Cuckoo, Virginia

Cuckoo, Virginia
Unincorporated community
Aerial view of Cuckoo
Aerial view of Cuckoo
Cuckoo is located in Virginia
Cuckoo
Cuckoo
Cuckoo is located in the United States
Cuckoo
Cuckoo
Coordinates: 37°57′8″N 77°54′00″W / 37.95222°N 77.90000°W / 37.95222; -77.90000
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyLouisa
Elevation
423 ft (129 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
23117
Area code540
GNIS feature ID1496864[1]

Cuckoo is a small unincorporated community in Louisa County, Virginia, United States. It is located about eight miles southeast of Louisa, roughly between Charlottesville and Richmond. The Cuckoo Tavern stood nearby, which in 1781 was the beginning of Jack Jouett's ride to warn the Colonists of the arrival of Banastre Tarleton's British cavalry (similar to Paul Revere's Ride). There was also a large house named Cuckoo built in 1819 for Henry Pendleton on the former property of William Overton Callis. A historical marker is at the spot. Its post office [2] has been closed.

The tavern was named for the cuckoo clock on the wall, supposedly one of the first in Virginia.[3]

Shirley Ann Jackson, American nuclear physicist and President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has familial ties to Cuckoo.[4]

  1. ^ "Cuckoo". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Cuckoo post office". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ Dyson, Cathy (July 20, 2003). "History and legend unlock origins of unusual names". The Free Lance-Star. pp. A7. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "FINDING YOUR ROOTS Science Pioneers". PBS. Retrieved June 11, 2024.