Cuckoo, Virginia

Unincorporated community in Virginia, United States

37°57′8″N 77°54′00″W / 37.95222°N 77.90000°W / 37.95222; -77.90000CountryUnited StatesStateVirginiaCountyLouisaElevation

423 ft (129 m)Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)ZIP code

23117

Area code540GNIS 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]

Earthquake

On Tuesday August 23, 2011, at 1:51 PM ET a magnitude 5.8 earthquake was recorded^[5] 2.4 mi (3.9 km) SW of Cuckoo on the western bank of Indian Creek. It was felt from Atlanta, Georgia to Quebec City, Quebec, Canada and as far west as Cincinnati, Ohio.

References

^ "Cuckoo". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ "Cuckoo post office". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
^ Dyson, Cathy (July 20, 2003). "History and legend unlock origins of unusual names". The Free Lance-Star. pp. A7. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
^ "FINDING YOUR ROOTS Science Pioneers". PBS. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
^ "Magnitude 5.8 – VIRGINIA". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved August 24, 2011.