Office Hall in King George County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Historic Port Conway

By Beverly Pfingsten, April 18, 2008

1. Historic Port Conway Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The site of Port Conway is located five miles south on the Rappahannock River. Francis Conway laid out the town in 1783, and the next year the Virginia General Assembly passed an act establishing it. James Madison, Father of the Constitution and fourth president of the United States, was born at the Conway house on 16 March 1751. On 1 Sept, 1863, Brig. Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick's Federal cavalry shelled two Union gunboats at Port Conway that had been captured by Confederates. John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, fled across the river there on 24 Apr. 1865, Little remains of the town today.

Erected 1999 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number J-66.)

Location. 38° 14.106′ N, 77° 9.055′ W. Marker is in Office Hall, Virginia, in King George County. Marker is on US 301 James Madison Parkway half a mile south of VA 3 Kings Highway, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: King George VA 22485, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

Historic Port Conway Marker on US 301 (facing south). image. Click for full size.

By Bernard Fisher, September 1, 2009

2. Historic Port Conway Marker on US 301 (facing south).

5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hanover Baptist Church (approx. 2½ miles away); Ralph Bunche High School (approx. 2.7 miles away); King George Confederate Monument (approx. 2.7 miles away); St. Paul’s Church (approx. 4.1 miles away); Eagle’s Nest (approx. 4.1 miles away); Marmion (approx. 4.1 miles away); Birthplace of Madison (approx. 4.3 miles away); Emmanuel Episcopal Church (approx. 4.3 miles away).

Additional keywords. John Wilkes Booth Escape Route

Categories. • Government • Military • Notable Persons • Notable Places • War, US Civil •

Historic Port Conway Marker seen along US 301, looking north image. Click for full size.

By Mike Stroud, March 7, 2010

3. Historic Port Conway Marker seen along US 301, looking north

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on April 23, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,210 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 23, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 2. submitted on September 6, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. 3. submitted on March 7, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.