The Backcountry Towns of Colonial VirginiaFor decades historians and historical geographers have neglected the study of town life in the colonial South, simply portraying towns as the result of increasing population density. The Backcountry Towns of Colonial Virginia, the first comprehensive study of town development in the interior of the colonial South, marshals evidence that planned urban settlements were the essential agents in accelerating westward expansion. Through the analysis of twenty-five attempts to create towns in the Virginia backcountry, the work demonstrates there was a distinctly southern urbanmovement in the colonial period. It explores the factors that lead to the success or failure of a community and examines how each backcountry region operated as an economic unit uniquely suited to its development. Towns opened up land, attracting people to move into new areas or participate in new business opportunities. They furthered settlement, influenced immigration, created family and socialnetworks, and fostered the development of trade and systems of credit. The actions of a few individuals and groups of people resulted in the rapid occupation, settlement, and development of the Virginia backcountry through the consciouscreation of economic and social forces. The most complete study of southern towns since John Reps’s Tidewater Towns, The Backcountry Towns of Colonial Virginia offers a new understanding of property ownership, burgeoning trade, and immigration factors–the very elements of urban centers–in backcountry Virginia. |
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Contents
Backcountry Regions | 7 |
Backcountry Towns of Colonial Virginia | 17 |
The Piedmont | 21 |
Germanna 1714 | 31 |
Waterford | 39 |
Leesburg 1759 | 46 |
The Southside | 57 |
King Williams Town Manakin Town c 1700 | 58 |
Winchester 1758 | 90 |
Staunton 1750 | 97 |
StephensburgStephens City | 103 |
Woodstock | 109 |
HitetownLeetown | 115 |
The Mountains | 123 |
Romney 1790 | 125 |
Bath Berkeley Springs West Virginia c 1777 | 134 |
Eden 1736 | 65 |
DalstonburgMarysvilleCharlotte Court House 1840 | 71 |
Peytonsburg 1761 | 77 |
The Great Valley | 87 |
To Cohabit in Towns | 139 |
| 155 | |
| 175 | |
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Common terms and phrases
acres American Assembly attempts attract backcountry became began Berkeley Brent building built Byrd century Charlottesville chartered church colonial colonial period colonists continued County Courthouse court created Deed Book early economic established exist Fairfax Fithian five four Frederick French frontier German Germanna granted Hening History Hofstra houses Huguenots hundred important increased Indian James Jefferson John King laid land later Leesburg lived London Lord lots merchants miles mill Mitchell Mountains moved named North Carolina Northern officials Order original passed Piedmont population Press Quaker region residents Richmond River road Robert served settle settlement settlers Shenandoah Valley Society sold Southside Spotswood Springs square Statutes Staunton Strasburg streets success Thomas Tidewater town tract trade Travels Univ urban Valley village Virginia Washington William Byrd Winchester Wood
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Backcountry Towns of Colonial Virginia |
| Author | Christopher E. Hendricks |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2006 |
| ISBN | 1572335432, 9781572335431 |
| Length | 186 pages |
| Subjects | › › › History / Historical Geography History / United States / 19th Century History / United States / Colonial Period (1600-1775) History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) |
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