Esmont, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Esmont
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Former Esmont National Bank, currently U.S. post office
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Location of the Esmont CDP within the Albemarle county
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 Esmont
Location in Virginia
Esmont
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Albemarle |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1494219 |
Esmont is a small community located in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the United States. It is known as a "census-designated place" (CDP). This means it's an area identified by the government for collecting statistics, but it doesn't have its own official city or town government. In 2020, about 491 people lived there. Esmont, along with two historic buildings nearby called Guthrie Hall and Mountain Grove, are important enough to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
History of Esmont
How Esmont Got Its Name
Esmont got its name from a large farm, or "plantation estate," that used to be in the area. A person named Dr. Charles Cocke built this estate. The town was later built on land bought from this old estate.
Early Community Life
The land around Esmont has very rich soil, which made it a great place for farming. Because of this, Esmont has always been a farming community. Many African American families have lived and farmed here for a long time, even since the 1700s. However, the community didn't get its own post office until the late 1800s.
The Soapstone Industry
A big change happened in 1883 when people started digging for slate near Esmont. By the mid-1920s, this area, covering about 6,000 acres, became the largest producer of soapstone in the entire nation. Soapstone is a type of rock that was used for many things. The quarry operation stopped in the 1960s because of worries about the environment.
Esmont's Peak Years
When Esmont was at its busiest, it had a train station for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. It also had three stores, a church called St. Steven's Episcopal Church (which was built of wood in 1914 and is still used today), and a bank. That old bank building has now been turned into the local post office. Recently, a special project by the Carter Woodson institute collected stories from people who lived in Esmont, creating an "oral history" of the community.
Local Churches and Clubs
New Hope Baptist is a church in Esmont that has a long history, especially for the Black community. In 1974, the pastor of this church was Rev. H. J. Scruggs, Jr. Also in 1974, Esmont had a Greencroft Garden Club, where people could share their love for gardening.
See also
In Spanish: Esmont (Virginia) para niños
Images for kids
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Esmont in 1910, near the railroad tracks.
