LoCoHistory

Editorial note: I will be in the field for much of the next two months so there will only be occasional posts during this time. Don’t give up, in late August more regular posts will return. In the meantime, scroll through the “Archives” at the left and catch up on past locog’s or check out some of the links to other historical sites under the “links” menu at the top of the page.

Before I go, a post on summer vacation’s past: Fry’s Spring. Although hard to believe today, in the 19thC Fry’s Spring was at the end of the street-car line and, even earlier, was considered a country retreat. The “Fry” refers to James Francis Fry who was given 300 acres along Moore’s Creek in 1839 by his father-in-law. In 1875, Captain James A. Harris purchased a much smaller lot within the original boundary and it became a popular spot for leisure activities. Earlier, in the 1850s, the spring became known for its “healing waters.” With the introduction of an electric trolley in 1895, Fry’s Spring became even more popular and the owners introduced a dance pavilion, theater, and amusement park rides.
Other origins for modern-day names in this neighborhood: (1) James Fry built a house called Azelea Hall (hence the modern-day ‘Azelea Park’). (2) The Jefferson Park Hotel was built nearby in 1892 (preserved in the modern-day street name, Jefferson Park Avenue, usually shortened to JPA). The hotel burned in 1910 and was replaced by the current building associated with the Fry’s Spring Beach Club.

For more information the neighborhood and Beach Club, visit the Fry Spring’s Neighborhood Association, Charlottesville Community Design Center and the history section of the FS Beach Club’s website.

Park Street begins at E Jefferson (near the courthouse) and continues north to Melbourne Road (where it becomes Rio Road). Although Park Street contains beautiful homes, it does not contain a “park.” However, if you head north on Park St and cross the county line you will eventually reach a park (technically located off Rio Road) called Pen Park. This, however, is not the eponymous “park.” Rather, Park Street was named after Park Mill, owned by the same person who owned the plantation at Pen Park: Dr George Gilmer. Dr. Gilmer and his family lived at Pen Park from 1777 to 1800; many of these individuals are buried on the premise in a family cemetery. The mill was located along Meadow Creek. Today a sign marks the spot with its earlier name: Cochran’s Mill (built around 1754). All that remains standing today is the miller’s house, the mill has long since washed away (as it was located closer to the river, in the floodplain).

As an aside, variants on the name “Park” have been added within the last several decades to 2oth Century streets, such as “Parkway” and “Park Plaza.” These were not formal streets in the 19th Century. If anyone knows the origins of “Park Hill,” please leave a comment below.

Which C-ville landmark is referred to as “central place.” Could it be the Courthouse ? UVA ? Main Street ? The correct answer is the fountain located in the middle of the downtown mall. The fountain was designed, in part, to commemorate the wells that once lined Water Street and other downtown roads (see the earlier post on Wells along Water Street). Designed by Lawrence Halprin, the fountain contains 3 concrete structures. They symbolize the three notches carved into trees that originally marked the path of “Three Notched (or Chopped) Road” (today’s Main Street / Route 250). If you look carefully as you stroll along the mall you’ll find the historic sign that describes the path of this early road. The fountain was dedicated in 1976, when the mall was re-opened as a pedestrian walkway. Ironically, it was meant to be a gathering place, but a metal chain was later installed to discourage people from going into the fountain. To learn more about the fountain, read The Hook’s article titled “Fountainblue.”

As mentioned in previous posts, the Division of Historic Resources places gray and white signs at sites of historic interest. Charlottesville has dozens of these signs, commemorating battles, individuals, historic structures, and gravesites. The idea is to draw attention to historic spots. This becomes slightly problematic when the historic sign is miles from the site itself. It’s similar to finding a sign “to I-64″ on an Albemarle County road when you know darn well that the entrance ramp is a dozen miles away. If you don’t look carefully at the sign below you might assume that it commemorates the historic courthouse in the background. Or perhaps Swan Tavern (across the street). Instead, it commemorates the construction of Monticello (begun in 1770) and Jefferson’s death there in 1826 (on the 4th of July). The signs confesses that Monticello is 3 miles to the southeast. While a crow might make it within that distance, a vehicle or lost tourist would not. But if all you’re after is a scenic view, put your back to the sign and look carefully: the open hill-top seen in the photo below is Jefferson’s “little mountain.”

Construction in historic Charlottesville can sometimes net unexpected results. Recently, City workers were digging off the downtown mall and came across an odd piece of wood. Because they took the care to stop and remove the artifact in one piece, we get a glimpse into 19thC water technology. The artifact is part of an old well. The wooden piece is the bouyant part within the well (floating in the water). The accompanying metal pieces secure the wood within the well and allow it to open and close the opening to the well. Because we know the provenience of the artifact, the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society was able to research the origins of the well. Below is a map of the find spot, with the well (shown here on a city plan) highlighted in orange.

If you look at the map, you will notice that the well was dug at the corner of Main and Second Street. If that doesn’t sound familiar, try Water Street & 2nd Street (the contemporary street names). This well and many others like it explain the origin for the name “Water Street.”