Learn about Ashland's history in Virginia Voice's Discovering Virginia audio interviews with Rosanne Shalf and Faye Prichard, recorded in August 2014. (Download or stream MP3 files) Ashland Museum President and historian, Rosanne Shalf talks with Lou Dean about Ashland's history and charms in "Ashland - The Center of the Universe". Former Ashland Mayor, Faye Prichard talks with Lou Dean about what makes Ashland a unique destination. in "Ashland Today".
Where did those large stone blocks come from that sit beside the railroad tracks in front of Randolph-Macon College at approximately 307 N. Center St.? Ashland Museum President and Ashland historian Rosanne Shalf explains in the video below (courtesy of Tom Wulf of WulfTeam Productions and the Town of Ashland). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH_MCMlVtxw&feature=youtu.be If the video doesn't work, click for >>> The Story of the Stones.
In My Home Town is a Bulletin for Members of the Ashland Museum. Our focus is interesting or notable people, places, events or things, and memories related to Ashland, Virginia. Below are links to past issues. To receive the latest issues of In My Home Town as soon as they are published, please visit our Support page and become a Member of the Ashland Museum. Fall 2013 - Ashes over Ashland! The Great Fire of 1893 [...]
Every town has a Founders Day – the day that the town was officially incorporated – and Ashland’s is February 19th, 1858. In celebration of Founders Day, let's show our pride in our home town. Hang a flag or put a red, white, and blue ribbon on the outside of your home – around a tree, on a lamp post or column, or on a wreath – as well as on your lapel for 3 [...]
Twelve photographs of architectural details or sections of items located within a one block radius of The Ashland Museum have been compiled. Using the photo sheet for Adults or Kids, walk about and locate or identify each item. Pick up an photo sheet at the Ashland Museum or print a copy from the PDF posted here. Happy hunting!! Ashland in Detail Scavenger Hunt - Hunt Recording Sheet (Note: the contest has ended, but you [...]
Here is a transcription of a letter published in the Alexandria Gazette on August 25, 1857. According to the Library of Congress, this newspaper was published in Alexandria, VA, from 1834 to 1974. The author of the letter is unknown since it is signed only with the word, "Union". A link to an image of the original letter from the microfilmed copy of the newspaper is provided below the transcribed text. A Suggestion The passenger over [...]
Ashland Trivia/Scavenger Hunt in honor of Cross Brothers’ 100th Anniversary Cross Brothers was established in year 1912. Find out what else was happening in ‘downtown’ Ashland in 1912. This Scavenger Hunt can be done on foot in downtown historic Ashland or online at this web site. On Foot: Pick up a Main Street Map at the Ashland-Hanover Visitor's Center (112 North Railroad Avenue) or the Ashland Museum. Visit the locations below to find out more [...]
Here is a transcription of a letter published in the Daily National Intelligencer on May 23, 1860. This newspaper was published in Washington, D.C., from about 1800 to 1870. The author of the letter is unknown since it is signed only with the initials A.M. A link to an image of the original letter from the microfilmed copy of the newspaper is provided below the transcribed text. A VISIT TO ASHLAND “Sweet Ashland, loveliest village of [...]
John Wood's map of Hanover County published in 1820 shows Lankford's Mill near the southern border of what became Ashland, near Stony Run Creek. Legend has it that young Henry Clay brought his family's grain here to be ground into flour. During the 1830s, a little known startup company named the Richmond Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway Company began buying land in the sparsely inhabited areas north of Richmond near the Slashes of Hanover and the Clay [...]
The 1860s Census is rich in detail, compared to the previous ones. We get a picture of the kinds of people living in Ashland. There were twenty-two households and 148 people in the St. Paul’s Parish District. Of those households and the probable Ashland households in the Upper Revenue District, there were 18 carpenters, 6 of them master carpenters; 14 laborers, including 8 Irishmen living at the hotel; 10 farmers; 6 merchants or clerks, including [...]
Our hometown, Ashland, Virginia, is located 15 miles north of Richmond. Ashland is less than 70 miles from Charlottesville and Williamsburg, on the west and east, respectively. Fredericksburg and Petersburg are each about 41 miles due north and south, respectively, along I-95. Our exact coordinates on the globe are 37°45′34″N 77°28′38″W (37.759444, -77.477222). Ashland's 7,600 residents enjoy life within a land area of 7.2 square miles at 213 ft (65 m) above sea level. View [...]
First, the train. Then, the resort. Finally, the town. That's the short story of Ashland, a town that owes its existence to a railroad and whose character still is defined by the trains that run through its center. - CLARKE BUSTARD, 2007 Below are the highlights and major events in the history of Ashland, VA. As with most places, our history begins before the town was officially a town. Of course, many important events are [...]