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2021 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 295
Commending Spotsylvania County.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, January 21, 2021
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 25, 2021

 

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County, which has made many contributions to the history of the Commonwealth and the nation, will celebrate the 300th anniversary of its founding from 2020 to 2022; and

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County was established by an act of the General Assembly on November 2, 1720, and was created from parts of Essex, King and Queen, and King William Counties; the county was named for Alexander Spotswood, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, bordered by the Rappahannock and North Anna Rivers, Spotsylvania County has long functioned as a focal point for commerce and trade both nationally and internationally; the county serves as a natural land gateway between the Coastal Plain and Piedmont regions, facilitating access to both the Shenandoah Valley and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as travel between the state and national capitals in Richmond and Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, after its formation, Spotsylvania County boasted the first fully equipped iron furnace in the colonies, and an ironworks was the county’s first industry; and

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County independently formed one of the first militia organizations in the Commonwealth in 1775; citizens from Spotsylvania provided support for the duration of the American Revolution, and the Marquis de Lafayette’s army was joined by the Spotsylvania County Militia near Ely’s Ford on the way to victory at Yorktown in 1780; and

WHEREAS, in 1806, gold was discovered at Whitehall Mine near Shady Grove Church, setting off a gold rush and mining industry in Spotsylvania County that thrived until they were overtaken by the California gold rush in 1846; and

WHEREAS, known as the “Crossroads of the Civil War,” Spotsylvania County was the site of numerous battles, including Spotsylvania Court House, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Fredericksburg, accounting for more than 108,000 casualties; and

WHEREAS, many prominent Virginians have been born in Spotsylvania County, including Robert Brooke, the 10th governor of Virginia, and Matthew Fontaine Maury, who is considered the father of modern oceanography and naval meteorology; and

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County has also been home to Benjamin Brown, one of the original “Buffalo Soldiers,” and a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the American Indian Wars, noted scholar John J. Wright, and civil rights leader James L. Farmer, Jr., who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998; and

WHEREAS, Robert Stanard became the first Spotsylvania County citizen to serve as leader of the Virginia House of Delegates when he was elected as the 16th Speaker of the House in 1816; Oscar Minor Crutchfield, another Spotsylvanian, was subsequently elected as the 26th Speaker of the House in 1852; and

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County is home to multiple sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Andrews Tavern, Fairview, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania Battlefields Memorial National Military Park, Kenmore, La Vista, La Vue, Lansdowne, Massaponax Baptist Church, Oakley, Prospect Hill, Rapidan Dam Canal of the Rappahannock Navigation, St. Julien, Spotsylvania Court House Historic District, Stirling, Sylvania Plant Historic District, Tubal Furnace Archeological Site, and Walnut Grove; and

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County has gained modern notoriety as the birthplace of Chick-fil-A’s eponymous special sauce, which was invented in 1980 at a franchise store owned by Hugh Fleming in what is now Spotsylvania Town Centre; and

WHEREAS, Spotsylvania County has long strived to provide its young people with educational and recreational opportunities and has endeavored to promote the growth of businesses and industries within the county and the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors will celebrate Spotsylvania County Founders’ Day on May 1, 2021, to honor the county’s rich local history and the momentous occasion of the county’s tercentennial; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Spotsylvania County on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of its founding; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect and admiration for Spotsylvania County’s history and its contributions to the Commonwealth.