Fox Hill

Fox Hill. Bell's Island. In 1812, two Englishmen, William Johnson and Alex Weston, jumped ship out on the bay and made their way to Bell's Island, less than a half mile to the east of this marker. No one knows whether they were pirates or deserters, but Johnson brought along a sea chest containing a ship's log, sailing entries, and ship drawings., Johnson founded a Fox Hill family dynasty. He married Elizabeth Wallace from Maryland in 1814, and together they had nine children. He bought 25 acres of land about 1,000 feet south of this marker along both sides of Dandy Point Road. Many of William and Elizabeth's descendants live in Fox Hill today., One who played a significant role in local history was Teresa Hubbard Hubbard Johnson. While her husband, James, was serving in the Confederate Army, family lore has it, Union forces from Fort Monroe raided local pantries and, in so doing, threatened the populace with starvation. The story continues that Teresa, then 23, walked from Fox Hill to Fort Monroe where she brought the matter to the attention of post commanders, including Gen. Benjamin Butler, and extracted a promise that the raids would end., (captions) , William Johnson's Sea Chest - Courtesy of Fox Hill Historical Society, Drawing of the USS Adams from the 1813 logs of ship navigator William Johnson. - Courtesy of Fox Hill Historical Society, James and Teresa Johnson, "Tank and Tootsie" Courtesy of Fox Hill Historical Society