A Guidebook to Virginia's Historical Markers: Third Edition

Scott David Arnold

492 pages, 6 1/2 x 9 1/4

20 b&w illustrations, 7 maps

Paper 978-0-8139-2572-1 • $19.95

Available January 2007

Including nearly nine hundred new and replacement markers that have been installed along the commonwealth's roadways since the last edition was published in 1994, this third edition of A Guidebook to Virginia's Historical Markers brings together and updates the texts of more than 1,850 official state historical markers placed along Virginia's highways since 1927. Divided for the first time into six geographic-cultural regions, this edition contains maps and three individual indexes that assist the reader in locating markers by title, number, or subject matter. The subject index covers African American, Native American, and women's history; maps out key places in such areas as European exploration and settlement, industry and agriculture, and transportation and communication; and canvasses the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and such notable sites as courthouses, houses of worship, educational institutions, forts, and famous homes and homesites.

Vacationers and those simply out for a drive will stumble across sites as diverse as Jamestown and the birthplace of Booker T. Washington, the graves of country music's Carter family and the original locations of northern Virginia's Nike missile installations, the places where paramount chief Powhatan first met with the English and where the artist Georgia O'Keeffe taught art, and Langley Field, which played a significant role in the history of manned space flight.

Virginia has one of the oldest marker systems in the country, established in 1927. The markers are no longer state funded, and so the program illustrates a collaborative effort between committed sponsors who offer financial support, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and the Virginia Department of Transportation. The network holds great appeal for tourists and serves as a source of pride for local citizens.

Travelers along Virginia's highways will find this guide both useful and informative. The great legacy of Virginia's past is revealed on these markers, making the book both a handy reference and a stimulus to greater study of the history of the commonwealth.

Published in association with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources

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Scott David Arnold is Manager of the Historical Highway Marker Program at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.