The Route of the Hiawatha- Electrified

When Water Powered the Road

It made a great deal of sense to the Milwaukee Road’s directors to electrify portions of the mainline when building the western extension.

They could reduce the high cost of oil-fired, steam powered locomotives. Electric motors were ...

Marquis de Lafayette

Front Plaque

French Statesman

Friend of the American Revolution

“...The new County so to be formed be called Lafayette or Fayette County to perpetuate a remembrance of his virtues and philanthropy through future ages of our political existence...” Petition to the General ...

The Route of the Hiawatha- Signs, Wires & Whistles

Grief could come to a big, fast train suddenly. Railroaders needed to see and hear warnings and orders clearly and quickly.

The engineer and crew watched for standard signals over each section of track and kept their eyes and ears ...

Isle of Wight County War Memorial

Dedicated to all veterans

of Isle of Wight County

for their honorable service

to our nation.

June 14, 2001

By these engravings we remember all

those who made the supreme sacrifice

in the wars of our nation,

and less we not forget,

all those who remain missing in action

or ...

The Route of the Hiawatha- Mountains of Copper?

Depending on who you talk to, the hills around you contain either rich copper deposits or a lot of hot air....

Between 1889 and 1922, miners explored a number of promising mining properties near Adair. They encountered ore containing copper, sprinkled ...

Bombproof

Two bombproofs, each measuring 200 feet long by 12.5 feet wide, were located in the center of Fort Ward. During normal operations the bombproofs were used as meeting rooms, storage facilities, and sometimes as a prison. In the event of ...

Rifle Trench

This rifle trench extended from the North Bastion toward Battery Garesche located beyond Leesburg Turnpike (Route 7). Another rifle trench extended from the tip of the South Bastion near the Fort Gate. The rifle trenches prevented enemy troops from moving ...

Law & Politics in 18th Century Isle of Wight

Constructed in 1750 and 1751, this building was the center of law and politics in Isle of Wight County until 1800, when the seat of county government was moved to its current location, seven miles south of Smithfield.

Marker is ...

Half-Way House

Butler’s Headquarters

As Grant grappled with Lee in the Wilderness and near Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler landed with 30,000 troops at Bermuda Hundred, eight miles east of here. Butler’s objective was to open another front ...

Profile of Fort

This exterior view of the restored Northwest Bastion illustrates the effectiveness of an earthwork fort. The fort walls were 18-22 feet high, 12-14 feet thick, and slanted at 45 degrees.

To gain access to the fort an attacker would have to ...