Chronology

Blackwood Farm: 5 dated entries from the full dataset. Back to the highlights →

1. Colonial and Regulator years · 1680–1774
2. By the 1770s Quaker settlers farm the future Blackwood propertyLand or property · Blackwood Farm

   A Quaker settler identified as Mr. Marlett had purchased the property and begun farming there.

3. Antebellum and Civil War · 1800–1865
4. 1827 James Strayhorn builds the Blackwood farmhouseBuilding completion · Blackwood Farm

   James Strayhorn built a new farmhouse on the future Blackwood Farm property.

5. 1849 James Strayhorn's will names sixteen enslaved peopleRecord or document · Blackwood Farm

   James Strayhorn’s will identifies sixteen people he enslaved.

6. Early twentieth century · 1900–1944
7. 1906 Herbert and Alice Blackwood purchase and revitalize the farmLand or property · Blackwood Farm

   Herbert and Alice Blackwood purchased the farm and renewed its house and agricultural buildings.

8. Recent decades · 1976–2026
9. 2001 Orange County purchases Blackwood FarmPreservation action · Blackwood Farm

   Orange County purchased the 152-acre farm from Nannie and Mary Blackwood.

The other dated entries wait behind a subject, a place, an era, a month, or the All dated entries switch, and each storyline’s page carries its own component entries. Dates come from the sources named on the cards and from the index’s event pages; where sources disagree, the card follows the county records. Entries marked approximate or needing research say so on the card; the rest were checked against the source named on it. Each card’s “Correct this” link opens the contact form with the entry already named. Suggest an event →

Compiled and maintained by the Friends of the Orange County Public Library from county records, the sources named on each card, and the index’s event pages. Last updated September 14, 2026.