LEXINGTON

city, seat (1823) of Lafayette county, west central Missouri, U.S., on the Missouri River (there bridged to Henrietta), 35 mi (56 km) east of Kansas City. The site, around William Jack's Ferry, was settled after 1819. The town was laid out in 1822 and named for Lexington, Ky. At the beginning of the Civil War, Lexington was the most important river town between St. Louis and St. Joseph and commanded the river approach to Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. The Battle of Lexington (Sept. 1821, 1861) resulted in a bloody victory for Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price over the Federal forces of Col. James A. Mulligan. The battlefield, overlooked by Anderson House (1853; restored) which was used as a field hospital by both sides, is a state historic site. The Lexington County Courthouse (1847) retains battle scars, and Linwood Lawn ( c. 1850) is a notable antebellum mansion. The nation's first Masonic college functioned in Lexington from 1846 to 1859, and Wentworth Military Academy was founded there in 1880. The city's economy now depends on agriculture (corn ), coal mines, rock quarries, tourism, and light manufactures (cables, dies, wood products, and shirts). Inc. 1845. Pop. (1990) 4,860. county, central South Carolina, U.S. It lies between the North Fork Edisto River to the southwest and the city of Columbia and the Congaree River to the east. The county is also drained by the Saluda River, which is impounded by the Saluda Dam to form Lake Murray. Lexington county's southernmost portion lies in gently rolling Coastal Plain terrain, the central portions lie in Fall Line hills, and the northern sections, with pine and hardwood forests, fall in the Piedmont. The region was once the home of Saluda Indians. During the colonial era it included many German settlers in Saxe-Gotha township, one of the South Carolina colony's original townships. Fort Granby was the site of two battles during the U.S. War of Independence; a trading post in nearby Cayce was alternately held several times by British and American forces. The county was formed in 1804 and named for the Battle of Lexington. After 1950 this suburban region's population growth was among the most rapid in the state. The county is prosperous; its per capita income is among the highest in South Carolina, and the unemployment rate among the lowest. Lumbering is important to the economy, as are agriculture (chickens and peaches), health care, and manufacturing (computers, electronic equipment, textiles, steel, and copper). The town of Lexington is the county seat, and the Columbia suburbs of Cayce and West Columbia are the largest cities. Area 701 square miles (1,815 square km). Pop. (1990) 167,611; (1998 est.) 205,260. city, seat (1777) of Rockbridge county (though administratively independent of it), west-central Virginia, U.S. It lies in the Shenandoah Valley, on the Maury River, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Lynchburg. The area was inhabited by the Cherokee and Monacan peoples before the 1730s, when European settlement began. Lexington was established by the Virginia Assembly in 1777 as the county seat and named for the Battles of Lexington and Concord (April 19, 1775) that marked the beginning of the American Revolution. The town was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1796. During the American Civil War, it was bombarded (June 10, 1864) by the Union troops of General David Hunter. Lexington is the seat of Washington and Lee University (founded as Augusta Academy in 1749) and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI; founded 1839). The former was named for George Washington, its greatest benefactor, and for the Confederate general Robert E. Lee, who served as its president from 1865 to 1870. The Stonewall Jackson Cemetery holds the graves of Thomas Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and many other Confederate soldiers. Nearby are Natural Bridge, House Mountain, and Goshen Pass. Lexington was the birthplace of Sam Houston, the Texas military hero, and Cyrus McCormick, inventor of the mechanical reaper. Aside from its status as a shrine of the South, it is also the shopping centre for an agricultural area (beef cattle, sheep, and dairying). Its economic mainstays are education-based services and tourism. Inc. town, 1841; city, 1966. Pop. (1990) 6,959; (1998 est.) 7,360. town (township), Middlesex county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Boston. Settled in 1640 and later organized as the parish of Cambridge Farms, it became an independent township in 1713 and was named for Lexington (now Laxton), England. The town is traditionally regarded as the site of the first military engagement (April 19, 1775) of the American Revolution (see Lexington and Concord, Battles of). The event is reenacted each April at Lexington Green (called Battle Green Park); the battleground is marked by the Minuteman Statue (1900) and by a boulder and plaque inscribed with Captain John Parker's words to his men: Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have war, let it begin here. The town is a feature of Minute Man National Historic Park (1959). The Hancock-Clarke House (1698), Munroe Tavern (1695), and Buckman Tavern (1710) are among colonial buildings that have been preserved. In 1839 the first public normal (teachers' training) school in the United States (later moved to Framingham) was established in Lexington. In addition to its standing as a tourist centre, Lexington has a strong manufacturing sector (infrared systems, avionics, scientific instruments, camera systems, vacuum pumps, and gauges), and a still larger share of employment is provided by high-technology research and by business and financial services. The defense contractor Raytheon is headquartered in Lexington. Many residents work in high-technology industries in the neighbouring town (township) of Bedford. Area 17 square miles (44 square km). Pop. (1990) 28,974; (1996 est.) 29,484.