Gloucester County. Area 223 Square Miles. Formed in 1651 from York, and named for Gloucester County, England. Bacon the Rebel died in this county, 1676. Gloucester Point was the outpost of Cornwallis at Yorktown, 1781. . . . — — Map (db m30137) HM
On the shore here General Andrew Lewis, commanding the Virginia forces, erected a battery facing a stockaded camp on Gwynn's Island established by Governor Lord Dunmore, July, 1776. The fire from this point, Cricket Hill, damaged the camp and the . . . — — Map (db m30136) HM
Sally Tompkins, born at Poplar Grove 3 miles south of here, was the only woman granted a commission in the Army of the Confederacy. "Captain Sally" founded and directed Robertson Hospital in Richmond where over 1300 Confederate soldiers were cared . . . — — Map (db m30125) HM
Captain Sally L. Tompkins
C.S.A.
Born at Poplar Grove, Mathews Co., VA.
November 9, 1833.
Died at Richmond, VA., July 25, 1916.
In grateful appreciation of her
services in maintaining the Roberston
Hospital at Richmond, VA., from . . . — — Map (db m30127) HM
Several Confederate companies were organized here during the war. The Mathews Light Artillery (formerly Co. H, 61st Virginia Militia) was organized in July 1861. On May 14, 1862, it was accepted into Confederate States service as Capt Andrew D. . . . — — Map (db m74694) HM
Erected in commemoration of the victory of the American Continental soldiers in command of General Andrew Lewis over the British land and sea forces under Lord Dunmore at Fort Cricket Hill, VA, June 9th 1776. — — Map (db m30141) WM
Kingston Parish was established about 1652. During colonial times, the Anglican parish administered the ecclesiastical and some civil affairs for the inhabitants of the area that later became Mathews County. The principal parish church is believed . . . — — Map (db m30128) HM
Just south, between Put In Creek and Woodas Creek, lies the former glebe of Kingston Parish of the Church of England (now the Protestant Epsicopal Church). In 1665 the parish acquired the first parcel (455 acres) of glebe land to support its . . . — — Map (db m74699) HM
Mathews County was formed in 1790 from Gloucester County and named for Thomas Mathews, of Norfolk, a soldier of the Revolution who was then Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. A local builder, Richard Billups, constructed the courthouse . . . — — Map (db m30124) HM
African Americans formed the Mathews Educational League in 1923 and raised $9,900 to build a four-room school here in 1926-1927. Donations came mainly from the black community, with additional contributions from white residents, the county school . . . — — Map (db m176022) HM
This property is registered as a
Virginia Historic Landmark
and placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the
United States Department
of the Interior — — Map (db m176017) HM
To honor the memory of the men from Mathews County who gave their lives in wars and conflicts of the twentieth century
"Remember we died to keep you and others free"
World War I, 1917 - 1918
Brownley, Stanley E. - USNR •
Butts, . . . — — Map (db m176016) WM
Fitchett's Wharf was a center of commercial activity for this area of Mathews County from 1845 until the early 20th century. It also served as a major port of call for vessels plying the Chesapeake Bay until 1932. An important shipyard, owned and . . . — — Map (db m30135) HM
Although no major battles were fought in Mathews County, Union forces made several incursions during the war. One occurred in November 1862 to disrupt salt production and “contraband [military supplies] trade” with Maryland Confederates. . . . — — Map (db m74688) HM
The U.S. Navy’s longstanding tradition of recruiting black sailors enabled several runaways from Mathews County to enlist aboard Potomac Flotilla and North Atlantic Blockading Squadron warships. On January 30, 1862, the logbook of USS Young . . . — — Map (db m74691) HM
Fort Nonsense is a conspicuous reminder of Mathews County's Civil War history. When war broke out, men between the ages of 21 and 45 were mustered for service in the 61st Virginia Militia Regiment. Company H became known as the Mathews Light . . . — — Map (db m74692) HM
Fort Nonsense today consists of two sections of earthworks divided by a road trace. Archaeological evidence suggests that the fort's parapet extended across present-day Routes 3 and 14 to reach the exiting natural obstacles. The northerly-facing . . . — — Map (db m74693) HM
During the Civil War, many of the officers on both sides—even those who gained fame as infantry or cavalry commanders—were first trained as engineers at the United States Military Academy at West Point or the Virginia . . . — — Map (db m74689) HM
These earthworks are the remains of Fort Nonsense, first called the Smart's Mill or North End Mill fortification. Enslaved black laborers under the supervision of 2nd Lt. William Henry Clarke, an engineer who graduated from Virginia . . . — — Map (db m74687) HM
The construction of an earthen fortification like Fort Nonsense required an enormous amount of labor. A clear field of fire was created as men with axes chopped down the trees in front of the work. Logs framed the fort's outline and . . . — — Map (db m74690) HM
One and a half miles north is the site of his home "Windsor" where he developed an excellent botanical garden. He was first president, Virginia Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge, and clerk of Gloucester County from 1722 until his death . . . — — Map (db m30123) HM
Mathews County has numerous historic sites that reflect a rich history dating to the first English settlement early in the 1640s. Formed in 1791 from the Kingston Parish section of Gloucester County, Mathews County is named for Gen. . . . — — Map (db m74686) HM
Mathews County. Area 94 Square Miles. Formed in 1790 from Gloucester and named for Colonel Thomas Mathews, Revolutionary soldier. Gwynn's Island, from which Dunmore was driven in 1776, is here.
Gloucester County. . . . — — Map (db m74705) HM
Standing at the end of what was once the southernmost peninsula in Mathews County, now surrounded by water, the lighthouse marks the entrance to Mobjack Bay. Authorized by Congress in 1801, this 55-foot-high sandstone tower with its spiraling stone . . . — — Map (db m30134) HM