Bon Air , Virginia (VA)

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Bon Air was originally a summer resort town about 8 miles outside of Richmond, Virginia. One of the founders was Colonel Algernon S. Buford, of Chatham, Virginia, who is best known for his presidency of the Richmond and Danville Railroad during its massive postwar expansion which ended in 1894 with the formation of the Southern Railway System (now part of Norfolk Southern).

Buford was a graduate of the University of Virginia, became a lawyer, and represented Pittsylvania County in the Virginia House of Delegates during 1853 and 1854. During the American Civil War, Buford served the Confederacy in Richmond at Virginia Depot. With the support of Virginia Governor Francis H. Pierpont, on September 13, 1865, Buford became president of the 140-mile Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D).

Around 1875, Buford purchased a large tract of land known as the old Anderson Edwards plantation on the south side of the R&D right-of-way. He personally (as well as through the R&D Railroad) helped in the development of Brown's Summit, which was renamed Grand Summit, then Bon Air, after the French expression for good air. This choice may also have been related to the earlier settlement by French Huguenots, a group of religious refugees, slightly to the west.

In 1877, Buford was among the first investors and officers in the Bon Air Land and Improvement Company. Other R&D officials involved in the development of Bon Air were General Thomas M. Logan, Andrew Talcott, and his son, Thomas Mann Randolph Talcott. Col. Buford is honored by the naming of the thoroughfare Buford Road in Bon Air. Logan Street is named for General Logan.