Palmyra is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in and 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 ...

Fluvanna County Fluvanna County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,249. Its county seat is Palmyra, while the most populous community is the census designated place of Lake ...

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 ...

, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 104. Palmyra lies on the eastern bank of the

Rivanna River The Rivanna River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. The Rivanna's tributaries ori ...

along

U.S. Route 15 U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Caro ...

. The ZIP code for Palmyra and surrounding rural land is 22963. The Fluvanna County Courthouse Historic District,

Glen Burnie Glen Burnie is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. The population of Glen Burnie was 67,639 at ...

, Pleasant Grove, and

Seay's Chapel Methodist Church Seay's Chapel Methodist Church is a historic Methodist church located near Palmyra, Fluvanna County, Virginia. It was built between 1893 and 1902, and is a one-story, 30 feet by 40 feet, vernacular Carpenter Gothic style chapel. It features a sla ...

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 ...

History

Before being named "Palmyra", the area was owned by the Timberlake family, and Reverend Walker Timberlake started a business there in 1814 called "Palmyra Mills". The village of Palmyra was founded and became the county seat of Fluvanna County in 1828, and its historic courthouse was built in 1830-1831. By 1835, there were fourteen homes, a church, three factories, and various other businesses, though only two families owned all the land other than the public buildings. In the mid-19th century, it was a stop along the

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

route between

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, ...

and Staunton. The Virginia Air Line Railway, which operated from 1908 to 1975, ran through Palmyra. The train traveled from Strathmore on the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

, to Cohasset, to Carysbrook, to Palmyra, to

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

, and on to Gordonsville or

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

. A fire in 1930 destroyed many of the buildings on Main Street. As a result of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, a smaller version of Palmyra was rebuilt after the fire.

Geography

Palmyra is in central Fluvanna County, on a hillside rising to the northeast above the

passes through the community, crossing the Rivanna at the south end of town. US 15 leads north to Gordonsville and south to Farmville. Virginia State Route 53 intersects US 15 just south of the Rivanna River and leads northwest to Charlottesville. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Palmyra CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.70%, is water.

Climate

Palmyra's climate is characterized by a notable change in seasons and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa"(Humid Subtropical Climate).

Notable residents

Chris Adler Christopher James Adler (born November 23, 1972) is an American musician, best known as the founder and longtime drummer of heavy metal band Lamb of God from 1994 to 2019, and of Megadeth from 2015 to 2016. Adler played drums on Megadeth's f ...

, from the band Lamb of God *

Willie Adler Lamb of God (sometimes abbreviated as LoG) is an American heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed in 1994 as Burn the Priest, the group consists of bassist John Campbell, vocalist Randy Blythe, guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adle ...

, from the band Lamb of God *

Chris Daughtry Christopher Adam Daughtry (; born December 26, 1979) is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry, which he formed after placing fourth on the fifth season of ''American I ...

, musician (''American Idol'', Daughtry), graduated from Fluvanna County High School in 1998. His parents still live in the area. *

Texas Jack Omohundro John Baker Omohundro (July 27, 1846 – June 28, 1880), also known as "Texas Jack", was an American frontier scout, actor, and cowboy. Born in rural Virginia, he served the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He late ...

(1846-1880), frontier scout, actor, and cowboy born on the Pleasure Hill farm in Palmyra

References

{{Authority control Census-designated places in Fluvanna County, Virginia County seats in Virginia