Securing the water was a close call, for as visionary as it was, Jefferson’s plan “was not perfect,” Takahashi says. Jefferson coveted it for its water, wood and stone, but especially for the water. More than just nice to look at, the land-simply labeled “mountains” in Jefferson’s 1817 survey of “Lands of the Central College”-was central to his conception of UVA, not acquired later, as many assume, Takahashi says. Jefferson’s 1817 survey of “Lands of the Central College” labeled a 153-acre tract “Mountains.”Īlbert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, UVA In artists’ renderings of the nascent University, it sits companionably in the background, “as a topographic counterpart to the domed Rotunda, its rural wooded aspect in contrast to the village below,” Takahashi and Garth Anderson (Arch ’16), UVA’s facilities management historian, wrote in a 2018 paper, Downhill/Uphill: Material Flows Between a Mountain and an Academical Village. The mountain has been imprinted in the popular image of UVA for nearly two centuries. The 137-year-old Leander McCormick Observatory presides at its peak. Deer, snakes, turtles and other woodland creatures also roam.Ĭold War-era science buildings, including a former nuclear reactor, populate its lower slopes. The occasional bear is seen on the hill’s upper reaches.
Birders flock from mid-April through May, during migration season. Geological Survey calls Mount Jefferson it’s also known as Observatory Mountain or at UVA as O-Hill.īy whatever name, it’s well used. O-Hill’s trail system offers 300 feet of vertical drop for more daring riders such as local BMX rider Ronnie Vance. “This is the spot that Jefferson knew,” she says. The story she discovered is one reason she enjoys bringing people to the spring, an unmarked spot that looks much the same as it would have 200 years ago. She became interested in its history when she served as principal at Hereford College, located along the mountain. The role the mountain played in establishing UVA and sustaining it in its early days is not widely known, says Nancy Takahashi (Arch ’76, ’85), associate professor emerita of landscape architecture in UVA’s School of Architecture.
It’s not every university that has its own mountain, and not every mountain that nurtured a university. The mountain not only supplied water, but wood and stone, life-sustaining materials for UVA in its earliest days. Not just any mountain spring but the water source that made the college below it possible. It came from the head of a mountain spring. Amid the hubbub, however, was a quieter scene.Ībout 100 yards off the pavement, up a narrow path, a trickle of water meandered downhill.
Rising 865 feet on the western edge of Grounds, crisscrossed by a network of trails and covered by a canopy of chestnut oak and hickory trees, the hill is a haven for recreation. Here at ACU, every person has a voice for change.On Observatory Hill one fall evening, mountain bikers barreled down rocky slopes, joggers chugged up steep inclines, and four-legged explorers sniffed around, leading their owners at the end of leashes. If you experience, see or hear something that makes you feel uncomfortable and you know is not quite right, speak up. We pride ourselves on providing an environment in student accommodation that is respectful, safe and inclusive and we expect our residents, staff and visitors to behave in a manner that reflects this.ĪCU will not tolerate any forms of sexual misconduct. Learn more about residential life Student safety We encourage all our residents to express their spiritual beliefs by creating a respectful and engaged environment. Having an awareness of your personal spiritual belief system can help you be a well-rounded resident. There is a strong link between good overall health and cognitive function so we believe keeping our students active and engaged with their wellbeing is important to their success with their studies. Community engagement and cultural awareness are key elements to producing graduates that are in tune with the world around them.
We continually look for opportunities to help our residents become immersed in their community.
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