Chula, Virginia

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Chula
Unincorporated community
Chula is located in Virginia
Chula
Chula
Location within the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates: 37°23′19″N 77°54′11″W / 37.38861°N 77.90306°W / 37.38861; -77.90306Coordinates: 37°23′19″N 77°54′11″W / 37.38861°N 77.90306°W / 37.38861; -77.90306
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyAmelia
Elevation
289 ft (88 m)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
23002
Area code(s)804
GNIS feature ID1492767

Chula is a mostly rural unincorporated community in the northeastern part of Amelia County just west of the Appomattox River in the U.S. state of Virginia.[1] The town is located along SR 636 (Lodore Road) and (Old Chula Road) around their T-intersection. Chula is just west of SR 604 (Chula Road), which includes a short bypass segment built around the town in the late 20th century.[2] The area is served by the post office 7 miles southwest at Amelia Court House, ZIP code 23002. The nearest fire station, Mattoax Volunteer Fire Department, is 3 miles north.

The word "Chula" may have been derived from a Native American term meaning "Red Fox".[3] A post office using the name "Chula Depot" was established in 1857;[4] a Confederate map shows the town as a stop on the newly completed Richmond and Danville Railroad.[5] As of about 1900, after the R&D RR had been acquired by Southern Railway, Chula (or "Chula Station") was still a railroad stop as well as a post village;[6] "Chula Depot" and "Chula Station" continued to appear as alternative names well into the 20th century.[1] The railroad track is also still used, although only by freight trains; it crosses Route 636 at the main T-intersection and is now owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway.[7]

During the Civil War, cavalry led by Union general August Kautz conducted raids against the Richmond and Danville Railroad in 1864. Union forces destroyed Chula Depot on March 13, but it was rebuilt.[8] Confederate defenders clashed with Kautz's forces at Flat Creek Bridge, just north of Chula, on May 14.[9]

Amelia County is located in a small Central Virginia tornado alley and has had numerous tornado touchdowns. Tornadoes of note include the April 30, 1924, twister that passed east of the courthouse area, traveling from Jetersville to the Chula vicinity, killing one person and injuring seven others.[10]

Through the mid-20th century, Chula School was among the educational facilities serving African American children in Amelia County in the era before desegregation. A structure noted as historic Chula School stood approximately 2 miles south of town on what is now SR 683 (Chula School Road).[11]

Dykeland, Egglestetton, Grub Hill Church, and The Wigwam are among the historic buildings around Chula that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Chula, Virginia
  2. ^ Chula USGS Topographic Map, TopoZone, Locality LLC. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Hanson, Raus McDill. Virginia Place Names: Derivations, Historical Uses, page 31. United States: McClure Press, 1969. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ Hall, Virginius Cornick Jr. "Virginia Post Offices, 1798-1859", The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 81, no. 1, January 1973, page 59. Virginia Historical Society. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  5. ^ Henderson, D. E. Map of Amelia Co., Virginia. Confederate States of America. Army. Department of Northern Virginia. Chief Engineer's Office. 1860. Virginia Historical Society. LCCN Permalink=https://lccn.loc.gov/2012591111. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, December 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Gannett, Henry. A Gazetteer of Virginia, US Geological Survey, Bulletin No. 232, Series F: Geography, 40, page 40. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1904. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  7. ^ http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/media/2944/2019-09-24_front-of-rail-map_print-final.pdf
  8. ^ Stewart, John. "Milepost 30.4: Chula", Jefferson Davis's Flight from Richmond: The Calm Morning, Lee's Telegrams, the Evacuation, the Train, the Passengers, the Trip, the Arrival in Danville and the Historians' Frauds. McFarland & Company, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  9. ^ The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Serial 68, Page 6, "Operations in SE. VA. and N.C.", Chapter XLVIII. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Bill Sammler (July 1, 2008). "Tornado History". Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM)-Vaemergency.gov. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  11. ^ Chula School (historical), Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.


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