Bumpass is an unincorporated area in Louisa County, Virginia, on the southeastern banks of Lake Anna. The area was named after John T. Bumpass, one of the first postmasters in the area, whose name is derived from the French word bonpass, meaning “good passage.” In the 1800s, the C&O railroad station at Bumpass connected Eastern Louisa County farms, mills, and factories to customers in the bigger cities and towns. Today, Bumpass homes are prized for their affordability, country charm, and close proximity to Lake Anna, Richmond, and Charlottesville.

One of the most notable Bumpass homes is Jerdone Castle, a historic estate that now sits next to Lake Anna. The original mansion was built in 1752 on a 1,000-acre plantation, though most of that land is now submerged under the lake. It is said that George Washington stayed at the plantation house during his 1791 southern tour. Novelist Ellen Glasgow summered at Jerdone Castle in her childhood and wrote of the house’s influence on her writing in her autobiography. It became a Virginia Historic Landmark in 1984.

Bumpass is known for its close proximity to Lake Anna, a 13,000-acre reservoir in Louisa and Spotsylvania counties. Originally constructed to serve as a cooling pond for the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station, the “cool end” of the lake is open to the public and has become a popular recreation spot. Lake Anna State Park has become a destination for swimming, camping, fishing, boating, and watersports throughout the region.