A North American deer (Cervus Canadensis), the largest existing deer, resembling the moose but not as large, is found in North America, Scandinavia, Germany, Russia and Siberia, "Wapiti" is Shawnee for white rump and tail.
Around the turn of . . . — — Map (db m236670) HM
This stone and brick cottage is an example of the tourist courts that were popular along Route 1 in the early- to mid-20th century. During this time, Route 1 was the main highway running from Maine to Florida. In 1920, R.D. Moore built approximately . . . — — Map (db m133678) HM
This plot is reserved in perpetuity for the Gregory family, who owned a working plantation here between 1797 and 1866.
This site was settled in 1610 by the Thomas Sheffield family under a royal patent of 2,300 acres from the Crown of England. The . . . — — Map (db m143045) HM
Bensley's sons who lost their lives in defense of our country
US Navy Fighter Pilot
Ens. T.W. (Billy) Dunkelberger
Feb 1944
US Navy Fighter Pilot
LTjg R.B. (Bruce) Graham
Mar 1945
US Army Infantryman
Pfc J.A. (Joe) . . . — — Map (db m133677) WM
A Bomb Proof Church ?
The purpose of this structure remains a mystery. It may be the remains of one of the "Bomb Proof” churches that were built in this part of the Howlett Line. One such church was built by men of the 17th Virginia, . . . — — Map (db m101030) HM
In 1862, Confederate authorities considered locating the main defensive James River battery here to block the Union navy’s approach to Richmond. They chose Drewry’s Bluff instead because they feared that Union forces would bypass this position by . . . — — Map (db m16058) HM
First named Ft. Howlett, the battery was renamed after Col. Olin M. Dantzler, who was killed on June 2, 1864, in an attempt to capture Ft. Dutton. Leading the 22nd South Carolina Inf. the attack failed. Battery Dantzler played a major role in . . . — — Map (db m16066) HM
Confederate forces began construction of this earthen fort known as Battery Dantzler on May 18, 1864. The Confederates occupied this position after the Battle of Ware Bottom Church. In that action, Union Major General Benjamin F. Butler's Army of . . . — — Map (db m185614) HM
A half-mile northeast stands Battery Dantzler, named for Col. Olin Miller Dantzler, 22d South Carolina Infantry (killed in action nearby on 2 June 1864), and constructed in May-June 1864 to block the Union navy's approach to Richmond. The battery . . . — — Map (db m17113) HM
Here, on May 10, 1864, as part of Butler’s Bermuda Hundred Campaign, 3400 Federals and 2000 Confederates fought the Battle of Chester Station. This monument is erected in their memory by the Chester Station Camp #1503. Sons of Confederate . . . — — Map (db m17092) HM
On May 5, 1864, Gen. Benjamin F. Butler’s Union Army of the James landed at Bermuda Hundred to sever direct communication between Richmond and Petersburg. Five days later, desperate to keep the connection open, 2,000 Confederates under Gen. Robert . . . — — Map (db m235891) HM
Established 1613 by Sir Thomas Dale.
First incorporated Virginia town 1614.
Home of John Rolfe, colony recorder, who married Pocahontas.
Rev. Alexander Whitaker ministered here.
Early port of Richmond.
Erected … 1938 by Bermuda Hundred . . . — — Map (db m17109) HM
Before determining to settle at Jamestown, the English sought a safe place to plant their colony further west along the James River. On that trip, John Smith and his fellow Englishmen found an Appamattuck Indian town in the vicinity of Bermuda . . . — — Map (db m17134) HM
Union Gen. Benjamin Butler’s 30,000-man Army of the James landed here without opposition on May 5, 1864. Despite his surprise arrival, Butler proved unable to take advantage of the unprepared Confederate defenders below Richmond.
He pushed west . . . — — Map (db m17108) HM
This prominent battery in Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia often went by its nickname, “The Boy Company.” Although the average battery member was 25 years old, the company had several lads between the ages of 14 and 19.
Under its . . . — — Map (db m66324) HM
The story of Dutch Gap demonstrates the importance of the river throughout history revealing a partnership of man’s use of land and water. Today, the river’s commercial and recreational activities continue, providing a backdrop to Dutch Gap’s . . . — — Map (db m16159) HM
At this station, two miles west, the Union army of the James, turning toward Richmond, fought an action on May 10, 1864 and tore up the railroad. — — Map (db m17097) HM
On March 22, 1622, the Powhatan chiefdom launched a coordinated offensive against the English settlements along the James River. Sixty-six men, women and children were killed within the Henrico settlements including five dead at Henricus. Over . . . — — Map (db m87591) HM
Colonel Thomas Lygon, who came to the Virginia colony in the early 1640s from Worcestershire, England, patented several large parcels of land on the north bank of the Appomattox River in an area known as The Cowpens, near Mount My Lady, which was . . . — — Map (db m17131) HM
On 2 June 1864, Confederate Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard sent Maj. Gen. Bushrod Johnson's troops toward nearby Federal pickets to reconnoiter their strength. The Confederate troops initially captured the northern portion of the Federal picket line, but . . . — — Map (db m17122) HM
Construction of the Howlett Line
The earthworks here were constructed after the Battle of Ware Bottom Church. Prior to that, this area was the advanced picket line for the Army of the James and would have consisted of a series of rifle . . . — — Map (db m73982) HM
On a line that here crossed the Richmond–Petersburg turnpike, Confederate troops under command of General G.T. Beauregard attacked the Federal army of Major-General B.F. Butler on May 16, 1864 and forced its withdrawal to the Bermuda Hundred . . . — — Map (db m14275) HM
Here, on the second line of the Drewry’s Bluff defences, Confederate troops were concentrated May 12-15, 1864, to take the offensive against a Federal force that had advanced from Bermuda Hundred under command of General B.F. Butler and had cut the . . . — — Map (db m14274) HM
1611 Sir Thomas Dale and his men, using a tactic developed in the Dutch Low Country, dug a ditch and erected a fence across the neck of the peninsula for the defense of Henricus.
1864 Federal forces under General Benjamin Butler began . . . — — Map (db m87885) HM
With the opposing armies locked in a protracted struggle around Petersburg and Bermuda Hundred, the James and Appomattox Rivers assumed added importance. In August 1864, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler began excavations at Dutch Gap. When completed, . . . — — Map (db m16150) HM
The trail at Dutch Gap traces the old channel of the James River. Before the river was rerouted, there was a ferry landing on the opposite shore called Osborne’s Landing. This may have been the location of the enigmatic Port Cotage referenced by . . . — — Map (db m87594) HM
Enon Baptist Church was organized on 8 October 1849. The church was built here on a one-acre tract given by the founder, John Alexander Strachan. In May 1864, during the Civil War, Union army troops under Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler dismantled Enon . . . — — Map (db m24990) HM
In 1611, Farrar's Island was the site of the "Citie of Henrico," one of Virginia's first four primary settlement areas under the Virginia Company of London. Later, it was part of a 2,000-acre land patent issued posthumously to William Farrar in . . . — — Map (db m16018) HM
In 1867, the African American members of
nearby Salem Baptist Church separated and
founded Salem African Baptist Church. The
new congregation held worship services under
a brush arbor before constructing a building
here on a one-acre tract . . . — — Map (db m107773) HM
Dedicated to the memory of the men of the First Virginia Infantry Regiment. Army of Northern Virginia. Killed near this place on 16 May 1864.
Alphonzo A. Figner, Company I
Archibald D. Govan, Company D
Jerry Toomey, Company B
James A. . . . — — Map (db m25012) HM
Fort Wead was built in June, 1864 by members of the 1st NY Engineers, assisted by the labors of various infantry units of the Army of the James. The fort was named after Col. Frederick M. Wead of the 98th NY Infantry, killed at the battle of Cold . . . — — Map (db m184750) HM
After African American patrons campaigned for a new high school, the Chesterfield County School Board opened the consolidated George Washington Carver High School here in 1948. Carver, which replaced the old Hickory Hill and Daniel Webster Davis . . . — — Map (db m149856) HM
This old inn was the headquarters of Major-General B. F. Butler's Union Army of the James during the Battle of Drewery's Bluff, May 16, 1864. The inn was so named because of its location about midway between Richmond and Petersburg. — — Map (db m16043) HM
As Grant grappled with Lee in the Wilderness and near Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864, Union Gen. Benjamin Butler landed with 30,000 troops at Bermuda Hundred, eight miles east of here. Butler’s objective was to open another front and to . . . — — Map (db m16041) HM
The Colonial Dames
Of America in the
State of Virginia
A.D. 1910
Erect this monument on the site
Of the Town of Henricopolis
To commemorate the college
And university which on
May 26, 1619.
The Virginia Company of
London decreed . . . — — Map (db m16149) HM
Near this spot, the Arrohateck Indians greeted John Smith and his compatriots during their May 1607 exploration upriver from Jamestown. Smith’s 1612 Map of Virginia shows Arrohateck towns on both shores of the James below present-day Richmond. . . . — — Map (db m16335) HM
These earthworks are part of the Confederate defensive position known as the Howlett Line. It was a string of interconnected redoubts and entrenchments that stretched for eight miles. The line took its name from the Howlett House located at its . . . — — Map (db m66325) HM
These earthworks are part of the strong Confederate defensive position known as the “Howlett Line.” Composed of a string of interconnected redoubts and trenches, the line ran eight miles north and south and was named for the Howlett House which . . . — — Map (db m164337) HM
The ground you are standing on would have been a very dangerous place from May of 1864 until the fall of Petersburg in April of 1865. In front of you is one of the many gun positions that the Confederates used to protect the Howlett Line. This . . . — — Map (db m73964) HM
The Union Army of the James, retiring across Proctor's Creek in this vicinity after the battle of Drewry's Bluff, May 16, 1864, turned east into the Peninsula between the James and Appomattox Rivers, where it was "Bottled" by Confederate forces. — — Map (db m16045) HM
(panel 1)
John Smith Explores the Chesapeake
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 . . . — — Map (db m128321) HM
To the east, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee briefly made his headquarters at Clay's house on 17 June 1864. There he received full details of the Union army's attack on Petersburg that began the evening of 15 June 1864. Lee learned that Lt. Gen. . . . — — Map (db m17124) HM
Mary Randolph, a native of Chesterfield County and author of the first American regional cookbook, lived nearby at Presquile Plantation during the last two decades of the 18th century after her marriage to David Meade Randolph in 1782. The couple . . . — — Map (db m11678) HM
Mt. Malady, the first hospital in the American colonies, was built in Coxendale near Henricus in 1612. It had 40 beds for 80 patients! Many colonists arrived in poor health from their long sea voyage. Others acquired diseases, such as . . . — — Map (db m87884) HM
Olin Miller Dantzler (1826-1824) was a native of South Carolina. He graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia in 1846. He married Caroline Clover on July 10, 1850, and they had five children. Prior to the war Dantzler served as a South . . . — — Map (db m16060) HM
In 1607, Opposunoquonuske, sister of the Appamattuck Indian chief Coquonasum, headed an Appamattuck town on the James River at the mouth of the Appomattox. On 24 May 1607, Opposunoquonuske received a party of Englishmen in a stately fashion, greatly . . . — — Map (db m54254) HM
The town of Osbornes was named for Captain Thomas Osborne who settled nearby at Coxendale in 1616. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Osborne's plantation wharf was a tobacco inspection station and local shipping center. Thomas Jefferson, . . . — — Map (db m16019) HM
(left panel)
Parker’s Battery
A one-quarter-mile walking trail through the site offers a window into the existence of a typical Civil War artillery company on the front lines during the final year of the war. The men depended on the . . . — — Map (db m173570) HM
Parker’s men improved this earthen redoubt, referred to as a battery, so as to better protect their guns stationed behind its walls. Supporting infantry, from the 15th and 17th Virginia regiments, filled the adjacent trenches and manned the forward . . . — — Map (db m16086) HM
Parker’s men improved this earthen redoubt, referred to as a battery, so as to better protect their guns stationed behind its walls. Supporting infantry, from the 15th and 17th Virginia regiments, filled the adjacent trenches and manned the forward . . . — — Map (db m66326) HM
To the west of the road here at Proctor's Creek Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Union Army of the James attacked the outer line of the Confederates' Drewry Bluff defenses on 13-14 May 1864. On the first day, Union Maj. Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore struck . . . — — Map (db m16044) HM
Many of the men, like Major Parker and Lieutenant J. Thompson Brown, returned to their homes in Richmond after the war. Brown became a successful local businessman, and in 1888 purchased the ground here in order to preserve the area where the . . . — — Map (db m164550) HM
Many of the men, like Major Parker and Lieutenant J. Thompson Brown, returned to their homes in and around Richmond after the war. In 1888, Lieutenant Brown, then a successful local businessman, purchased the ground here in order to preserve the . . . — — Map (db m164551) HM
McClellan’s Federals attacked in 1862, then Grant in ’64, while Joseph E. Johnston and then Robert E. Lee defended. The two major assaults on the Confederate capital fanned out in a series of battles, skirmishers and marches. Tour the . . . — — Map (db m16076) HM
On 16 May 1864, Confederate forces under Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard attacked southward across a three-mile front. They struck the Union Army of the James under Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler and pushed it across Proctor's Creek, away from Richmond and . . . — — Map (db m205502) HM
(Preface) Early 1864, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, commander of all Federal armies, ordered advances throughout the Confederacy in the spring. On May 5, General Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James landed Bermuda Hundred to begin . . . — — Map (db m184714) HM
Here in 1864 on the Bermuda Hundred peninsula between the James and Appomattox Rivers, the Union Army of the James, commanded by Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, was "bottled up" by Confederate Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard, defender of Petersburg. The . . . — — Map (db m17118) HM
On Jan. 23, 1865, the ironclads Virginia II, Richmond, and Fredericksburg, with five smaller vessels, descended the James River in an effort to attack the Union supply depot at City Point. A reliable report indicated that recent . . . — — Map (db m164327) HM
On the evening of May 16, 1864 the Army of the James completed its retreat from The Second Battle of Drewry's Bluff and returned to its earthworks in Bermuda Hundred. Too disorganized to effectively pursue the retreating Federals, the Confederates . . . — — Map (db m164336) HM
This is a fragment from the breech of a 5.8 inch “Sawyer Gun”. This gun was located at Battery Sawyer, a Federal gun position across the river to your front where the River’s Bend community is today. This gun burst on August 5, 1864 . . . — — Map (db m87592) HM
After the Battle of Cold Harbor in June 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant made plans to shift the Army of the Potomac to the south side of the James River with the objective of capturing Petersburg. On June 15th, the 18th Corps of the Army of the . . . — — Map (db m184370) HM
Photograph of the ironclad ram Atlanta. The Atlanta was built by the Confederacy and was captured at Savannah Ga. by Federal forces in 1863. It saw service on the James River in the US Navy. The ship was decommissioned in 1865 and was . . . — — Map (db m87876) HM
This photograph of the Dutch Gap Canal was taken from near this location in 1865. It shows the canal with a dredge boat in the background. The canal was dug in an attempt to bypass Confederate gun positions at Battery Dantzler approximately one . . . — — Map (db m164325) HM
Photograph of the Union ironclad Saugus taken from near this location in March 1865. The log boom on the bow of the Saugus is a field adaptation to protect it from Confederate mines in the river.
This sign was sponsored by Edwin . . . — — Map (db m87877) HM
This site seems remote from Richmond, but Confederate defenses extended well beyond the city. From mid-June 1864 a unit of artillerymen called Parker’s Battery manned these earthworks.
Despite the proximity of a large enemy force, this line was . . . — — Map (db m164339) HM
Near this spot was built
Anno Domini 1611
The Church of Henricopolis
Under the auspices of
Sir Thomas Dale
High Marshall of Virginia
The Reverend Alexander Whitaker, M.A,
Minister
This cross is erected to
Commemorate the . . . — — Map (db m16147) HM
The house that stood here, midway between Richmond and Petersburg, was a landmark in the campaign of 1864. East and Southeast were Batteries Brooks, Semmes, Wood and Dantzler which defended the South side of James river from Drewry’s Bluff to the . . . — — Map (db m14277) HM
Just east of this point running from the James River to the Appomattox River, was the Confederate defense line known as the Howlett line, named for the Howlett House that stood at the north end of the line. Established in May, 1864, by General . . . — — Map (db m17116) HM
Native Americans 1500's
These boats were used by the Powhatan Indians to carry furs, food, and other trading items.
First Settlers 1600's
Shallops were wider and sometimes longer than canoes. They were propelled by oars or by . . . — — Map (db m87886) HM
Civilization has dramatically transformed the landscape. Before 1930s, the land around you was probably swamp and bottomland forest. From the 1930s to around the 1960s, companies mined the area for sand and gravel. During this time, the large open . . . — — Map (db m87881) HM
The foundation is all that remains of the lightkeeper’s house. The lightkeeper had to live on site to maintain the gas-powered lights which were once located on the bluff. Lights were constructed after the first Dutch Gap channel was completed in . . . — — Map (db m16153) HM
The Battle of Trent's Reach
On the night of Jan. 23, 1865, the ironclads Virginia II, Richmond, and Fredericksburg, with five smaller vessels, descended the James River in an effort to attack the Union supply depot . . . — — Map (db m87879) HM
One of the most dramatic changes along the James River is the daily tide. The tides originating in the Atlantic Ocean influence the river all the way to the City of Richmond. Constant sources of freshwater from replenishing rainfalls and streams in . . . — — Map (db m87883) HM
(overview)
Early in 1864, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, commander of all Federal armies, ordered advances throughout the Confederacy in the spring. On May 5, Union Gen. Benjamin F. Butler landed his Army of the James on Bermuda Hundred to . . . — — Map (db m164324) HM
Dedicated to those who served in the Armed Forces of the United States
This memorial obtained from Dutch Gap at the site where on May 16, 1619 the Virginia Company of London decreed that a college or university should be . . . — — Map (db m133676) WM
The 1917 Courthouse stands on the footprint of the first Chesterfield County courthouse built in 1749 and demolished in 1917, against the will of local citizenry. This early preservation case was the subject of heated debate between concerned . . . — — Map (db m133671) HM
On this spot were imprisoned 1770-1774
John Tanner
William Weber
Augustine Eastin
David Tinsley
Joseph Anthony
Jeremiah Walker
John Weatherford
Apostles of
Religious Liberty
“Whether it be right . . . — — Map (db m19527) HM
This is the site of the former camp of two Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) companies and a Works Progress Administration (WPA) work force of 300 men who constructed the recreation area along Swift Creek from the spring of 1935 to the summer of . . . — — Map (db m28861) HM
This area, known originally as "Cold Water Run," is the site of the first Chesterfield County courthouse, erected in 1750. In 1917 it was demolished and replaced by a larger Georgian Revival brick building that served the county until the 1960s. . . . — — Map (db m19523) HM
Late on the morning of Monday, April 3, 1865, part of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia briefly halted here at the Chesterfield County seat. The day before, a series of Federal attacks had broken through Lee’s lines at . . . — — Map (db m19518) HM
Located north of this marker is the site of the camp of CCC Company 2386, Beach, Virginia. The camp was organized in 1935 and disbanded in 1942. The company consisted of 2 to 3 military officers, a civilian technical service staff, and approximately . . . — — Map (db m28858) HM
Coal mines, including Brighthope, Raccoon, Cox, Hill, Vaden, and others, were located a mile west of here. As early as 1822 coal was sold for local use. By 1845 the Clover Hill Railroad was constructed to transport the coal to the Appomattox River . . . — — Map (db m28873) HM
I propose to create a civilian conservation corps…confining itself to forestry, the prevention of soil erosion, flood control, and similar projects. I call your attention to the fact that this type of work is of definite, practical value, not . . . — — Map (db m28863) HM
Two and one-third miles south stands Eppington, built in the late 1760s by Francis Eppes and his wife Elizabeth Wayles Eppes, half-sister to Martha Wayles Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson frequently visited Eppington. Lucy Jefferson, his daughter, died . . . — — Map (db m28911) HM
Built in 1822 by William Winfree, this Federal-style house was named for the large stand of magnolia trees in the front yard. It was originally surrounded by a 600-acre farm. A nearby tavern provided lodging for persons with business at the . . . — — Map (db m19487) HM
Late in the 18th century, the Methodist Episcopal Church confronted the possibility of schism. James O'Kelly, a Methodist minister, began challenging Bishop Francis Asbury regarding his appointive powers, his management of church affairs, and other . . . — — Map (db m26013) HM
This park of 7604 acres was originally known as the Swift Creek Recreational Area. Its purchase in 1934 and subsequent development by the federal government were with the understanding that eventually the State would accept and maintain the . . . — — Map (db m28856) HM
Dedicated to all
Chesterfield County
veterans who served
their country
[On the other side of the wall is a series of plaques:]
Afghanistan
2001
Chesterfield County
Remembers
Brandon T. Islip, . . . — — Map (db m133672) WM
William Ransom Johnson lived near here at Oakland. Called the “Napoleon of the Turf,” he dominated American horseracing early in the 19th century. He trained more than 20 champions and achieved national fame from the 30 North-South match races held . . . — — Map (db m28915) HM
World War I began to impact Chesterfield County on April 6, 1917 when the National Selective Service Act was enacted. Lacking a home guard and with no pre-war military organization, Chesterfield County's initial efforts to form an infantry unit . . . — — Map (db m133674) HM
Elements of the Union Army of the James, led by Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, landed at Bermuda Hundred on 5 May 1864 to cut the Confederate rail and supply lines between Richmond and Petersburg. On 9 May, Butler sent divisions to Port Walthall . . . — — Map (db m17121) HM
Following the Battle of Ware Bottom Church on May 20, 1864, Confederate forces began digging the earthworks that would become known as the Howlett Line. Named after the Howlett house, which stood at the northernmost point, the line stretched across . . . — — Map (db m16096) HM
While Union Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James entrenched at Bermuda Hundred on 11 May 1864, Confederate Maj. Gen. Robert F. Hoke led parts of two divisions north from Petersburg to unite with Maj. Gen. Robert Ransom's division near . . . — — Map (db m17123) HM
On 5 May 1864, leading elements of Union Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James disembarked off transports at Bermuda Hundred, located to the north of here. The next day this army began severing telegraph lines and nearby portions of the . . . — — Map (db m17120) HM
Free enterprise had its beginnings in the New World on this site in 1611. Sir Thomas Dale, following orders from the London Company to "find a more beautiful place," moved westward from Jamestown and built a town out of the wilderness.
The . . . — — Map (db m149631) HM
You are now on Farrar's Island. Here in 1611, Sir Thomas Dale established the "Citie of Henryco", one of Virginia's first four primary settlement areas under the Virginia Company of London. Later, this land was part of a 2,000-acre patent issued . . . — — Map (db m149633) HM
As the small band of Jamestown colonists explored the upper reaches of the tidal James River in May 1607, they stopped twice at the town of Arrohateck, home to an estimated 255 Algonquian-speaking natives. On both occasions they were welcomed by . . . — — Map (db m149628) HM
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