Comprising approximately 100 acres, the Shipman Historic District encompasses a cohesive collection of residential, commercial, and institutional buildings centered around the convergence of James River Road (State Route 56) and the former Orange & Alexandria Railroad in south-central Nelson County. The community of Shipman was established in 1859, following the construction of the Nelson Station depot along the recently completed rail line to Lynchburg. Shipman’s subsequent 19th and 20th century development into a commercial and transportation hub organically followed the area’s rolling topography. Today, the village retains a full complement of vernacular building types that historically provided for the commercial, educational, religious, and domestic needs of its residents and those of the surrounding rural area, including stores, two former hotels, a post office, three churches, two schools, two service stations, and a cold storage warehouse.