Near Bensley in Chesterfield County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Historic Route 1
1913-1926
Falling Creek Ironworks Park
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, January 25, 2017
1. Historic Route 1 Marker
Inscription.
Historic Route 1. The United Daughters of the Confederacy conceived of the Jefferson Davis Highway in 1913, along the same series of roads in Virginia that U.S. Route 1 later followed. The Virginia General Assembly officially designated the United Daughters of the Confederacy's route as the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway in 1922. It was added to the state highway system in 1918 as state Route 1, then was renumbered state Route 301 in 1923. The U.S. Route 1 designation was applied to its whole length in 1926. The General Assembly designated it as, “Historic Route 1" in 2008, at the request of the Jefferson Davis Association., A drive along the Route 1 corridor in Chesterfield County will take visitors past numerous historical and heritage sites including the Defense Supply Center, historic Bellwood House, Drewrys Bluff, Dutch Gap Canal, Falling Creek Ironworks Park, Half Way House, Battery Dantzler and Fort Stevens., Historic Route One Facts, Route 1 is 2,390 mile long and is the longest north-south highway in the United States. It runs from Fort Kent, Maine, to Key West, Florida. U.S. Route 1 was established in 1911 as the Quebec-Maine International Highway. In 1915 it was renamed the Atlantic Highway and would eventually be known as Route 1. Route 1 ends at the southernmost tip of the country, in Key West., Most of Interstate 95 was completed in the late 1970s, replacing Route 1 as the main highway along the East Coast. Route 1 passes through major historic sites related to the Civil War in Baltimore, Maryland and Richmond. Historic markers along the highway point out specific locations and events connected to the war., (captions) , Painting by Sydney King depicting the battle of Drewrys Bluff, (courtesy of National Park Service) , Bellwood House, built in 1804 by Richard Gregory. The house was used as headquarters by General P.G.T. Beauregard during the Civil War. James Bellwood purchased the house in 1887. In 1941, the U.S. government purchased the land for a military supply depot known today as Defense General Supply Center. , The Half Way House
The United Daughters of the Confederacy conceived of the Jefferson Davis Highway in 1913, along the same series of roads in Virginia that U.S. Route 1 later followed. The Virginia General Assembly officially designated the United Daughters of the Confederacy's route as the Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway in 1922. It was added to the state highway system in 1918 as state Route 1, then was renumbered state Route 301 in 1923. The U.S. Route 1 designation was applied to its whole length in 1926. The General Assembly designated it as, “Historic Route 1" in 2008, at the request of the Jefferson Davis Association.
A drive along the Route 1 corridor in Chesterfield County will take visitors past numerous historical and heritage sites including the Defense Supply Center, historic Bellwood House, Drewrys Bluff, Dutch Gap Canal, Falling Creek Ironworks Park, Half Way House, Battery Dantzler and Fort Stevens.
Historic Route One Facts
Route 1 is 2,390 mile long and is the longest north-south highway in the United States. It runs from Fort Kent, Maine, to Key West, Florida. U.S. Route 1 was established in 1911 as the Quebec-Maine International Highway. In 1915 it was renamed the Atlantic Highway and would eventually be known as Route 1. Route 1 ends at the southernmost tip of the country, in Key West.
Most
Click or scan to see this page online
of Interstate 95 was completed in the late 1970s, replacing Route 1 as the main highway along the East Coast. Route 1 passes through major historic sites related to the Civil War in Baltimore, Maryland and Richmond. Historic markers along the highway point out specific locations and events connected to the war.
(captions)
Painting by Sydney King depicting the battle of Drewrys Bluff, (courtesy of National Park Service)
Bellwood House, built in 1804 by Richard Gregory. The house was used as headquarters by General P.G.T. Beauregard during the Civil War. James Bellwood purchased the house in 1887. In 1941, the U.S. government purchased the land for a military supply depot known today as Defense General Supply Center.
The Half Way House
Erected 2016 by Falling Creek Ironworks Foundation, Chesterfield Heritage Alliance.
Location. 37° 26.258′ N, 77° 26.308′ W. Marker is near Bensley, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. It can be reached from the intersection of U.S. 1 and Marina Drive, on the right when traveling north. Located in Falling Creek Ironworks Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6407 Route 1, Richmond VA 23234, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Central Virginia, and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 26, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 723 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 26, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
