Crittenden in Suffolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Crittenden and Eclipse
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021
1. Crittenden and Eclipse Marker
Inscription.
Crittenden and Eclipse. . The villages of Crittenden and Eclipse emerged here just as Virginia's commercial oyster industry was expanding in the latter part of the 19th century. Early residents included watermen and boatbuilders from the North who were attracted by the rich oyster beds of the lower James River. In the 1890s, Lepron Johnson established the Johnson Marine Railway, one of many boatbuilding yards employing skilled craftsmen. Watermen harvested oysters, fish, crabs, and clams. Oysters, sold directly to "buyboats," were transported to processing houses and marketed across North America. The oyster trade began to decline in the 1950s, but the tradition of oystering and crabbing survives.
The villages of Crittenden and Eclipse emerged here just as Virginia's commercial oyster industry was expanding in the latter part of the 19th century. Early residents included watermen and boatbuilders from the North who were attracted by the rich oyster beds of the lower James River. In the 1890s, Lepron Johnson established the Johnson Marine Railway, one of many boatbuilding yards employing skilled craftsmen. Watermen harvested oysters, fish, crabs, and clams. Oysters, sold directly to "buyboats," were transported to processing houses and marketed across North America. The oyster trade began to decline in the 1950s, but the tradition of oystering and crabbing survives.
Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-155.)
Location. 36° 54.487′ N, 76° 29.842′ W. Marker is in Suffolk, Virginia. It is in Crittenden.
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It is at the intersection of Bridge Road and Bridge Road (U.S. 17), on the right when traveling east on Bridge Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1600 Bridge Rd, Suffolk VA 23433, 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,493 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
