Surry in Surry County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Working the Land

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Working the Land Marker-Panel 1 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 20, 2016

1. Working the Land Marker-Panel 1

Inscription. Indians cultivated fertile lands along the James River for centuries before the colonists arrived in 1607. They grew squash, corn, and beans to supplement their diet of native plants, fish, shellfish, and game. When the soils at a house site became depleted, the Indians allowed the area to replenish itself while they established a new dwelling and agricultural plot elsewhere.

English colonists primarily grew tobacco for profit. Introduced at Jamestown in 1612, tobacco quickly exhausted prime croplands and required vast unspoiled acreage. It spurred tremendous changes on the landscape.

(Inscription above the image in the upper right)
European colonists learned here to grow tobacco from the Indians.

(Inscription above the image on the lower right)
A drawing of a Canadian Algoecquian village, by John White, 1585, home styles and agricultural practices varied regionally, but maize (corn) and tobacco were common products.

Learn more about 17th-century landscapes and industry at these places:
*Jamestown Settlement, you can visit the re-created James Fort to see colonial farming practices.
*Chippokes Plantation offers

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canoe trips on most weekends April through Labor Day. Advance reservations are recommended.
*At Historic Jamestowne, watch modern artisans produce the glass objects glassblowers in 1608 may have created.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1607.

Location. 37° 8.765′ N, 76° 44.304′ W. Marker is in Surry, Virginia, in Surry County. It is on Chippokes Park Road. The marker is located in Chippokes Plantation State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 695 Chippokes Park Road (VA665), Surry VA 23883, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally,

Captain John Smith explores the Chesapeake Marker-Panel 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 20, 2016

2. Captain John Smith explores the Chesapeake Marker-Panel 2

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: A Deep History (here, next to this marker); Community Life (a few steps from this marker); Eastern Virginia Indians (a few steps from this marker); Chippokes Plantation (approx. 0.7 miles away); The River House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Steam: The Great Connector (approx. ¾ mile away); A History of Silence (approx. 0.8 miles away); An Agricultural Legacy (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Surry.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Captain John Smith’s Adventures on the James (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).

Launch Your Jouney-Panel 3 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 20, 2016

3. Launch Your Jouney-Panel 3

Working the Land Marker-near the water image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 20, 2016

4. Working the Land Marker-near the water

Chippokes Plantation State Park banner image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Don Morfe, September 20, 2016

5. Chippokes Plantation State Park banner

Credits. This page was last revised on June 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 529 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 26, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.