Editing Nelson County, Virginia (section)

== History ==
At the time the English began settling Virginia in the 1600s, the inhabitants of what is now Nelson County were members of a [[Siouan languages|Siouan]]-speaking tribe, the [[Tutelo people|Nahyssan]]. It is likely they were connected to the [[Manahoac]].<ref name=swanton>{{citation| last=Swanton| first=John R.| title=The Indian Tribes of North America| publisher=Smithsonian Institution| year=1952| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtHI5pkJOGMC| isbn=0-8063-1730-2| page=64| oclc=52230544}}</ref>

Nelson County was created in 1807 from [[Amherst County, Virginia|Amherst County]]. The government was formed the following year.<ref>[http://www.usgwarchives.org/va/nelson.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706042820/http://www.usgwarchives.org/va/nelson.htm|date=July 6, 2008}}</ref> The county is named for [[Thomas Nelson Jr.]], a signer of the [[U.S. Declaration of Independence]], who served as [[List of Governors of Virginia|Governor of Virginia]] in 1781. An [[Nelson County, Kentucky|earlier Virginia county, also named in his honor]], became part of Kentucky when it separated from Virginia in 1792.

=== Hurricane Camille ===
{{See also|Hurricane Camille}}
On the night of August 19–20, 1969, Nelson County was struck by disastrous flooding caused by [[Hurricane Camille]]. The hurricane hit the [[Gulf Coast]] two days earlier, weakened over land, and stalled on the eastern side of the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]], dumping a world-record quantity of {{convert|27|in|mm}} of rain, mainly in a three-hour period. Over five hours, it yielded more than {{convert|37|in|mm}}, while the previous day had seen a deluge of {{convert|5|in}} in half an hour, with the ground already saturated. There were reports of animals drowning in trees and people who had had to cup their hands around their mouth and nose to breathe.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Provence|first1=Lisa|title=Cataclysmic Camille: After 40 years, Nelson County's wounds still fresh|url=http://www.readthehook.com/83659/cover-cataclysmic-camille-after-40-years-nelson-countys-wounds-still-fresh|website=[[The Hook (newspaper)|The Hook]]|access-date=July 31, 2017|language=en|date=August 20, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Mudslides in Nelson (7797546600).jpg|thumb|left|Mudslide damage in Nelson County after the passage of Hurricane Camille]]

Flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people, 31 from [[Roseland, Virginia|Roseland]], [[Tyro, Virginia|Tyro]], and [[Massies Mill, Virginia|Massies Mill]] alone.<ref name="hurricanewatch.mgnetwork.com">[http://hurricanewatch.mgnetwork.com/index.cfm?SiteID=TFP&PackageID=9&fuseaction=article.main&ArticleID=66&GroupID=17] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060518004846/http://hurricanewatch.mgnetwork.com/index.cfm?SiteID=TFP&PackageID=9&fuseaction=article.main&ArticleID=66&GroupID=17|date=May 18, 2006}}</ref> Over 133 public bridges were washed out in Nelson County, while some communities were under water.<ref name="CamilleTCR">{{cite web| author=United States Department of Commerce| year=1969|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1969-prelim/camille/TCR-1969Camille.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528055908/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/storm_wallets/atlantic/atl1969-prelim/camille/TCR-1969Camille.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2008 |url-status=live|title=Hurricane Camille August 14–22, 1969| publisher=Environmental Science Services Administration| access-date=March 23, 2008}}</ref> In the tiny community of [[Davis Creek, Virginia|Davis Creek]], 52 people were killed or could not be found; only 3 of 35 homes were left standing after the floodwaters receded.<ref name="hurricanewatch.mgnetwork.com"/> The bodies of some people have never been found; others washed as much as {{convert|25|mi|km}} downstream along the creeks and rivers. The entire county was virtually cut off, with many roads and virtually all bridges, telephone, radio, TV, and electric service interrupted.

The waters of the [[Tye River|Tye]], [[Piney River (Tye River)|Piney]], [[Buffalo River (Virginia)|Buffalo]], and [[Rockfish River|Rockfish]] rivers flow into the [[James River]]. There was severe flooding elsewhere in Virginia, such as along the [[Maury River]], which destroyed the town of [[Glasgow, Virginia|Glasgow]] in Rockbridge County.

The James River and its tributaries normally drain Nelson County, but in the face of unusually high flooding from other tributaries such as Hatt Creek (along the James River some {{convert|80|mi}} to the east) the James River crested more than {{convert|20|ft|m}} above flood stage at [[Westham, Virginia|Westham]], as Nelson County citizens watched portions of houses and other buildings, bodies, and dead livestock flow past. Just a few miles further downstream, the James River crested at the City Locks in Richmond at {{convert|28.6|ft|m}} swamping downtown areas and also flooding a substantial portion of South Richmond (formerly the separate city of [[Manchester, Richmond, Virginia|Manchester]]<ref>[http://www.discoverrichmond.com/dis/sports/recreation/james_river/article/flood_wall_park/1457/] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204141159/http://www.discoverrichmond.com/dis/sports/recreation/james_river/article/flood_wall_park/1457/|date=December 4, 2008}}</ref>). The Hurricane Camille disaster did over $140 million (in 1969 dollars) in damage across Virginia, however in no other place in Virginia was the storm as devastating and deadly as in Nelson County, where one percent of the population was killed and where many bodies were never recovered. Visitors to Nelson County can participate on a self-guided tour of notable locations related to Hurricane Camille. There are exhibits dedicated to Hurricane Camille at the [[Mitchell's Brick House Tavern|Oakland Museum]].