designed by Thomas Jefferson. It was constructed between
1814-1822 for Jefferson’s friend, James Barbour, Governor
of Virginia, U.S. Senator, Secretary of War and Ambassador to the
Court of St. James. The ruins are now a centerpiece of the Barboursville
winery, one of Virginia’s outstanding wineries.
The Civil War
 During
the War Between the States, Culpeper was one of the most hotly contested
areas in the world. Its strategic location made it a highly prized
position for both the Union and Confederate armies. During the war,
Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and J. E. B.
Stuart spent time here. Battles were fought at Cedar
Mountain, Kelly’s
Ford, and within the town at Culpeper Court House. And on June
9, 1863, the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America
was fought at Brandy
Station. Of the more than 20,000 soldiers involved, about 17,000
were on horseback. Brandy Station was also the first battle of the
Gettysburg campaign.
There are many opportunities to learn about the Civil War in Culpeper. The
Graffiti House, circa 1858, serves as the visitors center for
the Brandy Station battlefield. Used by both the Union and Confederate
armies as a hospital, recuperating soldiers wrote their names,
units, messages, and drawings of women, horses, and more with charcoal
from the fireplace. Civil
War guided tours of historic Downtown are offered by historian
Virginia Morton, author of the Civil War novel Marching Through
Culpeper. Ms. Morton also offers tours of Kelly’s Ford,
Cedar Mountain, and Brandy Station battlefields. Tours must be
scheduled in advance.
The footprints of Confederate and Union soldiers can also be found
throughout Fauquier
County. After the second Battle of Manassas, which took place
just 6 miles from Fauquier County, over 1,800 wounded soldiers were
brought to makeshift hospitals in Warrenton's businesses, churches
and homes. Many battles and skirmishes were fought throughout Fauquier
County, and the Town of Warrenton was frequently occupied by federal
troops. Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby made his home in the Town
of Warrenton and was buried in the Warrenton Cemetery along with
more than 600 Confederate, Union, and African-American Civil War
soldiers. Colonel Mosby’s former home is being restored and
will open as the John S. Mosby Museum, late fall of 2008, and an
education center is planned in the Warrenton-Fauquier County Visitor
Center, located beside the house.
At the northern end of the Town of Madison stands the Kemper Residence
(1852), the post-war home of the Confederate Major General James
Lawson Kemper, wounded at Gettysburg and later elected Virginia governor.
The Piedmont Episcopal Church, completed in 1834, was used as a hospital
during the Civil War. Madison boasts two Civil
War Trail sites: Jack’s Shop in Rochelle and James City
in Leon.
To learn more about the Civil War in the Piedmont region, visit
the Civil
War Trails website.
Orange
County is rich is Civil War history. The
Exchange Hotel was an elegant hotel that was converted to a
Receiving Hospital that treated over 70,000 soldiers. The Wilderness
Civil War Battlefield and Ellwood Manor are also important Civil
War sites in the county.
History and Horses
Fauquier County’s claim to be the “Heart of Horse and
Wine Country” is supported by the many outstanding equestrian
shows and events hosted in Fauquier County and Warrenton; like the Upperville
Colt and Horse Show, held every June (2008 will be its 155th
year) and which is considered to be the oldest horse show in the
United States. Also, the Warrenton
Horse Show, held Labor Day weekend each year (2008 will be its
108th year) is the oldest continuously operating corporation in the
Commonwealth. Great Meadow hosts the two largest horse events, The
Virginia Gold Cup in May, which rivals the Kentucky Derby, and The
International Gold Cup in October. Four point to point steeple
races are held in Fauquier County and several other fine horse events
occur throughout the year. Please go to www.vasteeplechase.com for
more information on steeplechase racing in the Piedmont region.
< back to top |
In the Piedmont, you can follow the footsteps of the many giants
who went before. History is everywhere with several museums and
many historic buildings, battlefields, and interpretive markers
throughout the region. More than 215 million years ago, dinosaurs
roamed this land and left behind the largest discovery of tracks
ever found in North America. A set of those tracks and exhibit
about the discovery is on display at the Museum
of Culpeper History. Move
forward through time as you move through the galleries of the region’s
many museums and learn of the Manahoac Indians and early European
settlers who called this area home. Visit the towns, battlefields
and historic homes where our nation was forged. From Revolutionary
War, through the Civil War, to the present day, the Virginia Piedmont
lies at the crossroads of history.
Historic Places
 History surrounds you in Culpeper with
its historic homes, churches, and even entire neighborhoods. Culpeper
County, chartered in 1749, was named for Lord Thomas Culpeper,
Colonial Governor of Virginia. That year, at the age of 17, George
Washington was commissioned to survey and plot the Town and the
County of Culpeper. The Town of Culpeper was chartered in
1759 by an Act of the General Assembly as the Town of Fairfax and
it was recorded that the Town occupied a "high and pleasant
situation." Culpeper’s historic downtown is a thriving
Virginia Main Street community. Interpretive panels commemorate
Culpeper’s rich African-American history at buildings like
Antioch Church, the oldest African-American congregation in the
Town, and an area known as Fishtown thrived with black-owned businesses
and commerce. Visit the boyhood home of native son, General A.
P. Hill, or trace your family history at nineteenth century Fairview
Cemetery or the Masonic Cemetery, which dates back to Revolutionary
War times.
The
Town of Madison, the County seat, is also an historic district.
Its Main Street is lined with interesting 18th and 19th century
buildings. The
Madison Arcade, which dates from 1790, houses a museum with fascinating
exhibits about the County’s history including an excellent
Native American exhibit. Madison Drug Company is one of the oldest
pharmacies in the country and you can still get a cup of coffee,
albeit small, for 10 cents! At the northern end of town stands
the Kemper Residence (1852), the post-war home of the Confederate
Major General James Lawson Kemper, wounded at Gettysburg and later
elected Virginia governor. The Madison County Courthouse,
still in use today, has been designated a Virginia Historic Landmark. The
Courthouse was built by architects trained by Thomas Jefferson. The
Federal brickwork has been declared some of the finest in America. The
Piedmont Episcopal Church, completed in 1834, was used as a hospital
during the Civil War. Its sanctuary was refurbished with
walnut paneling donated by Mrs. Herbert Hoover. Genealogists find
rich material at the Madison County Courthouse, the Historical
Society, the County Library and Hebron Lutheran Church. This
church, located a short car ride from town, was built in 1733 by
German settlers and is the oldest Lutheran Church in continuous
use in the U.S.
In Orange,
located a few miles west of the Town of Orange is Montpelier,
the estate of President James Madison, often referred to as the “Father
of the Constitution.” Tour the presidential home, which
is being restored to the way it looked in 1817, and enjoy the 2,700
acres of fields, woods and gardens that surround the home. Montpelier
hosts special events throughout the year.
In Rappahannock
in July 1749, a 17-year old George Washington noted in his journal,
"in the Blue Ridge Mountains …I laid off a town."
The young surveyor, assisted by two chainmen, laid out the Town
of Washington in the same five-block by two-block grid that exists
today. The town was officially established by the Virginia Assembly
in 1796. Though there are now 28 Washingtons in the United States,
this is "The First Washington of All." Today Washington
serves as the county seat, is home to the famous Inn at Little Washington,
as well as country inns, shops, and galleries. Other historic small
towns include Woodville (1803), Amissville (1810), Sperryville (1820),
and Flint Hill (1820s), each with its own charm and heritage. At
the northern edge of the county, is Chester Gap.
The
Blue Ridge has always been an integral part of Rappahannock County. In
the 1800’s, many families took advantage
of its forests, minerals, and fine highland grazing pastures to
carve out distinctive lifestyles that now form an extremely rich
portion of the county’s heritage. A combination
of factors including depletion of natural resources, shifting economic
trends, and the establishment of the Shenandoah National Park in
the 1930’s brought an end to this traditional mountain life. Many
of these folks were moved involuntarily to resettlement areas along
the base of the Blue Ridge, but memories of the colorful past are
treasured by their descendents. Larger farms and orchards
have gradually been replaced by smaller operations including specialty
livestock, organic produce, and vineyard/wineries, helping to preserve
the county's rural heritage.
Notable People
In Culpeper,
George Washington really did sleep here and in fact surveyed much
of the region at the age of seventeen. The bravery and leadership
of Culpeper native son Colonel John Jameson led to the exposure
of Benedict Arnold as a traitor. Daniel Boone, Clara Barton, and
Walt Whitman spent time here, and George Armstrong Custer honeymooned
in Culpeper. Confederate General A. P. Hill and Baseball Hall of
Famer Eppa Rixey were born in Culpeper.
In Fauquier
County,
remembrance of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War as well
as examples of World War II Barnstorming planes and Indian artifacts
demonstrate the diversity of history found here. Prominent
landowners were John Marshall, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, and John Singleton
Mosby. Notable visitors to Fauquier have included General
Lafayette, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. Union
General George McClellan bade farewell to his troops in Warrenton
in 1862. President Theodore Roosevelt spoke from the balcony
of what is known today as the Warren Green Building in Warrenton,
and Wallis Warfield, future Duchess of Windsor lived in the building,
when it was a thriving hotel, while waiting for her first divorce.
In Madison
County,
President Herbert Hoover had a fishing camp known as his “summer
White House” on the Rapidan River that is now part of Shenandoah
National Park. Mrs. Hoover donated walnut paneling to refurbish
the sanctuary of the Piedmont Episcopal Church in the town. Confederate
Major General James Lawson Kemper, wounded at Gettysburg and later
elected Virginia governor lived there.
In Orange
County,
the Barboursville Ruins was one of the largest and finest residences
in the region. It is the only building known to have been
designed by Thomas Jefferson. It was constructed between
1814-1822 for Jefferson’s friend, James Barbour, Governor
of Virginia, U.S. Senator, Secretary of War and Ambassador to the
Court of St. James. The ruins are now a centerpiece of the Barboursville
winery, one of Virginia’s outstanding wineries.
The Civil War
During the War Between
the States, Culpeper was one of the most hotly contested areas
in the world. Its strategic location
made it a highly prized position for both the Union and Confederate
armies. During the war, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall
Jackson, and J. E. B. Stuart spent time here. Battles were fought
at Cedar
Mountain,
Kelly’s
Ford,
and within the town at Culpeper Court House. And on June 9, 1863,
the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America was fought
at Brandy
Station. Of
the more than 20,000 soldiers involved, about 17,000 were on
horseback. Brandy Station was also the first battle of the Gettysburg
campaign.
There are many opportunities to learn about the Civil
War in Culpeper. The
Graffiti House, circa 1858, serves as the visitors center
for the Brandy
Station battlefield. Used by both the Union and Confederate armies
as a hospital, recuperating soldiers wrote their names, units,
messages, and drawings of women, horses, and more with charcoal
from the fireplace. Civil
War guided tours of historic Downtown are offered by historian
Virginia Morton, author of the Civil War novel Marching Through
Culpeper. Ms.
Morton also offers tours of Kelly’s Ford, Cedar Mountain,
and Brandy Station battlefields. Tours must be scheduled in advance.
The
footprints of Confederate and Union soldiers can also be found
throughout Fauquier
County. After
the second Battle of Manassas, which took place just 6 miles from
Fauquier County, over 1,800 wounded soldiers were brought to makeshift
hospitals in Warrenton's businesses, churches and homes. Many
battles and skirmishes were fought throughout Fauquier County,
and the Town of Warrenton was frequently occupied by federal troops. Confederate
Colonel John S. Mosby made his home in the Town of Warrenton and
was buried in the Warrenton Cemetery along with more than 600 Confederate,
Union, and African-American Civil War soldiers. Colonel Mosby’s
former home is being restored and will open as the John S. Mosby
Museum, late fall of 2008, and an education center is planned in
the Warrenton-Fauquier County Visitor Center, located beside the
house.
At the northern end of the Town of Madison stands the Kemper
Residence (1852), the post-war home of the Confederate Major General
James Lawson Kemper, wounded at Gettysburg and later elected Virginia
governor. The Piedmont Episcopal Church, completed in 1834,
was used as a hospital during the Civil War. Madison boasts
two Civil
War Trail sites: Jack’s
Shop in Rochelle and James City in Leon.
To learn more about the
Civil War in the Piedmont region, visit the Civil
War Trails website.
Orange
County is
rich is Civil War history. The
Exchange Hotel was an elegant hotel that was converted to
a Receiving Hospital that treated over 70,000 soldiers. The Wilderness Civil War
Battlefield and Ellwood Manor are also important Civil War sites
in the county.
History and Horses
Fauquier County’s claim to be the “Heart of Horse
and Wine Country” is supported by the many outstanding equestrian
shows and events hosted in Fauquier County and Warrenton; like
the Upperville Colt and Horse
Show, held every June (2008 will
be its 155th year) and which is considered to be the oldest horse
show in the United States. Also, the Warrenton
Horse Show,
held Labor Day weekend each year (2008 will be its 108th year)
is the oldest continuously operating corporation in the Commonwealth.
Great Meadow hosts the two largest horse events, The
Virginia Gold Cup in May, which rivals the Kentucky Derby, and The
International Gold Cup in October. Four point to point steeple races are
held in Fauquier County and several other fine horse events occur
throughout the year. Please go to www.vasteeplechase.com for
more information on steeplechase racing in the Piedmont region.
< back to top |
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History and Heritage
Historic Places
Notable People
The Civil War
History and Horses
Resources
Culpeper driving and walking tour brochures are available, along
with the Official Visitors Guide that includes all of the off-the-beaten-path
places that you won’t want to miss. Order
online or stop at the Visitors
Center in the century-old Depot. The Museum
of Culpeper History,
the Society
for the Preservation of Culpeper History, the Culpeper County
Library, and the Culpeper County Courthouse are also excellent
sources of information.
Visitors to Rappahannock may learn more about the county’s
history at the Rappahannock County Historical Society, 328 Gay
Street, in the Town of Washington, 540-673-1163. Hours are
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. The
Scrabble School Preservation Foundation is dedicated to preserving
the African-American history of education in post-Civil War Virginia
and the South. For more information about Rappahannock county's
history, contact kplander@aol.com.
For information about the history of Fauquier county, click
here.
For information about the history of Madison county, click
here.
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