Nottoway County: History, Nature and High Bridge Trail
Accommodation in Nottoway County
Nottoway County combines impressive landscapes with an unusually rich history. Rivers, streams and forests shape the character of the region, while historic courthouses, churches, railroad towns and memorial sites offer very different ways to explore the past. Those looking for a vacation rental or vacation home can therefore choose the focus of their trip: active days on the High Bridge Trail, culture in museums and historic buildings, or a route through landscapes with a historical background.
High Bridge Trail and Routes Through the Landscape
The High Bridge Trail is 31 miles long and recognized as a National Recreation Trail. Its namesake structure, High Bridge, is more than 2,400 feet long and rises 125 feet above the Appomattox River. The trail is suitable for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. This allows daily plans to be arranged according to the desired pace without limiting the trip to just one mode of transportation. For cyclists, the county’s bicycle plan also identifies two routes: Route A runs north to south through Nottoway County, while Route B-1 runs in and around Blackstone.
Fort Pickett’s public recreational fishing program is another possible nature experience. It is managed through the iSportsman system. Those who prefer to combine culture and landscape can follow the Route of Lee’s Retreat. In Nottoway County, it preserves roads, landscapes and historic sites associated with the Confederacy’s final days of the war. The route is also connected with General Robert E. Lee’s retreat from Richmond and Petersburg in April 1865.
Railroads, Radio and Historic Sites
The Crewe Railroad Museum is located in a building modeled after the original Crewe Passenger Station. Visitors can climb aboard a diesel locomotive, a caboose and steam locomotive No. 606. The Crewe Commercial Historic District was planned and laid out in 1888 by engineers from the Norfolk and Western Railway; it also includes a former railroad yard of the Norfolk and Western Railway Company. Crewe can be reached via Route 360, also known as Hull Street Road, via Route 49 South or Watsons Wood Road, and via U.S. Route 460.
Another distinctive feature is WSVS. The radio station began broadcasting on April 6, 1947, and is considered the oldest continuously used radio station in Southside Virginia. The WSVS Performance Studio allowed traveling and local bluegrass acts to broadcast their music. For a trip with a cultural focus, this is an interesting complement to the historic buildings and railroad heritage sites.
Architecture and Remembrance
The Nottoway County Courthouse was completed in 1843 on the site of an earlier courthouse built in 1798. Its Jefferson-influenced architectural elements include a three-part Palladian design and a Tuscan portico. Nottoway Presbyterian Church, known as Old Brick Church, was built in 1837. In 1865, Union soldiers used its pews as horse stalls. Today, Old Brick Church can be rented for weddings, worship services and other events.
The Little Mountain Pictograph Site features a red ochre handprint, a possible sun symbol and a single turkey foot. The depictions probably date from the Late Woodland period, approximately A.D. 900 to 1600. The site is significant at the national level as a rare class of archaeological resource. Hyde Park offers another historical perspective: the former tobacco plantation from the late 18th century became a training facility for Jewish students of the German agricultural institute Gross Breesen who fled Nazi Germany. About 30 Jewish immigrants lived and worked there between 1938 and early 1941.
Choose Accommodation to Match Your Travel Theme
When searching for a vacation rental in Nottoway County, it is worthwhile to first determine the focus of the trip. Those planning many outdoor activities can include the High Bridge Trail, the cycling routes and the river and forest landscapes in their daily plans. Culture enthusiasts will find a wide range of historical subjects in the courthouse, Old Brick Church, Crewe Railroad Museum, Hyde Park and the Pictograph Site. An accommodation serves as a starting point for a personal travel plan; the best location depends on the experiences selected and the desired pace.
For the broader travel overview: Virginia.
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