William Black

Montgomery County · dedicated 1998 · Business Rte. 460 (Main Street), near intersection of Jackson Street, Blacksburg

Just northeast stood the home of William Black, the founder of Blacksburg. In 1797, he laid out a 16-block grid and petitioned the Virginia General Assembly to incorporate a town here; the legislature approved his petition on 13 January 1798. On 4 August 1798, he deeded the 38 3/4-acre site to the town's trustees, who included his brother and himself. Black served as a justice of the peace before moving to Ohio. He died there in 1850 at the age of 84 and he was buried in Pike Township, Clark County.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker program managed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

More markers nearby

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityunder 1 mi
Solitudeunder 1 mi
Mary Draper Inglesunder 1 mi
Virginia 4-H State Congress1 mi