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Virginia Central Railroad

Virginia Central Railroad

Virginia Central Railroad was chartered as the Louisa Railroad in 1836 by the Virginia Board of Public Works and had its name changed to Virginia Central Railroad in 1850. It connected with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad at Gordonsville in 1854. The eastern terminus of the Virginia Central was originally at Hanover Junction (now known as Doswell with the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad. The charter of that line protected it from construction of a parallel competitor, and a Virginia Supreme Court decision was necessary before the Virginia Central was allowed to extend its tracks easterly through Hanover and Henrico Counties to reach Richmond. From Gordonsville, the Virginia Central was originally planned to connect Eastern Virginia with Harrisonburg, crossing the Blue Ridge at Swift Run Gap, but construction costs were prohibitive. Instead, the route was redirected to Charlottesville. The Commonwealth of Virginia, always keen to help with "internal improvements" not only owned a portion of Virginia Central stock, but incorporated and financed the Blue Ridge Railroad to accomplish the hard and expensive task of crossing the first mountain barrier to the west. Rather than attempting the more formidable Swift Run Gap, under the leadership of the great early civil engineer Claudius Crozet, the state-owned Blue Ridge Railroad built over the mountains at the next gap to the south, Rockfish Gap near Afton Mountain, using four tunnels, including the 4,263-foot Blue Ridge Tunnel at the top of the pass, then one of the longest tunnels in the world. While the Blue Ridge Mountain section was being breached, the Virginia Central was busy building westward from the west foot of the mountains, across the Shenandoah Valley through Staunton and a water gap at Goshen at Great North Mountain, reaching a point known as Jackson's River Station, at the foot of the Alleghany Mountains (note that in Virginia Alleghany is spelled with an "a"), in 1856. This is the site that would later be called Clifton Forge. The road eventually connected Richmond to the southwestern Shenandoah Valley at the point where the proposed Covington and Ohio Railroad would have started. To finish its line across the mountainous territory of the Alleghany Plateau (known in old Virginia as the "Transmountaine"), the Commonwealth again chartered a state-subsidized railroad called the Covington and Ohio Railroad. This company completed important grading work on the Alleghany grade and did considerable work on numerous tunnels over the mountains and in the west. It also did a good deal of roadway work around Charleston on the Kanawha River. Then the War Between the States intervened, and work was stopped on the westward expansion. During the American Civil War the Virginia Central was one of the Confederacy's most important lines, carrying food from the Shenandoah region to Richmond, and ferrying troops and supplies back and forth as the campaigns surrounded its tracks frequently. On more than one occasion it was used in actual tactical operations, transporting troops directly to the battlefield. The Blue Ridge Tunnels and the Virginia Central were key tools in the fast mobilization of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson's famous "foot cavalry". But, it was a prime target for Federal armies, and by the end of the war had only about five miles of track still in operation, and $40 in gold in its treasury. After the War, Collis P. Huntington reorganized the Virginia Central and its affiliates into his new Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and westward construction resumed. Huntington was aware of the potential to ship eastbound coal and also began acquiring property in Warwick County in eastern Virginia to extend his line to what would become new coal piers at Newport News. Under Huntington's leadership, the goal points of the Ohio River and Hampton Roads (at Newport News) were both reached. See article on Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, successor to the Virginia Central Railroad.

Other uses of the Virginia Central name


- Many years after the original Virginia Central became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio in the 1870s, another railroad between Fredericksburg and Orange used the name "Virginia Central." The Potomac, Fredericksburg, & Piedmont Railroad (PF&P RR) operated 38 miles of 3 foot gauge railroad between Fredericksburg (with a connection to the Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac Railroad) and Orange (with a connection to the Orange & Alexandria railroad). It operated as narrow gauge until after World War 1. In 1926, the line was standard gauged and the name changed to the Virginia Central Railway. In 1938, the entire line was abandoned except for a two mile segment in Fredericksburg which lasted into the 1970s.
- In the 1990s, an excursion company headed by Jack Showalter assumed the historic name Virginia Central Railroad, and operated trips on CSX Transportation tracks from a base in Staunton, Virginia. Increased liability insurance requirements forced suspension of the trips and the equipment into storage. In February, 2005, preparations were underway to relocate some of the historic rolling stock of the excursion company to the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, but that plan fell through. The equipment now is stored elsewhere in the Staunton area. Some passenger cars will return to limited service this fall on an excursion train planned for the short-line Shenandoah Valley Railroad. Category:Virginia history Category:Defunct railroad companies of the United States

Louisa Railroad

The Louisa Railroad chartered in Virginia in 1836 became the Virginia Central Railroad in 1850. It was the oldest portion of today's CSX Transportation, and is operated under lease by the Buckingham Branch Railroad. Category:Virginia railroads Category:Virginia history Category:Defunct railroad companies of the United States

1836

1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar).

Events


- January - Book by Maria Monk claims that she was sexually exploited in a Canadian convent
- February 3 - United States Whig Party holds its first convention in Albany, New York.
- February 23 - The siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas.
- February 24 - Samuel Colt receives a patent for the Colt revolver
- March 1 - Convention of delegates from 57 Texas communities convenes in Washington-on-the-Brazos to deliberate independence from Mexico
- March 1 - Antonio García Gutiérrez's play El Trovador played for the first time
- March 2 - Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
- March 5 - Samuel Colt makes the first pistol (.34-caliber).
- March 6 - After a 13-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 189 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort taken.
- March 27 - Texas Revolution: Goliad massacre - Antonio López de Santa Anna orders the Mexican army to kill about 400 Texans at Goliad, Texas
- March 31 - Marshall College, named for John Marshall, opens in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. It later merges with Franklin College to become Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
- April 20 - U.S. Congress passes act creating the Wisconsin Territory
- April 21 - Texas Revolution: Battle of San Jacinto - Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. (Santa Anna and hundreds of his troops are taken prisoner along the San Jacinto River the next day.)
- May 15 - Francis Baily, during an eclipse of the sun, observes the phenomenon named after him as Baily's beads
- June 15 - Arkansas is admitted as the 25th U.S. state.
- July 11 - President Andrew Jackson issues the Specie Circular, beginning the failure of the land speculation economy that would lead to the Panic of 1837.
- September 1 - Narcissa Whitman, one of the first white woman to settle west of the Rocky Mountains, arrives at Walla Walla, Washington.
- September 5 - Sam Houston is elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas.
- September 8 - Transcendental Club founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- October 2 - Naturalist Charles Darwin returns to Falmouth, England aboard the HMS Beagle after a 5-year journey collecting biological data he will later use to develop his theory of evolution.
- October 31 - Bristol riot - In Bristol, England, large crowd protests against the decision of the House of Lords to defeat the Reform Act. They burn down 100 houses, including the Bishop's Palace, the Custom House and the Mansion House and release prisoners. The dragoons attack the crowd and kill and wound hundreds
- November - Martin Van Buren defeats William Henry Harrison in the U.S. presidential election
- December 10 - Emory College, the forerunner of Emory University, is chartered in Oxford, Georgia.
- December 20 - Sudden freeze kills many travelers in Illinois.
- December 28 - Proclamation of the colony of South Australia, now celebrated in the state of South Australia as Proclamation Day.
- December 28 - Spain recognizes independence of Mexico.

Unknown dates


- Chartists in Britain demand universal male suffrage.
- Boers in South Africa begin the Great Trek across the Orange River.
- Henry R. Campbell builds the first 4-4-0, a steam locomotive type that will soon become the most common on all railroads of the United States.
- First printed literature in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is produced by Justin Perkins, an American Presbyterian missionary.
- Andrew Crosse's electrical experiment seems to produce strange insects; they are named acarus calvanicus
- American Temperance Union established.

Births


- January 2 - Mendele Moykher Sforim, Russian Yiddish writer (d. 1917)
- January 14 - Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter (d. 1904)
- January 27 - Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Austrian writer (d. 1895)
- February 16 - Robert Halpin, Irish mariner and cable layer (d. 1894)
- February 18 - Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Bengali religious leader (d. 1886)
- February 21 - Léo Delibes, French composer (d. 1891)
- February 24 - Winslow Homer, American artist (d. 1910)
- March 20 - Sir Edward Poynter, French-born artist (d. 1919)
- April 27 - Major Charles Bendire, U.S. Army captain and ornithologist (d. 1897)
- May 27 - Jay Gould, American financier (d. 1892)
- May 28 - Alexander Mitscherlich, German chemist (d. 1918)
- May 31 - Jules Chéret, French printmaker (d. 1932)
- June 2 - Mily Balakirev, Russian composer (d. 1910)
- July 8 - Joseph Chamberlain, British politician (d. 1914)
- July 9 - Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1908)
- August 13 - Bishop Nikolai of Japan, Russian Orthodox priest (d. 1912)
- August 24 - Susan Agnes Bernard, First Lady of Canada (d. 1920)
- August 25 - Bret Harte, American writer (d. 1902)
- September 11 - Fitz Hugh Ludlow, American author (d. 1870)
- October 15 - James Tissot, French artist (d. 1902)
- November 11 - Thomas Bailey Aldrich, American poet and novelist (d. 1907

1850

1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar).

Events


- January 4 - The first American ice-skating club is formed (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
- January 29 - Henry Clay introduces the Compromise of 1850 to the U.S. Congress
- February 28 - University of Utah opens in Salt Lake City, Utah
- March 7 - United States Senator Daniel Webster gives his "Seventh of March" speech in which he endorses the Compromise of 1850 in order to prevent a possible civil war.
- March 18 - American Express is founded by Henry Wells & William Fargo.
- April 4 - Los Angeles, California is incorporated as a city.
- July 9 - President Zachary Taylor dies while in office and Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States (he is inaugurated the next day).
- July 9 - The Báb, founder of the Bábí Faith, is executed by firing squad in Tabriz, Persia
- August 28 - Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin premieres
- September 9 - California is admitted as the 31st U.S. state.
- September 9 - New Mexico Territory is organized by order of the U.S. Congress
- December 16 - The first four sailing ships arrived at the Port of Lyttelton (New Zealand), with 792 emigrants or Canterbury Pilgrims as they called themselves. On this day they founded an exclusive theocratic Utopia, which they called Christchurch.
- December - Christian mystic Hong Xiuquan begins the Taiping Rebellion.
- The United States Republican Party is founded
- Foundation of the University of Sydney, the oldest in Australia
- The American System of Watch Manufacturing starts in Roxbury, Mass.U.S.A. Waltham Watch Company
- Bingley Hall, the world's first purpose- built exhibition hall, opens in Birmingham, England.
- Pinkerton Detective Agency
- France begins to transport colonists to Algeria
- Modern acoustic guitar created in Spain
- Rifling becomes common in firearms
- Entre Ríos Province in Argentina revolts - it is backed by Brazil in alliance with Paraguay and the Uruguayan Colorado Party
- Harriet Tubman becomes an official conductor of the Underground Railroad
- James Beckwourth discovers Beckwourth Pass.

Births

January - April


- January 4 - Frederick York Powell, English historian and scholar (died 1904)
- January 6 - Eduard Bernstein, German social democratic theoretician and politician (died 1932)
- January 6 - Xaver Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (died 1924)
- January 10 - John Wellborn Root, U.S. architect (died 1891)
- January 11 - Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (died 1917)
- January 14 - Pierre Loti, French sailor and writer (died 1923)
- January 15 - Mihai Eminescu, Romanian romantic poet (died 1889)
- January 15 - Leonard Darwin, son of the British naturalist Charles Darwin (died 1943)
- January 15 - Sofia Kovalevskaya, Russian mathematician (died 1891)
- January 17 - Aleksandr Taneyev, Russian composer (died 1918)
- January 18 - Seth Low, American educator (died 1916)
- January 19 - Augustine Birrell, English author and politician (died 1933)
- January 24 - Mary Noailles Murfree, American novelist (died 1922)
- January 27 - Edward Smith, Captain of the Titanic (died 1912)
- January 27 - Samuel Gompers, U.S. labor union leader (died 1924)
- January 28 - Edward Merritt Hughes, U.S. Navy officer (died 1903)
- February 12 - William Morris Davis, U.S. geographer (died 1934)
- February 14 - Kiyoura Keigo, Prime Minister of Japan (died 1942)
- February 15 - Albert B. Cummins, U.S. political figure (died 1926)
- February 17 - Alf Morgans, Premier of Western Australia (died 1933)
- February 23 - César Ritz, Swiss hotelier (died 1918)
- February 27 - Henry Huntington, U.S. railroad pioneer and art collector (died 1927)
- March 7 - Tomáš Masaryk, President of Czechoslovakia (died 1937)
- March 7 - Champ Clark, U.S. politician (died 1921)
- March 7 - Éphrem-A. Brisebois, Canadian police officer (died 1890)
- March 13 - Hugh John Macdonald, premier of Manitoba (died 1929)
- March 26 - Edward Bellamy, U.S. author (died 1898)
- March 31 - Charles Doolittle Walcott, U.S. invertebrate paleontologist (died 1927)
- April 11 - Isidor Rayner, U.S. senator (died 1912)
- April 12 - Nikolai Golitsyn, Prime Minister of Russia (died 1925)
- April 13 - Arthur Matthew Weld Downing, British astronomer (died 1917)
- April 15 - William Thomas Pipes, Nova Scotia politician (died 1909)
- April 15 - Edmund Peck, Canadian missionary (died 1924)
- April 16 - Paul von Breitenbach, German railway planner (died 1930)
- April 18 - Joseph Labadie, U.S. labor organizer (died 1933)
- April 20 - Daniel Chester French, U.S. sculptor (died 1931)
- April 26 - Harry Bates, British sculptor (died 1899)
- April 26 - James Drake, Australian politician (died 1915)
- April 27 - Hans Hartwig von Beseler, German soldier (died 1921)
- April 29 - George Murdoch, first mayor of Calgary (died 1910)

May - December


- May 1 - Prince Arthur of the United Kingdom (died 1942)
- May 7 - Anton Seidl, Hungarian conductor (died 1898)
- May 8 - Ross Barnes, U.S. baseball player (died 1915)
- May 10 - Thomas Lipton, Scottish merchant and yachtsman (died 1931)
- May 12 - Henry Cabot Lodge, U.S. statesman (died 1924)
- May 12 - Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway, Scottish Liberal politician and jurist (died 1934)
- May 12 - Frederick Holder, premier of South Australia (died 1909)
- May 14 - Alva Adams, Governor of Colorado (died 1922)
- May 18 - Oliver Heaviside, British engineer (died 1925)
- May 21 - Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian volcanologist (died 1914)
- May 27 - Thomas Neill Cream, serial killer (died 1892)
- May 28 - Frederic William Maitland, English jurist and historian (died 1906)
- May 30 - Frederick Dent Grant, U.S.soldier and statesman (died 1912)
- June 2 - Jesse Boot, 1st Baron Trent, British businessman (died 1931)
- June 3 - Albert M. Todd, American businessman and politician (died 1931)
- June 5 - Pat Garrett, American bartender and sheriff (died 1908)
- June 6 - Karl Ferdinand Braun, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1918)
- June 12 - Roberto Ivens, Portuguese explorer of Africa (died 1898)
- June 22 - Ignaz Goldziher, Jewish Hungarian orientalist (died 1921)
- June 24 - Horatio Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, British field marshal and statesman (died 1916)
- June 27 - Ivan Vazov, Bulgarian poet (died 1921)
- June 27 - Lafcadio Hearn, Greco-Japanese author (died 1904)
- June 27 - Jørgen Pedersen Gram, Danish mathematician (died 1916)
- July 2 - Robert Ridgway, U.S. ornithologist (died 1929)
- July 8 - Charles Rockwell Lanman, U.S. Sanskrit scholar (died 1941)
- July 12 - Newell Sanders, U.S. businessman and politician (died 1938)
- July 12 - Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (died 1912)
- July 15 - Mother Cabrini, U.S. saint (died 1917)
- July 20 - John G. Shedd, U.S. businessman (died 1926)
- July 28 - William Whittingham Lyman, U.S. vintner (died 1921)
- July 31 - Robert Love Taylor, Tennessee congressman (died 1912)
- July 31 - Robert Planquette, French composer of stage musicals (died 1903)
- August 5 - Guy de Maupassant, French writer
- August 6 - Henri Chantavoine, French writer (died 1918)
- August 14 - W. W. Rouse Ball, British mathematician (died 1925)
- August 26 - Charles Robert Richet, French physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1935)
- August 27 - Silas Alexander Ramsay, mayor of Calgary (died 1942)
- August 30 - Cal McVey, U.S. baseball player (died 1926)
- September 2 - Woldemar Voigt, German physicist (died 1919)
- September 2 - Eugene Field, U.S. writer (died 1895)
- September 2 - Albert Spalding, U.S. baseball player and businessman (died 1915)
- September 2 - Alfred Pringsheim, German mathematician (died 1941)
- September 8 - Paul Gerson Unna, German dermatologist (died 1929)
- September 9 - Jane Ellen Harrison, British classical scholar and feminist (died 1928)
- September 28 - Charles William Dorsett, U.S. prohibitionist (died 1936)
- October 1 - David R. Francis, Governor of Missouri (died 1927)
- October 18 - Pablo Iglesias, Spanish socialist politician (died 1925)
- October 18 - Basil Hall Chamberlain, British Japanologist (died 1935)
- October 22 - Charles Kingston, Premier of South Australia (died 1908)
- October 30 - John Patton, Jr., U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan (died 1907)
- November 5 - Ella Wheeler Wilcox, U.S. author and poet (died 1919)
- November 12 - Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player (died 1908)
- November 13 - Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer (died 1894)
- November 13 - Sir John Benn, 1st Baronet, British politician (died 1922)
- November 16 - Federico Errázuriz Echaurren, Chilean political figure (died 1901)
- November 22 - Georg Dehio, German historian of art (died 1932)
- November 28 - Robert Koehler, German born painter and art teacher (died 1917)
- November 30 - Cayetano Coll y Toste, Puerto Rican historian and writer (died 1930)
- December 8 - Robert E. Pattison, governor of Pennsylvania (died 1904)
- December 9 - Emma Abbott, U.S. opera singer (died 1891)
- December 11 - Mary Victoria Hamilton, Scottish-German-French great-grandmother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco (died 1922)
- December 12 - Martin F. Ansel, Governor of South Carolina (died 1945)
- December 21 - Zdeněk Fibich, Czech composer (died 1900)
- December 24 - Brandon Thomas, British actor and playwright (died 1914)
- December 25 - Florence Griswold, U.S. art curator (died 1937)
- December 28 - Francesco Tamagno, Italian operatic tenor (died 1905)

Unknown Date

A - H


- Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, Saudi ruler (died 1928)
- Abraham Fischer, Prime Minister of the Orange River Colony in South Africa (died 1913)
- Alexandre Luigini, French conductor and composer (died 1906)
- Alfred Gabriel Nathorst, Swedish Arctic explorer and geologist (died 1921)
- Alfred Maudslay, British colonial diplomat (died 1931)
- Andria Dadiani, Prince of Samegrelo (died 1910)
- Bernhard Baron, Jewish cigarette-manufacturer and philanthropist (died 1929)
- Artur Władysław Potocki, Polish nobleman (died 1890)
- Bernardo Reyes, Mexican general (died 1913)
- Charles Braithwaite, Manitoba politician and agrarian leader (died 1910)
- Charles Hazelius Sternberg, U.S. fossil collector and amateur paleontologist (died 1943)
- Cuthbert A. Brereton, British civil engineer (died 1910)
- Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis, U.S. publisher (died 1933)
- Daniel Carter Beard, U.S. scouting pioneer (died 1941)
- Daniel J. Greene, Newfoundland politician (died 1911)
- Ebenezer Howard, British urban planner (died 1928)
- Edgar Wilson Nye, U.S. humorist (died 1896)
- Edmond Holmes, English writer and poet (died 1936)
- Edmond Nocard, French veterinarian and microbiologist (died 1903)
- Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer, responsible for diabetes mellitus (died 1935)
- Edward John Gregory, British painter (died 1909)
- Emanuel Schiffers, Russian chess player (died 1904)
- Ernest Albert Waterlow, English painter (died 1919)
- Ernst Bernheim, German-Jewish historian (died 1922)
- Fanny Davenport, U.S. actress (died 1898)
- Fernando Fernandez, Puerto Rican distiller (approximate date; died 1940)
- Georg von Vollmar, Socialist politician in Bavaria (died 1922)
- George Henschel, English musician (died 1934)
- George Hitchcock, U.S. artist (died 1913)
- Hamo Thornycroft, British sculptor (died 1925)
- Hendry Brown, U.S. outlaw (approximate date; died 1884)
- Henricus van de Wetering, Archbishop of Utrecht (died 1929)
- Hermann Ebbinghaus, German psychologist (died 1909)
- Hermann von Ihering, German-Brazilian zoologist (died 1930)

J-Z


- J. Walter Fewkes, U.S. anthropologist (died 1930)
- James Kenyon, British pioneer of cinematography (died 1925)
- James Moore, British cyclist
- Johann Büttikofer, Swiss zoologist (died 1929)
- John Casper Branner, U.S. geologist (died 1922)
- John Collier, British writer and painter (died 1934)
- John Perry, Irish engineer (died 1920)
- John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, Canadian portrait painter (died 1938)
- Johnny Ringo, U.S. cowboy (died 1892)
- Julius Wernher, German born British businessman and art collector (died 1912)
- Kate Chopin, U.S. novelist (died 1904)
- László Lukács, Prime Minister of Hungary (died 1932)
- Laura E. Richards, U.S. author (died 1943)
- Lawrence Hargrave, Australian engineer (died 1915)
- Léon-Adolphe Cardinal Amette, French Catholic cardinal and archbishop of Paris (died 1920)
- Lluís Domènech i Montaner, Catalan architect (died 1923)
- Lucien Gaulard, French inventor (died 1888)
- Maria Beatrix Krasińska, Polish noblewoman (died 1884)
- Montague Aldous, Canadian surveyor
- Murdo MacKenzie, Scottish-Brazilian rancher
- Oscar Straus, U.S. politician (died 1936)
- Pavel Axelrod, Russian politician (died 1928)
- Per Hasselberg, Swedish sculptor (died 1371)
- Philip Bourke Marston, English poet (died 1887)
- Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, U.S. Roman Catholic nun and social worker (died 1926)
- Rose la Touche, lover of John Ruskin
- Rudolf Hoernes, Austrian geologist
- Solomon Schechter, founder of the United Synagogue of America (died 1915)
- Steve Bellan, Cuban baseball player (died 1932)
- Thomas Alexander Smith, U.S. politician (died 1932)
- Victor Henry, French philologist (died 1907)
- Victor Laloux, French Beaux-Arts architect (died 1937)
- Vissarion Jughashvili, Joseph Stalin's father (approximate date; died 1890)
- William Lawrence, U.S. Episcopalian bishop of Massachusetts (died 1941)
- William Pugsley, Canadian politician and lawyer (died 1925)
- William Wallace Wotherspoon, U.S. general (died 1921)
- Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Edweso (approximate date; died 1921)
- Zaharoff Basil, Anglo-Turkish financier and arms manufacturer (died 1936)

Deaths

January - May


- January 20 - Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, Danish poet and playwright (born 1779)
- January 22 - William Joseph Chaminade, French Catholic priest (born 1761)
- January 26 - Francis Jeffrey, Scottish judge and literary critic (born 1773)
- January 27 - Johann Gottfried Schadow, German sculptor (born 1764)
- January 27 - Philipp Roth, composer (born 1779)
- February 4 - Daniel Turner, officer in the United States Navy (born 1794)
- February 25 - Daoguang Emperor, of the Qing dynasty of China (born 1782)
- February 27 - Samuel Adams, Democratic Governor of the State of Arkansas (born 1805)
- March 3 - Oliver Cowdery, U.S. religious leader (born 1806)
- March 26 - Samuel Turell Armstrong, U.S. political figure (born 1784)
- March 27 - Wilhelm Beer, German banker and astronomer (born 1797)
- March 28 - Gerard Brandon, Governor of Mississippi (born 1788)
- March 31 - John C. Calhoun, U.S. politician (born 1782)
- April 7 - William Lisle Bowles, English poet and critic (born 1762)
- April 9 - William Prout, English chemist and physician (born 1785)
- April 16 - Marie Tussaud, French wax sculptor (born 1761)
- April 23 - William Wordsworth, English poet (born 1770)
- April 24 - John Norvell, U.S. newspaperman and senator (born 1789)
- May 1 - Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville, French zoologist and anatomist (born 1777)
- May 10 - Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, French chemist and physicist (born 1778)
- May 21 - Christoph Friedrich von Ammon, German theological writer and preacher (born 1766)
- May 31 - Giuseppe Giusti, Tuscan satirical poet (born 1809)

June - December


- June 19 - Margaret Fuller, U.S. journalist (born 1810)
- June 30 - Richard Dillingham, U.S. Quaker teacher (born 1823)
- July 2 - Robert Peel, British Prime Minister (born 1788)
- July 4 - William Kirby, English entomologist (born 1759)
- July 7 - Timothy Hackworth, British steam locomotive engineer
- July 8 - Prince Adolphus of the United Kingdom, 1st Duke of Cambridge (born 1774)
- July 9 - The Báb, Persian founder of the Bábí Faith (born 1819)
- July 9 - Zachary Taylor, 12th President of the United States (born 1784)
- July 9 - Jean Pierre Boyer, president of Haiti (born 1776)
- July 14 - August Neander, German theologian and church historian (born 1789)
- July 25 - Richard Barnes Mason, military governor of California (born 1797)
- August 3 - Jacob Jones, officer in the United States Navy (born 1768)
- August 13 - Martin Archer Shee, Irish portrait painter and president of the Royal Academy (born 1770)
- August 18 - Honoré de Balzac, French author (born 1799)
- August 22 - Nikolaus Lenau, Austrian poet (born 1802)
- August 26 - King Louis-Philippe of France (born 1773)
- August 27 - Thomas Kidd, English classical scholar and schoolmaster (born 1770)
- September 12 - Presley O'Bannon, officer in the United States Marine Corps (born 1784)
- September 22 - Johann Heinrich von Thünen, German economist (born 1783)
- September 23 - José Gervasio Artigas, Uruguayan revolutionary (born 1764)
- October 2 - Sarah Biffen, English painter (born 1784)
- October 29 - Marmaduke Williams, Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina (born 1774)
- November 2 - Richard Dobbs Spaight, Jr., Democratic governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina (born 1796)
- November 3 - Thomas Ford, governor of Illinois (born 1800)
- November 4 - Gustav Schwab, German classical scholar (born 1792)
- November 19 - Richard Mentor Johnson, Vice President of the United States (born 1780)
- November 22 - Lin Zexu, Chinese politician (born 1785)
- November 30 - Germain Henri Hess, Swiss chemist and doctor (born 1802)
- December 4 - William Sturgeon, English physicist and inventor (born 1783)
- December 10 - François Sulpice Beudant, French mineralogist and geologist (born 1787)
- December 22 - William Plumer, U.S. lawyer and lay preacher (born 1759)
- December 24 - Frédéric Bastiat French author and economist (born 1801)
- December 28 - Heinrich Christian Schumacher, German astronomer (born 1780)

Unknown Date


- Adoniram Judson, U.S. Baptist missionary (born 1788)
- Antoni Potocki, Polish nobleman (born 1780)
- Báb, Bahá'í herald (born 1819)
- Charles Arbuthnot, British Tory politician (born 1767)
- Charles Watkin Williams-Wynn, British Tory politician (born 1775)
- Edward Bickersteth, English evangelical divine (born 1786)
- Elizabeth Simcoe, wife of John Graves Simcoe (born 1762)
- Frances Sargent Osgood, U.S. poet (born 1811)
- François-Xavier-Joseph Droz, French writer on ethics and political science (born 1773)
- Hone Heke, Maori chief and war leader
- Jan Krukowiecki, Polish general (born 1772)
- Jane Porter, English novelist (born 1776)
- José Manuel de la Peña y Peña, interim President of Mexico (born 1789)
- Józef Bem, Polish general (born 1794)
- Juan Martín de Pueyrredón y O'Dogan, Argentine general and politician (born 1776)
- Michał Gedeon Radziwiłł, Polish noble (born 1778)
- Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, 5th Baron Aylmer, British military officer and colonial administrator (born 1775)
- Owen Stanley, British naval officer and explorer of New Guinea (born 1811)
- Robert Gilfillan, Scottish poet (born 1798)
- Robert Stevenson, Scottish lighthouse engineer (born 1772)
- Tan Tock Seng, Singaporean businessman philanthropists
- Valentín Canalizo, acting president of Mexico (born 1794)
- Saint Vincent Pallotti, Italian missionary (born 1795)
- William Lawson, British explorer of New South Wales (born 1774)
- William Hamilton Maxwell, Scots-Irish novelist (born 1792) Category:1850 ko:1850년 ms:1850 simple:1850

Gordonsville, Virginia

Gordonsville is a town located in Orange County, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,498.

Geography

2000 Gordonsville is located at 38°8'5" North, 78°11'13" West (38.134628, -78.187068). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 1,498 people, 628 households, and 401 families residing in the town. The population density is 635.6/km² (1,646.1/mi²). There are 688 housing units at an average density of 291.9/km² (756.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 72.16% White, 24.83% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 628 households out of which 30.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% are married couples living together, 17.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% are non-families. 32.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 2.95. In the town the population is spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 80.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 76.5 males. The median income for a household in the town is $35,655, and the median income for a family is $40,268. Males have a median income of $29,464 versus $23,102 for females. The per capita income for the town is $17,881. 9.6% of the population and 7.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 13.5% of those under the age of 18 and 11.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

Category:Louisa County, Virginia Category:Towns in Virginia

Doswell, Virginia

Doswell is located in Hanover County and in the Central Region of the state of Virginia. Doswell is a small unincorporated town. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on the Virginia Central Railroad, which later became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad (C&O) at a crossing of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, a busy north-south route. Both railroads are now owned by CSX Transportation, although the former Virginia Central line is leased to a short-line carrier, Buckingham Branch Railroad. The area near the Doswell train station is a popular train-watching site for railfans. Formerly consisting primarily of farmland, today many Doswell residents commute to their jobs in Richmond, Virginia. Paramount's Kings Dominion is located at Doswell, Virginia. Doswell Doswell

Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad

The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia to Washington, DC. It is now a portion of the CSX Transportation system. The RF&P was a bridge line, with a slogan of "Linking North & South". (A bridge line has more traffic passing through its connections with other railroads than it originates or terminates at points along the line.) For the major portion of its existence, the RF&P connected with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad at Richmond. At Alexandria and through trackage rights to Union Station in Washington, DC, connections were made with the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Southern Railway.

History

The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad was chartered on February 25, 1834 to run from Richmond north via Fredericksburg to the Potomac River. It opened from Richmond to Hazel Run in 1836, to Fredericksburg on January 23, 1837 and the rest of the way to the Potomac River at Aquia Creek on September 30, 1842. On September 30, 1852, an extension to the north opened. This split from the existing line at Brooke and ran north to Quantico, also on the Potomac. The old line to Aquia Creek became a branch. On the other end of the line, the Alexandria and Washington Railroad was chartered on February 27, 1854 to build from the south end of the Long Bridge (14th Street Bridge) over the Potomac River south to Alexandria. That line opened in 1857. The railroad went bankrupt and was sold July 9, 1887, being reorganized November 23, 1887 as the Alexandria and Washington Railway. In 1873 the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad's branch over the Long Bridge opened, giving a route into Washington, D.C., over which the A&W obtained trackage rights. The Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway was chartered February 3, 1864 to continue the line from Alexandria to Fredericksburg. It opened on July 2, 1872, only reaching Quantico, the north end of the RF&P. At Quantico the 1.70-mile (2.7 km) Potomac Railroad, chartered April 21, 1867 and opened May 1, 1872, connected the two lines. It was leased to the RF&P for 28 years from May 17, 1877. On March 31, 1890, the two companies terminating in Alexandria merged to form the Washington Southern Railway. Until November 1, 1901 it was operated by the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad and its successor the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system). The Potomac Railroad lease was transferred to the Washington Southern on June 30, 1904. On February 24, 1920 the Washington Southern was formally merged into the RF&P. The Richmond-Washington Company was incorporated September 5, 1901 as a holding company, owning the entire capital stock of the two railroads. The stock of the company was owned equally by the Pennsylvania Railroad, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Southern Railway, Seaboard Air Line Railway and Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. Four of these companies have since become part of CSX. The Southern Railway is now part of Norfolk Southern, and does not use the former RF&P; the former Pennsylvania Railroad has been split between CSX and Norfolk Southern. From 1902 to 1908, major sections of the main line totalling 21 miles (34 km) were relocated.

Branches

;Richmond Connection The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac and Richmond and Petersburg Railroad Connection was chartered March 3, 1866 and opened May 1, 1867 as a connection between the RF&P and the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad (later part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) west of downtown Richmond. It was operated jointly by those two companies. In addition, a downtown connection was owned by the R&P past Broad Street Station. ;Louisa The Louisa Railroad was chartered in 1836, running from the RF&P at Doswell west to Louisa. At first it was operated as a branch of the RF&P, but it was reorganized as the Virginia Central Railroad in 1850 and merged into the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1868 as its oldest predecessor. ;Rosslyn The short branch from the north end to Rosslyn opened in 1896, and was sold to the Rosslyn Connecting Railroad in 1903, which was controlled by the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad.

Station listing

External links


- [http://www.rfandp.org/ Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad Historical Society]

References


- [http://www.earlpleasants.com/search_1.asp Railroad History Database]
- [http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/rail/Prr/Corphist/rf_p.html Corporate Genealogy - Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac]
- [http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/rail/Prr/Corphist/ws.html Corporate Genealogy - Washington Southern]
- Mileposts from [http://web.archive.org/web/20040718192935/www.trainweb.org/csxtimetables/Contents.html CSX Transportation Timetables]

Virginia Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Virginia is one of the oldest continuously active judicial bodies in the United States. It has its roots in the 17th-century English legal system, which was instituted in Virginia as part of the Charter of 1606 under which Jamestown, Virginia was established. In 1623, the Virginia House of Burgesses created a five-man appellate court, which met quarterly to hear appeals from the lower courts. The Court continued to evolve and in 1970 was renamed the Supreme Court of Virginia. It is the highest court in the state, and primarily hears appeals from the trial-level city and county Circuit Courts, as well as the family law and administrative cases that go through the Court of Appeals of Virginia.

References


- [http://www.courts.state.va.us/scov/cover.htm The Supreme Court of Virginia]. Category:Government of Virginia Category:Virginia law Virginia

Hanover County, Virginia

Hanover County is a county located in the state of Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 86,320. Its county seat is Hanover6. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

History

Hanover County was created on November 26, 1720 from the area of New Kent County called St. Paul's Parish. It was named for the Electorate of Hannover in Germany, because King George I of England was Elector of Hanover at the time. Hanover was the birthplace and home of Patrick Henry, and the Hanover Courthouse was the site of the Parson's Cause case, in which attorney Henry argued against taxes levied on preachers by the King. Hanover County was also the birthplace of politician Henry Clay, author of the Missouri Compromise, and the site of a number of American Civil War battles, including the Seven Days Battles and Cold Harbor. [http://www.co.hanover.va.us/history.htm]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,228 km² (474 mi²). 1,224 km² (473 mi²) of it is land and 4 km² (1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.30% water. It is bounded on the north by Spotsylvania, Caroline and King William counties; on the south by Goochland and Henrico counties; on the east by New Kent County; and on the west by Louisa County . Hanover County is about 90 miles south of Washington, D.C., and about 12 miles north of Richmond. [http://www.co.hanover.va.us/around.htm]

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density is 71/km² (183/mi²). There are 32,196 housing units at an average density of 26/km² (68/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 88.32% White, 9.34% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 31,121 households out of which 39.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.40% are married couples living together, 9.30% have a female householder with no husband present, and 21.40% are non-families. 17.70% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.80% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.71 and the average family size is 3.07. In the county, the population is spread out with 27.10% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.60% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.80 males. The median income for a household in the county is $59,223, and the median income for a family is $65,809. Males have a median income of $42,523 versus $30,689 for females. The per capita income for the county is $25,120. 3.60% of the population and 2.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.90% of those under the age of 18 and 5.80% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Towns


- Ashland (incorporated)
- Beaverdam
- Doswell
- Elmont
- Mechanicsville
- Montpelier
- Old Church

External links


- [http://photos.historical-markers.org/va-hanover/ Hanover County's Historical Markers] Category:Virginia counties Category:Richmond, Virginia

Henrico County, Virginia

Henrico County is a county located in the state of Virginia. As of 2000, the population is 262,300. Its county seat is Richmond6, though Richmond is an independent city and not actually located in Henrico County. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The land within Henrico County encompasses much of Richmond's West End as well as its "North Side." Richmond International Raceway is located in Henrico County near Mechanicsville, just north of the City of Richmond corporate limits.

History

Henrico County is an original shire established in 1634. The county is named for Henricus (also known as Henricopolis and Henrico Town), founded in 1611 by Sir Thomas Dale. Henricus and the county were named for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King James I of England. It originally extended to both the north and south sides of the James River (named for the King). Henrico's first boundaries incorporated an area from which 10 Virginia counties were later formed in whole or in part, as well as the independent cities of Richmond, Charlottesville and Colonial Heights. The original county seat was at Varina, at the Varina Farms plantation estate near the James River where John Rolfe and Pocahontas had lived, and their son Thomas Rolfe was born. The Henrico-Glebe house at Varina was the location where Reverend Dr. James Blair, rector of Henrico Parish, is believed to have drawn up the plans for new school which became the College of William and Mary in 1693 after his mission to England at the request of the House of Burgesses. Varina remained the county seat until 1752, when it was relocated to the new Henrico County Court House, located at 20th and Main Streets in what is now the City of Richmond. (In modern times, Varina Farm is still actively cultivated, and can be seen from Interstate 295 to the east just north of the Varina-Enon Bridge, not far from the WRVA transmitter site and dual radio towers). During the Civil War the battles of Seven Pines, Savage's Station, Oak Grove, Garnett's and Golding's Farms, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill took place in this county in 1862 during the Peninsula Campaign. Additional significant battles took place in 1864 prior to and during during the Siege of Petersburg which led to the fall of Richmond. Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart was killed in Henrico County at the Battle of Yellow Tavern on May 12, 1864.

Transportation

Henrico County is one of only two counties in Virginia which maintain their own roads, the other being Arlington County. This special status was due to the existence of county highway departments prior to the creation of the state agency which is now VDOT in 1927, and the assumption of local roads by that agency in 1932. The control of the roads system is considered a powerful advantage for community urban planners, who can require developers to contribute to funding needed for road needs serving their projects.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 634 km² (245 mi²). 617 km² (238 mi²) of it is land and 17 km² (7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.67% water.

Census-designated places


- Chamberlayne
- Dumbarton
- East Highland Park
- Glen Allen
- Highland Springs
- Lakeside
- Laurel
- Montrose
- Sandston
- Short Pump
- Tuckahoe
- Varina
- Wyndham No new municipalities can now be created within Henrico County. There are no existing incorporated towns. It has become the third Virginia county (after Arlington and Fairfax Counties) to be affected by a state law that prohibits the creation of any new towns or cities within the boundaries of a county with a population density of 1,000 or more per square mile.

Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 262,300 people, 108,121 households, and 69,846 families residing in the county. The population density is 425/km² (1,102/mi²). There are 112,570 housing units at an average density of 183/km² (473/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 68.91% White, 24.71% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 3.60% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 2.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 108,121 households out of which 31.90% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.30% are married couples living together, 13.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.40% are non-families. 28.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.50% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.97. In the county, the population is spread out with 24.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 88.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.60 males. The median income for a household in the county is $49,185, and the median income for a family is $59,298. Males have a median income of $40,203 versus $29,795 for females. The per capita income for the county is $26,410. 6.20% of the population and 4.50% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.10% of those under the age of 18 and 4.50% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Board of Supervisors


- Brookland District - Richard W. Glover

- Fairfield District - Frank J. Thornton

- Three Chopt District - David A. Kaechele

- Tuckahoe District - Patricia S. O'Bannon

- Varina District - James B. Donati Jr.

Interesting Facts


- Henrico County was the location of the August 16th, 2005 "iRiot", where 1,000 of the public school system's iBooks were being sold for only $50 each. Seventeen people were hurt and/or trampled in the ensuing fracas, four of which had to be treated at a hospital for non-serious injuries.

External links


- [http://photos.historical-markers.org/va-henrico/ Henrico County's Historical Markers]
- [http://www.henricohistoricalsociety.org Henrico County Historical Society]
- [http://www.co.henrico.va.us/manager/boslist.htm/ Board of Supervisors] Category:Virginia counties Category:Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

:This article is about the city in Virginia. For information on other cities with the same name, please see Richmond (disambiguation). Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States of America. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city, not part of any county (Richmond County is unrelated, and located in a different region of the state). Richmond is located on the fall line in the piedmont region of Virginia and is at the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Common colloquialisms for the city are: RIC (its airport code), or The 804 (its area code), or even RVA. As of the 2000 census, the city of Richmond had a total population of 197,790. A more recent census estimate indicates that Richmond's population has grown to 201,384. Richmond was until recently known as the 3rd largest city in Virginia behind Norfolk and Virginia Beach, but it is now the fourth largest, having been overtaken in the last census by Chesapeake, whose population is around 200,000.

History

:Main article: History of Richmond, Virginia In 1607, King James I granted a royal charter to the Virginia Company of London to settle colonists in North America. After the first permanent English settlement was established later that year at Jamestown, Captain Christopher Newport and Captain John Smith set sail ten days after landing at Jamestown, traveling northwest up Powhatan's River (now known as the James River) to Powhatan Hill. The first expedition consisted of 120 men from Jamestown, and made the first attempt to settle at the Falls of the James, located between the 14th Street Bridge in modern downtown Richmond and the Pony Pasture (a recreational area along the banks of the river south of the City of Richmond). The settlement was made at this location as it is the highest navigable site along the James River.

Revolutionary War

In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” speech in St. John's Church, during the Second Virginia Convention. This speech is credited with convincing members of the House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering Virginia troops to the American Revolutionary War. One year later, in the throes of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, Virginia’s state capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond. In 1781, under the command of Benedict Arnold, Richmond was burned by British troops. Yet Richmond shortly recovered, and, in May 1782, was incorporated as a city.

Civil War

1782 The aversion to the slave trade was growing by the mid-nineteenth century, and in 1848, Henry “Box” Brown made history by having himself nailed into a small box and shipped from Richmond to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, escaping slavery to the land of freedom. At the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the strategic location of the Tredegar Iron Works was one of the primary factors in the decision to make Richmond the Capital of the Confederacy. From this arsenal came the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the CSS Virginia, the world’s first ironclad used in war, as well as much of the Confederates' heavy ordnance machinery. In 1861, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the