Smithfield in Isle of Wight County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Founding Site of Smithfield Packing Company
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021
1. Founding Site of Smithfield Packing Company Marker
At this site on September 16, 1936, Joseph W. Luter and Joseph W. Luter Jr. founded Smithfield Packing Company which later became known as Smithfield Foods. The meat processing plant built at this location cured and smoked fresh hams into what is now known as the world famous Smithfield Ham.
Today Smithfield Foods is the largest pork and turkey processor in the world with operations in 29 states and 12 foreign countries. Sales in 2008 were twelve billion dollars. Joseph W. Luter III is currently chairman of the Board of Smithfield Foods having served as Chief Executive Officer from April 1975 to September 2007. Joseph W. Luter IV, the fourth generation of Luters, currently serves as Executive Vice President.
Erected 2008 by Smithfield Foods.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1975.
Location. 36° 59.05′ N, 76° 37.844′ W. Marker is in Smithfield, Virginia, in Isle of Wight County. It is at the intersection of Commerce Street and Luter Drive, on the left when traveling north on Commerce Street. Touch for map.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is 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 walking distance of this marker: Isle of Wight County War Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Todd House & the First Smithfield Ham (about 500 feet away); Bricks in the Crosswalk (about 800 feet away); Ivy Hill Cemetery (about 800 feet away); Old Isle of Wight Courthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Law & Politics in 18th Century Isle of Wight (approx. 0.2 miles away); Atkinson Storehouse (approx. Ό mile away); Smithfield
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021
2. Founding Site of Smithfield Packing Company Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Battle of Smithfield (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 810 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
