Wakefield in Sussex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Roadside Commerce

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 & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) 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. It is at the intersection of County Drive (U.S.

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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.

Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in 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.

Other nearby markers. 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. 2½ 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

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017

2. Roadside Commerce Marker

(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.)

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 540 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 29, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.