Female Collegiate Institute

About two miles east, along the Richmond-Lynchburg stage road, is the site of the Female Collegiate Institute, the first college for women chartered in Virginia. Established in 1837, the college offered a rigorous curriculum including courses in rhetoric, moral philosophy, chemistry, mathematics, Greek, and Latin. Much of its leadership and support came from Methodist clergymen. The Institute closed in 1843 and was reopened in 1849. After closing permanently in 1863, it housed residents of northern Virginia displaced during the Civil War. The main building was demolished in 1906.