The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1903-02-06
Prince Edward County.
by Frankle l. MeKlnner.l

! long and twenty miles wide. Thi
county was given the name Of Prime
Edward in honor Of Edward Augustu.
Duke Of York. brother Of King Georg
| III Of England. Prince Edward
bounded on the north by Buckingham
and Cumberland, on the west 10y Apo
mattox and Charlotte, on the south b.
Charlotte and Lunenburg and on Tn
east by Nottoway aud Amelia. Tia
population Of the county is 1854. Th
lands are generally Of good quality, an,
there are many very fine estates in thu
county. 1t is located in what is known
as Southside Virginia, so called because
OF its being south Of the James River
Prince Edward il a rolling county mid
way between the tide-w water and the
mountains. IL has no mountains eX
cept Lees which is small and Of no i'm.
portsnce. 9 The Appomlttox river runs
on the northern boundary separating
it from Buckingham and Cumberland
and by this stream and its tributaries
the county is well watered. The lands
Of Prince Edward are well suited to
the various crops Of middle Virginia.
Fine quality Of wheat IA raised also
corn, oats, rye, millet, clover and
timothy, but its principal crop is to-
bacco, for which she is noted, being in
the heart Of the dark tobacco region
Almost all Of this tobacco is shipped
abroad. Good fruits and Vegetables are
raised such as apples, peaches, pears,
grapes, apricots, strawberries, rasp-
berries and all smaller fruits; water
melons, musk and cantaloupes;
the vegetables are sweet potatoes, cab
bages, peas, beans, onions ard many
others, indeed the lands produce well
anything grown in this latitude The
forest trees are pine, poplar, black oak,
sweet gum, silver maple. several
varitles Of hickory, white aud red oak,
willow oak, black and white walnut,
mulberry, cedar, dog wood, wild cherry,
locust, chestnut oak, slippery elm, black
elm, cork elm, sycamore, birch, beech
and willow. The minerals are iron,
mica, copper, coal and building stones
is offered by the Nor
folk and Western Railway, passing
through the northern portion Of the
county, and the Southern railway the
southern.
From the very first the citizens have
been a law-abiding and God-fearing
people, they seemed early to have form
ed love Of education, for in 1875 when
it was found that new college was
needed, the Presbytery Of Hanover,
Of sturdy Scotch-lrish Pres
byterians) determined to establish this
college in Prince Edward. The site Sc
ected for it was at the head Of Hud-
sons Branch, on a hundred acres Of
and given for that use by Mr.. Peter
Johnston. Prince Edward Academy
asst was called was opened in January, |
776 amidst the terrOrs Of revolution. /
Later il was known as Hampden Sid /
ley College, named in hohor Of two |
great English statesmen, Hampden |
and Sidney.
Increased educational means were /
much needed, all communications with /
Great Britain being cut off, and educat-
ed youths would be wanting to fin the
places Of such as would soon fall vic
inns to the war. Thel college Of viii
liam and Mary was indeed old and
we'll endowed, but il was near
The scene Of war surrounded by noisy
amps. In a short time more than a
students focked to the Prince
edward Academy, and the means Of
accommodations were not great enough \
or the number. During the year
company Of students was
Mr.. John Blair Smith, Jr.,
. tutor, being captain. The uniform
vas a purple hunting shirt. This COM
ANY upon a order Of the Governor for
militia from Prince Edward during the
blowing year, marched to Williams
iurg, where however, their services
we're not required, some Of them be-
anne officers in the army and Others
nlisted as common soldiers. Again
When CORVALLIS was pushing Green
rom North Carolina in l7Sl.a mother
ompany was formed to help defend
'irginia. AT Hampden-Sidney in 1924 |
he Union Theological Seminary was
ounded on land given by Hampden-
iidney,college, In 1898 it was moved
D Richmond.
Prince Edward was one Of the coun-
les through which Tarleton passed in
lis never to be forgotten raid through
'irginia. He passed Worsham and
ilulhk ta1tMaiu oAVblth AZ q ioihA
Iouse. He rode his horse up the front
tops, through the porch and into the
all leaving the print Of the horses
Ioofs on the floor He then set fire to
be house, but It was put out by rain
torn, and ever afterwards the place
'as called providence 1t is still
landing. The continental troops also
assed along the same road Ny great
was a small boy attending
country school. The children wished
D look at the soldiers, the school-mas-
sr being Tory would not allow them
D look out Of the window.
After the siege and fall Of Yorktown,
mallpox broke out in the American ,
rmy, and for fear that the French |
rOops might contract the disease, they
'ere removed from Yorktown and
lmped on the Glebe lands in {