RICHMOND — Anyone who has driven in Virginia has probably driven past one of Virginia’s distinctive silver and black historical markers.
How much history is waiting to be discovered along the road?
With more than 2,700 historical highway markers across the Commonwealth, Virginia has one of the nation’s largest collections of roadside historical signs and the oldest state historical marker program in the country. The Highway Marker Program is managed cooperatively by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
As the nation continues to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Virginia’s historical markers offer another way to explore the stories that helped shape the country. From the marker outside St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, where Patrick Henry delivered his famous “liberty or death” speech, to the marker in Virginia Beach near where the first permanent English settlers in North America landed in 1607 and would go on to establish Jamestown, the markers connect travelers to history in the places where it happened.
A partnership to preserve Virginia’s history
Together, VDOT and DHR help preserve and share Virginia’s history with residents and visitors as they travel throughout the Commonwealth.
DHR researches proposed marker topics, working with applicants to develop marker texts and presenting them to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources for approval. Individuals and organizations can submit new markers through an application process managed by DHR. To qualify, a topic must have regional, statewide or national significance and must have attained its significance at least 50 years ago. About five to eight new topics are approved each quarter.
VDOT is responsible for installing and maintaining historical markers in its right-of-way. Local public works departments are responsible in cities and towns that maintain their own roadways.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
