As you all probably know, West Virginia has only been a separate state since June 20, 1863, after President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring it to be so. I guess you could say the history of the state starts from that date, but the story of human settlement in the area goes back a lot further.
Prior to achieving statehood, the land we love was considered to be part of the Commonwealth of Virginia and, even before that it was home to a variety of cultures of Native Americans. They were in the area for a long time and there is evidence that human beings were living here as much as 12,500 years ago. The burial mounds at Moundsville and in South Charleston, as well as the numerous archeological sites that can be found in the state, are evidence to the fact that they had a settled, village society that farmed, traded with each other and cold worked copper. Over time these early cultures gradually changed as their people moved on and they were replaced by other tribes, a pr
SUMMARY
The Zúñiga chart, a manuscript map of the Chesapeake Bay and Tidewater Virginia, is a copy of a map that was probably originally drawn by Captain John Smith, one of the Jamestown colonists. Named for Don Pedro de Zúñiga, a Spanish ambassador to England, who sent it to King Philip III of Spain in September 1608, the chart is significant for its insight into the locations of Indian villages, the location of Jamestown and the architecture of James Fort, and the concerns and priorities of the English colonists.
Smith arrived in Virginia on April 26, 1607, with the group of colonists who established and settled Jamestown. By 1608, Smith had already mounted multiple expeditions of the Chesapeake Bay area and spent several weeks as a captive at Werowocomoco, the residence of Powhatan, the paramount chief of the Indians of Tsenacomoco. Drawing on his travels, Smith drafted a map of the Chesapeake Bay and Tidewater Virginia and sent it to London in June 1608. It is generally bel
A Virginianâs long-held dream has begun to take shape at a Culpeper County crossroads.
Where Youngâs Lane meets Maddenâs Tavern Road near Lignum, allies recently broke ground for a monument to Black soldiers who marched into Confederate territory during the American Civil War, right past this spot.
The advance of the United States Colored Troops regiments, which crossed the Rappahannock River at modern-day Remington, marked Black troopsâ entry into Gen. Robert E. Leeâs area of operations.
A new nonprofit, The Freedom Foundation, and a much older one, the Piedmont Environmental Council, have teamed to commemorate that event and all it represents, as well as two nearby historic sites, Maddenâs Tavern and Ebenezer Baptist Church. The foundation has identified at least 120 USCTs who were born in Culpeper.
Federal grant to boost Fredericksburg river rescue team
The Fredericksburg City Council approved a grant for $76,000 for the City Fire Department’s Water Rescue Team.
The grant was originally awarded to the fire department in October 2019 through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management which got funding from the Department of Homeland Security.
The goal seeks to expand and improve water rescue operations throughout Virginia. The Fire Department will use the grant to purchase equipment to bring its water rescue squad up to code with the rules set by the state Department of Emergency Management.
The equipment is expected to upgrade the water rescue squad to a National Incident Management System Type Three team. This level would certify the team to be deployed statewide to where water-related emergencies are occurring. Such emergencies would include situations such as hurricanes and localized flooding.