Three miles west stands the third church of Hungars Parish, begun in 1742 and completed by 1751, one of two colonial churches remaining on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The parish built the glebe house or minister's residence, 5.5 miles west, about . . . — — Map (db m48938) HM
A Small Fortress
This room is the casemate of Winslow Battery. Built in 1942, this bunker housed the fort's big guns two-16-inch 50-caliber barrels.
If you were in this room when the artillery was operational, you would have been . . . — — Map (db m302092) HM
A Changing Way of Life
Growth Followed the Rails
The Eastern Shore of Virginia, one of the earliest colonized areas in North America, remained a seafood and agricultural region with scattered small towns until the 1880s.
The . . . — — Map (db m206447) HM
Our first line of defense against coastal storms and the forces of wind and waves.
Help protect inland areas from flooding and damage.
Sand storage areas that supply sand to eroded beaches during . . . — — Map (db m302135) HM
Strategically located at the southernmost point of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Fisherman Island is a vital habitat for the birds and animals that live and nest there and stop off on their journey south. Before it was a wildlife refuge, the . . . — — Map (db m302095) HM
The story of Arlington would not be complete without the inclusion of the enslaved African workers who lived and worked on the property. Probate and census records show that John Custis II had numerous indentured servants and enslaved Africans. . . . — — Map (db m302104) HM
Virginias Eastern Shore has been home to Native Peoples, also known as American Indians, for thousands of years. To understand changes in how people lived over the span of time, archaeologists have developed classifications for time periods that . . . — — Map (db m302101) HM
Most of what we know about the Arlington Site has been learned through archaeology. Archaeology is the study of past human activity through the examination of material culture, which means things modified or used by people. This is often the only . . . — — Map (db m302106) HM
Two miles west stood Arlington, original home of the Custis Family, built by John Custis. The family tombs are still preserved there. Governor Wm. Berkeley made his headquarters there during Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. Arlington on the Potomac was . . . — — Map (db m98646) HM
In 1676, John Custis II was recognized as a wealthy and powerful man, not only on the Eastern Shore, but also in Jamestown. When Nathaniel Bacon assembled a militia to overthrow the royal government at Jamestown, Governor William Berkeley fled to . . . — — Map (db m98786) HM
The 90 ton BCR 2000 diesel locomotive came to us in 2018 when the Bay Coast Railroad (BCR) ceased operations in Cape Charles and it was about to go under the cutting torch. Like other railroad stock, the locomotive had been built to last. . . . — — Map (db m302123) HM
The building is the reconstructed railroad passenger station that once served Bloxom, Virginia, a town about 44 miles south of here. Built in the early 1900s, the station conforms to the architecture used in Pennsylvania Railroad passenger . . . — — Map (db m302118) HM
This circa 1950s, fifty-foot, general service box car is an example of a standard design widely used since the 1940s and commonly seen on American railroads through the 1980s. It has a single sliding door on each side; the door at the end of the . . . — — Map (db m302120) HM
The Town of Cape Charles was founded in 1884 by Alexander Cassatt and William L. Scott as the southern terminusof the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad. The extension of tracks south from Maryland to Cape Charles opened the Northeastern . . . — — Map (db m48952) HM
Constructed in 1928, this school opened about 1930 for African American children in Cape Charles during
legalized segregation. The building was constructed with contributions from the local African American
community, the State Literary Fund, . . . — — Map (db m51004) HM
This building was constructed in 1901 by R.D.L. Fletcher, Jennings W. Waples, and W.B. Wilson, owners of Cape Charles Ice & Lumber Co., who moved the business to this location from south of the harbor. It is believed to be the first building in . . . — (db m263358) HM
SS Delmarva, SS Princess Anne, and the SS Pocahontas operated out of Cape Charles to Little Creek, VA, from about 1933 to 1950. The first two vessels handled the traffic from 1933 to 1941. In 1941, the SS Pocahontas was built to . . . — — Map (db m52213) HM
Farming is an important part of the Eastern Shore's history. Early crops were mostly grains and some tobacco. When the ferry and railroad arrived, the area became less isolated, vegetables became more profitable.
[Captions:] . . . — — Map (db m302096) HM
who landed at Hunt's Point, Old Plantation Creek, on Easter Sunday 1776 and the same day preached the first Baptist sermon, At the End of a Horsing Tree. Opposition of the established church caused him to be deported; but kind Providence brought . . . — — Map (db m224172) HM
Elijah Baker, Baptist preacher, began his ministry in Lunenburg County. As an itinerant in the 1770s, he helped found several churches in the counties along the James and York Rivers. He arrived in this area on Easter Sunday 1776 and traveled to . . . — — Map (db m154163) HM
The fertile fields and plentiful resources that drew Native Americans to Virginia's Eastern Shore similarly enticed European settlers, who came to the region not long after the Jamestown colony was settled in 1607. The archaeological sites at and . . . — — Map (db m302103) HM
Virginias southernmost barrier island includes about 1,850 acres of constantly shifting sand. Established as a refuge in 1969, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service acquired the last 25 acres of land in 2000.
Protection Fisherman Island . . . — — Map (db m98484) HM
Earliest of railroad signals used wooden balls painted red, white or black. When track was clear, ball was hoisted by station agent. At night a lantern would be attached to the ball. — — Map (db m302117) HM
A Guiding Light
Imagine sailing the Atlantic in the 19th century, before GPS navigation. Sailors looking for the northern entrance to the Chesapeake Bay would look no further than the rhythmically flashing beacon atop the Cape Charles . . . — — Map (db m302097) HM
When the English first visited the Eastern Shore in 1608, they found an area which had been inhabited for centuries by Algonquian Indian Tribes. Today archaeologists have found on or near the Arlington Plantation, shards of ceramics known as . . . — — Map (db m98787) HM
The Cape Charles Historical Society dedicates the historic BCR 2000 locomotive to Jerry Lewis for his longtime service with Eastern Shore railroads. and his work to save this iconic reminder of the once booming railroad operations that created . . . — — Map (db m302125) HM
Each fall, the refuge comes alive with color and sound as millions of birds pass through during their annual southward migration.
On the Move
Driven by instinct, many birds migrate back and forth between their summer breeding . . . — — Map (db m302085) HM
In 1776, county officials took
oath of fidelity to virginia.
Provided men, food & supplies
during ficht for independence
despite threat of privateers. — — Map (db m299678) HM
Exploratory digs here in 1988 and 1994 uncovered a three brick wide foundation of an extraordinary 17th century home. Measuring 54 feet by 43.5 feet, this huge footing supported a structure described in 1709 as a " Dwelling House built of brick . . . — — Map (db m98785) HM
From 1879-1880, Peter Jacob Carter was a keeper of the Cherrystone Bar lighthouse that was located just offshore in front of you. It was the third federal job for a remarkable man who was born into enslavement just a few miles north of here in . . . — — Map (db m302133) HM
The structure before you was the elevated pitot house of the car float, or bay barge, Captain Edward Richardson. The barge was built by New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jersey for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company (PRR) and launched in . . . — — Map (db m302129) HM
Rails from the original tracks
laid on the riprap jetty in 1884
by the New York,
Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad,
for officials to spend the night and
dine overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.
Presented in 1995
by the Eastern Shore . . . — — Map (db m61362) HM
The Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac (RF&P) Railroad had baggage cars in their passenger trains; this car, #190, was built in the 1930s for that service. The portion of the car with the smaller door was reserved for the Railway Express Agency . . . — — Map (db m302127) HM
This strategic location, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, has proven ideal not only for migratory birds but also for defending our nation's coastline.
World War II at our Doorstep
In 1940, the country readied for war. This site . . . — — Map (db m302086) HM
During the early decades of the l7th century, natives of Angola were brought to the Caribbean islands to work on the tobacco and sugar plantations. From there they were brought to Virginia. In 1619 a Dutch man-o-war ship brought the first Negroes . . . — — Map (db m98793) HM
This double walled, 10,000 gallon, circa 1950s tank car was made for the U.S. Army by the General American Transportation Corporation (now GATX) in Chicago, Illinois. When it operated on the Eastern Shore Railroad (ESHR), predecessor of the Bay . . . — — Map (db m302122) HM
Our caboose is now in its 5th life. Originally built for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad in 1948-49 (1st life), in its Ironville, Ohio, shop, it is 34 feet + 3 inches long and weighs 22.7 tons. A bright red caboose, long a trademark of . . . — — Map (db m302128) HM
A meteor/comet two miles wide crossed paths with Earth 35 million years ago. Moving at the speed of 21 miles per second, it crashed here, and what is today the town of Cape Charles, creating the sixth largest impact crater on earth.
The meteor . . . — — Map (db m85789) HM
In 1882, A.J. Cassatt laid out a new railroad between Pokomoke, MD, and Cape Charles. Construction began April, 1884, the last spike was driven on October 25, 1884.
A.J. Cassatt enhanced the dredging of Cape Charles harbor and designed huge . . . — — Map (db m203786) HM
This small white building is known as the "Jetty House" because of its original location on the north jetty of the Cape Charles Harbor. The harbor was created in 1883 by the New York Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad to provide a terminal for . . . — — Map (db m302116) HM
(Side 1)
Veterans War Memorial
Dedicated by
American Legion
Northampton
Post 56
Cape Charles, VA.
1989
World War II
W. Richard Karla Joe Restein II Thomas Savage Charles K. Bennett George E. Ward, Jr. . . . — — Map (db m206348) WM
This preserve is the culmination of years of effort by several groups to ensure its permanent protection. It is now owned by The Archaeological Conservancy, and contains the remains of archaeological sites ranging from prehistoric settlement . . . — — Map (db m302099) HM
Fort John Custis was defended by a number of batteries with various artillery, including Battery Winslow with its two 16-inch guns. These large guns were similar to the ones used on the battleships of World War II. A rail system was laid . . . — — Map (db m302089) HM
Has been designated a National Historic Landmark This site possesses National significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America
This rare fragment of 18th century Chesapeake landscape, with its Georgian house and . . . — — Map (db m94382) HM
1.8 miles east of here stood Salem Methodist Church (1836-1918), scene of the initial violence resulting from the schism between northern and southern Methodists in 1846. A northern circuit preacher was dragged from the pulpit by members of the . . . — — Map (db m7585) HM
Tidewater Institute was incorporated in 1903 with the stated purpose of establishing an industrial, academic, collegiate, and seminary boarding school for the education of black youth. Founded by the Rev. George E. Reid, and supported by the . . . — — Map (db m7586) HM
Benjamin Stratton, a member of the family that had owned the land since 1636, constructed this finely crafted house nearby about 1764, according to dated chimney bricks.Perhaps built on the site of an earlier Stratton dwelling, the house exemplifies . . . — — Map (db m48942) HM
About two miles west was Town Fields, the first seat of local government on Virginia's Eastern Shore. English tenants settled there in 1620 after the Virginia Company of London set aside 500 acres to be used as a source of income for the Secretary . . . — — Map (db m205009) HM
This site, two and a half miles west, was the first seat of local government on the Eastern Shore. Francis Bolton preached there in 1623, and the first church was built before 1632. The oldest continuous county records in the English Colonies began . . . — — Map (db m48533) HM
Erected by the Harmanson-West Camp Confederate Veterans, The Daughters of the Confederacy and the citizens of the Eastern Shore of Virginia; to the soldiers of the Confederacy from Northampton and Accomack Counties. They died bravely in war, or in . . . — — Map (db m7590) WM
A gallant warrior and a loyal friend to the early settlers of the Eastern Shore.
His timely warning to the colonists of an intended uprising in 1621, saved them from annihilation in the massacre of 1622. — — Map (db m7591) HM
The Gingaskin Indian Reservation was located nearby from 1640 to 1813 and was created from a land patent in 1640 that set aside land for the Accomac Indians. When the Accomacs moved there, they became known as the Gingaskins. They continued to . . . — — Map (db m7605) HM
This bell was installed in the attic of the 1899 Northampton County Courthouse during the original construction. When court was called into order, the Northampton County Sheriff would ring the bell and then stand out on the balcony and announce . . . — — Map (db m155265) HM WM
Here, in Savage's Neck, was the home of Ensign Thomas Savage, who came to Virginia in 1608. Granted a tract of land by Debedeavon, the "Laughing King" of the indians, in 1619, Savage became the first permanent English settler on the Eastern Shore. A . . . — — Map (db m7606) HM
Thomas Savage, a lad of thirteen, arrived at Jamestown on 2 Jan. 1608 with Capt. Christopher Newport on the ship John and Francis. John Smith later wrote, "The next day Newport came a shore....A boy named Thomas Savage (whom Newport called . . . — — Map (db m71857) HM
The Northampton County Court Green is one of the earliest and most complete in Virginia. It includes outstanding examples of early court buildings as well as later structures reflecting the continuity of government in Eastville for well over 300 . . . — — Map (db m7589) HM
For over three hundred years, the Eastville Court Green that you see in front of you was the center of judicial and administrative life for the residents of Northampton County. The essentials of everyday life were conducted here. People received . . . — — Map (db m302137) HM
In Memory Of and Honor To the Brave Brave Men of Northampton County Who Lost Their Lives in Battle for Our Great Republic's Cause
World War I
Bell, Clarence
Benjamin, Simon
Cugler, Byron
Davis, Alfred W.
Edmonds, Thomas S. . . . — — Map (db m98851) WM
The courthouse was moved to Eastville in 1677, and court has been held here ever since. The old courthouse was built about 1731; from its door the Declaration of Independence was read, August 13, 1776. Militia barracks were here during the . . . — — Map (db m7587) HM
Northampton County was one of Virginia's eight original shires formed by 1634. It encompassed the entire peninsula south of Maryland and was known as Accomac until the General Assembly changed its name in 1643. Present-day Accomack County broke . . . — — Map (db m302136) HM
Born enslaved on 29 May 1845 near Eastville, Northampton County, Peter Jacob Carter served in the 10th United States Colored Troops during the Civil War and afterward attended Hampton Institute. He represented Northampton in the House of . . . — — Map (db m61450) HM
On June 2, 1608, John Smith and his crew set sail on the first of two voyages exploring the Chesapeake region. Their first stop was the Eastern Shore. At a place near todays Cape Charles, they saw Indian men fishing with spears.
Members of . . . — — Map (db m98497) HM
The Chesapeake Bay, vital to the survival of many species of shorebirds and birds of prey, provides fish, mollusks, and crabs as well as a variety of nesting habitats along the Eastern Shore. Many of these birds can be seen gliding along the hulls . . . — — Map (db m98669) HM
Placed in 1948 to create a breakwater for the ferry system, these nine World War II-era concrete ships provide a unique habitat for birds and marine life.
Due to a steel shortage, these ships were built out of concrete in the early 1940s by . . . — — Map (db m98500) HM
The Eastern Shore has a rich agricultural history--from large British land grant farms to post-civil war tenant farmers and from large commercial outfits to small organic farms. Agriculture continues to be the largest economic activity on the . . . — — Map (db m98668) HM
Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay in the early 1600s seeking precious metals and a passage to Asia. He traveled the James, Chickahominy, and York rivers in 1607, and led two major expeditions from Jamestown in 1608. Smith and his . . . — — Map (db m302091) HM
Explore the places Englishman John Smith traveled in the early 1600s. Learn about the thriving American Indian communities he encountered and imagine the bountiful Chesapeake he observed. Experience the natural and cultural richness that exists . . . — — Map (db m302090) HM
Shipping traffic, commercial fisheries, recreation and tourism industries and the military rely on the Chesapeake Bay for its logistic potential. Native American canoes, colonial sailing ships, 20th century schooners, and modern cargo ships have . . . — — Map (db m98665) HM
An ever-changing dynamic ecosystem, established dune ridges make up the backbone of the Eastern Shore. Over time, tides and wind cause sand to accumulate creating sand dunes. Intense storms and human impacts can cause erosion to the fragile dune . . . — — Map (db m98671)
Site of the first organized protest in Colonies against taxation without representation in response to Poll Tax. At nearby tavern, March 1652. — — Map (db m288521) HM
Salt making began on the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the 1600's and continued until the early twentieth century. Salt was vital to Virginia.
During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers from the Shore often defied the Union blockade of the . . . — — Map (db m107028) HM
The development of this historic site is dedicated in honor of Edward Franklin and Dorothy "Dot" Wise Gibb who purchased and maintained these buildings and grounds for more than 45 years. Their foresight and support helped make possible the dream . . . — — Map (db m165128) HM
Numerous water-powered gristmills existed on the Eastern Shore of Virginia from the 1600's until as late as the 1930's. Water from streams or tides turned undershot waterwheels operating the sometimes very dangerous machinery used to rotate heavy . . . — — Map (db m107029) HM
In colonial times, the Church was responsible for the poor and received public tax money. This policy ended with the founding of the United States and the separation of church and state.
Northampton County opened its almshouse in 1804. It . . . — — Map (db m107025) HM
Constructed in 1953 as the countys first purpose-built African American high school,
Northampton County High School reflects the desires of local African Americans to
obtain modern educational facilities. It is an example of the statewide efforts . . . — — Map (db m61057) HM
Relic from the Spanish steamship San Albano, wrecked on Hog Island (1892). The ship's crew was rescued by the U.S. Life-Saving Service.
Donated in loving memory of Hog Island native, Mrs. Mabel Bell Hamblin, by her . . . — — Map (db m302140) HM
The Reverend John Offer was the first pastor of Bethel A.M.E. Church in Eastville, Virginia serving from 1866 to 1871 and again from1885 to 1888. He was instrumental in building the churchs first meeting house and parsonage. — — Map (db m288526) HM
On October 9, 1803, William and Grace Eyre provided 51½ acres of land, the northeast corner of Eyre's "Hungars Plantation", to Northampton County to establish an almshouse. Shortly after 1804, the first almshouse for whites was built at this . . . — — Map (db m107019) HM
In 1910, a new facility for the African American poor of Northampton County was constructed by contractor David A. Dunton at a cost of $2,436.00 It consisted of a large common room and ten separate rooms for the residents, known as inmates. Each . . . — — Map (db m107023) HM
This facility was built in 1910 to house the African American poor of Northampton County. It included a large common room and ten separate rooms for the residents, referred to as inmates. A porch extended along the south-facing faηade.
Very . . . — — Map (db m302141) HM
The Barrier Islands Center is a museum and cultural center whose Mission is to preserve and perpetuate the culture and history of Virginia's barrier islands through education, the protection and collection of artifacts, and the interpretation of . . . — — Map (db m107021) HM
Eighteenth century brick structure with wooden addition. The wooden half probably dates to the 1840's.
The bricks were handmade and are laid in the Flemish Bond pattern. The kitchen features a large pyramid chimney and fireplace, a . . . — — Map (db m107027) HM
Built in 1804, the brick side of the Quarter Kitchen was one of the earliest remaining structures on the Almshouse Farm. The bricks were handmade and laid in a Flemish Bond pattern. The kitchen features a large pyramid chimney and fireplace. — — Map (db m302143) HM
In 1844, Northampton County authorized an 18' x 18' addition to the Quarter Kitchen, to serve as living quarters for the African American inmates. Prior to 1844, the African American population lived in the cellar of the main Almshouse. Pine trees . . . — — Map (db m302142) HM
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, a blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter sometimes called "The Father of Rock 'n' Roll," was born in Mississippi and gained prominence as a recording artist in Chicago in the 1940s. A cover of Crudup's "That's All Right" . . . — — Map (db m302050) HM
Surface-borne combatants conduct at-sea battle operations against air, surface, and subsurface enemies and protect sea lanes.
Sub-surface combatants destroy enemy ships, primarily submarines, to prohibit the employment of such forces against . . . — — Map (db m106568) HM
A vast and fragile ecosystem that extends through six states and empties into the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay region is a mosaic of land and water. Its ports, urban centers, suburbs, and farms are home to almost 17 million people, its . . . — — Map (db m195731) HM
This historic structure is one of the few remaining old-time storehouses on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
The front part of the building that faces the waterfront dates to the 1840s. It replaced a store that burned in 1837, along with a . . . — — Map (db m114499) HM
