(The following sketch of Sperryville's history is taken from

(The following sketch of Sperryville's history is taken from the Virginia Historic Landmark's application for historic designation for the little Blue Ridge Mountain village.)

Virtually unchanged since the 1920s, the village’s growth has been limited by the natural landscape to expansion in a linear east-west direction along the junction of the Winchester and New Market turnpikes.

The site of the town was originally part of a 4,452 acre tract granted in 1749 by the Northern Neck proprietary to Francis Thornton of Caroline County. His direct decendant and namesake, Francis Thornton, Jr., inherited the land by will from his brother-in-law, John A. Thornton, and shortly thereafter laid out the lots for what became the town.

In August, 1820, Francis Thornton, Jr., sold the first two lots in what was then a flat adjoining the lands of John Menefee between the pass mill and Thornton Gap. The town was identified as early as 1821 on John Woods’ map of Culpeper and also on an 1826 deed.

The origin of the name of Sperryville is explained by several different theories, one of which is that it comes from an early postmaster.

Surviving houses from the early town settlement period include the George William Cooper House, the Dr. Amiss House, Totten’s Mill House and two other residences on the north side of Route 1001. All the structures were built in the period ca. 1830-1850 and are wood-frame with either weatherboarding or boardand-batten siding. All the homes have the exterior stone chimneys characteristic of the earliest houses in the region.

The village grew randomly and slowly until the Smoot family of Alexandria established C. C. Smoot and Sons Tannery between the two branches of the Thornton River in 1867. The new industry increased the population of Sperryville and also provided work for area farmers. The surviving houses on the east end of