10 Virginia Towns That Are Older Than the United States

In 1814, as the British closed in on Washington, the Declaration of Independence was hidden in an empty house near a Virginia town that was already older than the document itself. Virginia is full of towns like that: laid out, named and busy long before 1776. In this video we count down 10 Virginia towns older than the United States: where George Washington surveyed land and won his first election, where Benedict Arnold set up his base, where a British general was buried in secret at night, and where Virginia's government fled in 1781. Plus the world's oldest ham. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 01:18 #10 Fincastle 02:59 #9 Smithfield 04:43 #8 Woodstock 06:30 #7 Leesburg 08:14 #6 Portsmouth 09:57 #5 Dumfries 11:42 #4 Petersburg 13:28 #3 Staunton 15:09 #2 Winchester 17:05 #1 Alexandria 18:59 Which town would you visit first? Which of these towns would you visit first? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe to Timeless Virginia for more stories of Virginia's history, one place at a time. SOURCES National Park Service, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Encyclopedia Virginia, Thomas Balch Library (Town of Leesburg), Loudoun Museum, Town of Smithfield, Smithfield Times, Isle of Wight County Museum, Historic St. Luke's Church, Journal of the American Revolution, VA250, Town of Dumfries, Historic Petersburg Foundation, American Battlefield Trust, Trinity Episcopal Church Staunton, Virginia Places, Carlyle House, Historic Christ Church Alexandria. CREDITS Historic images: Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Boston Public Library, National Archives, U.S. Capitol, Historic American Buildings Survey, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Carol M. Highsmith Archive and others (public domain or no known restrictions), via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons photos via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY / CC BY-SA / CC0 / GFDL): Wallygva, Kubigula, Doug Kerr, JodyMBrumage, Famartin, AlbertHerring, Isle of Wight County Museum, GenezWikMed, ZeWrestler, APK, David R. Bains, Mojo Hand, Karen Nutini, General George Marshall, Acroterion, Maxgreenhood, Jerrye & Roy Klotz MD, Leonard J. DeFrancisci, henristosch, Strawser, YF12s, Sarah Stierch, Dsdugan, Joel Bradshaw, Antony-22, Ken Lund, Farragutful, Jonathunder, Beyond My Ken, m01229. Video: Pixabay. Music: CapCut audio library. #Virginia #VirginiaHistory #ColonialAmerica