Town of Ashland

Ashland in the Early 1900s

Ashland today

Site Name: Town of Ashland

Date of Construction: 1840

Reason for Construction: Resort town centered around new railroad

Site History: The history of Ashland begins in 1836 with the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad Company laying down railroad tracks to Lankford’s Mill, situated near Henry Clay’s birthplace, which was named “The Slashes of Hanover”. Taking its name from this historic site, the Slash Cottage Hotel Company established a small resort town in the 1840’s. From the 1840’s to the 1860’s, Slash Cottage grew from a small resort to a sizable village, and changed its name from Slash Cottage to Ashland after Henry Clay’s Kentucky home.

Area History: Residential spaces had begun to be sold, and the town around the tracks continued to grow. To suit this change, a train aptly named “The Ashland Accommodation” began as a successful passenger train for the residents, running from Richmond to Ashland and back. In 1859, a one-room Baptist church was built by the community, and was frequented by the community for a hundred and four years, even serving as a hospital during the Civil War. The original railroad company established the Ashland Racecourse in the 1850’s. With the beginning of the Civil War, the Confederate government rented the hotel and the racecourse to use as training and housing spaces for the army, and the railroad tracks were frequently used for the transport of troops. One major Civil War battle was fought in Ashland. On June 1, 1864, the town was attacked in Grant’s campaign towards Richmond. The Union forces destroyed several bridges and parts of the railroad. However, the Confederate forces drove the Union forces out of the town, and then quickly rebuilt the tracks and bridges. Following the war, the college of Randolph-Macon relocated itself to Ashland in 1868. This relocation helped to invigorate the Reconstruction efforts, allowing the town to recover from the war rather quickly. Stebbins Corner became the center of business after the establishment of the Stebbins general store by Charles Stebbins Jr. in 1883. During the two world wars, troops were trained at Randolph-Macon. The business district expanded to US Highway 1, and the schools were desegregated during the mid-20^th century.

What About the Site Has Changed?: Today, the railroad still runs and the college brings on commercial development to the town. Although the photo taken shows many of the locally owned businesses, such as the Ashland Coffee & Tea House, the Iron Horse Café, and the Cross Brothers Grocery, about a hundred yards to the east is a large center of corporately owned businesses and restaurants. However, the local businesses do quite well for themselves, thanks to the college and the railroad, and the town hosts many small festivals, such as National Train Day.

Reflection: Having spent a good deal of time in Ashland before this project, all I knew about it was that the railroad tracks were crucial to the development of the town. Having learned that a Civil War battle was fought there and that Randolph-Macon had been important to the furthering of reconstruction in the area, I have a much greater appreciation for the area. In terms of how the town had changed, I believe that it signifies the perseverance of smaller, locally owned areas amidst the ever-growing mob of corporate and commercial development in Virginia, if not in all of America.

Author: Evan Heiter

Sources:

"History." Randolph-Macon College. http://www.rmc.edu/about/history.

"Explore Online." Ashland Museum. http://ashlandmuseum.org/explore-online/.

Talley, Dale Page. Railroad Street at Station Ashland, VA. Photograph. 1900.

 Town of Ashland. Last modified 2006. http://www.town.ashland.va.us/.