Located along US-58 along with other markers in a small highway widening area, this marker points…read moreout the history of an educational institution that is no longer. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "This is the original campus of Randolph-Macon College, the oldest Methodist-affiliated college still operating in the United States. Chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1830 and named for Congressmen John Randolph of Roanoke, Charlotte County, Virginia, and Nathaniel Macon, of Warren County, North Carolina, the college opened on 9 October 1832. Dabney Cosby, a builder employed by Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia, was a contractor. In 1868, largely due to economic difficulties caused by the Civil War, the college was moved to Ashland, where it continues in operation. The vacated buildings later housed a freedmen's school, as well as the Boydton Academic and Bible Institute, which operated until the mid-1930s." This is marker number UL-4 and it was erected in 1994 by the Department of Historic Resources. [Review 2236 of 2024 - 1461 in Virginia - 23254 overall]

Another marker here at the intersection of Buckhorn Quarter Road and US 58 near Courtland Virginia,…read moreI think everyone's heard of the famous Dred Scott decision. And so here the history comes a bit more alive. The marker reads, "Dred Scott, a slave, lived as a child northeast of here on the Peter Blow plantation early in the 1800s. The Blows moved to Missouri and in 1830 sold Scott to an army officer who was stationed in various free territories. Scott sued for his and his family's freedom in 1846 because he lived where slavery was illegal. In 1857, however, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery and that Scott was property, not a citizen. The Dred Scott decision outraged abolitionists and further divided the nation. Blow's sons purchased Scott's freedom in 1857; he died in 1858." After reading the other markers about Indians, I am reminded that the US has definitely done some depressing and shameful stuff. [Review 11884 overall, 1666 of 2019.]

I'm starting to appreciate the North Carolina markers a bit more. Even though they have limited…read moreinformation on the marker, they have a good essay on the web page. Not so for Virginia who has more information on the marker and nothing else on the web page. This marker is placed on US-58 near Southampton High School / Southampton Middle School. The marker reads, "The Nottoways' first recorded contact with the English colonists occurred in 1650 in present-day Sussex County. By 1694, due to hostile Indian attacks and encroaching settlers, the Nottoways had moved their main settlement to the mouth of Assamoosick Swamp in Southampton County. The Nottoway were farmers and hunters and their language was related to that of the Iroquois. By 1713, the House of Burgesses set the boundaries for the Nottoway Indian reservation. Over time, due to a decreasing population and white settlers' claims, Nottoway land was sold to outsiders. The legal termination of the Nottoway Indian reservation began in 1824 and by 1878 the last parcels of land had been divided among the surviving Nottoways." Today, the Nottoway people number around 500. Many are in the vicinity of this marker. [Review 11880 overall, 1662 of 2019.]

Carrying Virginia Route 58 over Buggs Lake, the John W. Tisdale Memorial Bridge spans 4900 feet. It…read moreis 60 feet over the water (depending on how low they have drained the lake). Completed in 2005 and dedicated by the Virginia Department of Transportation under Governor Mark R. Warner, it is named for Judge John W. Tisdale who served as Mecklenburg County court judge for more than 40 years as well as the longest-tenured mayor in Clarksville town history and devoted area historian. The bridge is part of the 5.5 mile long Clarksville Bypass which is a four-lane highway that carries traffic just south of the town of Clarksville, with interchanges at U.S. 15 just east and south of town. The bridge is a great addition to the area though it's a little boring and without any fancy features. There is no toll. [Review 2142 of 2024 - 1453 in Virginia - 23161 overall]

This marker along a quiet rural North Carolina road provides some biography and points the way to…read morethe home of this former 19th century politician. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Governor, 1814-1817; state legislator and attorney general; U.S. Charge d'Affaires to Central America. Lived three miles north." Online there is more information. William Miller of Warren County rose from early legal practice to become North Carolina's attorney general, a legislative leader, and eventually a three‑term governor. His administration from 1814 to 1817 supported Madison's military needs during the final phase of the War of 1812 and backed early reforms in education, transportation, and the state's judicial system. Miller was the first governor to live in the newly completed Executive Mansion on Fayetteville Street, and his tenure saw the commissioning of the Canova statue of George Washington. After returning to private life in Warrenton, he later served in the state Senate and was appointed by President John Quincy Adams as a diplomatic agent to Guatemala. He died of yellow fever in 1825 at Key West while traveling to take up that post. It is marker number E-37 and it was erected in 1991 by North Carolina Division of Archives and History. It is an intersection and there is room to stop to read the marker. [Review 57 of 2026 - 4536 in North Carolina - 25247 overall]

If it weren't for the sign saying "Red Oak post office", I would never had known this warehouse…read morelooking building was a post office! Red Oak is another small roadside unincorporated community, in rural VA, in Charlotte County on Rt. 15. It looks like this post office used to be a garage or some sort of warehouse. One site said it used to be a home to a bottling company. Pretty interesting spot for a post office though. Research indicated a post office was opened here in 1839, but I'm not sure if this is the same one. The population is about 1,000. The inside has a vintage feel with wooden walls, wrought iron, brass mail slots and brass post offices boxes. The post master was welcoming and accommodating. Plenty of parking and a handicap ramp. Hours 11:30-3:30 M-F 8:00-12:00 Saturday

This marker is along US-58 east of Buggs Lake. It points out a Native American tribe that lived…read morehere. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The Occaneechi Indians once lived nearby on an island in the Roanoke River. Well known for trading goods with other Indians nations and colonists, the Occaneechi resided close to several Indian paths. They also hunted, fished, and raised crops that included corn, beans, and tobacco. In May 1676, Nathaniel Bacon enlisted the Occaneechi to help defeat Susquehannocks and then turned on the Occaneechi and attacked them. The Occaneechi left Virginia with their neighbors the Saponis and Toteros soon afterward. By 1701, the Occaneechi were living on the Eno River in North Carolina." This is marker number U-60 and it was erected in 2000 by the Department of Historic Resources. There is a shoulder lane where you can stop to read the marker. [Review 2143 of 2024 - 1454 in Virginia - 23162 overall]

This marker is along US-58 between I-95 and I-85 on the north side of the highway near the…read moreintersection with Westward Road. There are a couple of markers here. This one reads, "The Meherrin Indians lived in the coastal plain of Virginia and North Carolina along the Meherrin River. They farmed and hunted and spoke a language, Meherrin, that belonged to the Iroquoian language family. The Meherrin remained relatively undisturbed by the English settlements, until about 1650 when trading in furs increased their contact with settlers. By 1680 the Meherrin had become official tribute-paying subjects of the Virginia colony that temporarily gave them a protected land base around their villages. By the early 18th century members of the Meherrin had migrated along the Meherrin River to near the fork where it joins the Chowan River in North Carolina." [Review 11885 overall, 1667 of 2019.]