About

Founded in 1839 as the Farmville Female Seminary Association, Longwood's history has been one of constant growth and evolution. The institution had a series of names over its early history, becoming Longwood College in 1949, turning fully co-ed in 1976, and in 2002, becoming Longwood University.

One of the remarkable facts of Longwood's history is its close connection to two transcendent historical events. The Civil War ended at one end of campus, with one of the last skirmishes of the war occurring at High Bridge, a few miles outside town. On April 7, 1865, General Lee held one of his final war meetings in Farmville, a few blocks from campus. He was trying to provision his tired, hungry troops, but was quickly forced to continue his retreat. General Grant arrived with Union forces just a few hours later and he reviewed his troops from a hotel just a few blocks away. Two days later, when Lee surrendered a few miles west at Appomattox, the war came to an end. Today, High Bridge is the centerpiece of High Bridge State Park, a 31-mile "rails-to-trails" pathway for bicycling, hiking and horseback riding that runs across Farmville's Main Street and is easily accessible from campus.