The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Augusta (county)

AUGUSTA, a N. W. county of Virginia, bordering on West Virginia and the Blue Ridge; area, 900 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 28,763, of whom 6,737 were colored. It was distinguished for its loyalty to the revolutionary cause, for which it was commended by Washington. The surface is elevated and uneven; the soil, which is drained by the sources of the Shenandoah and James rivers, is calcareous, and one of the most fertile in the state. In 1870 the county produced 463,276 bushels of wheat, 29,835 of rye, 280,380 of Indian corn, 234,492 of oats, 19,671 tons of hay, 23,291 lbs. of wool, and 353,335 of butter. The quantity of hay was greater than in any other county of the state, and of wheat and butter than in any other except Loudon. Fine limestone underlies much of the surface. The celebrated Weyer's or Wier's cave, Madison cave, and the Chimneys are in this county. Capital, Staunton.