History of Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 6,867 at the 2000 census. It was first settled in 1777.
It is home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Lexington (along with nearby Buena Vista) with Rockbridge County for statistical purposes.
Stonewall Jackson House, 8 East Washington Street
Union General David Hunter led a raid on Virginia Military Institute during the American Civil War. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson are buried here. So too was Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury until he was removed to Richmond, Virginia the following spring. It is also the site of the only house Jackson ever owned, now open to the public as a museum.
Sam Houston, 19th century statesman, politician and soldier, and, as of 2005, the only person in U.S. history to have been the governor of two different states — Tennessee and Texas — was born near here. At the Sam Houston Wayside is a 38,000 pound piece of Texas pink granite commemorating Houston's birthplace
Lee Chapel
Today, Lexington's primary economic activity stems from higher education and tourism. Host to Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University, Lexington is first and foremost a small college town. As a Civil War attraction, Lexington attracts visitors from around the country. Items of interest in Lexington include the Stonewall Jackson House, Lee Chapel, and the downtown historic district.
A monument in Lexington honors the three fraternities that began in the town.
Lexington's two colleges have been the founding sites of three large national college fraternities; Alpha Tau Omega, Kappa Alpha Order, and Sigma Nu were all founded by Lexington students during Reconstruction. A monument now commemorates this so-called "Lexington Triad".
Lexington was the site for several movies. Parts of at least three motion pictures were filmed in here. The first was the 1938 movie, Brother Rat, which starred Ronald Reagan. After the movie's release he was made an honorary VMI cadet. The second was the 1958 Mardi Gras, which starred Pat Boone as a VMI cadet and actress Christine Carere. The third was Sommersby, starring Richard Gere, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones, and Jodie Foster. Filming for parts of several Civil War films also took place in Lexington, including the documentary "Lee Beyond the Battles" and Gods and Generals. Most recently, in the fall of 2004, director Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise filmed scenes for War of the Worlds here, with Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins.