Lexington,
the seat of Rockbridge County, was founded in 1778. The town was once known as
Gilbert Campbell’s Ford after the area’s first landowner. It was renamed in
honor of the village in Massachusetts where an early Revolutionary battle took
place. The city was located near the North River, now the Maury River, along
the Great Road and consisted of 6 streets and 36 lots on land that was owned by
Gilbert Campbell’s heir. Individual lots were 128-ft. by 195-ft. and all the streets
except one, Main, were named after Virginia’s Revolutionary heroes. It was
incorporated in 1841. Lexingtonvirginia.com
Agriculture was Virginia’s mainstay and
although Virginia representatives railed against slavery in 1787 the
institution lasted until the Civil War. An 1832 emancipation bill failed passage
by one vote. At that time the cost of VA’s enslaved approximated $100,000,000.
By 1861 VA had the largest number of slaves and slaveowners of any state. Virginia
was pivotal during the Civil War and more battles, 384, took place there than
any other state.
Lexington is a significant stop on several Civil War trails, not
only because of Union and Confederate presence, but also because of the roles
several figures played in history. The historic area is little changed and visitors
can view the architecture and unique sites while taking a narrated carriage
tour along the original streets. Tours are 50-minutes and provide an excellent
orientation and overview. Lexcarriage.com
Miller’s
House Museum at Jordan’s Point is a good place to begin your tour because it
interprets the impact of transportation on the history of the region through
its “Roads, Rivers and Rails”. The house dates from 1811 and is situated on The
Great Road that was used by people migrating into the area. It was originally
an Indian path and eventually became a toll road leading to a canal. A
highlight of the tour is an original bateau, a boat used on the canal.
Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson became legendary during the
Civil War but his story was shaped by events that took place in Lexington. He
graduated from West Point in 1846 and served in the US Army in the Mexican War.
In 1851 he took a professorship at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in
Lexington teaching Natural and Experimental Philosophy. In 1854 his first wife,
Elinor Junkin, died in childbirth and he emancipated her slaves. In 1857 he wed
Mary Anna Morrison and the following year he purchased a 2-story brick,
Federal-style home in Lexington. They owned 5 slaves, Albert, Amy, Hetty, Mary
Ann’s nursemaid, and her 2 sons and Emma, a 4-year old girl.
The 45-minute house tour includes period furnishings and personal
possessions. Of particular note are a piano purchased for his wife that cost
3-months salary, the bedroom furniture from his first marriage and his framed
diploma on his study wall. In 1861 a messenger delivered the order for Jackson
to march VMI cadets to Richmond. He would not return alive. The home, listed on
the National Register of Historic Places, has been fully restored. stonewalljackson.org
In 1855
Jackson started the Lexington Presbyterian Church Sunday School for blacks. As
a Christian he felt that the enslaved could benefit from hearing the Bible
being read to them and those who memorized verses were gifted with a Bible. When
the community learned that some of the blacks were learning to read after being
given a Bible they spoke to Jackson but he refused to stop. Classes were held
at 3 PM each Sunday and sometimes numbered 100.
On May 2, 1863 General Jackson was shot by friendly fire at
Chancellorsville. His left arm was amputated and eight days later he died of
pneumonia. A reverend carried Jackson’s arm to a nearby plantation and buried
it in the family cemetery. Jackson’s body was taken to Lexington and interred
in the Presbyterian Cemetery, later renamed the Stonewall Jackson Memorial
Cemetery.
Little Sorrel, his horse, was cremated upon his death in 1886. His
bones were buried at VMI and his mounted hide is displayed in the VMI Museum
along with personal items belonging to Jackson. Jackson Memorial Hall shares a
building with the museum and a statue of Jackson at Chancellorsville is on the
Parade Ground. The statue is set amidst 4 Cadet Battery guns used by Jackson
for artillery training, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. VMI’s museum displays
personal items connected with the life of Stonewall Jackson. Vmi.edu/museum
The VMI 13-site walking tour is less than 2-miles and includes the
George C. Marshall Museum. The museum interprets the period from his WWI
Service through his military and diplomatic contributions pre and post WWII. From
1939-45 Marshall served as the Army Chief of Staff and as Secretary of State
from January 1947 to January 1949. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for
the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe in 1953. Highlights of a visit are his
Nobel Peace Prize, his office and a 15-minute orientation film. A statue of
Marshall is located on the campus. Marshallfoundation.org
Augusta Academy was founded in 1749 and renamed Washington
College after he endowed the institution with a monetary gift in 1796. Robert
E. Lee was named president after the Civil War and the school became Washington
& Lee University after his death in 1870.
Lee Chapel & Museum houses the crypt in which the Lee family is
interred. Adjacent to the crypt is a museum displaying historic artifacts and
Lee’s office, just as it was when he died. On the upper level is the 1875
sculpture of a reclining Lee by Edward Valentine. Lee’s most famous mount,
Traveller, went with him to the university. After Lee’s death he refused to be
ridden and died of tetanus a year after Lee and is buried on the exterior of
the chapel. His stable is kept open so that his spirit can return.
The 1827 Col Alto mansion is now a stately Hampton Inn that takes
southern hospitality to a new level. The hotel is located on 7 scenic acres in
the historic district and offers all the amenities including complimentary
WIFI, outdoor pool, Jacuzzi and complimentary hot breakfast.
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