Skip to main content

Small Towns of Virginia Series

Image
By
From Cumberland Gap - to the south shores of the Potomac - and the beaches along the Eastern Shore, Virginia has an endless amount of small towns and villages - each with their own unique history and story.  The Small Towns of Virginia Series explores these towns.  Some are tied to mountains and the music that echoed through the valleys, others have ties to Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, while others found themselves caught in the middle of the Civil War.

In addition, this series will also visit state and national parks withing the commonwealth along with other historical locations and items of interest.  We hope that after learning about these places here that you'll go out and explore for yourself these and the many other small towns of Virginia.


Southwestern Virginia:
West Central Virginia:
Southside Virginia:
Central Virginia:
  • Dillwyn
  • Jefferson's Monticello (in development)
  • Hanover
  • Madison's Montpelier (in development)
Northern Virginia:
Eastern Virginia:
  • Assateague Island National Seashore (in development)
  • Cape Charles
  • Silver Beach (in development)
Hampton Roads Area:
Related Sites:

For all photo or story inquiries - or if you have information to share - please feel free to comment or reach me directly at aprince27@gmail.com.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Donner Pass; hunting for the Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Road and abandoned Central Pacific Railroad Tunnels

By
This past weekend while returning from Lake Tahoe I crossed over the crest of the Sierras at Donner Pass.  My goal was to seek out the old Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Road and the abandoned Central Pacific Railroad tunnels.


I've written about Donner Pass several times before; the history of crossing dating back to 1844 up to the construction of Interstate 80 can be found here:

Old US Route 40 on Donner Pass Road

As stated in the Donner Pass Road article above the original purpose built road over Donner Pass was the Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Road (DF&DLR).  The DF&DLR was a wagon route over Donner Pass which was constructed by the Central Pacific Railroad to assist in construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad.  In 1861 the State of California granted the Central Pacific a 10 year franchise on toll rights to the DF&DLR which completed by 1864.  The DF&DLR was used to finance the Central Pacific's construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad fr…
2 comments
Read more

History of the Big Oak Flat Road (Yosemite National Park)

By
This week I hiked much of what was the original alignment of the Big Oak Flat Road which is located to the north of the modern roadway.  Unlike the original alignment of the Wawona Road the Old Big Oak Flat Road is surprisingly intact.


The complete history of the Big Oak Flat Road including the original alignment can be found on a 2002 report from the U.S. Department of Interior on the Old Big Oak Flat Road.

U.S. Department of the Interior on the Old Big Oak Flat Road

The Big Oak Flat Road began construction east from the mining community of Big Oak Flat in towards Yosemite Valley in 1869.  The Big Oak Flat Road was constructed by the Chinese Camp and Yosemite Turnpike Company which had secured the franchise rights for a toll road to the Yosemite Grant (the designation prior to Yosemite National Park).  By the summer of 1871 the Big Oak Flat Road reached the northern cliffs above Yosemite Valley which is when the Chinese Camp and Yosemite Turnpike Company ran out of funding.  After the…
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 40 on Donner Pass Road

By
While completing California State Route 89 between Lassen Volcanic National Park and US Route I took a detour in Truckee up the infamous Donner Pass Road.


Generally I don't dispense with the history of a roadway before the route photos but the history of Donner Pass is steeped within California lore and western migration.  The first recorded Wagon Crossing of Donner Pass was back in 1844.  The infamous Donner Party saga occurred in the winter of 1846-47 in which only 48 of the 87 party members survived.  Although the Donner Party incident is largely attributed to poor planning and ill conceived Hastings Cutoff it largely led to the infamous reputation of Donner Pass.

The first true road over the Sierra Nevada Range via the Donner Pass was known as the Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Road.  The Dutch Flat & Donner Lake Wagon Road was completed by 1864 to assist with construction of the Central Pacific build the First Trans-Continental Railroad over Donner Pass.  The website belo…
Post a Comment
Read more