In January 1848 three petitions were submitted to the Virginia General Assembly from businessmen in Culpeper County for incorporation of an "Orange and Alexandria Railroad Company". In March 1848 the Virginia General Assembly chartered the Orange and Alexandria Railroad Company. Its charter specified that it was to run from Gordonsville through Culpeper Court House to Alexandria. The town in which the station lies began in the small milling community known as Waugh's Ford. With the coming of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad in 1854, the settlement was renamed Rapid Ann Station, reflecting the customary name of the river (a fast-moving stream named for Princess Ann).Upon the arrival of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad through the town in January 1854, and the establishment of a post office at the river crossing, its name was changed to Rapid Ann Station. Milling remained a major industry in the area up through the mid-twentieth century. A post office was opened at "Rapid Ann Station". In April 1863, W.H.F. Lee's Confederate Cavalry burt the Rapidan River Bridge. In September 1864, the federal cavalry burnt facilities at Mitchell and Rapidan Stations. In 1876, the Charlottesville & Rapidan RR was incorporated to construct a direct line between Orange and Charlottesville. The line was eventually merged into the Southern Railway and today serves as Norfolk Southern's mainline between the two cities. The original line between Orange and Gordonsville was leased to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. The current Passenger Depot was constructed. In 1880, the Charlottesville and Rapidan Railroad was opened (Gordonsville by-pass). In 1886, the village and the station was renamed Rapidan. Today the station is part of the Rapidan Historic District. Rapidan is a small unincorporated community in the Virginia counties of Culpeper and Orange, approximately 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the Town of Orange. Its strategic location along both a railroad and a river brought about several destructive raids during the Civil War. Willis’s mill (ca. 1772), which stood in the location of the current mill, was burned along with several homes and other structures. Because of this, most of the buildings in the community are of post-Civil War construction. A notable exception is the miller’s house, which was constructed soon after the original Willis’s mill was built. Following the end of the Civil War, the village of Rapid Ann Station resumed its prominence as a regional shipping point, particularly for lumber and wood products. Its name was changed once again in 1886 to the present-day Rapidan. Ten miles north of Gordonsville is the town of Orange Virginia.Prior to the Civil War, Orange did not have this beautiful train station. Pre-Civil War The present-day Town of Orange was known as the Town of Orange Court House prior to the late-nineteenth century. Following the establishment of Culpeper County from a part of Orange County in 1749, the courthouse was relocated to Orange Court House from elsewhere in the county. The court convened in the house of man named Timothy Crosthwait until 1752, when a new courthouse was constructed on the property and after Crosthwait deeded the 2 acres to the county. The town at that time consisted of the courthouse and its related public buildings, a few houses and stores, a tavern and little else. The first U.S. Post Office was constructed in the town in 1796. In 1801-1804 the courthouse was replaced with a new building, clerk’s office and, later, a new jail. A man named Paul Verdier, in 1799, purchased the property of William Bell, an 18th-century farm that included much of the modern-day Town of Orange adjacent to Main Street, near present-day Bellevue and Peliso avenues. Verdier divided the land into lots, which helped shape the town’s pattern of development. His house, which he named Montpeliso, still stands on the land. Growth continued into the nineteenth century as new roadways were constructed through the town, which, along with expanding agricultural markets, helped transform Orange Court House into a regional center. This prompted the Virginia General Assembly to pass an act in 1834 allowing for the incorporation of the Town of Orange Court House. However, further legislative action to put the act into effect was never completed Orange Court House continued growing regardless, with several significant downtown buildings being constructed from this point up to the Civil War, including the Sparks Building (1829) the Holladay House (1830) and the St. Thomas Episcopal Church (1833). These buildings still stand, along with numerous others constructed after the Civil War, as part of theOrange Commercial Historic District. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad chose to route their new railway from Alexandria to Gordonsville through Orange in 1847. The county court granted the railroad right-of-way through the courthouse property, which required the courthouse to be moved to another location. The fourth and current courthouse was completed in 1859 in the Italian Villa architectural style and stands today on the corner of Madison Rd and Main St. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The General Assembly passed another act in 1855 which officially incorporated the Town of Orange Court House. However, the act wouldn't take effect until a majority of citizens qualified to vote gave their consent, which wouldn't happen until after the Civil War. Post-Civil War Orange was a strategically important location during the American Civil War. Just north of town, the Rapidan River was effectively the northern border of the Confederacy from March 1862 to May 1864. Consequently, the area witnessed countless troop movements, patrols, skirmishes, and encampments. In addition, the Town of Orange served as General Robert E. Lee's headquarters during that time. General Lee worshipped at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Caroline Street, which still stands today. This church is also significant because it served as a hospital for Confederate wounded after the Battle of Chancellorsvilleand the Battle of the Wilderness. Lee passed by this church many times during his stay in Orange, and Mort Künstler, an artist of American historical subjects, immortalized this scene in his painting Soldier of Faith. County records dating back to its founding in 1734 still exist due to the clerk of court removing them to “a place of safety” as Federal troops were moving through Orange and towards Richmond. Following Virginia’s readmission to the Union in 1870, Orange Court House officially became a town in 1872 when the petition (required by the 1855 General Assembly act) for an election of town trustees was filed in the court. The first town council meeting was held on June 28, 1872 and in 1890 its name was officially changed to the current-day Town of Orange. The Orange and Alexandria railroad took it's name from Orange as Gordonsville was a municipality located in Orange County. The Potomac, Fredericksburg, and Piedmont Railroad (PF&P) was a narrow gauge short-line railroad in central Virginia that operated between Fredericksburg and Orange, Virginia AKA "The Poor Folks & Preachers" railroad. . HistoryThe PF&P began as the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad, incorporated in 1853 by the Virginia General Assembly. By the time of the American Civil War, the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad had only completed precursory grading work and had laid no track; therefore, it was referred to as the "unfinished railroad." Construction of the line began in 1872 as a standard gauge line; the effort succeeded in laying eighteen miles of track west from Fredericksburg. Late in 1872, the railroad defaulted on a mortgage and was sold under foreclosure. The Fredericksburg, Orange, and Charlottesville Railroad, incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly in February 1872, bought the railroad with the stipulation that if the remaining 20 mile extension was not completed to Orange by July 1873, the railroad would forfeit its ownership of the line. After the Fredericksburg, Orange, and Charlottesville failed to bring the railroad to Orange by the specified time, the line was returned to the state and the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville name restored. In 1876, the Fredericksburg and Gordonsville Railroad was renamed as the Potomac, Fredericksburg, and Piedmont Railroad. The new PF&P railroad was soon thereafter sold to the Royal Land Company of Virginia, which had in the same year purchased over 150,000 acres of coal, iron, and timber tracts in Virginia and West Virginia. The company planned to use the PF&P, which would be extended westward from Orange by the Shenandoah Valley and Ohio Railroad, to transport these resources eastward. The Shenandoah Valley and Ohio Railroad was planned to construct a rail line from Orange, the western terminus of the PF&P, across Swift Run Gap into the Shenandoah Valley. The total cost of the 93 mile long Shenandoah Valley and Ohio Railroad was projected to be $970,500, including depots and sidings. The PF&P's track was narrow gauged to 3' and was extended to Orange by early 1877, a distance of 38 miles from Fredericksburg, the eastern terminus of the line. The use of 3' narrow gauge instead of standard gauge allowed for a savings of 40%, and because of this, the company switched the original plans for the Shenandoah Valley and Ohio Railroad from standard gauge to the more cost effective narrow gauge. Although the Royal Land Company had planned to extend the line from Mathias' Point (27 miles east of Fredericksburg on the Potomac River) to somewhere near Harrisonburg, Virginia, it failed to build beyond Orange to the west and Fredericksburg to the east. The cost of the 38 mile section that was actually constructed was $956,425.83, and since the Shenandoah Valley and Ohio Railroad never came to fruition, its projected costs were not realized. The previous owners of the railroad regained control in 1878, and continued operations hauling mainly timber eastward. History Pre-Civil War A man named Nathaniel Gordon purchased a 1,350-acre (5.46 square km) tract of land, then known as "Newville," in 1787 from a cousin of President James Madison. In 1794, or perhaps earlier, Gordon applied for and was granted a license to operate a tavern there, which, as was typical of the time, was used as a place to eat, lodge and discuss local matters. This crossroads hamlet was located at the intersection of 2 major highways: "The Fredericksburgh Great Road," a stage route from Charlottesville, through Orange, to Fredericksburg, and "The Richmond Road," which led from the Virginia capital, through Louisa, west over the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley. President Thomas Jefferson described the tavern in 1802 as a "good house" when recommending the best route south to Charlottesville from the recently established national capital on the Potomac. The building was known as Gordon's Tavern, Gordon Tavern or later as Gordon Inn. Stagecoach passengers found a well-furnished public house where they could refresh themselves with apple brandy – "the common drink of the country", a visiting Englishman noted – or other spirits. The commemorative marker at the site lists these prominent Americans as guests at the tavern: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, James & Philip Pendleton Barbour, James Waddel, William Wirt and Henry Clay. Another famous visitor was Major General the Marquis de Lafayette. Gordon was named the first postmaster of the area in 1813, during which it became known as Gordonsville. At the time of Gordon's death in 1820, Gordonsville had, in addition to the tavern, a post office, several homes, a general mercantile store and a blacksmith shop. Nathaniel willed his land and tavern to his son, John, and near that same time Dr. Charles Beale (husband of Nathaniel's daughter, Mary) purchased adjoining land near what is currently Main Street. The later division and sale of lots from this property, and the construction of adjacent roads, would foster considerable growth of the town up to and during the Civil War. In 1839, the General Assembly authorized the extension of the Louisa Railroad (later the Virginia Central Railroad) from Louisa Courthouse to Gordonsville, which ushered in a period of growth and prosperity for Gordonsville. It became a center of trade for the plantations and farms in the surrounding countryside. The Orange & Alexandria Railroad completed its line into Gordonsville in 1854, which connected the area with northern portion of Virginia. In between the time of completion of the rail lines, 2 additional roadways, the Blue Ridge Turnpike and the Rockingham Turnpike, were constructed which connected the town to New Market and Harrisonburg, respectively. Into the late 1850s, both railroad lines were extended out even further, increasing Gordonsville's role as a major transportation hub. The rail depots were constructed adjacent to what is now S. Main Street. Nathaniel Gordon's original tavern burned down in 1859. Richard F. Omohundro, who owned the land at the time, rebuilt what is now known as the Exchange Hotel. Following its completion in 1860, the hotel offered elegant lodging for rail passengers and other travelers. Soon after its completion, following the outbreak of the Civil War, it was utilized as a receiving hospital and saw over 70,000 patients by war's end. It is now known as the Civil War Exchange Museum and is arguably the most significant building in Gordonsville, both historically and architecturally. During the Civil War and After Gordonsville and the railroads which intersected there were of vital importance to the Confederacy for troop mobility and supplies. Troops from Richmond on the way to the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, came through town. During the war years, Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, Stonewall Jackson, Richard S. Ewell and A. P. Hill spent time in Gordonsville. Major Gen. Philip Sheridan led a raid in the direction of Gordonsville and Charlottesville but was stopped by Wade Hampton's Confederate cavalry in the vicinity of Trevilian Station. Gordonsville was threatened many times but was always successfully defended by the Confederates. The Civil War ended in 1865 and with Gordonsville being largely unscathed, passenger rail service was quickly reestablished. Gordonsville was officially incorporated into a town in 1870 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly. The population then was approximately 1,500. In the following years it was "a flourishing and fast improving town" and its prosperity gave rise to then-superior educational facilities and fine examples of period architecture, many of which are still standing on N. Main and W. Baker Streets. Gordonsville had the unique reputation as a fast-food emporium in the 1870s, with an active market of food vendors serving rail travelers as they stopped in the town. As alternative rail lines and roads were constructed bypassing Gordonsville, it morphed into a quiet, rural market town. Fires in 1916 and 1920 destroyed much of the downtown, with only a handful of buildings surviving to this day. Damage was repaired and buildings were rebuilt, largely shaping modern-day Gordonsville. The town has remained economically stable through current times, as has its population. I'm Mike Burke. I'm the Director of the New Orange and Alexandria Railroad. I want to be the first to welcome you aboard as we take a journey back through the history of the Virginia Piedmont . Like one of the earlier directors of this railroad, Silas Burke, I'm also a member of the organized Virginia militia. It is commonly called the "State Guard" but better known as the Virginia Defense Force. I enjoy serving the commonwealth in this capacity as I get to meet some very interesting people! About me... I got my first real interest in the Civil War when I took a trip from my home in New Hampshire to visit my cousin who lived in Manassas Virginia in 1976. I was really young, I couldn't quite understand what the fighting was about. As the years went by I actually moved to Manassas. I got my first model train set in 1981. I became interested in trains ever since. Manassas was a railroad town and it was built up from the O &A which eventually became Southern and now Norfolk Southern. I always thought that the trains were neat to watch. I had become a big fan of Southern but quickly learned about Chessie System, Seaboard Coastline, Santa Fe, and Conrail. Then the merger happened that brought Seaboard together with Chessie and created CSX. In the early 1990's I got involved with the Northern Virginia Model Railroader's Club located at the Old Washington and Old Dominion railroad station in Vienna Virginia. I was appointed as the first Secretary of the Piedmont Railroaders Club of Warrenton Virginia. I stepped out of pursuing any rail interests for 19 years. In the 1990's I got involved in learning about history with the advent of the proposed " Disney's America" theme park that was supposed to go in Haymarket Virginia. I had taken the time to learn Prince William County history very well. I had even revealed a cemetery in which there was a record of but the exact location wasn't determined. I found it and revealed it. I had become re- involved in the Piedmont Railroaders and stayed for a year. I got involved in the Prince William Model Railroaders Club and have been into history ever since. I set up the New O & A to provide as much history as we can about the railroad that built Manassas. So much had been learned over the O & A as it was one of the most hotly contested means of transportation in the Civil War. This site, is here to speak of that journey. We are going to learn about the people, places and events that happened in and around the Virginian Piedmont during the Civil War and then we are going to have some fun with railroading. We are big advocates of "Operation Lifesaver" a railroad safety campaign that was developed in 1972 and is used in many countries throughout the world. |
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