Keswick is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in
Albemarle County,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, United States,
about six miles (9.7 km) east of
Charlottesville
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...
.
Community
Keswick has few businesses, and lacks a
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
. It is predominantly residential, with a mixture of large farms, estates, middle-income, and low-income housing. Since many of the parcels of land in Keswick are large, it is relatively undeveloped and retains its natural environment, which includes views of the
Southwest Mountains. The drive through Keswick "has often been cited as one of the most scenic in America," writes the ''New York Times.''
Many of the estates were plantations in the 18th century.
No major development took place in Keswick until the 1990s, and the development since then has been subject to strict scrutiny by Albemarle County officials.
, a special
boarding and day school for children with
learning disabilities
Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty ...
, is in Keswick, as is the Keswick School, a boarding school for students with social skill and emotional struggles. A
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
freight rail line runs through the town. The Shackelford family, long prominent in Albemarle and
Orange counties and in the
Monticello Association, has a family cemetery in Keswick.
The postal delivery area by the name of Keswick is larger than Keswick itself, extending to the north nearly to
Gordonsville and to the west to
Stony Point, encompassing towns too small to have a post office, including
Cash Corner,
Cismont,
Lindsay,
Stony Point,
Boyd Tavern,
Cobham,
Whitlock, and
Rosena.
East Belmont,
Limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
, and
Southwest Mountains Rural Historic District are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Demographics
Keswick first appeared as a
census designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in the
2020 U.S. Census.
Keswick Hunt Club
"According to its website, the Keswick Hunt Club was established in 1896 and formally recognized in 1903. There are currently about 200 individual and family memberships and the club's estimated 60 hounds hunt on land in Albemarle, Louisa, Madison and Orange counties."
There is a special award given each year by the club's Masters and Huntsman in honor of an outstanding fox hound. "The "Barrister" award is named for one of Keswick's finest dog hounds who had a great nose and really deep cry and whose offspring bear his resemblance and qualities today."
In 1929, John Stewart, M.F.H. instigated the first Thanksgiving Blessing of the Hounds Service in the yard of
Grace Episcopal Church (Keswick, Virginia), another tradition that has continued to the present. Hounds, horses and riders gather for a religious service of prayers and hymns followed by a hunt. The collection taken at the service benefits charity.
[McKenzie, Bryan. 2017.]
Albemarle County church to hold 89th annual Blessing of the Hounds
" ''The Roanoke Times
''The Roanoke Times'' is the primary newspaper in Southwestern Virginia and is based in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It is published by Lee Enterprises. In addition to its headquarters in Roanoke, it maintains a bureau in Christiansburg, ...
''. November 23, 2017.
In film
The Keswick train station (no longer in operation) which is now part of Little Keswick School and used as a dining hall, as well as the farm of Belmont (not to be confused with
East Belmont) are featured in the 1956 film
''Giant''. The portions of the movie set in Maryland were filmed at these places in Keswick.
References
External links
A History of KeswickCurrent NOAA Weather Report for KeswickOakland SchoolLittle Keswick School
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Albemarle County, Virginia
Unincorporated communities in Virginia