The village of Crozet was birthed in 1876 simply as a stop on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. But in 1849, what would become the site of downtown Crozet was little more than a conspicuous grove of oak trees surrounded by farms and farmers. The route of the c.1730’s Mountain Road surveyed by Peter Jefferson, later Three Notch’d Road, cut directly through the location of that future village on its course connecting Richmond with Staunton to the west.
Dramatic change, though, was approaching steadily in the form of steel rails and steam locomotives, with a promise of new prosperity for those nearby the path of its influence. The Blue Ridge Railroad Company was incorporated by the State of Virginia in March of 1849 in order to extend the Louisa Railroad 17 miles west, through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and into the Shenandoah Valley. Eleven months later, the Louisa RR became the Virginia Central Railroad Co., oft referred to during that period as, simply, the Central Railroad.
Claudius Crozet, the state’s Chief Engineer on the Blue Ridge Railroad project, began to set multiple crews to the task of converting a 17-miles-long slender strip of earth—both above and below the ground—into a heretofore unimaginable yet vital ribbon of rail.
The Virginia Central’s marching orders brought the railroad to Charlottesville in 1850, to Ivy in ’51, and the eastern bank of Mechums River in ’52. Leaping over the Blue Ridge Railroad’s active work zone, the Central began building west from Waynesboro with a visionary goal of extension to the Ohio River.
In December 1853, a cacophony of smoke, steam and train whistles from Virginia Central trains passed by Wayland’s Crossing (future Crozet) bound for the rail line’s then terminus (and locomotive turntable) at Greenwood Tunnel. Richmond’s Daily Dispatch newspaper stated, “When completed, the whole route from Mechum’s River to Waynesborough will be one of the greatest achievements of the age, and the glory of Virginia.”
In April ’54, those trains departed the mainline at the east portal of Greenwood Tunnel and, utilizing specially built engines and a temporary track, proceeded over the mountain through Rockfish Gap, safely transporting passengers and freight into Waynesboro. The barrier preventing efficient travel beyond the Blue Ridges had at last been breached.
In April 1858, the Blue Ridge Tunnel was completed and opened to rail traffic; the successful, temporary over-mountain track was removed, and a new era was begun.
Back in the countryside surrounding Wayland’s Crossing, many a wishful eye was cast toward the passing trains. Access to those modern-day amenities was available 3.8 miles distant, at Mechum’s River Station to the east, or Greenwood Station to the west.
When building plans were advertised for Miller Manual Labor School near Batesville in 1874, their closest railroad freight drop was at Mechum’s River Station. Sensing an opportunity, Miller School officials and local farmers petitioned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for a rail stop more efficient for the school’s colossal building project, and economically advantageous for shipping agricultural products.
In June 1876, C&O Vice-President Williams C. Wickham announced approval for the rail stop at a point to be designated as Crozet. The official word was published April 15, 1877: “A regular Freight Station, and a flag Station for Passengers for Trains Nos. 1 and 2, to be known as CROZET, has been established… with Mr. A. WAYLAND, as agent.”
What followed was stuff of legend. Building materials dropped off at Crozet Station contributed to the building of Miller Manual Labor School/Miller School of Albemarle, now listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
Apples, particularly Albemarle Pippins and Fancy Winesaps, shipped out in bounteous amounts by railcars from Crozet and other points in western Albemarle County, brought unheralded prosperity to the region and helped to make this county’s name an international byword. Peaches grown to perfection, picked, packed and shipped from Crozet led to the town’s recognition as the “Peach Capital of the East.”
By the mid-20th century, when fruit exports were slowing, industrial rail sidings were installed by the Chesapeake and Ohio, first for Acme Visible Records’ move to Crozet from Chicago. This manufacturer of world-class office filing systems became one of the county’s premiere employers. Three years later, Morton Frozen Foods (later, Del Monte), located next door to Acme, and established itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of prepared frozen foods, as well as the county’s largest employer. Raw materials for each of these business concerns arrived by the railcar load, and finished products shipped back out to waiting merchants.
For 125 years, the railroad brought jobs and prosperity to a large region whose epicenter was once-upon-a-time a solitary flag stop, named in honor of a giant who left behind, for the benefit of all, the evidences of his remarkable engineering talents.
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