Why are some brick buildings decorated with metal stars ? In historic brick construction, the end of the floor joist rests on a ledge only inches wide. Over time, gravity and the weight of the building cause the walls to bow outwards. This, in turn, causes the joists to slip off their ledges. To prevent this, a tie rod is laid from one end of the building to the other, drilled into either end.
Quick quiz - where is Albemarle’s only statue of a Native American woman ? (Please email me if you know of others!) She is hard to see, because she’s kneeling behind two men. But if you look closely at the Meriwether Lewis and William Clark statue at the intersection of West Main & Ridge Street (in downtown C-ville), you will see the Shoshone woman. Sacagawea, along with her husband Charbonneau, joined the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1804, to serve as a translator.
The atmospheric photo of the Rivanna is provided courtesy of Bill Emory. His blog provides wonderful images of local resources, both cultural and natural. In the past, rivers provided an important route for travel. If you imagine the county without Route 29 and envision 250 as its muddy/rocky predecessor, Three Notched Road, you can appreciate why an unobstructed waterway would be a desirable alternative for moving people and goods through the county.
Since this blog is focusing on historic periods (roughly post 1700), I won’t have the space to describe the indigenous populations in great detail. But I will occasionally discuss the historic records that document the presence of the Monacan people in the region (who arrived long before the European settlers). For example, Captain John Smith’s 1607 map of Virginia indicates a region inhabited by “Monacans.” This map includes a reference to Monasukapanough, located along the Rivanna River near the present-day Polo Grounds Road.
Place names often provide historical clues. For example, the County is named after Willem van Keppel, the second Earl of Albemarle. The Earl (1702-1754) was a British diplomat, Colonel, and later governor of the colony. The county was formed in 1744, but the current boundaries date to 1777. Originally, the county seat was in Scottsville, but it was moved to Charlottesville in 1761. Charlottesville is named after Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), the wife of George III of England.
Welcome to LoCoHistory! A website dedicated to exploring local history in Albemarle County, Virginia.