Virginia
Virginia names 4 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below. 1 of them is described by more than one encyclopedia.
Virginia ver-jin'i-a, a state of the American Union
Described by 2 of the 6 encyclopedias.
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.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the South Atlantic Division of the North American Union; bounded by Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and the Atlantic Ocean; one of the original 13 States; counties, 100; area 42,627 square miles; pop. (1890) 1,655, 980; (1900) 1,854,184; (1910) 2,061,612; (1920) 2,309,187. Capital, Richmond. Topography. The surface of the State is diversified, rising in a series of terraces from the coast to the mountains in the N. W. Tide-water Virginia is penetrated by the Chesapeake Bay and has a shore line of 1,500 miles. The middle section of the State is an undulating plain with an elevation of from 200 to 500 feet and extends to the foot hills of the Appalachian range. The W. part of the State is mountainous, the Blue Ridge and Piedmont ranges crossing the State in a S. W. direction, and the Alleghenies forming the boundary of West Virginia. The valley section is a broad belt of rolling country diversified by hills, ridges, and river valleys, lying between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. This region contains the valleys of the Shenandoah, Roanoke, James, Kanawha, and Holston rivers. The most important rivers are the Potomac, separating Virginia from Maryland, navigable as far as Alexandria; and the James, with its extensive network of tributaries, navigable to Richmond. Both of these rivers empty into Chesapeake Bay. Geology and Mineralogy. - The coast is of Tertiary formation, consisting of sands, clays and marls, while further inland Miocene strata occur and abut against granite, gneiss and other metamorphic rocks. This metamorphic belt contains deposits of gold and iron. Two secondary belts cross the State parallel to the Blue Ridge and contain extensive coal measures. The valley is of Lower Silurian formation. The coal production in 1919 was 9,500,000 tons, which was 790,000 less than that of the previous year. Other important mineral products are granite, lime, clay, pig iron, manganese, talc, and soapstone. Soil and Agriculture. The soil in the tide-water region is light and sandy and though nearly worn out by superficial cultivation still yields large crops of vegetables. The soils of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Valley regions are especially fertile, and together with the abundant rainfall, short, mild winters, and long summers make Virginia a great agricultural State. The acreage, value and production of the principal crops in 1919 were as follows: Corn, 1,600,000 acres, production 44,800,000 bushels, value $75,712,000; oats, 240,000 acres, production 5,280,000 bushels, value $5,- 280,000; wheat, 1,060,000 acres, production 12,508,000 bushels, value $28,018,- 000; rye, 72,000 acres, production 828,000 bushels, value $1,408,000; tobacco, 230,000 acres, production 131,130,000 pounds, value $62,141,000; hay, 1,000,000 acres, production 1,650,000 tons, value $39,- 105,000; peanuts, 139,000 acres, production 5,282,000 bushels, value $14,420,- 000; potatoes, 121,00) acres, production 11,495,000 bushels, value $18,047,000; sweet potatoes, 38,000 acres, production 4,750,000 bushels, value alue $7,362,000; $ cotton, 42,000 acres, production 22,000 bales, value $3,850,000. Manufactures. There were in 1914 5,508 manufacturing establishments, employing 102,820 wage earners. The capital invested amounted to $261,501,000; wages paid, to $44,874,000; value of materials used, $155,319,000; and value of finished product, $264,039,000. Education. The school population in 1918 was 658,926, of which 222,413 were negroes. The enrollment of white pupils was 348,918; and of negroes, 132,316. The average daily attendance of white pupils was 234,725; and of negroes, 82,631. There were 10,994 white teachers and 2,910 negro teachers. The total expenditure iture for education during that year amounted to $9,155,363. Education is free and compulsory for illiterate children between the ages of 8 and 12. There are seven normal schools, and the following colleges: William and Mary, at Williamsburg; Washington and Lee, at Lexington; University of Virginia, at Charlottesville; Virginia Union University, at Richmond; Virginia Polytechnic Institute, at Blacksburg; Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington; and the Hampton-Sidney College, at Hampton- Sidney. Finances. The receipts for the fiscal year 1919 mounted to $13,035,622, and the expenditures to $12,651,785. The public debt amounted to $22,912,215. The total valuation of property was $1,270,149,000. Charities and Corrections. - The institutions controlled by the State include the Penitentiary, at Richmond; State Farm, at Lassiter; hospitals at Williamsburg, Marion, and Staunton; Epileptic colony and Colony for Feeble-minded, at Madison Heights; Sanatorium for Incipient Tuberculosis, at Catawba; Sanatorium for Negroes, at Burkeville; School for the Deaf and Blind, at Staunton; School for Colored Deaf and Blind, at Newport News; Laurel Industrial School, at School P. O.; Industrial Home School for Wayward Colored Girls, at Peaks Turnout; Home and Industrial School for Girls, at Bon Air; and Soldiers' Home, at Richmond. Railways. There are about 4,800 miles of steam railway in the State. Banking. On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 154 National banks in operation, having $23,199,000 in capital; $16,826,000 in outstanding circulation; and $59,530,- 000 in United States bonds. There were also 295 State banks, with $17,564,000 capital, and $9,844,000 surplus. The exchanges at the United States clearing house at Richmond, during the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, aggregated $2,784,- 234,000, an increase over those of the preceding year of $633,437,000. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Regular Baptist, Colored; Methodist Episcopal, South; Regular Baptist, South African Methodist; Presbyterian, South; Protestant Episcopal; Methodist Episcopal; Disciples of Christ; Roman Catholic; Lutheran, General Synod; Primitive Baptists; Dunkard, and Christian. State Government. The Governor is elected for a term of four years. Legislative sessions are held biennially in in odd years, beginning on the first Wednesday in January, and are limited in length to 90 days each, but may be extended for a period not exceeding 30 days, upon a three-fifths vote of both houses. The Legislature has 40 members in the Senate and 100 in the House. There are 10 Representatives in Congress. History. The first settlement in Virginia was made at Jamestown, by the English in 1607. The London company was reorganized in 1609 and received an extensive territorial grant. After passing through the starving time, and being saved from destruction through the efforts of John Smith the colony became very prosperous. In 1621 a legislature was formed, and in 1676 there occurred Bacon's rebellion brought on by the tyranny of Sir William Berkeley, the royal governor. George Washington first became known during the French and Indian War, in 1754, as an officer in the Virginia militia. This colony, under the head of Patrick Henry, was the first to resent British oppression in 1764. During the Revolution several important engagements took place on Virginian soil, most notable being the defeat and surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Oct. 19, 1781. Virginia joined the Confederacy and passed an ordinance of secession on April 17, 1861, and became the scene of some of the most important battles of the Civil War, among them being the two battles of Bull Run, Winchester, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Peninsular campaign, and the battles of the Wilderness campaign; ending in the final surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865. Virginia was readmitted to the Union Jan. 27, 1870, and in 1881 celebrated the 100th anniversary of the surrender at Yorktown by laying the corner stone of a national monument, Oct. 18, 1881. During the American-Spanish War in 1898, an extensive military camp was established at Camp Alger, near Falls Church, in this State.
Virginia a city of Minnesota
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a city of Minnesota, in St. Louis co., about 75 miles N. W. of Duluth, on the Great Northern, the Duluth and Iron Range, and other railroads. There are flour mills, and a Carnegie library. Its prosperity and growth are based chiefly on the fact that it is the center of an important and prosperous iron mining and lumbering region. Pop. (1910) 10,473; (1920) 14,022.
Virginia the daughter of Lucius Virginius
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the daughter of Lucius Virginius, whom Appius Claudius, the decemvir, endeavored to carry off from her parents. Her father, finding he could not save her by any other means, slew her in the open forum and raised an insurrection, which overthrew the decemvirate and restored the old magistracy. This happened, it is said, in 449 b. c.
Virginia UNIVERSITY OF, an educational non-sectarian institution in Charlottesville
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
UNIVERSITY OF, an educational non-sectarian institution in Charlottesville, Va.; founded in 1819; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 88; students, 1,243. President, Edwin A. Alderman, LL. D.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Aiton's 1910 Virginia was an agricultural state of about two million people, with tobacco "relied upon to bring in money" and Norfolk "the greatest peanut market in the world." Today the population is over eight million, and the largest employers are the federal government and the military — the Pentagon in Arlington, the vast naval complex at Norfolk — while the data centers of Loudoun County carry a large share of the world's internet traffic. Aiton's proud note that the state "established a double system of schools" describes legally segregated education, which Virginia defended through the "Massive Resistance" campaign after the Supreme Court's Brown decision of 1954, closing some public schools rather than integrate them. One tally needs updating too: Woodrow Wilson, born in Staunton, was elected in 1912, two years after this entry counted five Virginia-born presidents.
Written for this edition, 2026.