Earls, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Earls, Virginia
|
|
|---|---|
 Earls, Virginia
Location in Virginia
Earls, Virginia
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Amelia |
| Elevation | 330 ft (100 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
23002
|
| Area code(s) | 804 |
| FIPS code | 51-24240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1499368 |
Earls is a small, quiet community in southeastern Amelia County, Virginia. It is also sometimes called "Earl." You can find it along Route 153 and at the southern end of Route 641 (Earls Road). This spot is about one mile north of the county line between Amelia and Nottoway counties.
The nearest post office is in Amelia Court House, which is the county seat. It's about 13 miles northwest of Earls. The local fire station is about five miles away in Mannboro.
Contents
What's in a Name?
We don't know exactly how Earls got its name. It isn't even on maps from the time of the Civil War. However, around the year 1900, Earls had its own small post office. Back then, there were thousands of tiny mail facilities all over the American countryside.
Many small post offices closed in the early 1900s. This happened when mail delivery started going directly to people's homes. Earls' post office was one of the last in Amelia County to close. A store called Earl's Grocery was open until about 2000. It was located on Highway 153 near Route 641.
A Look Back: Earls' History
The area around Earls was mostly peaceful during the Civil War. However, troops from both sides passed nearby in April 1865. This was during the Appomattox Campaign, the final days of the war. Confederate forces were retreating, and Union forces were chasing them.
Most of the troop movements near Earls happened during a break in the fighting. This was between the Battle of Namozine Church and other battles in Amelia County. General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.
Manassas Hill School
The Manassas Hill School was built between 1917 and 1920. It was one of the first Rosenwald Schools in Amelia County. These schools were part of a big project to build facilities across the South. They aimed to improve education for African American children.
The Manassas Hill School was designed for one teacher and was located on Route 615 (now Namozine Road) near Earls. After schools became integrated, the Rosenwald model was no longer needed. Many of these schools were torn down or sold. The Manassas Hill property was sold at auction in the late 1960s.
Manaza Hill Baptist Church
Manaza (or "Manassa") Hill Baptist Church is a historic African American church. It is located two miles north of Earls on Route 615. The church and the school have similar names and were on the same road. However, we don't know if they were connected.
