Project Pivotal-Rig

Pivotal Notes -1

  

Nelson County, formed from Amherst County in 1807, was named in honor of Thomas Nelson, the governor of Virginia in 1781. Settlement of the area began about 1720. The county courthouse, which is still in use, was built in the community of Lovingston in 1817 on land given to the county by James Loving, Jr.

Among Nelson County's famous sons are Joseph C. Cabell, one of the founders of the University of Virginia, and William Cabell Rives, U.S. Senator and minister to France. Their homes, Union Hill and Oak Ridge, are still standing along with several others dating from the late 1700's.

In 1970 the population of Nelson County stood at 11,702. Estimates for 1971 set the figure at 11,542. The Division of State Planning and Community Affairs projects an average annual decline in population to 11,000 by 1980.

There are no incorporated towns in Nelson County.

The county has a land area of 468 square miles (299,520 square acres) with a water area of 3 square miles and lies partly in the Piedmont Plateau and partly in the Blue Ridge Providence. The Piedmont Plateau area averages altitudes of 500 to 1,000 feet above sea level with many small ridges reaching 1,500 feet or more. In the Blue Ridge Mountains altitudes range from 2,500 to 3,500 feet with some peaks as high as 4,000 feet. The picturesque Blue Ridge Parkway follows the crest of the mountains along Nelson's northwestern boundary. Outstanding in this region of great scenic beauty are Crabtree Falls (five beautiful cascades in the western corner of the county) and the view over Rockfish Gap near Afton in the county's tip. For the county as a whole, temperatures average 35 in January, 76 in July. Precipitation is about 41 inches annually.

In 1969 and again in 1972, Nelson County suffered extensive damage from hurricane induced flooding. Smaller businesses, industries, and farms in the county suffered the most damage. Recovery programs have been completed, and the county has applied for federal flood insurance to protect against future losses.

Over three-fourths of Nelson County's total land area is forested with George Washington National Forest extending over the Blue Ridge Mountain portion. The county is a heavy pulpwood producer, and there are numerous sawmills and other wood-using industries. Of the county's many rich mineral deposits, soapstone, sand, and aplite are at present of commercial importance. One of the county's largest manufactures, Alberene Stone, produces locally-cut stone.

Although agriculture has decreased in importance as far as employment, number and size of farms, the market value of farm products sold in 1969 represented an increase of 52 percent over 1964. Fruits, especially apples and peaches, provide the primary sources of farm income while livestock products, chiefly beef cattle, are secondary in importance.

Thirty-five percent of those employed in March, 1971, were classified in the non-manufacturing sector. Non-manufacturing employment has experienced the greatest percentage increases since 1960 particularly in contract construction, wholesale and retail trade, and service categories. Manufacturing employment has also increased since 1960 but by a slower rate. Approximately 26 percent of those employed in March, 1971, were engaged in manufacturing, primarily with one of the two major manufacturers -- Nelson Manufacturing Company (children's playwear) and Alberene Stone (cut-stone). Each employs over 100 persons. Other products produced within the county include metal products and inorganic pigments. Approximately 51 percent of the county's workers remain. in the county to work,according to 1970 commuting data.

Recreational facilities are playing an increasing role in the county's economy. A new $100 million recreational community is being developed on a 13,000 acre tract in northern Nelson County. The George Washington National Forest and Lesesne State Forest preserve large portions of the mountainous areas of the county. The Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail offer both highway and foot routes along the mountain crests. State-owned facilities include a large trout farm at Montebello and Lake Nelson, a 45-acre fishing lake east of Arrington.

County services include the public health center and a branch of the regional library, both at Lovingston. Numerous educational facilities, including Piedmont Community College, are within driving distance.

MINERALS

The northwestern part of Nelson County is in the Blue Ridge Province and the remainder is in the Piedmont Province. The county is underlain largely by igneous and metamorphic rocks. Some small areas are underlain by sedimentary rocks. During 1972, soapstone was quarried near Schuyler by the Georgia Marble Company, Alberene Stone Division, and was prepared for use as dimension stone in the company's plant at Schuyler. The finished stone was marketed for a variety of architectural, laboratory, and other uses. Feldspar-rtieh rock was quarried and processed near Piney River by the Ceramic and Glass Products Division of International Minerals and Chemical Corporation and marketed as aplite for use primarily by the glass industry. The Dominion Stone Plant, Inc., quarried and crushed aplite near Piney River, chiefly for use as roadstone. Sand was obtained along the Buffalo River near Piedmont and the Rockfish River near Schuyler by the Piedmont Sand Company.

The Roseland District of Nelson and Amherst counties has been an important source of the titanium minerals~ rutile and ilmenite. Mining operations have been conducted in Nelson County near Piney River and Roseland and in Amherst County near towesville and Piney River. Rutile was mined from about 1900 until 1949 and ilmenite was recovered by surface mining of saprolite deposits from 1930 until 1971. A titanium-dioxide pigment plant that utilized this ilmenite was operated at Piney River by the American Cyanamid Company from 1944 until 1971. Sizeable tonnages of apatite, a phosphate mineral, were recovered during the milling operations and stockpiled. A plant was operated at Piney River from 1937 until 1948 to produce phosphorous chemicals from apatite mined with titanium minerals. Some feldspar was recovered during milling operations at Roseland and was sold to manufactures of porcelain and pottery. More than 20 million tons of titanium-bearing saprolite are reported to be present in the district in addition to hard-rock mineralization, and a recent study indicates the possibility of significant placer deposits of titanium minerals.

In the past, iron ore was mined at several localities in eastern Nelson County in the vicinity of Greenway, and manganese ore was mined and prospected at sites near Warminster, Greenway, and Allen Creek. Copper minerals were reportedly mined near Norwood. Soapstone was formerly produced at quarries near Piedmont and. Variety Mills and marketed for a number of uses. Quartzite near Greenway and conglomerate near Faber and Rockfish have been quarried and crushed for use as ballast. Sandstone was quarried near Midway Mills for building stone, and diabase near Gladstone has also been used locally for this purpose. Limestone and marble occur in southeastern Nelson County and have been quarried at several sites for use in local lime kilns, as furnace flux and building stone. Gneiss and schist have also been quarried. Kaolin was produced near Roseland, primarily for use as a filler on paper, and kaolin clay northwest of Piney River has been tested and found potentially suitable for use in refractories and certain ceramic ware. The U.S. Bureau of Mines has done test drilling of several kaolin occurrences in the county. An attempt was made many years ago to mine garnets south of Arrington.

Other minerals found in the county include allanite, graphite, galena, and spha].erite, but the presence of potentially commercial deposits has not been established. Source: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources.

GROUND WATER

Nelson County is underlain by igneous and metamorphic bedrock covered by soil and weathered rock less than 50 feet deep. Granite and gneiss make up the bedrock in a northeast trending strip from Rockfish to the Blue Ridge. The rest of the county has layered metamorphic rocks except for small areas of sedimentary rock along the eastern boundary.

Drilled wells obtain ground water from fractures and weathered zones in the rock. Well records indicate most water is encountered in the upper 300 feet of rock and that the best wells are located in valleys and draws. Approx-imately 80 percent of the drilled wells are less than 200 feet deep and yield less than 10 gallons per minute. Yields are erratic due to irregular fracturing of bedrock. Of two wells on the same property, one was dry; another produced 12 gallons per minute. One of the best wells in the county produced 90 gallons per minute and is 175 feet deep.

Other notes for consideration: