Sperryville J31
Laid out by Francis Thornton, Jr., in 1817, Sperryville survives as an upper Piedmont crossroads village. In the early 19th century John Kiger built Conestoga wagons here. By the 1850s two turnpikes (Thornton’s Gap and Sperryville & Rapphannock) intersected here. In 1867, the Smoot family, of Alexandria, built a nearby tannery that closed in 1911. By that time, the town boasted four churches, five general stores, one hotel, six mills, numerous shops, a masonic hall, and a population of 350. Sperryville’s wooden residences and visual charm have long made it a familiar stop for seasonal tourists to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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Jackson's Valley Campaign W162
Late in April 1862, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson marched his army out of the Shenandoah Valley through the Blue Ridge Mountains to deceive Union Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont into thinking he was headed for Richmond. On 3 May, Jackson bivouacked at nearby Mechum’s Station on the Virginia Central Railroad. The next day, part of the army entrained for the Valley while the rest followed on foot. At the Battle of McDowell on 8 May, Jackson defeated the advance of Fremont’s army under Brig. Gen. Robert H. Milrot and Brig. Gen. Robert C. Schenck. Thus began Jackson’s 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign.

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Madison County Z157
In the hills of the Piedmont, against the Blue Ridge Mountains, Madison County was formed from Culpeper County in 1792. The county is named for James Madison, the father of the American Constitution and the fourth president of the United States. It contains a portion of the Shenandoah National Park. President Herbert Hoover had a rustic retreat constructed in the Blue Ridge Mountains here during his presidency (1929-1933). The county seat is Madison.

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Cavalry Battles B22
In June 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia through gaps in the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains and into the Shenandoah Valley to invade the North. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry corps screened the army from Federal observation. The Union cavalry commander, Brig. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, attempted to break through Stuart’s screen, and fought three sharp engagements along this road. They included the Battles of Aldie (17 June), Middleburg (19 June), and Upperville (21 June). Stuart fell back westward under Pleasonton’s pressure but kept the Federal cavalry east of the gaps.

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Madison County Z13
In the hills of the Piedmont, against the Blue Ridge Mountains, Madison County was formed from Culpeper County in 1792. The county is named for James Madison, the father of the American Constitution and the fourth president of the United States. It contains a portion of the Shenandoah National Park. President Herbert Hoover had a rustic retreat constructed in the Blue Ridge Mountains here during his presidency (1929-1933). The county seat is Madison.

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Madison County Z12
In the hills of the Piedmont, against the Blue Ridge Mountains, Madison County was formed from Culpeper County in 1792. The county is named for James Madison, the father of the American Constitution and the fourth president of the United States. It contains a portion of the Shenandoah National Park. President Herbert Hoover had a rustic retreat constructed in the Blue Ridge Mountains here during his presidency (1929-1933). The county seat is Madison.

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Rappahannock County Z173
Scenically situated along the Blue Ridge Mountains, Rappahannock County was formed from Culpeper County in 1833. It was named for the Rappahannock River, which forms its northern border. The Rappahannock River received its name from the Indian tribe that lived along its banks. The county seat is Washington, whose name honors George Washington, who platted the grid plan for the community in 1749. Malcom F. Crawford, who had worked at the University of Virginia, constructed the Roman Revival courthouse there in 1833.

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Knights of the Golden Horseshoe D10
On 5 Sept. 1716, in this region, it is believed Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood and his party of government officials, gentry, Native Americans, soldiers, and servants crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley. Their adventure into Virginia’s western lands began at Germanna late in Aug. and endedwhen they returned there on 10 Sept. According to legend, Spotswood gave his companions small golden horseshoes on their return and the group became known as the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. The journey has been fictionalized and mythologized in literature since the 19th century.

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The Third Lederer Expedition N8
In 1699 and 1670, German-born John Lederer led three expeditions to explore Virginia’s Piedmont and the Carolinas that encouraged further European exploration. The third expedition began nearby at Robert Talifer’s house near the Rappahannock River on 20 Aug. 1670. Col. John Catlett, nine English horse, and five Indians accompanied Lederer. They reached the junction of the Rappahannock River and Rapidan River two days later and followed the former inland. At the River’s headwaters they approached the Blue Ridge Mountains and reached the summit of one of its peaks on 26 Aug. From there they viewed the Shenandoah Valley, then returned the same way they had come.

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Gerard House WV299
Built by John Hays, 1743. Became home of Reverend David Gerard, who founded Gerrardstown in 1787. His father was Reverend John Gerard, the first Baptist Minister west of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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