Near Charles City in Charles City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Westover
Photographed by Kathy Walker, August 3, 2007
1. Westover Marker
Erected 1991 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number V-8.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1619.
Location. 37° 19.863′ N, 77° 11.45′ W. Marker is near Charles City, Virginia, in Charles City County. It is at the intersection of John Tyler Memorial Highway (Virginia Route 5) and Kimages Road, on the right when traveling east on John Tyler Memorial Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Charles City VA 23030, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia. 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
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Berkeley Plantation or Harrison's Landing (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Westover Plantation. (PDF) National Register of Historic Places documentation for the plantation. (Submitted on July 21, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Photographed by Kathy Walker, August 3, 2007
2. Westover Marker
Shown with markers Berkeley Plantation or Harrison's Landing (V 7) and Herring Creek & Kimages.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 29, 2010
3. Westover (north side)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 29, 2010
4. Westover (south side)
Library of Congress - HABS
5. Westover - North Elevation
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, January 18, 2014
6. William Byrd II
This 1700-1704 portrait of William Byrd II by Sir Godfrey Kneller hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
"William Byrd II inherited a great deal of property In Virginia that, together with the force of his personality and his own accomplishments, made him one of the most prominent and powerful men in the colony. He was educated and practiced law in England and traveled extensively there and on the Continent. Before returning to America, he commissioned this stylish portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller, the principal painter to the British monarch. Byrd was a successful tobacco planter and served for many years on the Virginia Council. In 1728 he played a lead role in surveying the Virginia-North Carolina boundary line. One result of this work was Byrd's book, The History of the Dividing Line Run in the Year 1728, a colorful account of Virginia's history and its flora and fauna. Late in life he built Westover, a Georgian mansion on the James River, where he housed his collection of thirty portraits of family and other persons of note." -- National Portrait Gallery
"William Byrd II inherited a great deal of property In Virginia that, together with the force of his personality and his own accomplishments, made him one of the most prominent and powerful men in the colony. He was educated and practiced law in England and traveled extensively there and on the Continent. Before returning to America, he commissioned this stylish portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller, the principal painter to the British monarch. Byrd was a successful tobacco planter and served for many years on the Virginia Council. In 1728 he played a lead role in surveying the Virginia-North Carolina boundary line. One result of this work was Byrd's book, The History of the Dividing Line Run in the Year 1728, a colorful account of Virginia's history and its flora and fauna. Late in life he built Westover, a Georgian mansion on the James River, where he housed his collection of thirty portraits of family and other persons of note." -- National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2008, by Kathy Walker of Stafford, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,306 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2008, by Kathy Walker of Stafford, Virginia. 3, 4. submitted on June 2, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 5, 6. submitted on September 23, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
