Lake Smith in Virginia Beach, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Col. John Thorowgood Jr.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 16, 2019

1. Col. John Thorowgood Jr. Marker

Inscription. John Thorowgood Jr., Revolutionary-Era leader, lived on an 840-acre plantation near here, on Little Creek. He was elected to the Convention of 1776, which adopted Virginia’s resolutions for independence, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and the state’s first constitution. Thorowgood represented Princess Anne County in the inaugural session of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1776 and served for six additional terms. During the Revolutionary War he commanded the county militia and by 1781 was a prisoner of war. In his will, written in 1786, he directed that his enslaved African Americans be freed after the deaths of his siblings, to whom they were bequeathed.

Erected 2017 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number KV 19.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list.

Location. 36° 53.556′ N, 76° 9.925′ W. Marker is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is in Lake Smith. It is at the intersection of Shell Road and Northhampton Boulevard, on

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the right when traveling west on Shell Road. Located at the southwest corner of the Lake Lawson Lake Smith Natural Area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5381 Shell Road, Virginia Beach VA 23455, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bataan Corregidor Memorial (approx. 1.4 miles away); Pearl Harbor Memorial (approx. 1½ miles away); U.S.N. Armed Guard of World War II Memorial (approx. 1.8 miles away); How do Planes Fly? (approx. 2 miles away); Norfolk International Airport (approx. 2 miles away); Air Traffic Control (approx. 2 miles away); Norfolk Botanical Gardens (approx. 2.1 miles away); Vietnam War Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Virginia Beach.

Also see . . . Virginia Historical Marker - Colonel John Thorowgood Jr. (YouTube, 2 min.). (Submitted on June 6, 2021.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 16, 2019

2. Col. John Thorowgood Jr. Marker

Marker located at this Park image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 16, 2019

3. Marker located at this Park

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,312 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 11, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.