Fox Hill - Grandview in Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Fox Hill

Fishing Camps

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, June 14, 2020

1. Fox Hill Marker

Inscription. This part of Fox Hill was the hub of a thriving fishing industry that put food on the tables of families from here to distant cities. At the heart of this industry was the fishing camp, which usually included a modest shanty where fishermen would gather for food and fellowship after a long day working their pound nets on the Chesapeake Bay. One such camp, not more than 20 feet from this marker, was the base of operation for Calvin Augustus Wallace from 1910 to 1946.

Many of the fishermen took their catch directly to a packing plant at Factory Point at the mouth of Back River. Later, when the plant closed, they sold to "buy boats" that came into the river. Across from Dandy Point, on land that now contains expanded marina facilities, fishing nets were prepared and maintained. Out on Back River, several fishing boats, like the one in this photograph, ca. 1941, were moored.

Diagram of the pound net setting The pound net is a large stationary fish trap consisting of heavy nets held in place by posts that are driven into the bottom with the help of boats that are equipped with pile drivers. Fish moving down- stream are funneled

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through a series of bays into a large impound- ment where they are hauled in. During the heyday of pound nets, dozens of the traps near the entrance to the bay shared in the catch. Some are still in operation near the shoreline.

(sidebar)
The pound net is a large stationary fish trap consisting of heavy nets held in place by posts that are driven into the bottom with the help of boats that are equipped with pile drivers. Fish moving downstream are funneled through a series of bays into a large impoundment where they are hauled in. During the heyday of pound nets, dozens of the traps near the entrance to the bay shared in the catch. Some are still in operation near the shoreline.

(captions)
C.A. Wallace Fish Camp

William Routten (above) Moses Routten (right)

Deadrise work boat in Back River

Diagram of the pound net setting

All images are courtesy of Fox Hill Historical Society

Erected by Bringing History to Life in partnership with Virginia Civil War Terails.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.

Location. 37° 4.77′ N, 76° 16.646′ W.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, June 14, 2020

2. Fox Hill Marker

Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Fox Hill - Grandview. It can be reached from the intersection of State Park Drive and Adriatic Drive when traveling north. Located in the Grandview Nature Preserve. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hampton VA 23664, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula

and in Coastal Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: A different marker also named Fox Hill (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Fox Hill (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Fox Hill (a few

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steps from this marker); a different marker also named Fox Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Back River Lighthouse Ruins (approx. 0.2 miles away); Buckroe Beach (approx. 2.8 miles away); Buckroe (approx. 2.8 miles away); a different marker also named Buckroe Beach (approx. 2.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hampton.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2020, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 362 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 15, 2020, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.