Bumpass

Bumpass Turnout, named for a family of local landowners, was a side track along the Louisa Railroad, which opened in 1837. A small community, including a post office, general store, and boys' academy, developed near the turnout’s passenger and freight station. During the Civil War, Union troops under Col. Ulric Dahlgren in Feb. 1864 and under Maj. Gen. George A. Custer in Mar. 1865 destroyed track in this area. Major 20th-century businesses included the B. J. Grasberger Co., which manufactured wooden ice cream spoons for shipment across the eastern United States, and the Bumpass Coop Co. Central to community life were Sharon Christian and St. Thomas Baptist Churches.