Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release

 

Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

State Board Approves 9 Historical Highway Markers

—Markers cover topics in the counties of Mathews, Fauquier, Lee, Clarke, and Surry; in the cities of Richmond, Danville, and Norfolk; and in the Wise County town of Big Stone Gap—

—Text of each marker reproduced below—

PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.

RICHMOND – The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced nine new historical markers coming to roadsides in Virginia. The markers will feature various topics in the commonwealth’s history, including the Kiskiak Indians’ new homeland in the Middle Peninsula; the story of a formerly enslaved man who contributed to the victory of Union forces in the Civil War; and the former Virginia home of U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved the markers on December 11, 2025, during its quarterly meeting in Richmond hosted by DHR.

When English settlers first arrived in Virginia in the 17th century, the Kiskiak Indians, who were at the time part of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, originally lived on the south side of the York River. In the 1630s, the Kiskiak withdrew to the Middle Peninsula after the English encroached on their ancestral homeland. They were living on the south side of the Piankatank River when the colonial government allotted them 5,000 acres in 1649. The assigned land, located in modern-day Mathews County, extended from Chapel Creek to Harper Creek and included two of their towns. Leaders of the Kiskiak gradually sold off more than half of the land. In 1669, Virginia’s Indian census recorded 15 Kiskiak warriors. After 1677, the Kiskiak seemingly dispersed, with some possibly joining nearby tribes.

The leadership of military officer Anthony Wayne in the American Revolutionary War grounds one new marker:

 

• In the late spring of 1781, Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne moved south from Pennsylvania with 1,000 infantrymen of the Pennsylvania Line and a Continental artillery unit to reinforce the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia. On June 8, Wayne’s troops crossed the Rappahannock River at Norman’s Ford in present-day Fauquier County and entered Culpeper County. On June 10, they joined Lafayette south of Raccoon Ford in Orange County. The combined forces of Wayne and Lafayette, which numbered approximately 4,000 men, moved toward Charlottesville to deter the raids of British Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis on military stores. The troops then followed Cornwallis as his army marched eastward and greatly contributed to his surrender at Yorktown, the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, on October 19.

 

Two recently approved markers highlight the Civil War Battle of Wyerman’s Mill and Thomas Laws, a formerly enslaved Black man whose courage during the war helped Union forces secure victory in the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864:

 

• On January 1, 1864, Confederate Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones entered Lee County as part of a plan to retake the Cumberland Gap. Union forces had been using the gap as a base for raids into the county’s fertile valley since the fall of 1863. Following their victory at the Battle of Jonesville on January 3, Jones’s cavalrymen patrolled in search of Union troops and a pathway to the gap. After he learned about an encampment near Wyerman’s Mill on Indian Creek, Jones surrounded sections of the 91st Indiana, 2nd North Carolina, and 11th Tennessee regiments and attacked at dawn on February 22, 1864. The attack killed 13 and Confederate forces took more than 250 prisoners. The Confederates maintained control over Lee County thereafter but were ultimately unable to retake Cumberland Gap.

 

• Thomas Laws was born enslaved in 1817 in present-day Clarke County. In September 1864, Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan learned that Laws had a pass to cross Confederate lines into the city of Winchester. At Sheridan’s request, Laws risked his life to deliver a note—which he wrapped in tin foil and held in his mouth—to Unionist Rebecca Wright, a Quaker schoolteacher in the city. Sheridan attacked on September 19 after receiving intelligence that Wright sent back with Laws about the weakness of Confederate forces. Sheridan’s victory in the Third Battle of Winchester secured Union control of the lower Shenandoah Valley, a strategically important area, and brought momentum to President Abraham Lincoln’s reelection effort. After the end of the Civil War, Laws worked as a farmer in Clarke County. He died in 1896.

 

The Board also approved five markers focused on the histories of storied buildings in the Commonwealth:

 

• Cypress Baptist Church traces its roots to the autumn of 1866 and is one of the oldest African American churches in Surry County. Irene George, a free person before the Civil War, organized the congregation at Easter Eley’s home in Isle of Wight County. In 1867, the church moved to Surry County, where it formally purchased its current property in 1874. The Rev. Baylor (Bailey) Wyatt, who escaped from slavery to Union lines during the Civil War, served as the church’s first pastor. Wyatt was a strong advocate for the region’s freedpeople during the Reconstruction era. The church later joined the Lebanon Virginia Baptist Association, a regional organization established in the 1880s.

 

• Located in Richmond, Maymont is one of the South’s few intact estates built during the nation’s Gilded Age. Completed in 1893, it was the home of railroad magnate James H. Dooley (1841-1922) and his wife, Sallie May Dooley (1846-1925). Maymont was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style and furnished with fine and decorative art. The 100-acre property reflects the era’s eclecticism and includes English-style parkland, Italian and Japanese gardens, and service buildings designed by the leading Richmond architecture firm, Noland and Baskervill. When the Dooleys lived at Maymont, a staff of 30 people, primarily African Americans, cared for the property. The Dooleys bequeathed Maymont to the City of Richmond after their deaths for use as a museum and park. The Maymont Foundation has operated the estate since 1975.

 

• Opened in 1917, the Hippodrome was Danville’s first purpose-built theatre for Black audiences. Owned by William A. Don Levy, it offered live entertainment and film screenings. By 1922 the Hippodrome had joined the Theatre Owners’ Booking Association (TOBA), a circuit under interracial management that supplied vaudeville shows to venues serving African Americans. TOBA played a foundational role in the entertainment industry in the 20th century. It developed the careers of Black artists and booked them across the eastern half of the United States. National stars including blues pioneer Mamie Smith and Gonzell White’s Jazzers performed at the Hippodrome. In 1931, the Hippodrome was renamed the Lincoln Theatre. It closed in 1935 and burned in 1962.

 

• After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1946, Ensign Jimmy Carter married Rosalynn Smith and was stationed in Norfolk. The couple resided in a one-bedroom apartment in the city. A future governor of Georgia and the 39th president of the United States, Carter honed leadership skills while serving aboard two ships during his tour in Norfolk. As U.S. president from 1977 to 1981, Carter negotiated the Camp David Accords, established the Departments of Energy and Education, expanded the National Park System, and normalized relations with China. He and Rosalynn later established the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting peace, democracy, human rights, and health. Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

 

• Named for the acclaimed Black composer, James A. Bland High School opened in the Town of Big Stone Gap in 1954 to serve Black students from Wise and Lee Counties. The school was built at a time when localities across Virginia sought to improve African American schools after federal court decisions mandated equalization. The school became a source of community cohesion and pride. Cato Hadras Shorter—steadfastly supported by his wife, Mary B. McClellan—served as the school’s sole principal. A dedicated faculty worked to ensure students received a well-rounded education and fostered excellence in academics, arts, and athletics. Bland High School closed in 1965, when Wise County desegregated its schools following the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The building was used as an elementary school beginning in 1969 and as Big Stone Gap’s town hall beginning in 1988.

 

Following the Board of Historic Resources’ approval of the markers, it can take upwards of six months or more before a new marker is ready for installation. The marker’s sponsor covers the required $3,000 manufacturing expenses for a new sign.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

 

Full Text of Markers:

(VDOT must approve the proposed location for each marker in its right-of-way; local public works departments must do so in jurisdictions outside VDOT’s authority.)

The Kiskiak Indians’ New Homeland
The Kiskiak Indians, once part of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, lived on the south side of the York River when European colonists arrived. During the 1630s, as English settlement encroached on their ancestral homeland, the Kiskiak withdrew to the Middle Peninsula. In 1649, they were living on the south side of the Piankatank River when the colonial government allotted them 5,000 acres, which extended from Chapel Creek to Harper Creek and included their two towns. The Kiskiak Indians’ leaders gradually sold off more than half of their land. In 1669, Virginia’s Indian census recorded 15 Kiskiak warriors. After 1677, the Kiskiak seemingly dispersed, perhaps joining nearby tribes.
Sponsor: DHR
Locality: Mathews County
Proposed Location: East side of Route 3, near the foot of Twigg Bridge

Gen. Anthony Wayne’s Rappahannock Crossing
Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne, commanding 1,000 infantrymen of the Pennsylvania Line and a Continental artillery unit, moved south from Pennsylvania late in the spring of 1781 to reinforce the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia. On 8 June, Wayne’s troops crossed the Rappahannock River at Norman’s Ford, one mile southwest of here, and entered Culpeper County. They joined Lafayette south of Raccoon Ford in Orange County on 10 June. The combined force numbering about 4,000 men moved toward Charlottesville to deter British Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis’s raids on military stores. The troops then followed Cornwallis as his army marched eastward and greatly contributed to his surrender at Yorktown on 19 Oct.
Sponsor: Culpeper Minutemen Chapter Virginia Society Sons of the American Revolution
Locality: Fauquier County
Proposed Location: Intersection of Sumerduck Road and Normans Ford Road

Battle of Wyerman’s Mill
Confederate Brig. Gen. William E. “Grumble” Jones entered Lee Co. on 1 Jan. 1864 in the hope of retaking the Cumberland Gap, which Union forces had been using as a base for raids into the county’s fertile valley since Sept. 1863. After a victory at the Battle of Jonesville on 3 Jan., Jones’s cavalrymen patrolled in search of Union troops and a pathway to the gap. Learning of an encampment near Wyerman’s Mill on Indian Creek, 0.3 miles south of here, Jones surrounded elements of the 91st IN, 2nd NC, and 11th TN regiments and attacked at dawn on 22 Feb. 1864, killing 13 and taking more than 250 prisoners. The Confederates maintained control over Lee Co. thereafter but were unable to retake the gap.
Sponsor: Terry Hubbard
Locality: Lee County
Proposed Location: Adjacent to 242 Neighborhood Lane, Ewing

Thomas Laws (1817-1896)
Thomas Laws was born enslaved in present-day Clarke Co. In Sept. 1864, Union Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan learned that Laws had a pass to cross Confederate lines into Winchester. At Sheridan’s request, Laws risked his life to deliver a note—wrapped in tin foil and held in his mouth—to Unionist Rebecca Wright, a Quaker schoolteacher in the city. Based on intelligence about the weakness of Confederate forces that Wright sent back with Laws, Sheridan attacked on 19 Sept. His victory in the Third Battle of Winchester secured Union control of the strategically vital lower Shenandoah Valley and brought momentum to Pres. Abraham Lincoln’s reelection effort. Laws farmed in Clarke Co. after the war.
Sponsor: Josephine School Museum
Locality: Clarke County
Proposed Location: Intersection of US 340 and Route 255

Cypress Baptist Church
Cypress Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Surry County, traces its origin to the autumn of 1866. Irene George, who had been free before the Civil War, organized the congregation at the home of Easter Eley in Isle of Wight County. The church moved here in 1867 and formally purchased the property in 1874. The Rev. Baylor (Bailey) Wyatt, who had escaped from slavery to Union lines during the Civil War, was the church’s first pastor and a strong advocate for the region’s freedpeople during Reconstruction. The church later joined the Lebanon Virginia Baptist Association, a regional organization established in the 1880s.
Sponsor: Cypress Baptist Church
Locality: Surry County
Proposed Location: Runnymede Road at intersection with Walkers Road

Maymont
Maymont, one of the South’s few intact Gilded Age estates, was the home of railroad magnate James H. Dooley (1841-1922) and his wife, Sallie May Dooley (1846-1925). The Richardsonian Romanesque-style mansion, designed by Edgerton Rogers and completed in 1893, was furnished with fine and decorative art. Reflecting the eclecticism of the era, the 100-acre property featured English-style parkland, Italian and Japanese gardens, and service buildings designed by Noland and Baskervill. A staff of 30, primarily African Americans, cared for the estate. The Dooleys bequeathed Maymont to the City of Richmond after their deaths for use as a museum and park, operated since 1975 by the Maymont Foundation.
Sponsor: Maymont Foundation
Locality: City of Richmond
Proposed Location: Shirley Lane at intersection with Spottswood Road

Hippodrome Theatre and the TOBA Circuit
The Hippodrome, Danville’s first purpose-built theatre for Black audiences, opened here in 1917. Owned by William A. Don Levy, it offered live entertainment and motion pictures. By 1922 the Hippodrome had joined the Theatre Owners’ Booking Association (TOBA), a circuit under interracial management that supplied vaudeville shows to venues serving African Americans. TOBA developed the careers of Black artists and booked them across the eastern half of the U.S., playing a foundational role in the entertainment industry. National stars such as blues pioneer Mamie Smith and Gonzell White’s Jazzers performed at the Hippodrome. Renamed the Lincoln Theatre in 1931, it closed in 1935 and burned in 1962.
Sponsor: Danville Research Center for African American History and Culture
Locality: City of Danville
Proposed Location: 215 N. Union Street

Home of Jimmy Carter, 1946-1948
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1946, Ensign Jimmy Carter married Rosalynn Smith and was stationed in Norfolk, where the couple resided in a one-bedroom apartment about 200 yards east of here. Carter, future governor of Georgia and 39th president of the United States, developed leadership skills while serving aboard two ships during this tour. As president he negotiated the Camp David Accords, established the Departments of Energy and Education, expanded the National Park System, and normalized relations with China. He and Rosalynn later established the Carter Center to promote peace, democracy, human rights, and health. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Sponsor: Larchmont-Edgewater Civic League
Locality: City of Norfolk
Proposed Location: Corner of Westmoreland Avenue and Monroe Place

James A. Bland High School
James A. Bland High School, named for the noted African American composer, opened here in 1954 and served Black students from Wise and Lee Counties. It was built as localities across VA improved Black schools following federal court decisions requiring equalization. The school became a source of community cohesion and pride. Cato Hadras Shorter, steadfastly supported by his wife, Mary B. McClellan, was the sole principal. A dedicated faculty fostered excellence in academics, arts, and athletics. Bland High School closed in 1965 when Wise Co. desegregated its schools after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The building became an elementary school in 1969 and Big Stone Gap’s town hall in 1988.
Sponsor: Cato H. Shorter Family and the ATCB Alumni Association
Locality: Town of Big Stone Gap
Proposed Location: 505 E. Fifth Street

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