Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Lost Village of Cameron at Great Hunting Creek
Jones Point Park
| — | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | — |
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 7, 2012
1. The Lost Village of Cameron at Hunting Creek Marker
Oceangoing ships were once able to sail up Great Hunting Creek, all the way to the village of Cameron, the original home of some of Alexandria's founding families. Though Great Hunting Creek was considered to be a good location for at tobacco inspection station, West's Point, located along the Potomac River, was selected as a more suitable site for navigation. Despite the setback, Cameron prospered into the 1800s, until siltation reduced the port's usefulness. The West's Point site eventually overshadowed Cameron,
this page online
Rolling Roads
Tobacco was packed into cylindrical barrels called hogsheads and rolled to the port of Cameron. Several of these “rolling roads” converged on the town, including Back Road today known as Telegraph Road.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1749.
Location. 38° 47.555′ N, 77° 2.664′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Old Town. It can be reached from Jones Point Drive east of South Royal Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is on a walkway along Great Hunting Creek in Jones Point Park.
PLEASE NOTE: The automated “Touch for directions” link at the end of this paragraph, when used in driving mode, takes you to I-95’s Wilson Bridge, where you cannot park, much less stop, and then seems to indicate that you should jump off the bridge and walk to the marker. You will surely break your neck—among many other bones—if you jump off the bridge. Instead, set your destination to “Jones Point Park Parking” in order to obtain driving directions to where you can park and walk to the marker. .
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 7, 2012
2. The Lost Village of Cameron at Hunting Creek Marker
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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: The First People on Jones Point (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); World Wars to the Present (about 600 feet away); The Emerging Nation (about 600 feet away); Prehistory to Colonial Settlement (about 600 feet away); Mount Vernon Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome to Jones Point Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Potomac Connections (approx. 0.2 miles away); World War I-Era Rudder
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 7, 2012
3. Map
Another marker is no longer nearby. Jones Point (was about 700 feet away but has been confirmed missing).
Additional commentary.
1. The Village of Cameron
Cameron was where Telegraph Road (VA 611) crosses Hunting Creek near I-95 exit 176 A.
— Submitted December 19, 2012, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 7, 2012
4. Rolling Tobacco
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2012, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,610 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on December 20, 2012, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 18, 2012, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
