Orange County, Virginia
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2000, there were 25,881 people, 10,150 households, and 7,470 families residing in the county. The population density
was 76 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 11,354 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.36% White
, 13.78% Black
or African American
, 0.20% Native American
, 0.34% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 0.39% from other races
, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 10,150 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples
living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,889, and the median income for a family was $48,197. Males had a median income of $31,982 versus $24,209 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $21,107. About 7.10% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those aged 65 or over.
a Media General
owned weekly newspaper and regionally by the Fredericksburg, Virginia
based The Free Lance Star. Radio station WVCV
is licensed to Orange and the county is also served by radio stations in the Fredericksburg, Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia radio markets.
-listed properties and districts, including Montpelier
and Barboursville
.
The Wilderness Battlefield
The Battle of the Wilderness
was fought in Orange County on May 5–6, 1864. The battle marked the first occasion legendary Generals Ulysses S. Grant
and Robert E. Lee
would face each other in battle. The fighting at the Wilderness was also the first battle in Grant's Overland Campaign
that would ultimately lead to the fall of Richmond
and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
Over 160,000 troops were engaged at the Wilderness in a bloody, see-saw, battle that saw both sides on the brink of destruction. When the guns fell silent on May 7, over 29,000 soldiers lay dead or wounded on the fields at the Wilderness, and Grant’s Union army was able to disengage and press on toward Richmond.
Today, the Battle of the Wilderness is a part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, which has preserved 2773 acres (11.2 km²) of the original battlefield. The park is closed on New Years Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Otherwise the park grounds are open from dawn to dusk on a daily basis.
Ellwood
The Ellwood Manor is the only surviving house that witnessed the Battle of the Wilderness
in May 1864. During the battle Ellwood became a base of operations for the Union Army as Union General Ulysses S. Grant
made his headquarters nearby. Ellwood would also play a role in the Battle of Chancellorsville
in 1863 when Confederate General Stonewall Jackson
, who was wounded during the battle, had his arm amputated and buried in the family cemetery at Ellwood. Following the battle at Chancellorsville, Ellwood served as a Confederate hospital.
In 2008, Ellwood was named “Favorite Virginia Civil War Site” by the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s “Cooperative Living” magazine.
Doctor Holladay House
Formerly called the Doctor Holladay House
, the Holladay House in Orange, Virginia
(c.a. 1830) is on the nationally-recognized Journey Through Hallowed Ground. Named for Dr. Lewis Holladay, a prominent Virginia physician, the Holladay House has witnessed almost two centuries of American history. The building is historically significant because it is one of only a few antebellum
structures still standing in Orange, Virginia
.
Since approximately 1830, the Holladay House has served as a mercantile store, a residence, a doctor’s office, and a Virginia bed and breakfast
inn. In the early 20th century, a private schoolhouse for local children was also on the property. Only a handful of proprietors have owned the home, and the Holladay family was its steward for over 100 years. The Holladay House still boasts much of its original woodwork, including floors, mantels, doors and period antiques from the Holladay family.
Now a Virginia bed and breakfast
inn, the Holladay House is one of the two oldest standing structures in historic downtown Orange, and is registered with the National Register of Historic Places
as part of the Orange Commercial Historic District. It has been a landmark on Main Street for generations.
Portions of Orange County lie within the Monticello AVA. Several award-winning wineries are within the county, including Barboursville Vineyards
, Burnley Vineyards and Horton Vineyards.
has submitted a proposal to build a 141000 square feet (13,099.3 m²) Supercenter store less than one quarter mile from the National Park Service
Boundary of the Wilderness Battlefield
. It would be situated on a 52 acres (210,436.7 m²) tract just north of the Route 3/Route 20 intersection in Orange County. Preservation groups have formed the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition to oppose the construction of this Wal-Mart, arguing that it is likely to produce a significant increase in traffic and subsequent development.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 25,881 people, 10,150 households, and 7,470 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 76 people per square mile (29/km²). There were 11,354 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 84.36% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 13.78% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.20% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.34% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.39% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.90% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 10,150 households out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.70% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.00% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,889, and the median income for a family was $48,197. Males had a median income of $31,982 versus $24,209 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $21,107. About 7.10% of families and 9.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those aged 65 or over.
Education
The county is served by Orange County Public Schools, whose superintendent is Dr. Robert P. Grimesey.Media
The county is served locally by the Orange County ReviewOrange County Review
The Orange County Review is a weekly newspaper based in Orange, Virginia owned by Media General. The newspaper focuses on local community news. Public notices from the county commissioners also appear in the newspaper....
a Media General
Media General
Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...
owned weekly newspaper and regionally by the Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
based The Free Lance Star. Radio station WVCV
WVCV
WVCV is an Adult Standards formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Orange, Virginia, serving Orange and Orange County, Virginia. WVCV is owned and operated by Piedmont Communications, Inc....
is licensed to Orange and the county is also served by radio stations in the Fredericksburg, Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia radio markets.
Unincorporated
- BarboursvilleBarboursville, VirginiaBarboursville is an unincorporated community in Albemarle and Orange counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. Barboursville is famous for being the birthplace of renowned American military commander and President Zachary Taylor...
- Locust Grove
Attractions
Orange County is the location of a number of National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
-listed properties and districts, including Montpelier
Montpelier (James Madison)
Montpelier was a large tobacco plantation and estate of the prominent Madison family of Virginia planters, including James Madison, fourth President of the United States. The manor house of Montpelier is four miles south of Orange, Virginia, and the estate currently covers some...
and Barboursville
Barboursville (James Barbour)
Barboursville is the ruin of the estate of former U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of War, and Virginia Governor James Barbour, located in Barboursville, Virginia, on the grounds of Barboursville Vineyards. The house was designed by Barbour's friend and political ally, Thomas Jefferson...
.
The Wilderness Battlefield
The Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
was fought in Orange County on May 5–6, 1864. The battle marked the first occasion legendary Generals Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
and Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
would face each other in battle. The fighting at the Wilderness was also the first battle in Grant's Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
that would ultimately lead to the fall of Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
Over 160,000 troops were engaged at the Wilderness in a bloody, see-saw, battle that saw both sides on the brink of destruction. When the guns fell silent on May 7, over 29,000 soldiers lay dead or wounded on the fields at the Wilderness, and Grant’s Union army was able to disengage and press on toward Richmond.
Today, the Battle of the Wilderness is a part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, which has preserved 2773 acres (11.2 km²) of the original battlefield. The park is closed on New Years Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Otherwise the park grounds are open from dawn to dusk on a daily basis.
Ellwood
The Ellwood Manor is the only surviving house that witnessed the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
in May 1864. During the battle Ellwood became a base of operations for the Union Army as Union General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
made his headquarters nearby. Ellwood would also play a role in the Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
in 1863 when Confederate General Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
ຄຽשת״ׇׂׂׂׂ֣|birth_place= Clarksburg, Virginia |death_place=Guinea Station, Virginia|placeofburial=Stonewall Jackson Memorial CemeteryLexington, Virginia|placeofburial_label= Place of burial|image=...
, who was wounded during the battle, had his arm amputated and buried in the family cemetery at Ellwood. Following the battle at Chancellorsville, Ellwood served as a Confederate hospital.
In 2008, Ellwood was named “Favorite Virginia Civil War Site” by the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s “Cooperative Living” magazine.
Doctor Holladay House
Holladay House
Formerly called the Doctor Holladay House, the Holladay House in Orange, Virginia is on the nationally recognized . Named for Dr. Lewis Holladay, a prominent Virginia physician, the Holladay House has witnessed almost two centuries of American history...
, the Holladay House in Orange, Virginia
Orange, Virginia
Orange is a town in Orange County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Orange County...
(c.a. 1830) is on the nationally-recognized Journey Through Hallowed Ground. Named for Dr. Lewis Holladay, a prominent Virginia physician, the Holladay House has witnessed almost two centuries of American history. The building is historically significant because it is one of only a few antebellum
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture is a term used to describe the characteristic neoclassical architectural style of the Southern United States, especially the Old South, from after the birth of the United States in the American Revolution, to the start of the American Civil War...
structures still standing in Orange, Virginia
Orange, Virginia
Orange is a town in Orange County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,721 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Orange County...
.
Since approximately 1830, the Holladay House has served as a mercantile store, a residence, a doctor’s office, and a Virginia bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
inn. In the early 20th century, a private schoolhouse for local children was also on the property. Only a handful of proprietors have owned the home, and the Holladay family was its steward for over 100 years. The Holladay House still boasts much of its original woodwork, including floors, mantels, doors and period antiques from the Holladay family.
Now a Virginia bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
inn, the Holladay House is one of the two oldest standing structures in historic downtown Orange, and is registered with the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as part of the Orange Commercial Historic District. It has been a landmark on Main Street for generations.
Portions of Orange County lie within the Monticello AVA. Several award-winning wineries are within the county, including Barboursville Vineyards
Barboursville Vineyards
Barboursville Vineyards is a winery located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the unincorporated town of Barboursville, Virginia. It is located within both the Virginia and Monticello viticultural areas.-History:...
, Burnley Vineyards and Horton Vineyards.
Development concerns
As of September 2008, Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
has submitted a proposal to build a 141000 square feet (13,099.3 m²) Supercenter store less than one quarter mile from the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Boundary of the Wilderness Battlefield
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
. It would be situated on a 52 acres (210,436.7 m²) tract just north of the Route 3/Route 20 intersection in Orange County. Preservation groups have formed the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition to oppose the construction of this Wal-Mart, arguing that it is likely to produce a significant increase in traffic and subsequent development.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, Virginia
- Orange Volunteer Fire CompanyOrange Volunteer Fire CompanyThe Orange Volunteer Fire Company or OVFC is a volunteer fire department providing fire suppression, hazardous materials response, and specialized rescue services to the area in and around Orange, Virginia. The department is a dynamic, 100% volunteer organization with over 50 members...