Virginia State Route 38
state highway in Amelia County, Virginia, United States
State Route 38 (SR 38) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known for most of its length as Five Forks Road, SR 38 runs 7.03 miles (11.31 km) from U.S. Route 360 Business (US 360 Business) in Amelia Court House east to SR 153 at Scotts Fork.
Route description
SR 38 begins at an intersection with US 360 Business (Goodes Bridge Road) in Amelia Court House. In Amelia, SR 38 makes a stairstep series of single-block right-angle turns at the courthouse square: It heads south on Virginia Street, turns east onto Court Street, turns south onto Washington Street to follow the east side of the courthouse property, turns east onto Church Street, and turns south onto Five Forks Road, passing Amelia Academy. One mile south of Church Street, at Amelia County High School, SR 38 turns east, at a junction formerly called Five Forks. From this intersection, SR 614 runs northwest as Otterburn Road and south as Dennisville Road; and SR 38, still named Five Forks Road, heads east through countryside for 5.9 miles to SR 153 (Military Road) at Scotts Fork. Scotts Fork marks the eastern terminus of SR 38, but the roadway continues east as SR 602 (Bevils Bridge Road) into Chesterfield County toward Petersburg.
History
SR 38 follows a portion of the route taken by Confederate general Robert E. Lee and his army in their retreat westward during the final days of the Civil War. Confederate forces, hoping to reach a promised delivery of desperately needed rations at the Court House rail depot, had just fought an inconclusive battle at Namozine Church on April 3, 1865. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9.
“Virginia State Route 38” enters the record as state highway in Amelia County, Virginia, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Virginia, State and Route can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Virginia State Route 38” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Virginia, State and Route provides the most credible route into that argument.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 21, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q2507671. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1865.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Virginia State Route 38”, its source revision and the description used here.
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Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Virginia State Route 38” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.