Near Williamsburg in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Virginia Wilderness
Greensprings Interpretive Trail
Photographed by Evan Dwyer, February 14, 2026
1. The Virginia Wilderness Marker
Inscription.
The Virginia Wilderness. . When the first colonists arrived, they went exploring. They found magnificent timber, field s of brilliantly colored flowers, lush vegetation, fertile soil and an abundance of wildfowl, game, and marine life - as one man put it, a veritable paradise on earth. George Percy, who chronicled this early period, said that the colonists marveled at the numerous squirrels, rabbits, turkey nests, "blackbirds with crimson wings, and other diverse fowls and birds." They also saw deer, bear, foxes, otters, beavers, muskrats "and wild beasts unknown." There were beech, oak, cedar, cypress, sweet gum, walnut and sassafras trees, as well as strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, and plant species that were unfamiliar. The Virginia wilderness also had large meadows that would provide excellent pasturage for cattle. It is no wonder that some early writers called Virginia "The Land of Eden."
When the first colonists arrived, they went exploring. They found magnificent timber, field s of brilliantly colored flowers, lush vegetation, fertile soil and an abundance of wildfowl, game, and marine life - as one man put it, a veritable paradise on earth. George Percy, who chronicled this early period, said that the colonists marveled at the numerous squirrels, rabbits, turkey nests, "blackbirds with crimson wings, and other diverse fowls and birds." They also saw deer, bear, foxes, otters, beavers, muskrats "and wild beasts unknown." There were beech, oak, cedar, cypress, sweet gum, walnut and sassafras trees, as well as strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, and plant species that were unfamiliar. The Virginia wilderness also had large meadows that would provide excellent pasturage for cattle. It is no wonder that some early writers called Virginia "The Land of Eden."
76° 47.23′ W. Marker is near Williamsburg, Virginia, in James City County. It can be reached from John Tyler Highway (Virginia Route 5) near Greensprings Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is on the Greensprings Interpretive Trail. The address given is for Jamestown High School, which includes the northern trailhead and parking area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3751 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg VA 23185, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula, 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 March 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photo1. submitted on March 13, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
