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Jails of Spotsylvania County
A Report to the Spotsylvania Preservation Foundation
by Lois S. Wilson Ph.D., Peter M. Wilson Ph.D., John D. LeFebre
Available for reference at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.
To folks unfamiliar with the Historic Courthouse District in
Spotsylvania, there is little indication that the beige, two-story,
slate-roofed building, clad in stucco and located at the southwest
corner of the courthouse green, served as the jail of the county
for eighty-eight years. In total the county built six
jails. The last at the Courthouse is referred
to as the "Spotsylvania Jail (1855)". This report presents a history
of the jails and describes their influence on early Spotsylvania
politically, socially, and economically.
A History of Early Spotsylvania
by James Roger Mansfield 1977
Available at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, or
purchase at The Spotsylvania County Museum
This book is primarily a chronicle of the first few decades of
Spotsylvania County's history. Many people are acquainted
with the importance of the county during the Civil War when it
was the site of four major battles, but few are familiar with its
rich history prior to that time.
Central to the unfolding is its creation as a buffer between the
British planters, already well established in the Tidewater
region, and the constant threat of French and Indian incursion
from the West. Figuring prominently in these early years of
the county which bears his name is Alexander Spotswood, the
colorful Governor of Virginia, who became the largest land and
slave holder in the county and developed there America's first
iron industry.
A wealth of information is contained in chapters on
Exploration and Early Settlers, Indians, Germanna, Land
Acquisition and Development, Burgesses, Successive Court
Houses, County Government (including Courts, Sheriffs, and
Punishments), Historic Churches and Homes, and Social Mores
of the Times. Outstanding citizens such as Littlepage and
Maury, receive special attention, while names listed in the
census of 1810, and marriage licenses, will be of interest to
many.
One will find in the thorough and comprehensive volume some
Spotsylvania history which has never before been published.
- from the Foreward -
Forgotten Companions
by Paula S. Felder
Available at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, or
purchase from
The American History Company
Forgotten Companions has returned to print in a new edition,
revised by the author, Paula S. Felder. The prequel to
Fielding Lewis and the Washington Family, Forgotten
Companions: The First Settlers of Spotsylvania County and
Fredericksburgh Town focuses on the settlers and origins of
Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg with expanded material on
Fielding Lewis.
When the attention of Alexander Spotswood, the governor of the
colony of Virginia, was drawn to the Rappahannock area in 1713
by the possibilities for mining iron ore, a fascinating chapter
began in the history of Virginia’s first frontier.
This book is the actual story of our colonial predecessors,
drawn from their court and church records and other contemporary
documents. It tells of their leaders, their lifestyles,
and the problems they faced as their land grew from a wilderness
on the frontier to a rural society typical of the colony.
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