Petersburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Petersburg's Old Town

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 6, 2026

1. Petersburg's Old Town Marker

Inscription.
Virginia Indian Trade
You are standing in the oldest part of Petersburg, known today as Old Town. In 1646, Fort Henry was established here, along the colonial frontier, to protect settlers in the region and to capitalize on trade with the Virginia Indians. Fort Henry was the point of origin and/or return for the four most important inland explorations in the 17th-century English colonies. Indian trade in the region continued at until at least the 1750s. Petersburg-area men were the Colony's official translators for Cherokee allies during the French and Indian War and communicated with both the Catawbas and the Cherokees when they came to Petersburg to be outfitted by the colony to fight in the war.

Tobacco
Early in the 18th century, settlement of Southern Virginia and the North Carolina Piedmont centralized Petersburg's role in the tobacco trade. Petersburg provided the closest access to transatlantic shipping in the area, and as a result, tobacco rolled in from the surrounding region in exchange for European goods and African slaves. In 1730, the first of seven official tobacco inspections in the region was established

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across the street on the site of the Farmers Market, and many tobacco merchants followed by setting up businesses in Old Town. The American Revolution disrupted commerce, but as late as 1791, when George Washington visited Petersburg, he wrote in his diary that fully one third of North American tobacco trade was conducted here in Petersburg.

Manufacturing, Transportation & Commerce
With the decline of transatlantic trade after the Revolution, Petersburg's economy shifted to a focus on manufacturing, transportation, commerce and banking. Much of this activity took place in Old Town. By the beginning of the Civil War, Petersburg was second only to Richmond in the South as a manufacturing center. By then the dominant mode of transportation had become the railroads, and Petersburg, especially Old Town, had become a major railroad hub. The city was dense with wholesale and retail merchants, banks, and auctioneers, who conducted weekly auctions of property, including slaves, in the streets of Old Town.

Decline and Revitalization
The nine-month siege of Petersburg at the end of the Civil War began a long decline for Petersburg and

Several markers on display in Old Town Petersburg image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 6, 2026

2. Several markers on display in Old Town Petersburg

Old Town that lasted through the 1960s. Four factors worked together to hasten this decline: 1) fashionable commercial businesses moved south along Sycamore Street, out of the Old Town area, 2) the arrival of the automobile, with its need for more space, changed the cityscape, 3) Prohibition encouraged the development of an underworld economy, and 4) the sudden arrival of tens of thousands of troops at nearby Camp Lee in 1917, who sought recreation in Old Town. Starting in the 1960s, community leaders began to fight back, using the city's history, historic architecture, tourism, natural heritage, and the arts as tools to reestablish Old Town as a place to live, work, and visit. Today after many ups and downs, their vision is well on its way to being realized through local and regional initiatives that are helping Petersburg to once again become a center for tourism and commerce.

Erected by City of Petersburg, Virginia; The Cameron Foundation; Preserve America.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1646.

Location. 37° 13.992′ N,

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77° 24.266′ W. Marker is in Petersburg, Virginia. It is at the intersection of East Old Street and Rock Street, on the right when traveling east on East Old Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7 E Old St, Petersburg VA 23803, 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 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: City Sights (here, next to this marker); Touring Old Town (here, next to this marker); Petersburg Region (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Old Market Square (here, next to this marker); Petersburg National Battlefield (here, next to this marker); Pamplin Historical Park (here, next to this marker); Petersburg’s Natural Parks (here, next to this marker); Petersburg Museums (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petersburg.

Other markers no longer nearby. Petersburg’s Old Towne (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Touring Old Towne (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Old Market Square (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named City Sights (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Petersburg Region (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 7, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.