Endicott, Virginia facts for kids

Endicott, Virginia (GNIS FID: 1477306) is a small community in Franklin County, Virginia. Also known as "Long Branch, Virginia". There are only a few buildings left in the community. The elevation of Endicott is 1,158 feet. Endicott appears on the Endicott U.S. Geological Survey Map. Franklin County is in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC -5 hours).

History

Located along Virginia State Route 40, Endicott was first settled in 1747. The origin of the name is that an early settler, Georgie Radford, and Mose, an escaped slave, first came upon the area when the milk weed was blossoming. Mose thought the milk weed was cotton, and said they were "In the cotton." Georgie Radford later inscribed a rock with the words "En de cott", which later became the town's name.

When Georgie Radford's father died in 1775, the 16 year old was able to save a land grant for 500 acres that his father had received for service during the French and Indian War from his creditors. The grant had been written on deerskin, and allowed him the land on the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. "The land grant was recorded on a strip of deerskin. It stated that 500 acres of land was his, located on the southerly slope beginning at the crest of the Blue Ridge. The boundary was in the form of a square and the south boundary was 36 degrees and twenty minutes latitude."

The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia operated a mission school and church, St. John-of-the-Mountain, here from 1907-1943. They were organized by the Rev. William T. Roberts, who also organized and established the Phoebe Needles Mission School nearby.

Before World War II, Endicott had several general stores, a mill, two schools, a post office and was a voting precinct. However, since that time the town has lost population, and now has only a couple of churches still being used. The voting precinct was closed in 1997.