Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia

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d Topograph

a South Atlantic State. The shape of the state suggests an irregular triangle: the base of the triangle, the southern boundary of the state which divides it from North Carolin

nia and Maryland and Virginia and the District of Columbia; on the east by the Potomac River, Maryland, the Chesapeake B

xtends approximately 450 miles from east to west and the distance from north to south is approximately 200 miles at its widest point. The geographical center of Virginia is at a point eleven miles south of east of the town of Amherst

may be conveniently divide

ksburg, the rapids of the James River at Richmond and the Falls of the Appomattox at Petersburg illustrate the concept of the Fall Line. Consequently, the so-called Fall Line extends from Washington, D. C., through Alexandria, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Petersburg and Emporia in Virginia. Thus, the South Atlantic Coastal Plain region of Virginia is located along the Atlantic seacoast from the Potomac River at Alexandria to the Nort

a called the Eastern Shore extends southward from Maryland and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Thu

tween the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rive

peninsula lies between the Ra

ula or the Williamsburg Peninsula-This peninsul

ressure pushes the tides inland. The strong influence of geography upon occupations in this region is exemplified by the importance of commercial fishing (especially oysters, scallops, clams and crabs), ocean transportation (the large area of deep water in the Chesapeake Bay encourages ocean-going commercial ships to seek inland ports in this region-especially around Hampton Roads), truck farmi

th of the plateau varies from forty miles in Northern Virginia to one hundred ninety miles in the southern part, gradually broadening as one travels southward. The plateau rises gradually from an elevation of 200-700 feet at the eastern end of the plateau until, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it reaches approximately 1500 feet near the Virginia-North Carolina border

line. From a distance the mountain ridges usually appear to be covered with a blue haze; therefore, the term "Blue Ridge" is believed to have originated from such an observation in early colonial Virginia days. This region constitutes a distinct contrast to the Piedmont area since the ridges appear abrupt yet lofty in height: in the northern half of Virginia, Stony Man Ridge (4,010 feet) and Hawksbill (4,049 feet); in the central part, Peaks of Otter (Flat Top-4,001 feet and Sharp Top-3,875 feet) and in the southwestern part, White Top M

ty miles to the borderline of Tennessee. The eastern part of this valley is often referred to as the Great Valley or the Valley of Virginia. This valley is actually a series of valleys separated by crosswise ridges and drained by five rivers: the upper James, Roanoke, New, Holston and Powell. An abundance of limestone makes the soil exceptionally fertile and productive. In the northern part of the Valley of Virginia is the famous Shenandoah Valley, about 150 miles long and ten to twe

terrain. Water gaps, gorges, sandstone walls, rock formations and dense forested areas make southwestern Virginia's scenery distinctly different and picturesque. The Cumberland Mountains form its western boundary. Coal-mining is the ch

suggests a one-word description of Vir

al Regions

ATE CHAMBER

ral

e Fea

dities or unusual geographical formations. Virginia has been richly endowed

New Market) and Skyline (near Front Royal). These caverns are of limestone formation and contain stalagmites (upward-projecting forms on a cavern floor) and stalactites (downward-projecting forms fr

e surface of the earth in this area from unknown sources. Crystal Spring in Roanoke received its name from th

rock) and is a bridge of stone ninety feet long and two hundred and fifteen feet high spanning a gorge cut by Cedar Creek. So unique is this formation that Indian lore relates that it was referred to as "the Bridge o

ong, one hundred and fifty feet wide and one hundred feet high, carved by flowing water through solid mountain terrain. T

st waterfalls east of the Mississippi River. These falls are formed by a branch of th

etween Virginia and Maryland, is one of the highest water

These rock strata are so straight and so symmetrical that they resemble a series of chimneys suggesting their n

owth, its fur-bearing game (particularly, black bear), its massive timber varieties and its disorderly plant vegetation. Juniper trees, sometimes called red c

), Westmoreland State Park (near Montross and Fredericksburg), Claytor Lake State Park (near Dublin and Radford), Prince Edward Lake State Park (near Burkeville) and Pocahontas Memorial State Park (near Richmond and Petersburg). The Breaks Interstate Park controlled by Virginia and Kentucky has scenery so similar to the Grand Canyon that it is often refered to as "The Grand Canyon of the

s and

ributary, the Shenandoah), the Rappahannock River (including its chief tributary, the Rapidan), the York River, the James River (including its tributaries, the Chickahominy and the Appomattox), the Meherrin, Nottoway and Blackwater Rivers (the chief tributaries o

the heart of the Dismal Swamp and in the highest part of the Dismal Swamp, Lake Jackson near Centerville, Mountain Lake near Blacksburg (thirty-five hundred feet above sea level and noted for the clarity of its water), Pedlar Lake in Long Mountain Wayside Park, Claytor

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altitude. In the Piedmont and Appalachian areas, during the winter months the temperatures are lower than on the plains; likewise, in the former areas, greater seasonal contrasts occur. In general, the climate of the entire state is mild with few extremes in temperature. The average temperature is approx

in others, as low as thirty-six or thirty-seven inches. Rainfall typically is abundant and well-distributed throughout the year. The heaviest rainfall usually occurs, however, during the summer. As a result of

al Re

ces as well as by its location. It has already been pointed out that Virgini

ous types of soil: rich, black loam; light, sandy loam; clay and sand loam; limestone and clay soils. Most of these soils are e

shed their leaves annually, and they are called deciduous trees. Since softwood trees bear cones, they are called coniferous trees. The southern or yellow pine is the leading softwood or coniferous tree which thrives in Virginia because of the sandy soil of the coastal plain. Other softwood

ue of its fisheries. The principal fish are oysters and clams in Chesapeake Bay, blue crabs and shrimp in the Tidewater area, scallops in seacoast inlets, bads, bream, perch, pike, carp, catfish i

an ample supply of steam coal has resulted in the production of electric power in Virginia at a much cheaper rate than in many other states. Fu

approximately forty have been mined and quarried recently. However, Virginia ranks nineteenth in Unit

reas: (1) the Piedmont region-the Richmond Basin and the Farmville area-bituminous; (2) the west side of the Great Valley of Virginia-anthracite and semi-anthracite and (3) the Southwestern Plateau-bituminous and semi-bituminous. The first coal to be mined in the United States was loc

es rank second in financial va

ing usually lime, clay and sand)-in the Ti

al Plain and in Augusta, Botetourt, Norfolk and Warren C

est of the Blue Ridge Mountains-used as a source of magnesium, f

provinces-used for building monumenta

urg and in the Piedmont area-used for crushed stone

t of the state-used in the production of lime and for manufacturing chemicals,

lack, green, white, red, reddish-brown, blue, gray, blue-gray, pink and variegated (different colors wi

-in the Valley-used in the manufacture

ick and in Rockingham Counties-chief s

lbemarle and Buckingham Counties-used chiefly for roofs, baseboards,

combined, rank third in financial value of minerals

y River in Amherst County-used in the ceramic and glas

sed for manufacturing alumi

primarily for the manufacture of cement, pl

parts of the state-used in furnaces f

ture refractories, used by metallurgical and glass industries, for insulators, for spark plugs, por

, Smyth, Giles and Wythe Counties-used in the manufacture of steel, dry ba

d Scott Counties-us

various industrial chemicals and for specialized used in food, clay, dye, gl

e manufacture of switchboards, electric insulators, insecticides

extender and as pigment, paper and rubber filler, cer

to a slight extent in making steel) and rutile (used mainly for coating on electrical welding rods); titanium is used for increasing the hardness,

nd Princess Anne Counties. Sand and gravel are also used for "fill," for engine sands, railroad ballast and glass. Clay (excluding that type used in the manufacture of pottery) ranks fifth in financial value. Clay deposits

etals, Virginia m

ed in the preparation of oil

material used as an insulator, as a fi

es-used chiefly in the ceramics industry for making pottery and in the manufactu

uckingham, Culpeper, Goochland, Louisa, Orange, Spotsylvania and Stafford Counties-chief uses of gold include as a bullion for backin

, in storage batteries, cable covering and as an alloy; zinc: in Scott, Wythe, Rockingham and Spotsylvania

fly for electric insulation, for coating wallpaper, for roofing paper, in lubricants and in heat-re

and Dickenson Counties

County-used for its sulphur content in the manufactu

nty-used for making high-sp

e Ridge provinces-used for the manufacture

or natural resources will increase. As new processing methods are devis

Reso

among the fifty states of the United States. Of this total population, approximately 40% in 1960 lived in incorporated localities having a population of 25,000 or more, an increase of approximately 4% over 1950; approximately 78% are white and 22% are non-white. Of the non-white population, approximately 21% are Ne

ulation of a state by the total land area of the state. The density of population in 1960 was 96. The counties of Fairfax (southwes

ites. This emigration practically ceased during the 1930's. During the Great Depression, agricultural workers who had made up the large proportion of the previous emigration realized the futility of migrating to urban areas beyond the state, already overcrowded with unemployed people. Although manufacturing activities in the nation declined during this pe

of people in Virginia's history since the colonial period. Approximately 216,900 persons became residents of Virginia during this decade. At the same time, there was a high rate of development of employment opportunities in Virginia as manu

t News, Portsmouth, Roanoke, Alexandria, Hampton, Lynchburg, Danville and Petersburg. During the past decade, the population of three cities has been materially increased through annexation. In 1952, Hampton, Phoebus and Elizabeth City County consolidated into the first class city of Hampton. In the same year, Warwick C

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much scenic beauty. Several unique geographical features found in Virginia such as Burning Spring, Natural Bridge, Natural Tunnel, Crabtree Falls, Natural Chimneys, several caverns and the nine state parks, in addition to the well-known Shenandoah National Park, help to make Virginia a most desirable tourist area. A variety of natural resources such as soil, forests, fish, waterpower, coal, mi