Elijah Fletcher was a 19th century teacher, businessman, and served as mayor of Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...

 for two terms in the early 1830s. He was the publisher of The Virginian newspaper, and was a founding member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg.

By the mid-19th century, Fletcher had between 80 and 100 slaves at the plantation. After their emancipation

Emancipation

Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...

 in 1865, several continued to work for pay and live at Sweet Briar. On Elijah Fletcher's death, his daughter, Indiana, inherited the plantation. When she passed in 1900, she willed the land and much of her assets to starting the Sweet Briar College

Sweet Briar College

Sweet Briar College is a liberal arts women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, about north of Lynchburg, Virginia. The school's Latin motto translates as: "She who has earned the rose may bear it."...

for women.