Woodlawn, Virginia

Woodstock, Virginia

The town was established by charter in March 1761 as a part of what was then Frederick County. It was originally formed by a land grant from Lord Fairfax, and founded as Muellerstadt (Miller Town) in 1752 after founder Jacob Miller. The town's charter was sponsored by George Washington in Virginia's House of Burgesses. Woodstock has been the County Seat of Shenandoah County, since the County's formation in 1772.

In the late 1770s, John Muhlenberg was pastor at a Lutheran church located in the heart of Woodstock. As a famous story of Muhlenberg has it, at conclusion of his farewell sermon on January 21, 1776, Muhlenberg threw off his clerical robes to reveal an officer's uniform beneath and shouted, "there is a time to pray and a time to fight..." With that declaration, the story says he then called for volunteers to join the 8th Virginia Regiment under his command.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,952 people, 1,685 households, and 1,029 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,216.9 people per square mile (469.5/km²). There were 1,840 housing units at an average density of 566.6 per square mile (218.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.62% White, 2.73% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.28% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.43% of the population.

Wytheville, Virginia

Wytheville (/ˈwɪθvɪl/ WITH-vil) is a town in, and the county seat of, Wythe County, in western Virginia, United States. It is named after George Wythe, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, and mentor to Thomas Jefferson and is known as ‘The City of Lights.’ Wytheville's population was 8,211 at the 2010 census.[3] Interstate Highways 77 and 81 were constructed to intersect at the town, long a crossroads for travelers.

During the American Civil War, Wytheville had a strategic importance. It was attacked in 1863 (Toland's Raid) and 1865 (Stoneman's 1865 Raid). The town is the birthplace of Edith Bolling Wilson, second wife of President Woodrow Wilson. The last lynching in Virginia took place here in 1926.

Wythe County was created in 1789 and named for George Wythe, the "father of American Jurisprudence" and signer of the Declaration of Independence. In May 1790, Chris Simmerman donated 90 acres, along with John Davis's 10 acres, to establish a town and county seat. Robert Adams completed a town survey in November of that year, dividing the area into half-acre lots. The town did not have an official name yet, but was generally known as Wythe Court House. [4]

Yorktown, Virginia

Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County,[3] one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York County's population was 66,134 in the 2011 census estimate.

The town is most famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington and the French Fleet during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. Although the war would last for another year, this British defeat at Yorktown effectively ended the war. Yorktown also figured prominently in the American Civil War (1861–1865), serving as a major port to supply both northern and southern towns, depending upon who held Yorktown at the time.

Today, Yorktown is one of three sites of the Historic Triangle, which also includes Jamestown and Williamsburg as important colonial-era settlements. It is the eastern terminus of the Colonial Parkway connecting these locations. Yorktown is also the eastern terminus of the TransAmerica Trail, a bicycle touring route created by the Adventure Cycling Association.

The Plains, Virginia

The Plains is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 217 at the 2010 census,[3] down from 266 at the 2000 census. It is centered on the intersection of Virginia Route 55 (John Marshall Highway) and Virginia Route 245 (Old Tavern Road). The town of The Plains, Virginia is situated off of Interstate 66. The mayor of The Plains is Blake Gallagher.

The Plains is located in northeastern Fauquier County at 38°51′46″N 77°46′32″W / 38.86278°N 77.77556°W / 38.86278; -77.77556 (38.862698, -77.775464).[4] VA 55 leads southeast 10 miles (16 km) to Gainesville and west 4.5 miles (7.2 km) to Marshall. VA 245 leads southwest 1 mile (1.6 km) to Interstate 66 at Exit 31. I-66 leads east 45 miles (72 km) to Washington, D.C. and west 24 miles (39 km) to Front Royal.

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 266 people, 110 households, and 70 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,035.1 people per square mile (395.0/km²). There were 118 housing units at an average density of 459.2 per square mile (175.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.85% White and 10.15% African American. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population.

Wallops Island

Wallops Island is a six-square-mile (16 km2) island in Accomack County, Virginia, part of the Virginia Barrier Islands that stretch along the eastern seaboard of the United States of America. The island is just south of Chincoteague Island, a popular tourist destination.

Wallops Island proper, originally known as Kegotank Island, was granted to John Wallop by the Crown on April 29, 1692. Ownership was divided down through the years, until the Commonwealth of Virginia seized the property in 1876 and 1877 in lieu of unpaid taxes. From 1877, ownership was again divided and sub-divided until 1889, when it was held by various trustees for the Wallops Island Club. The Club was incorporated and assumed ownership in 1933 as the Wallops Island Association, Inc. Association members and their families spent the summers fishing and swimming on the island. The Association grazed sheep, cattle, and ponies on the area until the mid-1940s. In 1947, the U.S. Navy began using the upper two-thirds of the island on a lease-rental basis for aviation ordnance testing. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (N.A.C.A.), forerunner of NASA, leased the lower 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) for rocket launching facilities.[1]

The island is primarily used for NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, including the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, although the name also refers to the peninsula area surrounding the island for the purpose of mailing addresses. The Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge is located on the island.

Winchester, Virginia

Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,203.[4] As of 2015, its population is an estimated 27,284.[5] It is the county seat of Frederick County,[6] although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester with surrounding Frederick County for statistical purposes.

Winchester is the principal city of the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a part of the Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV Combined Statistical Area. Winchester is home to Shenandoah University and the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

Indigenous peoples lived along the waterways of present-day Virginia for thousands of years before European contact. Archeological, linguistic and anthropological studies have provided insights into their cultures. Though little is known of specific tribal movements before European contact, the Shenandoah Valley area, considered a sacred common hunting ground, appears by the 17th century to have been controlled mostly by the local Iroquoian-speaking groups, including the Senedo and Sherando.

Toano, Virginia

Toano was established in the late 19th century in western James City County at the former site of "Burnt Ordinary", which was named in the 18th century for a roadside tavern that had burned down. The word Toano comes from a Native American word meaning "high ground".

In 1881, the Peninsula Extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was built through the area from Richmond to reach the coal piers on Hampton Roads at the new city of Newport News. The C&O built a railroad station at Toano.

Toano was located on the old Richmond-Williamsburg Stage Road, which is U.S. Route 60 in modern times. Interstate 64 was built through the area in the 1970s, and passes nearby. Exit 227, located at the intersection of State Route 30, is signed "Toano-West Point".

Warm Springs, Virginia

Warm Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Bath County, Virginia, United States.[1] The population as of the 2010 Census was 123.[2] It lies along U.S. Route 220 near the center of the county. Warm Springs includes the historical mill town called Germantown.

The community grew up around the courthouse and the nearby Jefferson Pools. The Bath County Health Department, Sheriff's Department, and other county offices are located adjacent to the courthouse. The Warm Springs Post Office handles mail for the 24484 zip code. Other notable landmarks in Warm Springs are the Bath County Historical Society and the Waterwheel Restaurant, which is located inside of a converted mill. Warm Springs Gallery, located just downhill from the courthouse, specializes in contemporary fine art. Apart from these landmarks, Warm Springs is primarily residential in character, with many renovated inns and historic homes which serve as accommodation for out-of-town visitors. Cowpasture River draws visitors for fishing and kayaking.

Susan Loy

Susan Loy (born 1951) is an American artist, calligrapher, and author best known for her "Literary Calligraphy" watercolor paintings of the Language of Flowers and the White House Easter Egg Roll. These paintings combine hand-lettered classic quotations from William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Biblical sources, etc. with finely-rendered illustration done with steel pens and brushes.

Loy was a 1969 graduate of Midpark High School in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. She graduated in American Studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Loy’s graduate studies included art history,[1] literature, and geography at Ohio State University.[2]

Loy took a calligraphy course in Columbus in 1978 and was captivated; she later explained that the pen was like a magic wand when she picked it up.[4] She felt that her research background in cognitive geography and art history brought her into the art world “through the back door,” rather than gaining entrance through studio classes as is typical for most artists.[5]