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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

The York River

 
 
The York River Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 20, 2013
1. The York River Marker
Inscription. Native North Americans called the York River Pamunkee, combining two words meaning upland and sloping to describe its high banks. English colonists renamed the river Charles, in 1634, and later York, in 1643.

The river’s watershed area drains from the Piedmont Region and courses through Virginia’s heartland, covering about 2,700 square miles. Two upstream branches, the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers, converge at West Point. The main stem of the York flows southeast from there for about 25 miles to Yorktown and then continues for 7 to 8 miles to join the Chesapeake Bay. The York River below West Point has an average width of two miles and average depth of 20 feet. The channel is 80 feet deep beneath the George P. Coleman Bridge, which is 90 feet above the river at its highest point.

(captions)
Photo of bridge linking York and Gloucester Counties. Courtesy of York County.
Map courtesy of Center for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

 
Erected 2010 by York County.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1634.
 
Location. 37° 14.286′ N, 76° 30.453′ W. Marker is in Yorktown
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, Virginia, in York County. Marker can be reached from Water Street west of Ballard Street (Virginia Route 1020), on the right when traveling west. Located along Yorktown's Riverwalk. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Yorktown VA 23690, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. York River Ecosystem (here, next to this marker); Kiskiack (a few steps from this marker); Kiskiak Indians (within shouting distance of this marker); Virginia Institute of Marine Science (within shouting distance of this marker); USS Yorktown (within shouting distance of this marker); Seat of the County of York (within shouting distance of this marker); Heavy Artillery at Yorktown (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wars & Yorktown (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.
 
Yorktown's Riverwalk image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 20, 2013
2. Yorktown's Riverwalk
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 476 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.

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Mar. 28, 2024