Henry Clay Inn

301 South Center Street

by b1bob

This building was once a movie house. It has shadows on the south wall as historical reminders of the location of an old stairway. During segregation, blacks would enter the movie house by these steps, which led to their allocated seats in the balcony. When the newer movie house was built in 1948, this became the black movie house.

en español, em português

Independence Day

by consaacs

You, too, can be in a Fourth of July parade, or just watch it. Ashland's Old Time 4th of July Celebration typically begins with a parade down Center St. The one basic rule is no motorized vehicles, so you'll see lots of bikes, rollerskates, lawn chair marching units, croquet teams, pony carts, dogs, etc. If you want to add your own group or join one that is already forming, just come to the staging field. The parade route is always beside the Amtrak/CSX railroad track, so even rail travellers can enjoy the fun as they ride by.

The route ends at the 19th Century church that is now the Hanover Arts and Activities Center, where the fun continues: usually a concert by the the Hanover community band, children's games, an apple pie contest, hot dogs and ice cream, and more. Everything finishes up with plenty of time to relax in case you want to go watch the fireworks in Richmond or Montpelier later at dark.

Ashland-Hanover Visitor Center

by davecallahan

This visitors center is a two-room affair with brochures about area attractions and town/region maps and artifacts pertaining to the area and a mini-museum about the trains/railroad that were important to the growth of the region.

The center is located at 112 North Railroad Avenue
and it has a website:
http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?AttrID=19960&pf=1

to get there:
take I-95 exit 92 and go west on route 54 (England Street) to Railroad Avenue.

Truck Stop on I-95

by grandmaR

The Town of Ashland's website starts out by saying: Affectionately known as the “Center of the Universe” by residents for its central location within the state, Ashland is located in the heart of Hanover County.

Developed by the railroad as a mineral springs resort, the origin of the town dates back to the late 1840s. Officially incorporated on February 19, 1858, the town was named “Ashland” after native son Henry Clay’s estate in Kentucky.

When I was applying to colleges, my mother (who wanted me to get 'poise and culture') insisted that I apply to a couple of women's colleges. One of them was Randolph Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg. That college (still in Lynchburg) is now Randolph College and is co-ed.

The reason that Randolph Macon in Lynchburg had to put "Woman's" in the name is because Ashland had a men's college called Randolph Macon. The Ashland college became co-ed in 1971.