Orange Commercial Historic District - Orange County VA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Located in Virginia's Upper Piedmont near the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Orange Commercial Historic District reflects the past of the town of Orange through its buildings and the architectural styles of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The town of Orange Court House was created in the mid-1700s to serve as a county seat for Orange County. The town grew up around the courthouse and public square familiar in many of Virginia's early courthouse towns.

In the mid-1800s, the rail came to town with the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. The tracks ran through the public square and the courthouse was moved to its present location. With the new, improved transportation routes and increased traffic, the town's population grew and the tobacco and wheat industry prospered. Commercial enterprises grew up around the railroad hub.

In 1872, Orange Court House received official status as a corporated town and in 1890, its name was shortened to Orange.

With the turn of the century, Orange's prosperity began to decline. A fire in 1908 destroyed most of the buildings on the east side of town. But the 20th century saw the advent of the automobile and new businesses and commercial ventures sprang up such as car dealerships and food, silk processing, metal fabrication, printing and building industries.

Orange also saw action during the Civil War; most notably it was the location of the winter encampment of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia when they returned from the disastrous defeat in Gettysburg, PA.

Because many of the buildings that housed the old factories and businesses still exist near the old railway station, now occupied by the Orange County Department of Tourism and Visitors Bureau, and serve as historical evidence of the town's heritage, the district was named to the NRHP in 1999. Two buildings within the district, St. Thomas Church and the Orange County Courthouse, were listed independently on the NRHP in 1976 and 1979 respectively.

The coordinates point to the train depot at the heart of the district which serves as the visitors center and where a walking tour of the Orange Commercial Historic District guide is available and other pertinent information.

References:

• Orange Commercial Historic District--Virginia Main Street Communities
• National Register Of Historic Places Registration Form: Orange Commercial Historic District
• On-site information

Street address: Main, Byrd, Caroline, Church, Chapman & Short Sts.; Madison Road; Railroad & May Fray Aves. Orange, VA USA 22960 County / Borough / Parish: Orange County Year listed: 1999 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849, 1800-1824, 1750-1799, 1700-1749 Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic, Government, Recreation And Culture, Religion, Social, Transportation Current function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic, Government, Recreation And Culture, Religion, Transportation Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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