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

Roadside Commerce

 
 
Roadside Commerce Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017
1. Roadside Commerce Marker
Inscription. Virginia’s highway system took shape during the 1920s as automobile ownership expanded rapidly. State Route 52 was established in 1928 to connect Suffolk with Prince George County. In 1933, this road became part of the new U.S. 460 from Roanoke to the Chesapeake Bay. The highway was later extended to St. Louis, Missouri, but its western terminus was eventually fixed at Frankfort, Kentucky. To accommodate travelers’ needs, entrepreneurs opened gas stations, motels, and cafes along the roadside. Among these was the Virginia Diner, which D’Earcy and Laura Davis established here in 1929 inside a refurbished Surry, Sussex and Southampton Railroad car.
 
Erected 2015 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-281.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceRoads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1929.
 
Location. 36° 58.429′ N, 76° 59.312′ W. Marker is in Wakefield, Virginia, in Sussex County. Marker is at the intersection of County Drive (U.S. 460) and Sussex Avenue, on the right when traveling east on County Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 408 County Dr, Wakefield VA 23888, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
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At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Wakefield Fountain Corner (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel Michael Blow (approx. 1.1 miles away); Sussex County / Southampton County (approx. 2˝ miles away); Early Peanut Crop (approx. 3.7 miles away); Ellis Preaching House (approx. 5 miles away); Surry Lumber Company (approx. 5.9 miles away); Surry, Sussex & Southampton Railway (approx. 5.9 miles away); Miles B. Carpenter (approx. 7.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wakefield.
 
Also see . . .  Virginia Diner. (Submitted on May 29, 2017.)
 
Roadside Commerce Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017
2. Roadside Commerce Marker
Virginia Diner image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017
3. Virginia Diner
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 29, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 301 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.

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Mar. 29, 2024