Get out more!
Albemarle's rich history is not dead and buried. Rather, it lives on in homes, statues, street names, historic neighborhoods, interpretive trails, and countless other monuments (large and small) that preserve the material culture of the past. This page provides suggestions for walks and visits that allow you to learn history hands-on. Enjoy.
VIRTUAL VISIT 1: Historical Society & Environs (estimated walking time: 20 minutes)
Go to a Trip Map for your visit
Preview the walk with a Locoville Video (5 minutes)
Stop 1 A great place to start touring the city/county is the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (founded in 1940). 
The building dates to 1921 when it housed the public library. When the library outgrew the spot, it moved into the old post office (on E Market Street). The front of the historical society contains interesting architectural features: corinthian columns, classical urns (can you identify the individuals commemorated on them ?), curved stairwells, and a peace garden. If you visit M-F 9 to 5 or Saturday 10 to 1, stop in to view the changing exhibits, the rich geneological and historical collections, or purchase books on Albemarle/Charlottesville history.
Stop 2 Head north from the historical society, towards E. Jefferson St, and notice the apartment complex at the corner of Jefferson and Second St. 
This site was originally the First Baptist Church (moved to Park Street after a 1978 fire). The church was organized in 1831 with a membership composed of 12 men and 19 women. As you can see from the 1920 Sanborn Map on the right, the church contained a somewhat unusual curved shape, with rectangular building located behind the main vestibule. Cross second street and note the red brick building on the SW corner of 2nd & Jefferson.
Stop 3 The historic marker on this building (can you find the slate sign ?) identifies the structure as the former "Social Hall." 
It was built by Capt John Russell Jones (a wealthy merchant) in 1814. In the 1810s Jones entered into a mercantile partnership with his brother-in-law Colonel Nimrod Bramham. In 1819 he was appointed a magistrate. Later, he became the President of the Charlottesville Farmers' Bank of Virginia. He died in 1868, most likely in debt. The classic red brick building illustrates a style common to the early 19thC and reminds us what the neighborhood would have looked like prior to the apartment buildings and parking lots.
Stop 4 Return to 2nd Street and head towards High Street (to the north). 
At the corner of 2nd and High you will see another beautiful red brick building. This building dates to the late 19th Century. Prior to the university and city hospitals, doctors operated "sanatoriums" out of their homes. This hospital was owned by Dr. Hugh Thomas Nelson (who lived in the 1887 brick house next door). He operated the sanatorium between 1895 and 1902. In 1909, Dr. Nelson was one of the first individuals in C-ville to register for a "horseless carriage," a.k.a. an automobile.
Stop 5 Find the Fire Plaque. As discussed in an earlier blog, fire insurance 
companies provided home owners wo bought policies with a metal plaque. If the home (and all of its papers) burned down, the plaque would remain to prove that the homeowner had purchased insurance. The icon identifies this mark as belonging to the Firemen’s Insurance Company, Baltimore, Maryland. This particular policy was issued c. 1835 and contains a wonderful drawing of an old-fashioned water pump. Can you find the house that contains the plaque ?
Stop 6 & 7 Head east along High Street. You will pass the Circuit Court on your left. 
At the intersection of High & 4th, look to the north...you will catch a glimpse of the 19th Century jail (seen in the photo at the right: behind the red brick house, with the chimney-like protrusions). In 1905, the last legal hanging took place at the jail when Samuel McCue, the Mayor of Charlottesville, was executed for killing his wife with a baseball bat while she took a bath in their home. This jail was buil tin 1876 and used until 1974 (when a modern structure replaced it).
Stop 8 Watch for the Division of Historic Resources sign on the corner of High & 4th St. 
These gray signs, with black type, are provided by the state government to note people, palces, or things of historic interest. This sign commemorates the life of Alexander Archer Vandegrift (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973). Born in Charlottesvile, he was a general in the United States Marine Corps and earned the Navy Cross and the medal of honor in World War II.
Stop 9 As you cross over to the park, notice the statue of Thomas J. Jackson. 
While the name may not be recognizeable, his other moniker "Stonewall Jackson" is probably more familiar. The statue dates to 1921 when Paul Goodloe McIntire donated the land for the park and money to pay Charles Keck to create the bronze statue (with the stipulation that no additional monument ever be erected in the park). Can you tell which direction the statue is facing ? Read more about the statue and the controversy over which direction it should face (north or south) on the park's website.
Stop 10 The Inn at Court Square. 
As you pass the Jackson Park, notice the bulding on the corner of E Jefferson & 4th: an inn dating to 1785. Today this is the oldest, standing building Charlottesville. The house was known as the Butler-Norris House for over a century (named after previous owners). The house has been used as a residence, law firm, slate company, church, and has only recently been restored as a working inn. Notice the pineapple statue in the front yard. There are several explanations for the popularity of this symbol. One story goes that colonial sea captains would spike a pineapple on a post in front of their home after they returned safely from a trip to the Indies. Thus, the pineapple became a symbol that the head of the household was ready to entertain again.
Stop 11 This stop is somewhat curious. 
If you look closely at the building on the corner of 4th & East Jefferson, you will notice a small slate sign, inscribed with white paint. The sign says that this was the original location of the First Baptist Church (1831). As you will have noticed above on Stop 2, the 1st Baptist Church was located one block west of this site. It's hard to say whether the sign poster got their location confused or whether the church had an even earlier and temporary location on this spot. Nonetheless, searching for the small slate signs is a great "Where's Waldo" activity while strolling downtown.
Stop 12 The last stop on this walking tour is the Beth Israel Synagogue, 
located at the corner of 3rd & E Jefferson. An earlier blog post discussed the construction of this bulding, brick-by-brick from the original building that was demolished to make way for the Charlottesville Post Office. The Synagogue dates to 1904 at this site, but the present building was rebuilt after a 1948 fire. To learn more about the history of the Beth Israel Congregation, visit the on-line exhibit titled “To Seek the Peace of the City: Jewish Life in Charlottesville.”
You should find yourself back where you began at Stop 1 ... in front of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society.
