Greene County Facts
History of Greene County: Pre-Settlement
At least ten thousand years ago, Paleo-Indians used to gather north
of what is now Greene County, along the Shenandoah Valley, in
search of their main source of spear and knife points: jasper. These
hunters, however, only stayed for short periods of time to enjoy temporary
hunting grounds in the Shenandoah Mountains. It is not surprising that
artifacts from ten thousand years ago are rare and have never been found
in Greene County. However, it is inconceivable that some adventurous
group, possibly during a point in time when animals were fewer and more
diffi cult to fi nd, did not fi nd their way into what is now Greene County.
Over time, with the retreating of glaciers and changing of the climate,
Virginia became a warmer place with nut-producing trees and berryproducing
bushes. While some bands of Paleo-Indians followed the glaciers
north, other natives found permanent cave protection in the new warm
environment where they could not only hunt but gather plenty. In 1953,
archaeologists found and surveyed a rock shelter just west of Brown’s Cove
in Albemarle County which yielded proof of residency over a considerable
period of time. Other examples of artifacts from c. 2000 BCE found in
Greene County include stone ax heads, mortars, pestles and pottery.
Early European explorers in what is now Greene County, encountered
Monacan Indians, what we now know to be a loose confederation of tribes
related to those living in the Dakotas. Other tribes called them “Siouan,”
meaning “diggers in the dirt” in Algonquian language, for their traditions
of cultivating corn, squash and other greens. While farming was their
trademark, the hundreds of small arrows that have been found in the
County show us that they were still hunters as well.
Explorers did fi nd strong tribes, but early settlers found few if any natives.
The pressure of white man’s western movement, including the introduction
of certain European diseases, probably caused remaining Indians to
abandon the land. Today, there are still a few people near Amherst, Virginia
who claim to be descendants of the Monacan tribe.
In Greene County, there is a persistent belief that some residents in the
hollows have some Indian blood. We do know that in the period between
the earliest colonists and the arrival of settlers, traders and trappers
ventured deep into the Appalachian Mountains. Historically throughout
the country, traders took native women as consorts both for personal
interest and for diplomatic ties to local tribes. When the Indians left the
area, it seems possible that a few descendants of the traders and trappers
- with Indian blood - remained to intermarry with a few early settlers. It
is doubtful if we will ever know for certain whether or not Indian blood
remains in Greene County.
The Beginnings of Greene County
Around 1670, statutes aimed at
controlling Indian trade prove that there
existed extensive independent traders in
the area. But in 1679, German scholar
John Lederer led an expedition
commissioned by Lieutenant Governor
William Berkeley. They traveled along the
Pamunkey River to the “Apalateaean (sic)
Mountains,” encountering what we believe
to be many sites in Greene County including
the Rapidan River, Swift Run River and Hightop Mountain. The more well
known expedition of Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood set out on
August 29, 1716 with 63 men and 73 horses. A preponderance of
evidence indicates that they crossed the mountains at Swift Run Gap,
traveling through what is now Greene County. The symbol of Greene
County comes from this legendary trip, and the Greene County Historical
Society’s publication, A Greene County History, chronicles the legend: “We
are told that at the end of the journey, Spotswood gave each of his men
a golden horseshoe in which colored stones represented the nails. On one
side was the Latin motto, ‘Sic juvat transcendere montes’ (How delightful it
is to cross mountains). On the other side were the words, ‘The Tramontane
Order.’ Tramontane is a classical Italian-derived word referring to anything
that comes from, or anyone who lives on, the other side of mountains.
Unfortunately the golden horseshoes, if Spotswood did actually present
them to the men, have all been lost.”
Within 20 years, almost all of
what is now Greene County,
except the more mountainous
land, had been taken up in
grants from the King of
England, a total of c. 60,000
acres. One survey marker
from an eight-piece (Octonia)
grant still remains as a
National and State Registered
Historical site, the Octonia
Stone. There were actually a
number of rigorous
requirements for keeping
such a grant and after the initial eight grantees failed at meeting the
requirements, the grant was renewed in 1729 to only one man - Robert
Beverly. Through marriage into the Beverly family, William Stanard
managed to inherit a signifi cant portion of the Octonia grant in 1756. But
after a lifetime of development of his own Stanard - ville and accession to
membership in the Virginia House of Delegates, at his death William had
4 Gateway to Greene!