On a quiet Sunday morning, the Nelson County Courthouse in Lovingston makes for an easy and…read moreworthwhile stop, a compact brick and stucco building that has anchored county life since its completion in 1810. The structure follows the Jeffersonian-influenced "town hall" courthouse pattern, with a front-gabled facade and a five-bay arched arcade, as documented by the Nelton County Historical Society. Nelson County itself was formed in 1807 from Amherst County and named for Thomas Nelson Jr., the Revolutionary War governor and signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Lovingston has served as the county seat since 1809. The courthouse survived the Civil War intact because no Union military action targeted Lovingston; the only evidence of Union presence is a common‑law book showing troops briefly entered the clerk's office, not that the building was attacked or burned. As expected in Virginia, the requisite Confederate memorial stands on the grounds, adding another layer to the courthouse's long civic history. There is also a memorial to the victims of Hurricane Camille. [Review 1206 of 2026 - 1571 in Virginia - 26385 overall]

There isn't much to Main Street but this marker does stand at the intersection of it and Front…read moreStreet and it points out the founding of Nelson County and the history of this town, Lovingston. Marker R-56 has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Nelson County was formed from Amherst County in 1807. James Loving Jr. gave land here for a county seat, and the town of Lovingston was laid out in 1809. The two-story arcaded courthouse opened in 1810. The town benefited from its location along the Stage Road, an important transportation route linking Charlottesville and Lynchburg. The Lovingston Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005." It was erected in 2017 by the Department of Historic Resources. Lovingston's story stretches well beyond the brief details on the marker. Lovingston grew as a two‑center town, with the courthouse square serving civic life and Front Street handling most of the commercial traffic from travelers. Weekly court days functioned as social gatherings, drawing families from across Nelson County for business, trading, and community interaction. The town was later reshaped by the 1961 Route 29 bypass, which diverted traffic and helped preserve its older buildings. Lovingston also carries the memory of Hurricane Camille's 1969 devastation, a defining event in its modern history. [Review 1204 of 2026 - 1569 in Virginia - 26383 overall]

This marker is located just north of the center of Amherst in front of the county museum and…read morehistorical society. It points out the history of a local hero. Marker R-23 reads, "Heavy rains early in 1854 left the James River and the treacherous Balcony Falls in full flood. On 21 January the towrope of the canal boat, Clinton, snapped. Washed over the Mountain Dam and through successive falls, its passengers became stranded in the raging waters. Braving the dangerous river, Frank Padget, an enslaved boatman, skillfully led a crew of five rescuers who successfully saved dozens of the stranded passengers. While he was attempting to rescue the last passenger, Padget's craft was broken on the rocks. Unable to fight the rushing current, Padget drowned." It was erected in 2007 by the Department of Historic Resources. Frank Padget's reputation along the James River extended well beyond the single tragic rescue described on the marker. He was known locally as a master bateauman, a man whose river skills were so trusted that canal crews often deferred to his judgment during dangerous passages. His work on the James River and Kanawha Canal placed him among the most experienced African American watermen in the region, navigating boats through Balcony Falls long before the Clinton disaster. Padget's bravery left a deep impression on witnesses, including Capt. Edward Echols, who later paid for a granite monument in Padget's honor at Locks 16 and 17 -- a rare tribute for an enslaved man in the 1850s. Even after his death, his story circulated among canal workers and local residents, becoming part of Amherst County's river lore and eventually inspiring community commemorations like "Frank Padget Day." [Review 1202 of 2026 - 1567 in Virginia - 26381 overall]

I've now been to Lynchburg twice. Once was back in 2009 for work and I was still quite new on Yelp…read more My seven reviews back then were in the first hundred I'd ever written. Now that I've returned, I see that I really missed out on exploring the city. There's so much more! The marker on Court Street is located near Monument Terrace and the Lynchburg Museum. It has text on both sides that points out the history of the city. On the front, "In 1757 John Lynch opened a ferry here; in 1765 a church was built. In 1786 Lynchburg was established by act of assembly; in 1791 the first tobacco warehouse was built. Lynchburg was incorporated as a town in 1805. In 1840 the James River and Kanawha Canal, from Richmond to Lynchburg, was opened; the section to Buchanan, in 1851. Lynchburg became a city in 1852." And on the rear, "Trains began running on the first railroad, the Virginia and Tennessee, in 1852. Lynchburg was a main military supply center, 1862-65. Here the Confederates under General Early defeated the Union General Hunter, June 18, 1864. In 1893 Randolph-Macon Woman's College opened; in 1903, Lynchburg College. In 1920 the council manager form of government was adopted." And now you know why it's LYNCHBURG. [Review 15088 overall, 590 of 2021, number 1304 in Virginia.]

Spoke with Christy in the Billing and Collections Office. Asked about my personal property taxes…read more She was very rude and disrespectful. I had questions and she was sucking her teeth and rude with her responses. Her tone was as if she did not like her job and did not want to assist me, the tax payer. City of Lynchburg needs to hire better personnel whom are willing to help the tax payers of this city and remove the ones that don't. I didn't deserve any of her attitude because I had a question about my taxes.

The library is always so nice and clean , with a nice selection of books .The staff is so friendly…read moreand helpful . I enjoy going to the Madison Heights Public Library!

Love this quaint, little library. The librarians are pretty nice & helpful. Seems like the locals…read morerun into someone they know each time I visit & it gives it a welcoming feeling. There are plenty of good books to choose from in practically every topic/interest. The children's section is cute and overflowing with books. The only negative is that the computers are a little slow and outdated, but they have a nice, new colour printer.

I read Bruce Catton's "A Stillness at Appomatox " whilst a sophomore in highr school in the early…read more1970's and have been a student of American History ever since, yet had never visited the Appomatox Court House National Park. I had been visiting in Virginia for a long weekend and decided to " swing by". It was a magnificent autumn day, and the crowds were manageable, unlike Gettysburg which is where I reside. The Park Rangers were helpful as were the volunteer docents, and a living historian did a great job of describing the events which had transpired there in April 1865. Much of the tour was self-guided, and some knowledge of history would be helpful to those unfamiliar. With it. There is an app which I'd downloaded which was useful, however my listening to the aforementioned ( I love that word!) book whilst driving g was even better. There are several clean restrooms on the site as well as a small gift shop. There was no food in the Park as far as I could tell. The McLean House where the surrender occurred was taken apart with the idea of reassembling it in DC or other places afterwards, but that never transpired as funding dried up, thus the building parts sat in the elements for many years and acted like a "free Home Depot" until it was put back together aagain, I believe in the 1940's. About one-sixth of the original brbricks remained, however the historic structure was rebuilt on the original foundation utilizing blueprints whish were somehow available . I'm a history lover, thus really enjoyed it. I feel it's important for all Americans to know where we came from, how we became such a great Nation, and how easily we can fall apart. Culture and heritage ought never be cancelled. Go check it out as I did!

The private home where Grant accepted Lee's surrender. A couple of Federal Park Rangers were on…read moresite to elaborate on the history. They were great. We were here to visit the national park at Appomattox. Well worth the visit. Plenty of other sites to visit in the park. Mark & Nancy.

At the corner Rivermont Avenue and Quinlan Street, this marker gives some history on the nearby…read moreMaier Museum of Art https://www.yelp.com/biz/maier-museum-of-art-at-randolph-college-lynchburg?hrid=QafNqhflPnewcdzHacJCig at Randolph College https://www.yelp.com/biz/randolph-college-lynchburg?uid=hWDybu_KvYLSdEFzGrniTw, code named Project Y. The marker reads, "In 1951, the National Gallery of Art established a secret emergency repository (Code named Project Y) for its distinguished collection of art on the campus of Randolph-Macon Woman's College. The specially designed reinforced concrete building, situated at the end of Quinlan Street, was built for use in the event of national crisis during the Cold War. In exchange for ownership and use of the facility, the college made it available to the National Gallery for 50 years for emergency purposes. The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust financed its construction. The building is now the home of the college's Maier Museum of Art." There is some more information online. The structure was finished in the spring of 1952 costing under $250,000 to build and was simply called "the art gallery."[A pre-staged convoy of trucks in the National Gallery of Art's garage stood at the ready to evacuate its masterpieces to the facility which included a fully stocked, three-bedroom cottage for the gallery's curator. In the mid-1970s, the College was granted permission by the National Gallery of Art to renovate the space to make it more practical, attractive and comfortable for the students, faculty and the public. The renovations were funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. After subsequent renovations in 1981-82 and the established of an endowment in 1983, funded by the Sarah and Pauline Maier Scholarship Foundation, the name was changed from "the art gallery" to its present name, the Maier Museum of Art. [Review 15169 overall, 671 of 2021, number 1328 in Virginia.]

Along Court Street near Monument Terrace, this marker is tribute to a local citizen who went on to…read morerepresent Virginia locally and then nationally. I can't say that I'm a fan of the Federal Reserve Act but at least we know who wrote it now. The marker reads, "Born January 4, 1858, in a house which stood on this site. Newspaper publisher; member of the State Senate and Delegate to the State Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902; member of the United States House of Representatives, 1902-1918, and principal author of the Federal Reserve Act; Secretary of the Treasury, 1918-1920; member of the United States Senate from 1920 until his death in 1946." In the Senate, Glass was chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and served as president pro tempore from 1941 to 1945. He co-sponsored the 1933 Banking Act, also known as the Glass-Steagall Act, which created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and enforced the separation of investment banking firms and commercial banks. An ardent supporter of states' rights, Glass opposed much of the New Deal and clashed with President Franklin D. Roosevelt over the control of federal appointments in Virginia. [Review 15089 overall, 591 of 2021, number 1305 in Virginia.]