Cross Keys is an unincorporated community located in Rockingham County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.

Cross Keys
Cross Keys is located in Virginia
Cross Keys
Cross Keys
Location in Virginia
Cross Keys is located in the United States
Cross Keys
Cross Keys
Cross Keys (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°21′27″N 78°50′46″W / 38.35750°N 78.84611°W / 38.35750; -78.84611
Country United States
StateVirginia
CountyRockingham County

Geography

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It is located on State Route 276 south of Harrisonburg.[1]

 
 
Cross Keys
Location of Cross Keys within the Rockingham County

History

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On June 8, 1862, it was the site of the Battle of Cross Keys, a Confederate victory in Jackson's Valley Campaign during the American Civil War.

Climate

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The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Cross Keys has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[2]

Culture

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Singers gather around the grave of Ananias Davisson in Cross Keys, following an all-day shape note singing.

Ananias Davisson, the publisher of the first Southern shape note tunebook, the Kentucky Harmony (1816), is buried in the Cross Keys cemetery. Davisson was from the Shenandoah Valley, but many of the songs were collected during trips to Kentucky and Tennessee. Many of his musical compositions have been republished in the Shenandoah Harmony, and the annual Northern Shenandoah Valley All Day Shenandoah Harmony Singing typically ends with a visit by singers to the Cross Keys cemetery, where they sing Ananias Davisson's "Retirement" at the graveside of the composer.

References

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  1. ^ Google Maps (Map). Google.
  2. ^ Climate Summary for Cross Keys, Virginia