HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Bowling Green is an
incorporated town An incorporated town is a town that is a municipal corporation. Canada Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government. United States An incorporated town o ...
in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,111 at the 2010 census. The
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Caroline County since 1803, Bowling Green is best known as the "cradle of American
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
", the home of the second-oldest Virginia
Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...
, and the current location of the oldest continuously inhabited residence in
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 ...
.


History

The town of Bowling Green was earlier known as New Hope. One of the earliest stage roads in the colony ran through the area from Richmond to the
Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
, where a ferry crossing was operated to
Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. T ...
. One of the first stage lines in the United States to maintain a regular schedule operated along this road. New Hope Tavern was built along the road in the 18th century and the area around it became known as New Hope.History
The town was renamed for " The Bowling Green" which was the plantation of town founder, Dache Carmine, who donated the land and funds for a new courthouse when the community became the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
in 1803. The origin of the plantation's name is not definitive but may be based on the green sward in front of the plantation house itself. The Bowling Green Estate was the site of one of the first tracks built to race horses in America.Acknowledgment For Codification
The plantation house, pre-Georgian tidewater colonial in style, was built circa 1741. A prominent colonial landmark, it is one of the oldest houses in original condition in Virginia and is listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and 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 ...
. The present Caroline County Court House was built in 1835 and Bowling Green was incorporated as a town about 2 years later, in 1837. The town is best known as the "cradle of American
horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
" and as the home of the second-oldest
Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...
in Virginia, Kilwinning Crosse, No. 2-237 . The
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad co ...
(chartered in 1834) was built through nearby Milford (just west of town) and reached Fredericksburg by 1837. This important rail link between several major northern railroads at Washington, DC and other major southern railroads at
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
was long partially owned by the
Commonwealth of 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 ...
, and became part of
CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a 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 track, it is the lead ...
in the 1990s. It is a major freight railroad line for north–south traffic and the corridor also hosts many
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
trains. Although the closest
Virginia Railway Express Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to Washington Union Station in Washington, D.C. It operates two lines which run during weekday rush hour only: the Fredericksbur ...
(VRE) commuter passenger rail service to
Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...
is currently accessed at Fredericksburg, future VRE extensions southward may include service at Milford which would be very convenient for Bowling Green and the surrounding area. In 1855, a gazetteer described the town as having "2 churches, 3 stores, 2 mills, and about 300 inhabitants". Today, Bowling Green is located along
Virginia State Route 2 State Route 2 (SR 2), formerly State Route 50 (SR 50), is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and US 301 in Richmond north to US 1 Business, US 17 Business, and SR 3 Busi ...
, one of the two earlier highways between
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
and Fredericksburg. In later years, U.S. Route 301 was built through the area, connecting Richmond with
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, Maryland with what was effectively an eastern bypass of the Washington, DC area for north–south traffic along the U.S. east coast. A new road, Virginia State Route 207 was established from Bowling Green west to Carmel Church, where it intersects Interstate 95 and
U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, ...
, major north–south highways. In 1941, the United States government acquired of Caroline County to the north and east of Bowling Green and established the A.P. Hill Military Reservation. Now known as
Fort Walker Fort Anderson-Pinn-Hill, commonly known as Fort A.P. Hill (formerly Fort Walker)MDW USARM(25 August 2023) Fort Walker Redesignation Ceremony59:22, Ceremony sponsored by MG Trevor Bredencamp, commander of Military District of Washington; additio ...
, it was originally named for a Virginia military hero,
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
and later
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
General
Ambrose Powell Hill Ambrose Powell Hill Jr. (November 9, 1825April 2, 1865) was a Confederate general who was killed in the American Civil War. He is usually referred to as A. P. Hill to differentiate him from Confederate general Daniel Harvey Hill, who was unrelat ...
, who was killed just prior to the end of the War in 1865. The installation's name was changed in 2023 to honor Mary Edwards Walker, an American abolitionist, prohibitionist, prisoner of war, and surgeon. She is the only woman to receive the
Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
. At the massive complex, thousands of regular military and reserve troops undergo training each year. It has also been the site of national Jamboree gatherings of the
Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
.Fort AP Hill, Va • History
In addition to "The Bowling Green," Auburn, the Bowling Green Historic District, Caroline County Courthouse, and Green Falls 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 ...
.


Geography

Bowling Green is located at (38.053428, −77.347404). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.2 km2), of which 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (1.24%) is water.


Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 936 people, 387 households, and 212 families residing in the town. The population density was 587.1 people per square mile (227.3/km2). There were 425 housing units at an average density of 266.6 per square mile (103.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 80.13%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 18.38%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.53% Native American, 0.32% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population. There were 387 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.0% were non-families. 39.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.81. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.1% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 32.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 69.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 66.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,250, and the median income for a family was $49,792. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $25,341 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,223. About 8.5% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.


References


External links


Town of Bowling Green, VA official website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1837 Towns in Caroline County, Virginia Towns in Virginia County seats in Virginia 1837 establishments in Virginia