Virginia

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

ver-jin'i-a, a state of the American Union. It is known also as the "Old Dominion" and the "Mother of Presidents." The shape is roughly triangular, resting on the parallel of 36 deg. 30' and bounded on the two other sides by the main crest of the Alleghany Mountains and the Potomac River. The end of the peninsula between the Chesapeake and the Atlantic south of 38 deg. N. is part of Virginia. Virginia borders with five states. The extreme length from east to west is 475 miles. Land area, 40,125 square miles. TOPOGRAPHY. There are three well marked physical regions,--the coastal plain, the piedmont region, and the mountains. The first is a low, level, sandy tract, intersected by broad rivers in which the tide rises and falls as in the arms of the sea. In their lower courses, the James, the York, the Rappahannock, and the Potomac are noble streams. The northwestern side of the state is occupied by the parallel ranges of the Alleghanies and the Blue Ridge. They inclose the famous valley of the Shenandoah. Between the coastal plain and the mountains lies a piedmont region, a part of the foothill district which follows the Blue Ridge as far as Georgia. A remarkable feature of the mountains is the frequent occurrence of water gaps. The Roanoke, the New, and other rivers cross the mountain chains at right angles through deep gaps. Geologists explain the fact by supposing that the rivers were running before the mountains were formed, and that they kept their old courses, cutting away the gaps as the mountain ridges or wrinkles rose slowly--possibly but a few inches in a century. MINERALS. The state has mineral wealth. The settlers of Jamestown found gold and iron. The first coal mined in the United States was obtained in Virginia. The annual production is now between 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 tons. Other natural products are cement, gypsum, manganese, salt, mineral water, and potter's clay. There are excellent building stones, including granite, limestone, marble, and slate. FORESTS. The state was covered originally with valuable forests. Cedar and walnut timbers were among the valuable articles sent home for sale by the early employes of the Virginia Company. The coast was forested with loblolly and long-leafed pine. As the settler penetrated the interior, he found forests of oak, ash, poplar, and walnut. Sawmills were established as early as 1630. The lumber and timber products for 1900 were valued at over $12,000,000. Half of the state is forested. Many old plantations of the days before the war are now covered with self-sown pine forests. CLIMATE. The climate is considered agreeable. The mountains afford shelter from the northwest winds of winter. The sea affords breezes in summer. To the inhabitants of Georgia, Virginia seems like a sort of Switzerland; to the New Englander, it seems quite warm. The annual rainfall is from thirty-five to fifty inches, well distributed through the year. AGRICULTURE. Tobacco is regarded as the staple crop. As a matter of fact the corn crop and the hay crop are worth more money, but they are consumed largely at home. Tobacco is relied upon to bring in money. Lynchburg, Danville, and Richmond are noted tobacco markets. Winter wheat is the fourth crop in value. Oats, buckwheat, and barley follow. Norfolk is the greatest peanut market in the world. The southern tier of piedmont counties raise cotton. The Shenandoah valley is noted for bluegrass and for fine horses and cattle. The portion of the valley sixty miles in length lying immediately above Winchester is said to market 2,500,000 dozen eggs annually. MANUFACTURES. The manufactures are grouped largely in the piedmont region where advantage can be taken of water power. The chief manufacturing industries are those of iron and steel, lumber and wooden articles, tobacco products--including chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff, cigars, and cigarettes--railroad cars, leather, and machinery. HISTORICAL. The first permanent English settlement within the present border of the United States was made at James-town, May 13, 1607. The first Indian war occurred in 1622. Virginia took an active part in the French and Indian War, and stood staunchly by the American cause in the Revolution. A Virginian drew up the Declaration of Independence . A Virginian commanded the colonial forces, and Cornwallis was forced to surrender on Virginian soil. The state was the tenth to ratify the Constitution. It has furnished five presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Tyler. Virginia was the first state to adopt a written constitution (June, 1776) designed to provide a permanent government. Though one of the last states to secede, Virginia bore the brunt of the Civil War. Richmond was made the capital of the Confederacy and its capital became the object of the Federal campaigns. Robert E. Lee, "Stonewall" Jackson, and J. E. Johnston were Virginians. The battles of Bull Run , "Sheridan's Ride," the Peninsular campaign, the contest of Fredericksburg, the series of battles in the Wilderness, and the surrender at Appomattox took place on Virginian territory. The state suffered terribly. Stock was killed, buildings were reduced to ashes, and fences were burned for firewood. Some plantations have never been reoccupied. The close of the war found the state poverty stricken and deeply in debt. There are few instances of greater pride, effort, and integrity. The state has provided for its debts, established a double system of schools, and has fought its way fairly back to prosperity. The first slaves held by English colonists were brought to Virginia by a Dutch trading vessel in 1619. In 1705 the Virginian slaves were declared a part of the real estate . Like the Russian serfs, they were sold with the land but could not be separated from it. This act was never enforced. It ceased to be a law when Virginia became a state. In the old plantation life of Virginia, the best side of slavery was to be seen. The state has led in the effort to educate the negro. GOVERNMENT, ETC. The governor, lieutenant-governor, and attorney-general are elected by popular vote for four years. Other state officers are appointed by the legislature. The State University organized by Thomas Jefferson is located at Charlottesville. William and Mary College at Williamsburg is the oldest college in the United States. Washington and Lee University is situated at Lexington. The leading educational institutions for colored people are the Normal and Agricultural Institute at Hampton and the Normal and Industrial Institute at Petersburg. The leading religious denominations are the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. The colored people attend their own churches. The population was reported in 1900 at 1,854,184. Of this number 660,772 were negroes. The largest cities are Richmond and Norfolk. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 41,125 Population (1906) 1,973,104 Richmond (1910) 127,628 Norfolk (1910) 67,452 Roanoke (est.) 26,298 Lynchburg (1910) 29,494 Portsmouth (1910) 33,190 No. counties 100 Members of state senate 40 Representatives 100 Salary of governor $5,000 U. S. representatives 10 Presidential electors 12 Assessed valuation of property $466,000,000 Bonded indebtedness $24,000,000 State revenue $5,250,000 Acres of improved land 9,813,000 Agricultural Productions-- Corn, bushels 50,000,000 Wheat, bushels 8,892,000 Oats, bushels 3,820,000 Potatoes, bushels 5,000,000 Tobacco, pounds 114,000,000 Cotton, pounds 4,400,000 Butter, pounds 20,000,000 Wool, pounds 1,687,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 311,000 Mules 51,000 Milk cows 288,000 Other cattle 561,000 Sheep 517,000 Goats 5,000 Swine 798,000 Fowls 5,000,000 Manufacturing establishments 3,187 Capital invested $148,000,000 Operatives 80,285 Wages and salaries $32,000,000 Raw material $83,000,000 Output of manufactures $149,000,000 Leather $5,829,000 Lumber products $14,000,000 Tobacco products $17,000,000 Flour and grist $14,000,000 Coal mined, tons 4,710,000 Iron ore, tons 786,000 Output of pig iron, tons 478,000 Miles of railway 4,087 Teachers in public schools 9,468 Pupils enrolled 370,595 Percentage of male teachers 21 Average monthly salary of teachers $33.88 Average annual expenditure per pupil $15.28 See West Virginia , and special articles on POTOMAC; CHESAPEAKE; DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; MOUNT VERNON; JAMESTOWN; BACON'S REBELLION; RALEIGH; BERKELEY; SMITH; POCAHONTAS; RICHMOND; HENRY; CORNWALLIS; WASHINGTON; JEFFERSON; MARSHALL; MADISON; MONROE; TYLER; DAVIS; LEE; CONFEDERACY; JACKSON; BULL RUN; TOBACCO; PEANUTS. 2026 Editor's Note: This page uses language about race that was commonplace when the book was published and is offensive by today's standards. The text has been left exactly as it was printed, rather than cut or softened, so that the historical record — including how ordinary such language once was — is preserved. (Ed: BR 2026-07-22)