Montross, Virginia | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 38°5′38″N76°49′34″W / 38.09389°N 76.82611°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Virginia |
County | Westmoreland |
Area | |
• Total | 1.03 sq mi (2.67 km2) |
• Land | 1.03 sq mi (2.67 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
Elevation | 164 ft (50 m) |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 553 |
• Density | 536.6/sq mi (146.11/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 22520 |
Area code | 804 |
FIPS code | 51-52952 [2] |
GNIS feature ID | 1498518 [3] |
Website | https://www.townofmontross.org |
Montross is a town in Westmoreland County, Virginia, United States. The population was 553 at the 2020 census. [4] It is the county seat of Westmoreland County. [5] Located in the historic Northern Neck of Virginia, Montross is near the George Washington Birthplace National Monument and the Stratford Hall Plantation (the birthplace of Robert E. Lee and Founding Fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee). The town's slogan is return to the village.
The Old Westmoreland Court House in Montross was the site of notable events in 1774–1775 connected with the Revolutionary War. According to a historic marker at the courthouse, a resolution was introduced by Richard Henry Lee and adopted at a meeting there on June 22, 1774, providing aid to Boston, Massachusetts, following a blockade of that beleaguered port city by Great Britain. [6] The seizure in 1775 of the Virginia Colony's gunpowder supply in Williamsburg on orders of the Royal Governor, in what became known as the Gunpowder Incident, prompted the Westmoreland Committee of Safety to convene at the Court House on May 23, 1775. The committee passed a resolution denouncing the governor, Lord Dunmore, for his actions.
Washington and Lee High School is located in the town.
Emmy Award-winning video engineer Walter Balderson, who attended Washington and Lee High School, is from Montross. Current Brooklyn Nets forward Justin Anderson was born in Montross, and played collegiately at the University of Virginia. [7]
The Armstead T. Johnson High School, Westmoreland State Park Historic District, and Panorama are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [8]
Montross is located at 38°5′38″N76°49′34″W / 38.09389°N 76.82611°W (38.093965, −76.826041). [9] According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km2), all of it land. [10]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1950 | 331 | — | |
1960 | 394 | 19.0% | |
1970 | 419 | 6.3% | |
1980 | 456 | 8.8% | |
1990 | 359 | −21.3% | |
2000 | 315 | −12.3% | |
2010 | 384 | 21.9% | |
2020 | 553 | 44.0% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [11] |
As of the census [12] of 2020, there were 553 people, 252 households. The population density was 536.6 people per square mile. There were 296 housing units at an average density of 283.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 74% White, 14% African American, 6% Asian, and 6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0% of the population.
There were 252 households, out of which 18% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 6% had a female householder with no spouse present, 6% had a male householder with no spouse present, and 24% were non-families. The average household size was 2.2.
In the town, the population is on the mature end, with 18% under the age of 18, 48% from 18 to 64, and 34% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median age was 41 years. The population is 51% those who identify and female, and 49% those who identify as male.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $41,746. About 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8% of those under age 18 and 12% of those age 65 or over.
Menokin, home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, is a National Historic Landmark and one of the most intact standing 18th century homes in the U.S. The landscape is open daily from 7am-7pm.
Westmoreland State Park is located on the Potomac River's Northern Neck and offers opportunities for family fun. It s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has a bathhouse, meeting area, snack bar, camp store and power-boat ramp. You'll also find a visitor center, campgrounds, camping cabins, cabins, a playground, a fishing pier, boat rentals and 6 miles of trails. Fossil collectors enjoy hunting for ancient shark teeth along the Potomac. The park grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk.
Stratford Hall: A National Historic Landmark, Stratford Hall preserves the legacy of the Lee family and its surrounding community. Established by Thomas Lee in the 1730s, Stratford Hall is one of the great houses of American history. Four generations of the Lee family passed through its stately doors including Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, the only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence, Revolutionary War hero "Light Horse Harry" Lee, and his son, Civil War General Robert E. Lee, who was born at Stratford Hall in 1807.
Westmoreland County Mercantile Museum: Westmoreland County Museum (WCM) founded in 1941, is the oldest museum in the Northern Neck. WCM preserves important history plus artifacts of the county and its people. Its treasures include the notable portrait of Sir William Pitt, painted by Charles Willson Peale, commissioned by the patriots of Westmoreland County in 1768, an 1898 portrait of General Robert E. Lee by Eliphalet Andrews, and a chair from George Washington's dining room. Exhibits include Native American artifacts, geology and archaeology of local sites, a furniture collection and an extensive portrait and painting collection. While visiting, stop by the Westmoreland Mercantile General Store.
George Washington Birthplace National Monument: Located in the Northern Neck of Virginia. The park encompasses 550 acres of the former Popes Creek Plantation, the American ancestral home of the Washington Family where George Washington was born. In addition to a Colonial Revival farm, burial ground, visitor center, and historic structures, the park also has picnic grounds and a public beach.
Voorhees Nature Preserve: Part of a network of conservation lands along the Rappahannock River—a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay—the preserve provides excellent habitat for bald eagles and other wildlife.
Fall Festival: Once a year, Montross has a festival in celebration of the town. It includes parades and game stands. The event is usually held in October and is widely attended by town residents.
First Fridays: During summer months, the town hosts live music, food, and vendor booths on the first Friday of the month.
In 2000, Montross was on television's Late Show with David Letterman . In a segment called, "Biff Henderson's America", Biff Henderson visited the small town's museum, Bargain Shop, Sheriff's Department, the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant, and the Potomac River. He also interviewed people during his visit, jokingly asking them if they would like Biff to be mayor. [13]
Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain leading to the United States Declaration of Independence, which he signed. Lee also served a one-year term as the president of the Continental Congress, proposed and was a signatory to the Continental Association, signed the Articles of Confederation, and was a United States Senator from Virginia from 1789 to 1792, serving part of that time as the second president pro tempore of the upper house.
Hampshire County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,093. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town (1762). The county was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1754, from parts of Frederick and Augusta Counties (Virginia) and is the state's oldest county. The county lies in both West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions.
Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross.
Northumberland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville. The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA winemaking appellation.
Lancaster County is a county located on the Northern Neck in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 10,919. Its county seat is Lancaster.
King George County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 26,723. Its county seat is the town of King George.
Leesburg is a town in and the county seat of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. Its is part of both the Northern Virginia region of the state and the Washington metropolitan area, including Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town. Located in the far northeast of the state, in the War of 1812 it was a refuge for important federal documents evacuated from Washington, DC, and in the Civil War, it changed hands several times.
Dumfries, officially the Town of Dumfries, is a town in Prince William County, Virginia. The population was 4,961 at the 2010 United States Census.
Colonial Beach, Virginia (CBVA) is a river and beach town located in the northwestern part of Westmoreland County on Virginia's Northern Neck peninsula. It is bounded by the Potomac River, Monroe Bay and Monroe Creek. It is located 65 mi (105 km) from Washington, D.C.; 70 mi (110 km) from the state capital of Richmond; and 35 nautical miles from the Chesapeake Bay.
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,531 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was established in 1762 along with Romney; they are the oldest towns in West Virginia.
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia(along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The Potomac River forms the northern boundary of the peninsula; the Rappahannock River demarcates it on the south. The land between these rivers was formed into Northumberland County in 1648, prior to the creation of Westmoreland County and Lancaster County.
The George Washington Birthplace National Monument is a national monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, at the confluence of Popes Creek and the Potomac River. It commemorates the birthplace location of George Washington, a Founding Father and the first President of the United States, who was born here on February 22, 1732. Washington lived at the residence until age three and later returned to live there as a teenager.
Stratford Hall is a historic house museum near Lerty in Westmoreland County, Virginia. It was the plantation house of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia. Stratford Hall is the boyhood home of two Founding Fathers of the United States and signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794), and Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734–1797). Stratford Hall is also the birthplace of Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), who was General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States during the American Civil War (1861–1865). The Stratford Hall estate was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, under the care of the National Park Service in the U.S. Department of the Interior.
John Washington was an English-born merchant, planter, politician and military officer. Born in Tring, Hertfordshire, he subsequently emigrated to the English colony of Virginia and became a member of the planter class. In addition to serving in the Virginia militia and owning several slave plantations, Washington also served for many years in the House of Burgesses, representing Westmoreland County. He was the first member of the Washington family to live in North America and was the paternal great-grandfather of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
Pope's Creek is a 5.3-mile-long (8.5 km) tidal tributary of the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, Virginia. The George Washington Birthplace National Monument lies along the north side of Popes Creek. Popes Creek landing is located at 38°11′29″N76°54′16″W.
Colonel Thomas Lee was a planter and politician in colonial Virginia, and a member of the Lee family, a political dynasty. Lee became involved in politics in 1710, serving in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, and also held important positions as Naval Officer for the Northern Potomac Region and agent for the Northern Neck Proprietary. After his father died, Lee inherited thousands of acres of land as well as enslaved people in then-vast Northumberland and Stafford Counties in Virginia as well as across the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland. These properties were developed as tobacco plantations. Northumberland County was later subdivided, so some of Lee's properties were in modern Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William and Loudoun Counties as well as the counties in the modern Northern Neck of Virginia.
Westmoreland State Park lies within Westmoreland County, Virginia. The park extends about one and a half miles along the Potomac River and covers 1,321 acres. The Horsehead Cliffs provide visitors with a panoramic view of the Potomac River, and lower levels feature fossils and beach access. The park offers hiking, camping, cabins, fishing, boating and swimming, although mechanical issues have kept the swimming pool closed since 2021. Located on the Northern Neck Peninsula, the park is close to historical sites featuring earlier eras: George Washington's birthplace and Stratford Hall, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee.
Oak Grove is an unincorporated community in the Washington District of Westmoreland County, Virginia. The community, on the historic Northern Neck of Virginia, was a stagecoach stop in the early days of the Colony of Virginia
St. Peter's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at the junction of VA 3 and VA 205 in historic Oak Grove, Westmoreland County, Virginia. Although the surrounding parish was created in the 17th century, the current brick structure, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, was consecrated in 1849, and planned to celebrate its 175th anniversary on May 31, 2024.
Chantilly is a historic archaeological site located near Montross, Westmoreland County, Virginia. The site was the home of U.S. Founding Father Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794) in his later years.