We entered on a very mountainous region crossed Meadow Mountain, Big and Little Sewell and numerous other ridges, for which the inhabitants say thay cannot afford names. All along these, numerous houses have been built for the purpose fo keeping entertainment. Many of them good houses. Houses are still being built for that purpose and much more land is clearing out where formerly there were no settlements. Staid all night at Tyrees fared well.
Written in 1829, this is the journal of William M. Campbell. This is also the story of Archer Alexander, an enslaved man born in Lexington, Virginia, who was taken to Missouri in 1829. There are 38 entries in Campbell’s journal, which begins on August 20, 1829 that you can read and follow the story of Archer Alexander. Campbell’s journal is located in the Archives at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and is being shared here so that we may hear all the voices, including those whose voices were not shared originally. The photos were taken by me when visiting Virginia for research and then following the pathway that Campbell shares in his journal. Please keep in mind the context of the time in which this journal was written. Feel free to share your comments directly on this blog or join in on the discussion in the St. Charles County History Facebook Group. You may sign up for email alerts of the daily blog posts below.
From Lexington, Virginia to Lewisburg, today’s West Virginia our travelers have come seventy-five miles through the Appalachian Mountains. First crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains, they have climbed into the Shenandoah valley at the altitude of 2,080 feet. The ages of the members of the caravan range from three-month-old Sallie Campbell McCluer born in May, and Mr. Icenhower’s father-in-law who is over ninety-years old. When they crossed Sewell Mountain they had climbed to 3,212 feet. Anna Icenhower and another member of the enslaved community were several months pregnant.
Maps like the one above were quite useful to the traveler in 1829. Nothing like the Google Maps (see below) we use today. They had no GPS coordinates to insert into an app either. In 1829 roads are dirt, and your mode of transportation determined your speed. A man on a horse could travel much faster than a wagon full of household goods, or one of the enslaved walking alongside. Inns were stopping points that were usually the right distance for a days journey from the last innkeeper. Perhaps Campbell has put up with William Tyree and Innkeeper in today’s Anstead, Fayette County, West Virginia.
About this map from the Library of Congress
Lloyd’s official map of the state of Virginia from actual surveys by order of the Executive 1828 & 1859.Summary Indicates drainage, state and county boundaries, roads, distances, place names, mills, factories, “places remarkable for military incidents,” and the railroad network.Contributor Names: Lloyd, James T.Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874, collector. Created / PublishedNew York, 1861.Subject Headings- Virginia–Maps- United States–VirginiaNotes- LC Civil War Maps (2nd ed.), 450- LC Railroad maps, 310- Description derived from published bibliography.- Available also through the Library of Congress Web site as a raster image.- VaultMedium1 col. map 30 x 48 cm.Call Number/Physical LocationG3880 1861 .L41 RepositoryLibrary of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C. 20540-4650 USA Digital Id https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3800.fi000077http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3880.rr003100
ST. CHARLES COUNTY HISTORY 
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