Nelson County, Virginia

This article is about the county formed in 1807. For the county formed in 1784 which is now part of Kentucky, see Nelson County, Kentucky.

Nelson County, Virginia
Nelson County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Virginia
Virginia's location in the U.S.
Founded	1807
Named for	Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Seat	Lovingston
Largest community	Nellysford
Area
• Total	474 sq mi (1,228 km2)
• Land	471 sq mi (1,220 km2)
• Water	3.5 sq mi (9 km2), 0.7%
Population
• (2010)	15,020
• Density	31/sq mi (12/km²)
Congressional district	5th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.nelsoncounty-va.gov

Nelson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 15,020. Its county seat is Lovingston.

Nelson County is part of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Nelson County is home to Wintergreen Resort, a local ski area; Swannanoa mansion and is the location of Walton's Mountain made famous by the television show, The Waltons. Nelson County is also home to many thriving vineyards, three craft breweries, a cidery, a whiskey distillery, and Crabtree Falls.

History

At the time of English settlement in Virginia in the 17th century, the inhabitants of what became Nelson County were a Siouan-speaking tribe known as the Nahyssan. They were probably connected to the Manahoac.

Nelson County was created in 1807, when it was separated from Amherst County. The government was formed the following year. The county is named for Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, who served as Governor of Virginia in 1781. An earlier Virginia county, also named in his honor, became part of Kentucky when it separated from Virginia in 1792.

Hurricane Camille

See also: Hurricane Camille

On the night of August 19–20, 1969, Nelson County was struck by disastrous flooding caused by Hurricane Camille. The hurricane hit the Gulf Coast two days earlier, weakened over land, and stalled on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, dumping a world record quantity of 27 inches (690 mm) of rain, mainly in a three-hour period. Over five hours, it yielded more than 37 inches (940 mm), while the previous day had seen a deluge of 5 inches (130 mm) in half an hour, with the ground already saturated. There were reports of animals drowning in trees and people who had had to cup their hands around their mouth and nose to breathe.

Flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people, 31 from Roseland, Tyro, and Massies Mill alone. Over 133 public bridges were washed out in Nelson County, while some communities were under water. In the tiny community of Davis Creek, 52 people were killed or could not be found; only 3 of 35 homes were left standing after the floodwaters receded. The bodies of some people have never been found; others washed as much as 25 miles (40 km) downstream along the creeks and rivers. The entire county was virtually cut off, with many roads and virtually all bridges, telephone, radio/TV, and electric service interrupted.

The waters of the Tye, Piney, Buffalo, and Rockfish rivers flow into the James River. There was massive flooding elsewhere in Virginia, such as along the Maury River, which destroyed the town of Glasgow in Rockbridge County.

Draining all of Nelson County, and joined by massive flooding from other tributaries such as Hatt Creek, along the James 80 miles (130 km) to the east just above the fall line at Richmond crested more than 20 feet (6.1 m) above flood stage at Westham, as citizens watched portions of Nelson County houses, people and buildings and dead livestock flow past. Just a few miles further downstream, the James crested in Richmond at 28.6 feet (8.7 m) at the City Locks, swamping downtown areas and a substantial portion of South Richmond which had formerly been the separate city of Manchester. The Camille disaster did over $140 million in damages across Virginia, in 1969 US dollars. However, nowhere in Virginia was the storm as devastating and deadly as in Nelson County, where 1% of the population was killed and still never found.

Geography

The Tye River flows through the mountains and low hills of Nelson County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 474 square miles (1,230 km²), of which 471 square miles (1,220 km²) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km²) (0.7%) is water. The Blue Ridge Mountains form the northwest boundary of the county; the James River forms the boundary to the southeast. Internally, Nelson consists of the Rockfish, Tye and Piney rivers, along with many known creeks.

Adjacent counties

• Augusta County – northwest
• Albemarle County – northeast
• Buckingham County – southeast
• Appomattox County – south
• Amherst County – southwest
• Rockbridge County – west

National protected areas

• Blue Ridge Parkway (part)
• George Washington National Forest (part)
• United States National Radio Quiet Zone (part)

Major highways

• I‑64
• US 29
• US 250
• SR 6
• SR 56
• SR 151

U.S. Route 60

Education

Nelson County Public Schools is a Virginia public school division. It operates two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The middle and high schools are connected and located just outside Lovingston, Virginia. Nelson County also provides free GED testing to all adults.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	9,684		—
1820	10,137		4.7%
1830	11,254		11.0%
1840	12,287		9.2%
1850	12,758		3.8%
1860	13,015		2.0%
1870	13,898		6.8%
1880	16,536		19.0%
1890	15,336		−7.3%
1900	16,075		4.8%
1910	16,821		4.6%
1920	17,277		2.7%
1930	16,345		−5.4%
1940	16,241		−0.6%
1950	14,042		−13.5%
1960	12,752		−9.2%
1970	11,702		−8.2%
1980	12,204		4.3%
1990	12,778		4.7%
2000	14,445		13.0%
2010	15,020		4.0%
Est. 2014	14,850		−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

Historical marker on Route 250 heading east over Afton Mountain

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.65% White or European American, 14.89% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,887 households, out of which 27.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 29.60% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,769, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $29,684 versus $24,153 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,230. 12.10% of the population and 8.50% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 14.40% are under the age of 18 and 14.60% are 65 or older.

Recreation

A view down a ski slope in Wintergreen, Nelson County, Virginia

The Wintergreen Resort near Nellysford opened in 1975. A planned development begun in 1969, it offers 45 holes of championship golf; seasonal skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing. On the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, Wintergreen is a "top down" resort in which practically all of the amenities are built on the peaks and ridges, rather than at the base like a traditional ski resort.

Sections of the former Virginia Blue Ridge Railway along the Tye River are now part of the Blue Ridge Railway Trail, which was under development in the early 21st century. The trail will eventually connect the James River with the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail.

Fishing and camping are popular activities in Nelson County. Sections of the Tye River are also popular for whitewater boating with canoes and kayaks. The rapids are rated Class I to Class II+. Depending upon water conditions some rapids on the Tye River can approach class III.

The first annual Lockn' Music Festival was held September 5–8, 2013 on a farm in Nelson County near Arrington, Virginia.

Camp Jeep was held at the Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington for several years beginning in 1999 with the last event taking place in 2007.

Communities

There are no cities or incorporated towns in Nelson County. Unincorporated communities include but are not limited to:

Afton Arrington Bryant Colleen Gladstone Lodebar

Lovingston Massies Mill Montebello Nellysford Roseland

Schuyler Shipman Tyro Wingina Woods Mill

Notable people

• Walter Loving, commander of the Philippine Constabulary Band and the first African-American to direct a musical performance at the White House.
• L.A. Snead, former US Assistant Fuel Administrator (WWI), environmentalist and notable Nelsonian, spearheaded negotiations to secure land surrounding Crabtree Falls after it was almost developed as a resort area in the late 1960s Using personal and Congressional funds, the land deals were completed and the deeds transferred by LA Snead on June 3, 1968 to the National Forest System. This assured benefit for future generations of this magnificent Nelson County treasure.
• Edward Coles, secretary to James Madison and second governor of Illinois, inherited Rockfish plantation in Nelson County and in June 1819 manumitted (freed) the slaves he brought from that plantation on the Ohio River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on their joint way to the Illinois Territory.
• Eli Cook, blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, who has released six albums before his 30th birthday.
• Jimmy Fortune, former tenor for the Statler Brothers, and member of the Gospel and Country Music Hall of Fame
• Reverend Dr. William Archer Rutherfoord Goodwin grew up on farm in southern Nelson County during the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War. An Episcopalian priest, among other assignments, he served several periods as rector of Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg. It was Dr. Goodwin's dream, and his success in gaining the generous support of Mr. & Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr., that created Colonial Williamsburg beginning in 1926.
• Schuyler was the birthplace and childhood home of writer Earl Hamner Jr. He is best known for the CBS television series The Waltons, which was based on his experiences of growing up the eldest child of a large rural family in depression era America. Earl and many members of his family attended Schuyler Baptist Church, which is still active in the community.
• Thomas Bland Harvey, Sr. attended the Inauguration of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson at the President's personal invitation and sat in the front row at Washington, D.C. Harvey founded the first Dodge Brothers Dealership in the World. He built many buildings in Roseland, Virginia by hand, including the United States Post Office where his wife Marion Belle-Bowles-Harvey was the Postmaster. Harvey was s trusted Virginian gentleman whose family descended from the original settlers at Jamestown and traveled on two of the three ships landing there May 14, 1607. He was a 32nd Degree Mason / Shriner. A seventeen plus foot wave of water in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille destroyed his house and contents, as well as washed them into the US Post Office, which was likewise destroyed. A safe was later found over five miles down the Tye River. Newspapers quoted Harvey after the flood as saying, "It is God's will!."
• William Porcher Miles, South Carolina born States Rights advocate and former U.S. and Confederate congressman, briefly managed Oak Ridge plantation near Lovingston after the Civil War for his wife's father before moving to Louisiana.
• Robert Monroe, an out-of-body experience researcher who founded the Monroe Institute, lived in Faber.
• William Rives, tobacco magnate, built Oak Ridge plantation near Lovingston.
• Thomas Fortune Ryan, born near Lovingston before the Civil War as the son of a tailor who managed a small hotel, bought Oak Ridge plantation after becoming rich in New York City by consolidating transportation and tobacco companies (among others).

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Nelson County, Virginia

External links

• Nelson County's official website
• Wintergreen Resort
• Nelson County Life Magazine