Hidden Hollymead

The Hollymead community is a designated growth area in Albemarle County that has seen extensive development over the last 30 years. In 2009 the area had approximately 7000 residents; since then, hundreds of new homes have been added and additional development is planned or underway. However, people were living here long before the modern subdivisions, shopping centers, and airport. Many of their stories connect to larger threads in American history

I first became interested in the history of the Hollymead area after moving here in the early 2000s.  While walking and biking I would see signs of prior human habitation: old fence lines overgrown by trees, rock piles in a forest, or a stone chimney covered in vines.  This made me curious about the people who used to live in the place that I called home. 

The articles on this site capture the various stories I uncovered. Rather than giving a single chronological narrative, these vignettes explore different aspects of the history of the Hollymead area based on locations, families, and eras. Learning these stories has given me a connection and appreciation for this area that I didn’t have before.  Hopefully others in the community will find this interesting and feel the same way.

This is by no means a comprehensive local history.  I’ve mined all the readily available resources I could find, but there are surely other sources available.  Although I have tried to identify the various property owners, I haven’t researched each and every one.  In most cases I stopped at the early twentieth century.  Future projects might try to fill in some of these gaps.  Comments, corrections, and additional information are greatly appreciated. 

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