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    Charlottesville
    Charlottesville
    Charlottesville
    Ebook207 pages1 hour

    Charlottesville

    By Eryn S. Brennan and Margaret Maliszewski

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    About this ebook

    Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the city of Charlottesville thrives amidst numerous tangible reminders of an incredibly rich history. Founded in 1762, the heart of early Charlottesville was the stage for some of the most important figures in early American history, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Growing side by side with Jefferson's University of Virginia, Charlottesville developed into a bustling community whose businesses, families, and celebrations were well documented in photographs beginning in the 1880s. The collection of images reproduced in Images of America: Charlottesville tells the story of the creation, growth, hardship, transformation, and success of a city beloved by residents and visitors alike.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439625545
    Charlottesville
    Author

    Eryn S. Brennan

    Eryn S. Brennan holds a master�s degree in architectural history with a joint certificate in historic preservation and a master�s degree in urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia. She has been an active preservationist and architectural historian for over 10 years. Margaret Maliszewski also holds a master�s degree in architectural history and a certificate in historic preservation from the University of Virginia. She has worked as a historic preservation planner for over 20 years and is the author of Architecture and Ornament: An Illustrated Dictionary. Both authors live in Charlottesville.

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      Book preview

      Charlottesville - Eryn S. Brennan

      INTRODUCTION

      Albemarle County was created from Goochland County in 1744, and as the population increased, land was split off from Albemarle to create Amherst and Buckingham Counties. This relegated Scottsville, Albemarle’s original county seat, to a non-central location, and led the Virginia General Assembly to establish Charlottesville in 1762 as the new county seat. The site was chosen for its central location and its convenience; it was located on the Three Notch’d (or Three Chop’t) Road, the main east-west route from Richmond to the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains, and one mile west of the Rivanna River water gap through the Southwest Mountains.

      The new county seat was named in honor of Queen Sophia Charlotte, wife of King George III. A settlement did not exist at the site and a simple grid was used to lay out the new town. The square stood adjacent to Jefferson Street, named for Peter Jefferson, a surveyor and prominent citizen, and father of Thomas Jefferson.

      Any visitor to Charlottesville will quickly learn that Thomas Jefferson is Charlottesville’s favorite son and the area is truly Jefferson’s country. With his University of Virginia firmly established to the west and his house on the Little Mountain overlooking from the east, Jefferson’s influence is inescapable in Charlottesville. Jefferson walked Charlottesville’s streets, influenced the town’s development, established its persistent architectural style, and here envisioned a way of life for a new nation.

      Charlottesville mourned Jefferson’s death in 1826, and his legacy established Charlottesville as a tourist destination beginning in the early 19th century. Today, historic preservation is a hallmark of the city and surrounding area, and millions of people visit each year. Jefferson’s architectural legacy was recognized with the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation’s purchase of Monticello in 1923 and the subsequent formal opening of Jefferson’s home to the public. It was further acclaimed by the 1987 designation of both Monticello and the Academical Village at the University of Virginia as World Heritage Sites. The city’s historic architecture has been protected by the designation of eight historic districts and 74 individual properties as local landmarks. The built fabric of the city and the surrounding area have been honored with nearly 100 individual properties and historic districts listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Clearly, the area remains rich in historic fabric held dear by Charlottesville’s citizens, and today’s city is an extremely diverse mix of old and new.

      This book is divided into chapters that illustrate significant periods and trends in Charlottesville’s development. The chapters begin with the first establishment of the town, through the earliest period of growth, to the establishment of Jefferson’s university. They continue with the growth of commerce along Main Street and the expanding city boundaries, to the challenges of integration and economic downturns, and the resurgence of downtown as the focus of city life. The images in this book tell the story of Charlottesville and portray its citizens as they have lived amidst the fabric of a particularly historic American town.

      There exists an abundance of photographs that illustrate Charlottesville’s history. Those chosen for this book strive to balance the most iconic images with others that are perhaps unfamiliar to most viewers. Some photographs capture moments of celebration; others document difficult struggles. Some illustrate important historic events; others capture everyday occurrences. Some images have been grouped to highlight changes that have transformed the urban landscape. Others show how little some of the city’s treasured places have changed. It is our hope that this collection will rekindle memories for longtime residents, surprise newcomers, enlighten visitors, and prompt continued discussion, reevaluation, and appreciation of our shared history.

      One

      THE FOUNDING OF A TOWN CHARLOTTESVILLE IN THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES

      The 1762 General Assembly act that established Charlottesville required 50 acres to be laid out in streets and lots. Thomas Walker laid out the lots in a rectilinear grid just south of a two-acre courthouse square. A courthouse, jail, pillory, stocks, and whipping post were constructed in the square, which quickly became the center of civic and commercial life in the early town. This map shows original street names and additional lots annexed to the north in 1818. (Courtesy of Visual History Collection [RG-30/1/10.011], Special Collections, University of Virginia Library.)

      James Madison met Thomas Jefferson in 1776, and they developed a lifelong friendship. Madison served as a representative to the Virginia House of Delegates, a member of Governor Jefferson’s advisory council, and as Virginia’s delegate to the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, where his service distinguished him as the Father of the Constitution. In 1809, he became the fourth president of the United States. His presidency spanned the War of 1812, during which he commanded troops in the field. Madison was rector of the University of Virginia upon Jefferson’s death in 1826, and he died in 1836. (Courtesy of Prints File, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library.)

      Approximately 4,000 British and German prisoners of war were taken at the 1777 Battle of Saratoga in New York. Faced with a long northeast winter and insufficient food, the Continental Congress decided to march the soldiers to Virginia. Col. John Harvie offered land on Ivy Creek, about four miles west of Charlottesville. Prisoners arrived in early 1779 at an unprepared camp.

      James Monroe fought in the Revolutionary War, crossing the Delaware with George Washington, and in 1817 became the fifth president of the United States. A lifelong friend of Thomas Jefferson, he purchased a farm west of Charlottesville in 1788. A portion of this first farm was sold in 1817 and eventually became part of the University of Virginia. Some of the 12 dorms

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