Browse Items (13 total)

Narrative of Burton Payne, enslaved by John Wills at Chatham Plantation, and Albert Gallatin Wills of Forest Place Planation, narrative collected before 1922, identifies Burton Payne's father Thomas Mathews

Death Certificate of Burton Payne founder of African American community "Payne Town" includes notation "slave of AG Wills" died at age 105

A list of the personal property taxes paid by citizens in different districts of Fluvanna County in 1782. Although these lists do not give a full list of all persons living in Fluvanna County, they do provide invaluable information on some of the…

This white-oak peg was one of 3,000 used in the mortise and tenon construction of the Palmyra Covered Bridge over the Rivanna River, built in 1884 by W.R. and C.C. Cocke. They were used in place of typical nails or bolts because they could be…

This newspaper clipping shows the burning of the Covered Bridge over the Rivanna River at Palmyra in 1931. Although this was done by the Virginia State Highway Department under controlled conditions, it was still a sight to see. This bridge was…

The covered bridge at Palmyra was built in 1884 by W.R. and C.C. Cocke to replace earlier wooden bridges. The 1884 bridge was of mortise and tenon construction, and was built using 3,000 white-oak pegs instead of nails or bolts. One of the pegs is…

Three Chopt Road (Three Notched Road)

This picture shows a tree with three notches etched in the bark, along Three Chopt Road also known as Three Notched Road. It was an early road built upon an old Native American trail. The road runs through…

In February 1907, the Virginia Airline first began acquiring land to build a new railroad that would run through Fluvanna County, and would connect to the C&O Railroad. This offered Fluvanna the opportunity to be connected to many larger cities such…

Early taverns of America were places where members of the community and travelers alike could eat, drink, gather, and sometimes even sleep. There were several taverns located in Columbia throughout the years since the town’s founding. This…

The Page mines were located on Long Island Creek. They werefirst eradicated in 1856 and an eight stamp mill was created to crush the ores of the veins running through the property. Although it is hard to find the origins of the property in county…

On Friday, May 1, 1908 students from Palmyra High School boarded the train in North Palmyra on this momentous occasion. Here, they left Station 812 at 9:45 and traveled to the next station – Wildwood. Although this station had no memorable name,…

This is a stone road marker placed by General John Hartwell Cocke, the Fluvanna County Overseer of Roads, in 1828. This specific marker directed people from the Fluvanna County seat at Palmyra to the James River at New Canton. There were multiple…

1848 letter from Clerk of Court for Fluvanna County, Virginia registry paper for free negro, signed Abram Shepherd.