Lodore is a rural

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in northern

Amelia County Amelia County is a county located just southwest of Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The county is located in Central Virginia and is included in the Greater Richmond Region. Its county seat is Amelia Court House. Ameli ...

just south of the

Appomattox River The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in central and eastern Virginia in the United ...

in the U.S. state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. It is located along SR 616 (S. Genito Road) at its intersection with the northern terminus of SR 636 (N. Lodore Road).

History

Post office

The community was listed as a

post village A postal village or post-village (p.v., P.V., PV or p-v) is generally a settlement that has a post office. Definition and abbreviation In North American usage, the term "post village" refers to a small community (a village) which has a post office. ...

called Houston before the name was changed to Lodore about 1845. On Civil War–era maps, however, "Lodore" was used only as a reference to the home of one of the landowners along Genito Road; an intersection just under a mile away was noted as Giles Crossroads or Giles Chapel, after William Branch Giles, U.S. senator and governor of Virginia, whose former home is a short distance northeast. The Lodore post office remained in operation until at least the turn of the 20th century, but was among the thousands of small "fourth class" facilities that were closed in the early 1900s after the advent of rural free delivery. The Lodore area is now served by the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

several miles south at the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, Amelia Court House, ZIP code 23002.

Civil War

The immediate vicinity of Lodore appears to have been spared significant action during most of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, although several skirmishes and bloody engagements were fought only a few miles to the south and west during the final days of the war in early April 1865, as

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

and his army continued their westward retreat and Federal troops pursued. A

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

wagon train carrying desperately needed supplies from

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, forced to bypass the Lodore area because wet weather had rendered the Genito bridge over the Appomattox River uncrossable, was destroyed by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

troops near Paineville, southwest of Lodore, on April 5.

Tornadoes

Amelia County is located in a small Central Virginia

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

alley and has had numerous tornado touchdowns. No tornado fatalities have been reported at Lodore, but an EF1 destroyed a carport and damaged an outbuilding northeast of the community on January 12, 2018.

Historic structures

Several structures near Lodore are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, including: * The Wigwam, historic residence of William Branch Giles, 24th governor of Virginia, approximately 4 miles northeast. *

Haw Branch Haw Branch is a historic plantation house located near Amelia Court House, Amelia County, Virginia. The earliest section of the house dates to 1748. It was enlarged and expanded after the Revolutionary War. The house consists of a five-bay cent ...

plantation house, approximately 2 miles south by straight-line distance. * Grub Hill Church, approximately 4 miles southeast. * Egglestetton plantation house, approximately 4 miles southeast. Other historic churches at Lodore include Flower Hill Baptist, an African American congregation whose building stands on S. Genito Road just east of N. Lodore Road.

Notable residents

William S. Archer William Segar Archer (March 5, 1789March 28, 1855) was a slave owner, politician, planter and lawyer from Amelia County, Virginia who served several times in the Virginia House of Delegates, as well as in the United States House of Representativ ...

(1789 – 1855),

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Virginia, born and buried at "The Lodge" (or "Red Lodge") off present-day SR 609 (Royalton Road) northeast of Lodore * William Branch Giles (1762 – 1830), U.S. senator and governor of Virginia

Businesses

Oakmulgee Dairy Farm, 4 miles northeast of Lodore atop a hill on SR 637 (Giles Road) above the remnants of the former community of Giles Mill, is the oldest of several working dairy farms in Amelia County, having been in operation since 1898.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Virginia Unincorporated communities in Amelia County, Virginia