Gargatha in Accomack County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Gargaphia
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones, June 5, 2026
1. Gargaphia Marker
The site of Gargaphia, the home plantation of Anne Toft (ca. 1642 - ca. 1687), is about a mile southeast of here. Toft came to Virginia about 1660, when fewer than ⅕ of English arrivals were women. Closely allied with Col. Edmund Scarburgh II, a burgess and Virginia's surveyor general, she acquired more than 30,000 acres in Virginia, Maryland, and Jamaica, on which indentured and enslaved workers. While she was single, she engaged in international trade, defended her interests in court, and became the wealthiest woman on the Eastern Shore. About 1671 she married Daniel Jenifer of Maryland. A great-grandson, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, was a signer of the U. S. Constitution.
Erected 2024 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number WY-28.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1642.
Location. 37° 48.028′ N, 75° 35.865′ W. Marker is in Gargatha, Virginia, in Accomack County. It is at the intersection of Lankford Highway (U.S. 13) and Gargatha
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, on the Delmarva Peninsula, 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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lightweight Sleeping Car (approx. 3.2 miles away); Class X23 Box Car (approx. 3.2 miles away); Diner #6061 (approx. 3.2 miles away); Maintenance-of-Way Tool Shed (approx. 3.2 miles away); The Hopeton Passenger Station (approx. 3.3 miles away); The Railroad Tracks That Run Through Parksley (approx. 3.3 miles away); Barber Shop Bench (approx. 3.3 miles away); Confederate Memorial (approx. 3.3 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on June 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 7, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 7, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
