Settlement began here in 1636, when John Chisman patented 600 acres on Crab Neck, a peninsula bounded by Chisman Creek and Back Creek, a tributary of York River. The neck then lay in Charles River Parish in York County, one of the eight original . . . — — Map (db m34010) HM
Two Civil War earthworks survive in New Quarter Park. They stand as silent reminders of a war that raged across the United States, especially the South, for four
years (April 12, 1881-April 18, 1865). Imagine life in Williamsburg during a . . . — — Map (db m265473) HM
On May 5, 1862 Lt. George A Custer (who in 1876 made his “Last Stand” on the Little Bighorn River in Montana) led a detachment along the roadway here over “Cub Dam Creek” to occupy the Confederate work on the bluff immediately beyond. This maneuver . . . — — Map (db m25794) HM
Clementina Rind, the first female printer in Virginia, had moved to Williamsburg by 1766. She likely worked alongside her husband, William Rind, who ran a print shop, published the Virginia Gazette, and printed official government documents . . . — — Map (db m270928) HM
Nearby lived “Patrick Napier of Queenes Creek in the County of Yorke chirurgeon,” one of the earliest surgeons of Scottish descent in Virginia. Born about 1634, and apprenticed to the surgeon general of the Scottish army defeated by Cromwell in . . . — — Map (db m73941) HM
You are near the northern end of the Confederate defensive line built in 1861 to protect the eastern approach to Richmond. The “Williamsburg Line” stretched between the James and York rivers and consisted of fourteen forts, commonly called . . . — — Map (db m10373) HM
Here was an experimental farm for the culture of grapes established by the Virginia government in 1769. On this tract stood a hospital of the French-American army, 1781. — — Map (db m66920) HM
The Virginia General Assembly in 1769 appropriated public funds to purchase a tract of land for the cultivation of grapes and production of wine. Frenchman Andrew Estave managed the vineyard, just north of here. Three enslaved African Americans, . . . — — Map (db m167812) HM
Although a century old this mortar was still serviceable in 1781 indicating that armament did not change so quickly then as now. It's Latin inscription carries its own message: "I send not the rays of the Sun but the thunderbolts of Jupiter." — — Map (db m293546) HM
Most of the high ground around Yorktown was under cultivation in 1781. In the 1770’s the land in front of you was known as “General Nelson's Quarter”. Here and elsewhere houses that stood have crumbled away and, in many instances, woods . . . — — Map (db m61592) HM
The Global Context
"His Majesty, Sir, has entrusted me with the command of the naval forces which he has destined to protect his possessions in America and those of his allies in North America. The forces which I command, Sir, are . . . — — Map (db m289288) WM
The tents of the Regiment Agenois stretched to your right in 1781 with two other French regiments Gatinois and Touraine, beyond. These men, coming from the West Indies, wore linen uniforms, light for the “cold nights” of October in . . . — — Map (db m11150) HM
The steep banks of this ravine gave American troops protection from British cannon fire as they moved up to build and man the siege lines. French troops used a similar cover to the west. — — Map (db m90414) HM
“The American troops encamped in a wood within a mile of the Enemy’s left line – and the French troops encamped on their right.” Lieutenant William Feltman, Pennsylvania Battalion, September 28, 1781 On September 28, . . . — — Map (db m10862) HM
I attended at the hospital, amputated a man’s arm, and assisted in dressing a number of wounds. Dr. James Thacher, October 1781 I hastened with all speed to the hospital … to procure another supply from Dr. Craik; and he desired that if . . . — — Map (db m11068) HM
Yorktown had a "great fire" in 1814. This destroyed all but the foundations of this house, thought to be one of Thomas Archer's "Houses under the Hill." The present restoration is the nineteenth century dwelling built on the older stone foundations. — — Map (db m302796) HM
From July 1919 until August 1921, the U.S. Navy operated an aviation training school at the U.S. Navy Mine Depot, today’s Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The school provided the first advanced aviation training for naval pilots in bomb, torpedo, . . . — — Map (db m297690) HM
"September 19. Many houses of the city were broken down and taken away, because a strong line was being made there which was strengthened with strong palisades and deep trenches."
Stephen Popp, Ansbach-Beyreuth Regiment
The Ballard . . . — — Map (db m297677) HM
This able French officer, who headquartered here, had heavy responsibilities. He directed the French army’s march to Virginia. He planned the assault on Redoubt 9. A decade after serving the cause of Revolution here, he met his death opposing it in . . . — — Map (db m11146) HM
This general was experienced in siege warfare such as characterized the Yorktown battle and so he was invaluable to Washington. Von Steuben maintained headquarters here with his division of American troops. — — Map (db m11121) HM
This sluggish and marshy headwater of the Warwick River generally divided the French and American encampments. Although both forces were under Washington, separate unit organization was respected and preserved through the siege. — — Map (db m61591) HM
The Bellfield house site and graveyard are located some 300 yards to the east. This was the home of two early Virginia governors, Captain John West in 1632 and Edward Digges who bought the property from West in 1650. Here Digges produced superior . . . — — Map (db m39797) HM
• In the late 1800s, West Point, Virginia, became a major terminal for the York River & Richmond Railroad. The lighthouse was built in 1881 in the York River near the fork of the Pamunkey & Mattaponi Rivers to assist ships sailing to West Point. . . . — — Map (db m266192) HM
A l'occasion du bicentenaire des traites de Paris et de Versailles qui consacrerent le 3 septembre 1783 l'Independance des Estats-Unis d'Amerique cette plaque a ete apposee par les Filles de la Revolution Americaine en temoignage de . . . — — Map (db m167790) HM WM
French infantry troops at Yorktown were organized into three brigades. This brigade, some 1,800 soldiers and officers, was composed of the Bourbonnois and Deux Ponts regiments brought from New York by Rochambeau. — — Map (db m90959) HM
“The town was … surrounded by a ditch and thick parapet, having a horn work in the centre, in … which were batteries lined with facines. The parapet ran to the river on the left … The parapet was formed of trees cut in the woods and placed . . . — — Map (db m10658) HM
A few weeks before his resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, December 4, 1783, Washington said farewell to his officers: “With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take my leave of you.” But the . . . — — Map (db m10910) HM
On this line at the Siege of Yorktown on October 14, 1781, at night the Battalions of Gimat, Hamilton and Laurens of the Light Infantry Division of Major-General Marquis de Lafayette, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Hamilton with . . . — — Map (db m10617) HM
About one mile east, on north (left-hand) side of road (see stone marker and old foundations) stood the last colonial church of Charles Parish, built about 1708 and burned a century later, on the site of two earlier churches of the parish, built . . . — — Map (db m34008) HM
First named New Poquoson Parish 1642-3.
Changed to New Towson Parish about 1680.
Named Charles Parish, before July 8, 1702,
and so remained until the close of the
Charles Parish registers 1789.
Ministers who served Charles Parish: . . . — — Map (db m303054) HM
The "Trustees to the Portland of York Towne" deeded this corner lot to Charles Cox, "Inholder" and "Planter" in 1706. Cox probably built the house pictured here before selling the property in 1729 to Thomas Nelson, in whose family it remained for . . . — — Map (db m99091) HM
The piers and structures across the water are an extension of the Naval Base at Norfolk. This takes advantage of the excellent York River deep water channel as did Cornwallis when, in 1781, he chose Yorktown as his base. — — Map (db m25805) HM
The world’s sixth largest impact crater was created about 35 million years ago when a two to three mile wide asteroid or comet splashed into a shallow sea and shattered Earth’s crust. Debris shot up and everything within 600 miles was killed. A . . . — — Map (db m293529) HM
Rugged men and women have made their living on the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers for centuries. Known as watermen, they hand down skills learned by observing water, climate, and wildlife. Consequently, younger generations learn time-honored . . . — — Map (db m64636) HM
In April and May of 1862, Union and Confederate commanders deployed observation balloons near Yorktown during the Peninsula Campaign. Professor Thaddeus Lowe and Brigadier General Fitz-John Porter gathered intelligence about the Confederate defenses . . . — — Map (db m64611) HM
“I hope your Lord will think fit to move His Majesty to appoint another Councillor…I humbly recomend to your Lord for that Purpose Mr. Cole Digges a Gentleman who lives very convenient to the Seat of Government, of an ample Fortune, good . . . — — Map (db m100096) HM
“…an example of all that was fine and most lasting in Colonial domestic architecture…” Clyde F. Trudell, 1938
Throughout its long history, the Cole Diggers House served many roles in the village of Yorktown. Originally used . . . — — Map (db m61606) HM
These are the original walls, built of marl. The bell was cast in London in 1725. Broken during fire of 1814. Recast in Philadelphia 1882. The original hammered communion silver, made in London 1649, is still in use. First confirmation service in . . . — — Map (db m293841) HM
To your left is a rebuilt trench dug to protect advancing troops from shell fire --- heavy in this open area. The trench followed a zig-zag pattern so as to keep a bank of earth between the men in the trenches and British cannonading. — — Map (db m11188) HM
In honor of Comte de Grasse Admiral of the French Fleet whose landing of troops and blockade of the Chesapeake Bay were decisive factors leading to the surrender of the British Forces of Yorktown, Virginia October 19, 1781. — — Map (db m167794) HM WM
I hasten to impart to you the happiness I feel at the welcome news of your arrival; and as well in the name of the American army as my own name to present you with an assurance of our warmest sentiments for allies who have so generously come to . . . — — Map (db m11071) HM
The summer of 1781 saw two British armies occupying the port cities of Charleston, South Carolina, and New York. Here they remained safe as long as George Washington lacked the naval component to establish a siege on water and on land. On 2 . . . — — Map (db m289355) HM
"…Lord Cornwallis has built a kind of Grotto at the foot of the secretary's Garden where he lives under Ground…" – St. George Tucker, October 11, 1781
On the level plain above you stood the home of Thomas Nelson, former . . . — — Map (db m78223) HM
…collectors are hereby impowered to demand, secure, and receive all…the duties, customes and imposts…with full power to go on board any boat, ship or other vessel, or into any house…where he shall have just cause to suspect any . . . — — Map (db m80984) HM
Colonel D’Aboville set up headquarters here near his artillery park. Plantation buildings then existed belonging to Secretary Nelson’s “Quarter.”
As ranking artillery officer in Rochambeau’s command, D’Aboville played a major role . . . — — Map (db m11145) HM
The earthworks in front of you and across the open plain played an integral part in the battle that won America's independence. For many American, French, British, and German soldiers, only these fortifications stood between them and the enemy . . . — — Map (db m293542) HM
The earthworks in front of you and across the open plain played an integral part in the battle that won American independence. For many American, French, British, and German soldiers, only these fortifications stood between them and the enemy . . . — — Map (db m293544) HM
"…Lieutenant-colonel Tarleton directed them to charge into the town, (Charlottesville, Virginia)… and to apprehend, if possible, the governor and assembly. Seven members of the assembly were secured…and several officers and men, were . . . — — Map (db m61596) HM
A testimonial of the affection of Virginia for the Mother Country
Erected by the Virginia Yorktown Sesquicentennial Commission
Earl Cornwallis
Commander of the British Forces — — Map (db m293557) WM
Built in 1706 Yorktown Was made a port of entry at a General Assembly of the Colony and Dominion of Williamsburg the twenty-third day of October 1705 in the fourth year of the reign of her Majesty Queen Anne The Comte de Grasse Chapter The . . . — — Map (db m99092) HM WM
“Yorktown, a small but pleasant and well built little city, close to the river; has an English church and a courthouse… Upon our arrival the inhabitants fled with their wives and children, leaving behind all their furniture and . . . — — Map (db m61612) HM
“The next night, which was the sixth of October … We this night completed laying out the works. The troops of the line were there ready with entrenching tools and began to entrench, after General Washington had struck a few blows with a . . . — — Map (db m10829) HM
Although these four great leaders never stood all together as represented here, each of them rendered critical and significant contributions to the decisive Franco-American victory at Yorktown in October 1781 that led to American independence. . . . — — Map (db m266060) HM
Hommage de la France aux combattant tombes pour l'Independence des Etats-Unis d'Amerique.
France pays tribute to those who died fighting for the Independence of the United States of America. — — Map (db m167789) WM
Cannon were repaired and stored here. The time-worn earthworks visible on each side of the road were for protection, probably built by the French soldiers who operated the “Park.” — — Map (db m11106) HM
This was an open field when the French wing established its ordnance depot. Here incoming cannon, howitzers, mortars, and their accouterments were made ready to move up to their siege line. Damaged pieces were brought back to the park for repairs. — — Map (db m168250) HM
This simple cross is thought to mark the burial place of about 50 unidentified French soldiers killed during the Siege of Yorktown. — — Map (db m11144) HM
Across the field to your right, Hudson Allan's plantation building dominated the 1781 scene. Barns and sheds as well as mansions were useful to the French for field hospital purposes. — — Map (db m61590) HM
In commemoration of the French Soldiers and Sailors who gave their lives for American freedom -------------------- This memorial is erected near the site of Redoubt 9 second parallel of the trenches of Yorktown captured 14th October 1781 . . . — — Map (db m10624) HM
This earthwork was manned by the “Regiment Touraine” and formed the western portion of the French and American siege line surrounding Yorktown. From this line the French fired upon ships in the York River and the British fort behind you. — — Map (db m293536) HM
The extreme left of the American and French lines, commanded by the Marquis de Saint-Simon, was held by a French artillery battery. On October 9, it became the first battery of siege guns to fire on the British, aiming at the nearby Royal Welch . . . — — Map (db m293538) HM
Here, just west of Yorktown, the British built an earthwork to control the road to Williamsburg. This fortification was manned by the Royal Welch Fusiliers throughout the siege. The path leads to the reconstructed redoubt. — — Map (db m293541) HM
Completed in 1952, the George P. Coleman Bridge is 3,750 feet long. The structure replaced a ferry system that operated here for more than 200 years.
The bridge was widened and reconstructed in 1995. Prefabricated in six sections, the entire . . . — — Map (db m64634) HM
Two of the most significant Revolutionary War leaders at Yorktown were General George Washington in command of the Allied ground forces, and Admiral Francois de Grasse in command of the French fleet controlling the nearby waters. Their . . . — — Map (db m282825) WM
This area, locally known as Dandy, was part of the land granted to John Chew July 6, 1636, and was sold by his heirs to James Goodwin, a member of the House of Burgesses from Jamestown, August 27, 1668. The area was strategically important both to . . . — — Map (db m34011) HM
"The pews and windows of the Church all broke & destroyed. The church was used as a magazine." York County Records, Claims for Loses of York County Citizens in the British Invasion, Claim No. 31, 1783.
Grace Church, a religious . . . — — Map (db m79910) HM
Erected prior to 1700. Burned by the English Navy in 1814. Partially rebuilt in 1825. The bell now in use was made in 1725. Restored in 1926. The bell was presented to the Church by Queen Anne. The original colonial Communion silver is still in . . . — — Map (db m293838) HM
“The Works which we carried are of vast importance to us. From them we shall enfilade the enemy’s whole line … ” General George Washington to the President of Congress, October 16, 1781. The capture of British Redoubts 9 and 10 enabled . . . — — Map (db m185564) HM
These three batteries and redoubt were a continuation of the Grand French Battery complex across the road. Occupying a section 1,000 feet from east to west, this battery complex contained approximately thirty pieces of artillery which bombarded the . . . — — Map (db m10934) HM
Yorktown was heavily damaged during the Siege of 1781 and many residents abandoned their properties. Those who stayed demolished damaged buildings and repaired others. Everyday life reemerged, but on March 3, 1814, another disaster struck. The . . . — — Map (db m64606) HM
Under the British Flag (Left of Marker): The garrison marched out between the two lines of American troops reluctantly enough, and laid down their arms. A corporal next to me shed tears, and embracing his flintlock, threw it down, saying, . . . — — Map (db m77670) HM
Knox’s able direction of the assembly and deployment of artillery in the Siege was a key element in the success of the Allied armies. He saw resulting victory, as he related in a note to his wife, as “A great moment for America.” — — Map (db m11119) HM
Supplying the American Army was always critical. At Yorktown Colonel Timothy Pickering of Massachusetts, seconded by a man of his own choice, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Dearborn of New Hampshire, held the responsibility for Washington’s Quartermaster . . . — — Map (db m11120) HM
Within a few years of Yorktown’s founding in 1691, a small gun battery was established along the shoreline. Later, Virginia’s Royal Governor Spotswood rebuilt and enlarged the fortification to include 11 cannon. By 1731, the town’s battery of . . . — — Map (db m64629) HM
Foundations of the home of Thomas Nelson President of the Council and Secretary of State of the Colony of Virginia erected in 1725 --------------- First Headquarters of Lord Cornwallis it was destroyed during the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 --------- . . . — — Map (db m11102) HM
Born c. 1650 England | Died 1703 Yorktown
Owner of the Richard Pate Plantation est. 1650, Gloucester County, 1672 - 1703
Vestryman and Warden, Petsworth Parish, Gloucester Co., c. 1675 - c. 1684
Nathaniel Bacon, leader of Bacon's . . . — — Map (db m293847) HM
In memory of the men of the French fleet who died in the Naval Phase of the Yorktown Campaign in the battle off the Virginia capes on 5 September 1781.
In appreciation of the service of Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse, who brought his . . . — — Map (db m167787) HM WM
At about twelve o’clock, the combined army was arranged … in two lines extending more than a mile …. The French troops, in complete uniform, displayed a martial and noble appearance …. The Americans … exhibited an erect, soldierly air, every . . . — — Map (db m10638) HM
The ground to the south along this creek was the home of the Chiskiack Indians, a small tribe whose leader was a "werowance," or petty chief, under Powhatan. As the English began to settle this area, about 1630, the Chiskiacks moved across the York . . . — — Map (db m25806) 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 crew . . . — — Map (db m64649) 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 m64647) HM
The last major settlement to be abandoned by the Indians on the peninsula south of the York River, Kiskiack was a commercial center when the English arrived in 1607. Positioned just downstream from Powhatan’s headquarters and near the Rickahock . . . — — Map (db m66914) HM
Algonquin-speaking people occupied eastern Virginia when the English landed at Jamestown in 1607. The Kiskiak, one of their chiefdoms allied under the principal chiefdom of Powhatan, was located near here on the banks of Indian Field Creek. John . . . — — Map (db m64627) HM
From Oct. 18-20, 1824, General Lafayette was honored in Yorktown with celebrations marking the October 19, 1781 American and French Victory. — — Map (db m291489) WM
“I am fully convinced that the Siege will not last more than twelve days more and that Cornwallis & his troops must in that time be ours.” Major General Benjamin Lincoln to his wife, October 12, 1781 On May 12, 1780, Major . . . — — Map (db m10979) HM
“Here we are at last … before Yorktown, and our operations will soon be noisy.” Marquis de Lafayette, Camp before Yorktown, September 30, 1781 In April 1781, with a developing British military campaign in Virginia, . . . — — Map (db m11064) HM
Mary Aggie, an enslaved woman, was convicted of theft in York County in 1730. Lt. Gov. William Gooch, impressed with Mary’s profession of faith when she sued previously for her freedom, supported her 1730 claim for “benefit of clergy,” which then . . . — — Map (db m90953) HM
Dr. Corbin Griffin was a prominent Yorktown physician active in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a surgeon with Virginia forces. During the siege of Yorktown, he was imprisoned by the British on a ship anchored in the York River. During . . . — — Map (db m80985) HM
Yorktown Monument Commissioners , 1881 R. M. Hunt, Architect, Chairman Henry Van Brunt, Architect, J. Q. A. Ward, Sculptor --------------- Oskar J. W. Hansen, Sculptor of Liberty, 1957 Front of Monument: At York on October 19 1781, after a . . . — — Map (db m11192) WM
“I propose a cessation of hostilities for twenty four hours, and that two officers may be appointed by each side, to meet at Mr. Moore’s house, to settle terms for the surrender of the posts of York and Gloucester.” General . . . — — Map (db m10637) HM
N.S. Savannah, a joint project of the U.S. Maritime Administration and the Atomic Energy Commission, was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. She was built to carry up to 60 passengers and 9,250 tons of cargo. In 1962, after reactor tests . . . — — Map (db m64631) HM
Among the tombs in the burial ground of the Ringfield family is a marker to Colonel Nathaniel Bacon who was prominent in Virginia affairs in the last half of the seventeenth century. He was a kinsman but an opponent of Nathaniel Bacon, Jr.-"the . . . — — Map (db m25799) HM
The piers extending into the York River, just to the right, serve a major Navy installation. Since its establishment in 1918, then as a Mine Depot, it has served our country in two World Wars and the Korean conflict as well as in peace time. — — Map (db m25810) WM
230 entries matched your criteria. The first 100 are listed above. Next 100 ⊳
