Gills, Virginia: Difference between revisions
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'''Gills''' is a rural [[unincorporated community]] in [[Amelia County, Virginia|Amelia County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Virginia]], located around the intersections of [[Virginia State Route 616 (Amelia County)|SR 616]] (S. Genito Road) with [[Virginia State Route 657 (Amelia County)|SR 657]] (Selma Road), |
'''Gills''' is a rural [[unincorporated community]] in [[Amelia County, Virginia|Amelia County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Virginia]], located around the intersections of [[Virginia State Route 616 (Amelia County)|SR 616]] (S. Genito Road) with [[Virginia State Route 657 (Amelia County)|SR 657]] (Selma Road), {{convert|1|mile}} north of the [[Nottoway County, Virginia|Nottoway]] county line. Gills is situated on the highest point in Amelia County, at {{convert|527|feet}} above sea level, and is also the westernmost hamlet in the county. |
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Gills was known as Pride's Church for much of the 1800s. A post office called "Pride Church" operated briefly in Amelia County in the early 1820s, although it is unclear whether it was the same community. A post office called "Pride's Church" was established around 1852,<ref name="va hist mag"/> a spot noted on period maps at the location later called Gills.<ref name="longacre"/> An "A. Gills", presumably a member of the town's namesake family, lived just east on Pride's Church Road<ref name="booker"/> (modern-day Route 657). The church itself, which dated back to the 1700s,<ref name="southside"/> |
Gills was known as Pride's Church for much of the 1800s. A post office called "Pride Church" operated briefly in Amelia County in the early 1820s, although it is unclear whether it was the same community. A post office called "Pride's Church" was established around 1852,<ref name="va hist mag"/> a spot noted on period maps at the location later called Gills.<ref name="longacre"/> An "A. Gills", presumably a member of the town's namesake family, lived just east on Pride's Church Road<ref name="booker"/> (modern-day Route 657). The church itself, which dated back to the 1700s,<ref name="southside"/> was noted for a sermon delivered in the 1840s by guest preacher Moses Drury Hoge, a son of minister, educator, and abolitionist [[Moses Hoge]].<ref name=hoge/> |
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By 1900, a post office was in service using the name Gills,<ref name="gannett"/> although the village was also called New London during part of the 20th century.<ref name="southside"/> The post office has since closed, and the Pride's Church building no longer appears on modern maps. Most of the vicinity of Gills is now served by the [[post office]] 7 miles east at [[Jetersville, Virginia|Jetersville]], ZIP code 23083; small portions are served by the post offices in [[Rice, Virginia|Rice]] (ZIP code 23966) and [[Burkeville, Virginia|Burkeville]] (ZIP code 23922) in neighboring counties. |
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Gills lies near the route<ref name="trails"/> followed by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[General officer|general]] [[Robert E. Lee]] and [[Army of Northern Virginia|his army]] in their retreat during the final days of the [[United States Civil War|Civil War]], before the surrender to [[Ulysses S. Grant]] at [[Battle of Appomattox Court House|Appomattox]] on April 9, 1865. The last major battle fought by Lee's army occurred just over a mile west at [[Battle of Sayler's Creek|Sayler's Creek]], on the border of Amelia and [[Prince Edward County, Virginia|Prince Edward]] counties, on April 6. |
Gills lies near the route<ref name="trails"/><ref name="petersburg"/> followed by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[General officer|general]] [[Robert E. Lee]] and [[Army of Northern Virginia|his army]] in their retreat during the final days of the [[United States Civil War|Civil War]], before the surrender to [[Ulysses S. Grant]] at [[Battle of Appomattox Court House|Appomattox]] on April 9, 1865. The last major battle fought by Lee's army occurred just over a mile west at [[Battle of Sayler's Creek|Sayler's Creek]], on the border of Amelia and [[Prince Edward County, Virginia|Prince Edward]] counties, on April 6. The countryside around the battlefield still looks much as it did in the 1860s.<ref name="saylers"/> |
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[[Farmer House (Deatonville, Virginia)|Farmer House]], 3 miles east of Gills, was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1978.<ref name="farmer"/> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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<ref name=hoge> Hoge, Peyton Harrison. [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=lSKISZ57a-gC&pg=GBS.PA74&hl=en ''Moses Drury Hoge: Life and Letters''], pp. 55 and 74. Richmond: Whittet & Shepperson, 1899, for the Presbyterian Committee of Publication. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref> |
<ref name=hoge> Hoge, Peyton Harrison. [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=lSKISZ57a-gC&pg=GBS.PA74&hl=en ''Moses Drury Hoge: Life and Letters''], pp. 55 and 74. Richmond: Whittet & Shepperson, 1899, for the Presbyterian Committee of Publication. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref> |
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<ref name="gannett"> Gannett, Henry. [https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0232/report.pdf ''A Gazetteer of Virginia''], U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin No. 232, Series F: Geography, 40, page 64. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1904. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref> |
<ref name="gannett"> Gannett, Henry. [https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/0232/report.pdf ''A Gazetteer of Virginia''], U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin No. 232, Series F: Geography, 40, page 64. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1904. Accessed January 1, 2022.</ref> |
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<ref name="trails"> [https://www.civilwartrails.org/docs/Lees-Retreat-brochure.pdf |
<ref name="trails"> [https://www.civilwartrails.org/docs/Lees-Retreat-brochure.pdf Lee's Retreat: The Final Campaigns (map)], Civil War Trails, Williamsburg, VA. Accessed January 3, 2022.</ref> |
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<ref name="petersburg"> [http://www.historicpetersburg.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Map-of-Petersburg-to-Appomattox.pdf From Richmond and Petersburg to Appomattox (map)], Historic Petersburg Foundation, Inc. Accessed January 3, 2022.</ref> |
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<ref name="saylers"> [https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/85002436_text Sayler's Creek Battlefield], National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, page 2 on pdf. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Accessed January 3, 2022.</ref> |
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<ref name="farmer"> [https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/004-0043/ 004-0043 Farmer House]. Amelia County, VLR Online & National Register Listings. Historic Registers. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Accessed January 3, 2022.</ref> |
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*{{gnis|1497787}} |
*{{gnis|1497787}} |
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Revision as of 01:39, 4 January 2022
Gills, Virginia | |
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  Gills, Virginia Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia  Gills, Virginia Gills, Virginia (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 37°17′37″N 78°11′55″W / 37.2935°N 78.1986°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Amelia |
| Elevation | 527 ft (161 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 23083, 23966, 23922 |
| Area code(s) | 804, 434 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1497787 |
Gills is a rural unincorporated community in Amelia County in the U.S. state of Virginia, located around the intersections of SR 616 (S. Genito Road) with SR 657 (Selma Road), 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the Nottoway county line. Gills is situated on the highest point in Amelia County, at 527 feet (161 m) above sea level, and is also the westernmost hamlet in the county.
Gills was known as Pride's Church for much of the 1800s. A post office called "Pride Church" operated briefly in Amelia County in the early 1820s, although it is unclear whether it was the same community. A post office called "Pride's Church" was established around 1852,[1] a spot noted on period maps at the location later called Gills.[2] An "A. Gills", presumably a member of the town's namesake family, lived just east on Pride's Church Road[3] (modern-day Route 657). The church itself, which dated back to the 1700s,[4] was noted for a sermon delivered in the 1840s by guest preacher Moses Drury Hoge, a son of minister, educator, and abolitionist Moses Hoge.[5]
By 1900, a post office was in service using the name Gills,[6] although the village was also called New London during part of the 20th century.[4] The post office has since closed, and the Pride's Church building no longer appears on modern maps. Most of the vicinity of Gills is now served by the post office 7 miles east at Jetersville, ZIP code 23083; small portions are served by the post offices in Rice (ZIP code 23966) and Burkeville (ZIP code 23922) in neighboring counties.
Gills lies near the route[7][8] followed by Confederate general Robert E. Lee and his army in their retreat during the final days of the Civil War, before the surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. The last major battle fought by Lee's army occurred just over a mile west at Sayler's Creek, on the border of Amelia and Prince Edward counties, on April 6. The countryside around the battlefield still looks much as it did in the 1860s.[9]
Farmer House, 3 miles east of Gills, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[10]
References
- ^ Hall, Virginius Cornick Jr. "Virginia Post Offices, 1798-1859", The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 81, no. 1, Virginia Historical Society, January 1973, page 84. Accessed December 31, 2021.
- ^ Longacre, Edward G. The Cavalry at Appomattox: A Tactical Study of Mounted Operations During the Civil War's Climactic Campaign, March 27-April 9 1865, page 147. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003. Accessed December 31, 2021.
- ^ Booker, William L. A map of Amelia County, Virginia. Philadelphia: R.L. Barnes, circa 1850. Library of Congress permalink=https://lccn.loc.gov/2014588019. Accessed December 31, 2021.
- ^ a b Watson, Walter A. Notes on Southside Virginia, Bulletin of the Virginia State Library, Richmond, September 1925, Volumes 15-16, Nos. 2-4, page 173. Edited by Henry R. McIlwaine. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
- ^ Hoge, Peyton Harrison. Moses Drury Hoge: Life and Letters, pp. 55 and 74. Richmond: Whittet & Shepperson, 1899, for the Presbyterian Committee of Publication. Accessed January 1, 2022.
- ^ Gannett, Henry. A Gazetteer of Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey, Bulletin No. 232, Series F: Geography, 40, page 64. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1904. Accessed January 1, 2022.
- ^ Lee's Retreat: The Final Campaigns (map), Civil War Trails, Williamsburg, VA. Accessed January 3, 2022.
- ^ From Richmond and Petersburg to Appomattox (map), Historic Petersburg Foundation, Inc. Accessed January 3, 2022.
- ^ Sayler's Creek Battlefield, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, page 2 on pdf. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Accessed January 3, 2022.
- ^ 004-0043 Farmer House. Amelia County, VLR Online & National Register Listings. Historic Registers. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Accessed January 3, 2022.
Municipalities and communities of Amelia County, Virginia, United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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