Day 239 - Culpeper, Virginia

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

This really caught my eye!

Wall Graffiti

Culpeper, Virginia.  I could have stayed in this town for two hours or more, walking the streets and discovering all the cool things it has to offer.  But, alas, I needed to get home, and the rain was drizzling a little, and above all, I wanted to beat the rush hour traffic in the Leesburg area.

Brief history of the name:  Lord Culpeper was granted land from the Chesapeake Bay to what is now part of West Virginia.  He named the town Fairfax, chartered in 1759, after his grandson, Lord Fairfax.  Young George Washington, aged 17, surveyed the town, setting out the ten blocks that form downtown.  In 1869, it was renamed Culpeper, to avoid confusion with the Fairfax we know today.  It also played significant roles in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, but you can read the history for yourself.

Stars & Stripes & Blacks & Whites

Spring Snow

Norma and I drove through the historic district and discovered what it had to offer, then found parking at one of the free municipal lots by the railroad depot.  We walked along Davis Street, admiring the quaint old buildings that have been renovated for modern use; many still had the old advertising painting on the brick facades.  We looked into various restaurants, finally choosing one with an unimaginative name of "The Restaurant," but it had a very imaginative menu.  One of their best offerings was "all you can eat soup," which was only $2.99.  The soups were varied and all were delicious.  I had a poached pear and shaved Virginia ham salad over greens with a sweet vinaigrette.  It was heavenly.

Onion Sets

Old Building Advertising

Because it was drizzling, Norma ducked into one of the many shops, and I took off along Main Street, finding more great old buildings, cute and quaint shops, an old theater, a farmer's market, the town hall, war memorials, and more.

Miss Minerva at the Tea Room

I met up with Norma again and we went into an old hardware store named Clarke's (in operation since 1903) that had everything imaginable in it.  While I was there, I told the clerk, a man in his early 70's, that it had been a long time since I had been in such an old fashioned hardware store.  He pretended to take offense at "old fashioned," but if you check their link above, that is exactly how they bill themselves!  Norma bought some herbs while I was busy photographing the seed packets, the onion sets, and the Radio Flyer wagons and tricycles. 

Reluctantly, I ended my walk so that we could get back on the road.  But I will return to Culpeper--it was great!

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Visit my photography show, "My Maryland," at the public library in Urbana, Maryland, on the lower level of the building.  It is there until the end of April.

Hurricane Sandy Relief: Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross. Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address. The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient. Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

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Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
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Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so