William French Home

One mile east is the former home of Colonel William Henderson French, (1812-1872), local legislator, land dealer and soldier. Elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1842, 1843 and 1845, French later became a Captain in the Confederate cavalry in 1861 and was promoted to colonel in 1863. He was a large land holder in the region and once owned the entire site of the town of Athens.