Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Origins of Richmond
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, February 7, 2009
1. Origins of Richmond Marker
Inscription.
Origins of Richmond. . There was "no place so strong, so pleasant, and delightful in Virginia, for which we called it None-such." So wrote Captain John Smith about the site he chose in 1609 when he established the first English settlement near the falls of the James River. It stood a few miles south until 1610. William Byrd I founded the second settlement when he patented land here in 1676. He soon built a fortified community, trading post, and warehouses just across the river near the mouth of Goode Creek. In 1737 his son, William Byrd II, laid out Richmond--which he named for Richmond upon Thames, now a borough of London--here in the Shockoe valley.
There was "no place so strong, so pleasant, and delightful in Virginia, for which we called it None-such." So wrote Captain John Smith about the site he chose in 1609 when he established the first English settlement near the falls of the James River. It stood a few miles south until 1610. William Byrd I founded the second settlement when he patented land here in 1676. He soon built a fortified community, trading post, and warehouses just across the river near the mouth of Goode Creek. In 1737 his son, William Byrd II, laid out Richmond--which he named for Richmond upon Thames, now a borough of London--here in the Shockoe valley.
Erected 1993 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-39.)
Location. 37° 32.024′ N, 77° 25.617′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Shockoe Bottom. It is at the intersection of North 18th Street (U.S. 360) and East Franklin Street, on the left when traveling north on North 18th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Richmond VA 23223, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,129 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
