Western Branch South in Chesapeake, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Sunray

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, September 1, 2014

1. Sunray Marker

Inscription. In 1908, the first long-term Polish settlement in Virginia was established in Norfolk County, now Chesapeake. The Piast colony, named for Poland’s first royal dynasty, was called Sunray after the Virginia Railway Company depot that opened here in 1910. The immigrants first worked in mines and factories on the East Coast and then moved to this farming community platted by the Southern Homestead Corp. of Norfolk. They had to dig drains and grub the stumps of timbered lands, but soon built prosperous family farms. They maintained ties with the Polish diaspora and continued to be joined by new colonists for decades.

Erected 2013 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-276.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.

Location. 36° 46.935′ N, 76° 24.648′ W. Marker is in Chesapeake, Virginia. It is in Western Branch South. It is on Homestead Road 0.2 miles south of South Military Highway (U.S. 460), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chesapeake VA 23321, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically 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

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Site of the Nansemond Indian Public School #9 (approx. half a mile away); Dale Point (approx. 1.6 miles away); Pig Point Battery (approx. 3.4 miles away); Lest We Forget (approx. 3.9 miles away); V. C. Andrews Monument (approx. 3.9 miles away); Justin Holland (approx. 4.2 miles away); Portsmouth Light Artillery Monument (approx. 4.3 miles away); A Living Memorial (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chesapeake.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Nansemond County / Norfolk County (was approx. 3 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Homestead Road (facing south) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, September 1, 2014

2. Homestead Road (facing south)

Homestead Road (facing north) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, September 1, 2014

3. Homestead Road (facing north)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,995 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 2, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.