Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
July 9, 2024

Contact:
Ivy Tan
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.tan@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

5 New State Historical Highway Markers Approved

—Markers cover topics in the counties of Arlington and Craig; and in the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Winchester—

—Text of each marker reproduced below—

PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.

RICHMOND – The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced five new historical markers coming to roadsides in Virginia. The markers will recall various topics in the Commonwealth’s history, including a set of resolutions adopted in Virginia in 1774 that helped steer the nation toward revolution; one of Charlottesville’s few lodging places that served Black travelers during 20th-century segregation; and a pioneering activist whose work strengthened the gay rights movement in Virginia and beyond.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved the markers on June 20, 2024, during its quarterly meeting hosted by DHR.

In Arlington County, the Commonwealth will install its first state historical marker focusing on the history of the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Lilli Vincenz was a journalist, filmmaker, and psychotherapist whose work empowered the nation’s gay civil rights movement. A pioneering leader, Vincenz participated in the first gay rights protest at the White House in 1965 and co-founded the Washington Blade newspaper in 1969. Her documentaries featuring recordings of significant gay rights marches brought visibility to the movement. Vincenz was a resident of Arlington County, where she established and hosted the Gay Women’s Open House in her home in Columbia Heights West from 1971 to 1979. The Open House provided weekly gatherings that allowed lesbians, bisexuals, and women questioning their sexuality to meet in comfort and safety, fostering the development of the region’s openly LGBTQ+ community.

One newly approved marker will recall the events that led to the American Revolution:

• Following the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed the Boston Port Act of 1774 closing off Boston Harbor from all trade and ordering the citizens of Boston to pay a heavy fine for the tea thrown in the river. In response, counties across the colony of Virginia, including Fairfax County, adopted resolutions opposing what they believed was overly harsh British rule. The Fairfax Resolves became the most influential of these resolutions. Approved on July 18, 1774, in a meeting led by George Washington at the county courthouse, which stood in the City of Alexandria, the Fairfax Resolves declared the colonies’ right to govern their own internal affairs and objected to taxation without consent. They also called for the establishment of a Congress to unite the colonies, rejected the importation of British goods, and requested to ban the slave trade. The Fairfax Resolves and similar efforts resulted in the meeting of the First Continental Congress in September 1774.

One marker will focus on social welfare in Virginia in the 19th century:

• County-appointed “overseers of the poor” were charged with providing care and services to individuals facing poverty in Virginia following the end of the Revolutionary War. Founded in 1851, Craig County initially assisted the poor outside of institutions. However, in 1892 the county established the 250-acre Craig County Poor Farm to serve as a home for those who were unable to support themselves, often due to age or disability. Residents worked on the farm as they were able. The Craig County Poor Farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and encompasses three cottages, a superintendent’s house, outbuildings, as well as a cemetery on its site. The county sold the property in 1921 and opened a new poor farm near the town of New Castle.

Twentieth-century Black history grounds two forthcoming markers:

• The Douglas School was the City of Winchester’s public school for Black children in the 20th century. The school began ca. 1878 with classes held within the city’s Old Stone Presbyterian Church. In the 1920s, overcrowding led the community to campaign for a better educational facility. The Douglas School opened in 1927 to serve students in grades 1-9. Constructed using state funds and a bequest from John Handley, a Pennsylvania judge, the Douglas School was later expanded to include new classrooms, a library, and an auditorium. By 1952, the school offered a full 12 grades and became a regional high school with students attending from nearby counties. School, church, and civic programs held at the Douglas School made it the center of the Black community in Winchester, which desegregated its schools in 1966. The Douglas School building was renovated in 2022 for use as school district offices and a museum.

• Built ca. 1947, the Carver Inn was one of the few lodging places in the City of Charlottesville that served Black travelers during the period of racial segregation in Virginia. Featured in the Green Book, a 20th-century national guide to facilities and businesses that served African Americans during segregation, the Carver Inn offered fine dining, a private social club, as well as a beauty salon. It hosted famous guests such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Thurgood Marshall. Gregory Swanson, the first African American to attend the University of Virginia, lived at the inn after his successful lawsuit to gain admission to the school’s graduate law program. In the mid-1970s, the Carver Inn was demolished during a road-widening project that razed several Black-owned properties.

Following the Board of Historic Resources’ approval of the markers, it can take upwards of eight months or more before a new marker is ready for installation. The marker’s sponsor covers the required $3,000 manufacturing expenses for a new sign.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

Full Text of Markers:
(VDOT must approve the proposed location for each sign in its right-of-way; local public works departments must do so in jurisdictions outside VDOT’s authority.)

Fairfax Resolves
In response to the 1774 Boston Port Act adopted by the British Parliament, counties across Virginia passed resolutions opposing what they viewed as overly harsh British rule. The most influential of these were the Fairfax Resolves, approved on 18 July 1774 at a meeting chaired by George Washington at the county courthouse, which stood here. The Fairfax Resolves asserted the colonies’ right to govern their internal affairs and protested taxation without consent. They also called for the colonies to unite in a Congress, for the nonimportation of most British goods, and to ban the slave trade. The Resolves and similar efforts resulted in the meeting of the First Continental Congress in Sept. 1774.
Sponsor: Office of Historic Alexandria
Locality: City of Alexandria
Proposed Location: Fairfax St. near the intersection with Cameron St.

Craig County Poor Farm
After the Revolutionary War, care for people facing poverty in Virginia ceased to be the responsibility of Anglican parishes and instead was managed by county-appointed “overseers of the poor.”  Craig County, formed in 1851, initially assisted the poor outside of institutions but in 1892 established a 250-acre working farm here as a residence for those unable to support themselves, often because of age or disability. Residents provided labor as they were able. The property, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, included three cottages, a superintendent’s house, outbuildings, and a cemetery. The county sold the property in 1921, opening a new poor farm north of New Castle.
Sponsor: Sen. Bill Frist and Tracy Frist
Locality: Craig County
Proposed Location: Route 42/Cumberland Gap Road at the intersection with Poorhouse Farm Run

Douglas School
Douglas School, Winchester’s public school for Black children, originated ca. 1878 with classes in the Old Stone Church. In the 1920s, overcrowding prompted citizens to campaign for better facilities. Built with state funds and a bequest from John Handley, the new Douglas School opened here in 1927 to serve grades 1–9. The building, later enlarged, offered a full 12 grades by 1952 and became a regional high school with students from nearby counties. School, church, and civic programs held here put Douglas at the center of Black community life. Winchester desegregated its schools in 1966. Renovations completed in 2022 prepared the building for use as school district offices and a museum.
Sponsor: Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society
Locality: City of Winchester
Proposed Location: 598 N. Kent St.

The Carver Inn
The Carver Inn (ca. 1947) on this site was among the few lodging places in Charlottesville where African Americans could stay during segregation. Featuring fine dining, a private social club, and a beauty salon, the inn was host to famous guests including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Thurgood Marshall. Gregory Swanson, the first African American to attend the University of Virginia, resided here after his successful lawsuit to gain admission to the graduate law program. The Carver Inn was listed in the Green Book, a national guide to facilities that served African American travelers. It was demolished in the mid-1970s during a road-widening project that razed several Black-owned properties.
Sponsor: City of Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee
Locality: City of Charlottesville
Proposed Location: Preston Ave., east of intersection with Forest Ave.

Dr. Lilli Vincenz (1937-2023)
Dr. Lilli Vincenz was a pioneering leader whose work as a journalist, filmmaker, and psychotherapist empowered the national gay civil rights movement. In 1965 she participated in the first gay rights protest at the White House, and in 1969 she co-founded the Washington Blade newspaper. Her documentaries recording significant gay rights marches brought visibility to the movement. A resident of Arlington County, she hosted the Gay Women’s Open House in her home near here in Columbia Heights West from 1971 to 1979. The weekly gatherings allowed lesbians, bisexuals, and women questioning their sexuality to meet in comfort and safety and fostered the development of the region’s openly LGBTQ+ community.
Sponsor: Arlington County Historic Preservation Program
Locality: Arlington County
Proposed Location: 817-829 S. Carlin Springs Rd.

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