Dedicated to the memory of
John Beverley Rose
of Carrsville Virginia
Captain TC U.S. Army
3d Transportation Company (Light Helicopter)
1937 - 1964
— — Map (db m165999) HM WM
The Cold War and Nike-Ajax Base N-75
The “Cold” War (1949-1990) is so named because no actual armed conflict took place between the two alliances: The Warsaw Pact and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It began when Joseph . . . — — Map (db m36019) HM
The James River flows about 340 miles from the junction of the Jackson and Cowpasture rivers in Botetourt County to Hampton Roads at the Chesapeake Bay. In 1607 the first permanent English settlement in the New World was established on its banks at . . . — — Map (db m33970) HM
Col. Josiah Parker (1751-1810) served in the Revolutionary War in the 5th Virginia Regiment from Aug. 1776 until July 1778 when he resigned his commission. Parker distinguished himself at the Battle of Trenton (25-26 Dec. 1776), the Battle of . . . — — Map (db m35974) HM
The Cold War and Nike-Ajax Base N-75
Here was located site N-75C (C for control) and the counterpart site N-75L (L for launch) was located at Carrollton Nike Park.
The “Cold” War (1949-1990) is so named because no actual armed conflict . . . — — Map (db m36038) HM
U.S. Army units stationed at N-75L/C
The Army Antiaircraft Command (ARAACOM), with both guns and missiles, was established 1 July 1950. It was re-designated Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM) on 21 March 1957 after all units were converted . . . — — Map (db m36034) HM
A major Blackwater River crossing was
located here at Franklin during the Civil
War. Confederate forces guarded the crossing
from 1862 to the end of the war as part
of the Blackwater defensive line. Several
skirmishes were fought around the . . . — — Map (db m69784) HM
This industrial complex evolved from a sawmill
that operated here prior to the Civil War. In
1887, three brothers, Paul D. Camp, James L.
Camp, and Robert J. Camp, founded Camp
Manufacturing Company, later Union Camp Corporation
The lumbering . . . — — Map (db m69786) HM
Boykin's Tavern is a rare surviving example of the hostelries once common in Virginia courthouse complexes, where they offered food and accommodations for people attending court. The original structure was built in the late 18th century for Maj. . . . — — Map (db m35977) HM
Isle of Wight County
formerly called
Warrosquoyacke
after Indians of this area
visited by
Captain John Smith
1608
settled by
Captain Christopher Lawne
and other adventurers
1619
one of eight
original shires
1634-1637 . . . — — Map (db m36057) HM
1861-1865
Confederate Dead
Isle of Wight’s loving tribute,
to her heroes of 1861 to 1865.
“They bravely fought
They bravely fell
They wore the gray
They wore it well”
“Bright were the lives they gave for us;
The land . . . — — Map (db m178752) HM
Near here, where the Pagan River empties into the James River stood the small village of Mokete of the Warraskoyack Indians. Another Warraskoyack village called Mathomank existed on Burwell's Bay. The principal settlement of Warraskoyack was located . . . — — Map (db m35972) HM
The Warraskoyack Indians, members of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, lived near the mouth of the Pagan River and along its tributaries. Their town of Mokote likely stood in the vicinity of present-day Rescue, while Mathomouk was probably situated . . . — — Map (db m167537) HM
The Confederate Army rented slave labor and hired free black laborers to construct the fort. Records of their payment show that these men worked for 50 cents a day.
In December 1861, Isle of Wight County Commissioner of the Revenue B.J. Gray . . . — — Map (db m244365) HM
Built in 1826 constructed with handmade soft Virginia bricks. Originally used to store peanuts, crops, and dry goods. It was converted into a residence and doctors office around 1900. — — Map (db m166422) HM
In Nov. 1621, Capt. Nathaniel Basse received a grant of 300 acres of land, now known as Basse’s Choice, located nearby. It was one of the first English settlements in Isle of Wight County, though humans had lived there more than 5000 years. On Mar. . . . — — Map (db m2678) HM
This section of the Pagan River in front of you is where the Union gunboat, USS Smith-Briggs, was run aground and destroyed by local Confederate troops during the January 31-February 1, 1864, Battle of Smithfield.
Smithfield . . . — — Map (db m156842) HM
By Nov. 1621, Edward Bennett had obtained a patent from the Virginia Company to establish Bennett’s Plantation, also known as Warrascoyack and Bennett’s Welcome. By Feb. 1622, the Sea Flower arrived with the first residents and they began . . . — — Map (db m2677) HM
Main Street was once paved in brick during the early twentieth century. During the street's reconstruction from 1991 to 1993, the old paving bricks found under the asphalt were removed to make way for the installation of underground utilities. The . . . — — Map (db m166421) HM
This modern bridge is constructed over the trace of the original 1861 bridge which traversed this marshy area. The surrounding wetland of cypress and pine trees provided a barrier to any attacking land force intent on assaulting the fort from the . . . — — Map (db m244359) HM
In 1908, Herbert and Mary Greer purchased the fort and turned it into a place of beauty with flowers, shrubbery, a large formal flower garden and a wildflower garden. In 1918, Mrs. Greer was
outside tending to her roses and honeysuckle when two . . . — — Map (db m244354) HM
African Americans prioritized education after Emancipation, and many attended one-or two-room schools built alongside churches in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Christian Home School was built eight miles south of here, near Christian Home . . . — — Map (db m243623) HM
This space was the main camp area for soldiers who guarded the landward approach to Fort Huger. They slept, ate and relaxed here when not actively engaged in the daily routine of improving the fort or otherwise preparing for its defense.
Fort . . . — — Map (db m244357) HM
Like the other structures on this site, this square building reflects a combination of eras. There are sections dating to the 18th century as well as evidence of a wood-burning stove, a more modern convenience. The building's earliest use is . . . — — Map (db m166413) HM
Commanding: Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher Harris Archer
Company A: Captains David Poyner & George Harrison, Fort Huger
Company B: Captains Joseph White & Thomas Branch, Fort Huger
Company C: Captain William Alley, Fort . . . — — Map (db m244358) HM
For their permanent defensive positions, both the Union and Confederacy designed fortifications to include a wide variety of structures and obstacles. Once the ground was cleared of all natural and man-made obstructions, done by hand with shovels . . . — — Map (db m244367) HM
Directly in front of you is the entrance to Fort Boykin. Originally built in 1623 to protect the colonists against “Spaniards by sea and Indians by land” and called “The Castle,” the fort was rebuilt during the Revolutionary War and renamed Fort . . . — — Map (db m2699) HM
From 1861 to 1862, soldiers serving inside the fort were from Company E, Isle of Wight County Blues, 9th Virginia Infantry, as well as Company I, James River Heavy Artillery, 3rd Virginia Artillery. Soldiers from the Surry Light Artillery also . . . — — Map (db m244352) HM
The Warraskoyack Indians had a town south of Fort Boykin in the vicinity of Tormentor Creek and another on Jones Creek near the mouth of the Pagan River. John Smith stayed with them on his 1608 mission to Powhatan’s residence on the York River and . . . — — Map (db m2757) HM
In memory of the early colonists who built this fort by hand and all soldiers stationed here
1623-1862
and Herbert T. Greer and his wife, Mary E. Greer who purchased this fort in 1908, preserved its formation and spent twenty-three years . . . — — Map (db m244355) HM WM
Fort Huger has only one entrance, or sallyport, to make defense easier.
Just before this entrance is a dry ditch which extends the full length of the fort's exterior. When filed with sharpened wooden stakes, referred to as abatis or . . . — — Map (db m244361) HM
(prelude) In April 1862, Union forces under Gen. George B. McClellan began a major campaign to capture Richmond, marching west from Fort Monroe up the Peninsula between the York and James Rivers toward the Confederate capital. A . . . — — Map (db m35929) HM
Where you are standing might not feel like an ideal location for a fortification today, but in 1861, this was the perfect place for an artillery battery to block the James River approach to Richmond, the Confederate capital.
When the Civil War . . . — — Map (db m244371) HM
Shells have been found in amazing quantities along this area of the river. The Indians who lived beside the saltwater stretches of river did not have tuckahoe and other freshwater plants to sustain them in poor crop years, when shellfish likely . . . — — Map (db m18641) HM
One mile northeast, at Hardy’s Bluff on Lawne’s Neck, existed Fort Huger, a Civil War earthen fortification. Virginia State Engineer Col. Andrew Talcott authorized this and other forts to block any Union naval advance up the James River to Richmond. . . . — — Map (db m18619) HM
At this site on September 16, 1936, Joseph W. Luter and Joseph W. Luter Jr. founded Smithfield Packing Company which later became known as Smithfield Foods. The meat processing plant built at this location cured and smoked fresh hams into what . . . — — Map (db m166505) HM
Early in the war, Confederate authorities were concerned that Union forces might advance up the James River from Fort Monroe. As a precaution, they constructed waterfront artillery batteries along the river, including in Isle of Wight County, and . . . — — Map (db m103839) HM
In the early 1600s, Captain John Smith and the Jamestown colonists noted long-needled pines along the south bank of the James River and recognized their potential as a valuable resource. Soon after, the first "tryalls of pitch and tar" (naval . . . — — Map (db m166419) HM
This partially collapsed structure is what remains of Fort Huger's shell house. This was a long enclosure covered with a thick layer of earth which served as the storage shelter for the fort's ammunition supply, specifically the exploding shells . . . — — Map (db m244363) HM
Dedicated to all veterans
of Isle of Wight County
for their honorable service
to our nation.
June 14, 2001
By these engravings we remember all
those who made the supreme sacrifice
in the wars of our nation,
and less we not . . . — — Map (db m36051) HM
One half-mile north, Ivy Hill Cemetery, established in 1887, is the resting place of many prominent local residents including Joseph W. Luter, Sr., Smithfield Packing Company co-founder, and P.D. Gwaltney Jr., founder of Gwaltney Hams. Others buried . . . — — Map (db m166424) HM
In recognition of Joseph W. Luter, III for his generosity and loyalty to the town of Smithfield and its citizens. Joseph W. Luter, III, a Smithfield native, has been a generous benefactor to the Town of Smithville. Highly regarded throughout the . . . — — Map (db m98266) HM
Separate buildings for kitchens and laundries were commonplace for elite households in colonial America. All meal preparation was from scratch and cooked in front of an open hearth while laundering required kettles of hot water, tables for . . . — — Map (db m166417) HM
Constructed in 1750 and 1751, this building was the center of law and politics in Isle of Wight County until 1800, when the seat of county government was moved to its current location, seven miles south of Smithfield. — — Map (db m36049) HM
More than 100,000 rivers, streams, and creeks flow through the Chesapeake region. This massive web of waterways includes some 11,000 miles of shoreline---more than that of the entire U.S. West Coast.
For centuries, these watercourses comprised . . . — — Map (db m98262) HM
In front of you is Fort Huger's northernmost bastion. This side of Fort Huger was the least defended because the natural terrain of Hardy's Bluff allowed for a deep ditch, high rampart wall and open fields of observation and fire. This is also the . . . — — Map (db m244369) HM
Smithfield served as the county seat from 1752 to 1801. The Old Isle of Wight Courthouse was built in 1752. Constructed by William Rand, it is one of Virginia's few surviving colonial structures and is notable for having a semicircular apse with a . . . — — Map (db m35961) HM
Half a mile north, stood the Warrascoyack Indian village. Captain John Smith obtained corn there for the starving colonists in 1608. The Warrascoyacks took part in the massacre of 1622 and their village was destroyed in 1623. In 1680, Old Town was . . . — — Map (db m18655) HM
Saint Luke's Church
Mother Church of
Warrasquyoake
now Isle of Wight County
The earliest original Gothic architecture structure in the United States of America
1632
An unique bridge between our civilization and the rich culture . . . — — Map (db m86205) HM
The town was established in 1752. The Masonic Hall was built in 1753. Benedict Arnold occupied the town, January 15, 1781. At Cherry Grove Landing near by, skirmishing took place on April 13-15, 1864, and the Confederates made a daring capture of a . . . — — Map (db m156924) HM
Smithfield, incorporated in 1752, became a busy colonial port and was county seat of Isle of Wight through 1800. British troops under Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold occupied the town on 15 Jan 1781. During the Civil War, a two-day naval engagement . . . — — Map (db m157052) HM
Pigs arrived in Virginia with the first English colonists and thrived in the warm, humid climate. Traditionally, the English used salt to preserve their pork, but the resulting meat was no match for the hot summers in Virginia. The colonists . . . — — Map (db m166416) HM
This was probably the most heavily armed bastion of Fort Huger as it faced the most likely approach of Union naval forces.
(caption) Rendezvous of the Union Fleet in the James River, May 29, 1862
Published in Harper's . . . — — Map (db m244366) HM
St. Luke’s Church, also known as “The Brick Church,” and the Newport Parish Church, is likely America’s purest expression of Gothic architecture. Its buttressed walls, lancet side windows, and traceried east windows link the building to the . . . — — Map (db m2675) HM
Surry County. Surry County, named for the county of Surrey in England, was formed from James City County about 1652. The Quiyoughcohannocks, whose villages were primarily situated in present-day Surry County, were among the first Virginia . . . — — Map (db m2680) HM
The fort's interior occupies three acres and is protected by a high rampart wall. Archeology indicates the flag pole mound is located where construction began. The top of the flagpole mound is the original surface level of Hardy's Bluff.
The . . . — — Map (db m244362) HM
The fort was purchased in 1950 by the Jordan sisters - Ella, Elizabeth and Susan.
This property belonged to their grandparents, Colonel Josiah William Jordan and Francis Moseley Dawley Jordan, from 1841 to 1849. The sisters, upon their . . . — — Map (db m244351) HM
This stretch of the James River and its tributaries is a prime example of an historic cultural landscape showing the intersection between people and nature. The rivers were home to American Indians long before the arrival of Europeans. This area . . . — — Map (db m244353) HM
This stretch of the James River and its tributaries is a prime example of an historic cultural landscape showing the intersection between people and nature. The rivers were home to American Indians long before the arrival of Europeans. This area . . . — — Map (db m244368) HM
In this house, in about 1780, Captain Mallory Todd cured the first commercially produced Smithfield hams, which were shipped to customers in England.
Hams were cured on this site from 1779 to 1936. The original Todd warehouse stood on the . . . — — Map (db m166503) HM
A well was necessary at this site as the brackish James River did not provide suitable drinking water. The well, elliptical in shape with different brick-laying styles throughout, was built from the bottom up. Over the years, erosion of the . . . — — Map (db m244350) HM
Virginia Indians
In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, a paramount chief, known by the English as Chief Powhatan, created a powerful organization by affiliating 30 tributary peoples whose territory was much of eastern Virginia. At the . . . — — Map (db m244347) HM
Fort Boykin was named after Francis Marshall Boykin who was a Virginia state senator, general in the state militia and owner of the property on which the fort was built. The topography at Fort Boykin provided the best possible location for . . . — — Map (db m18638) HM
Fort Huger (pronounced Hu-gee) sits on the James River on a site formerly known by names - Hardy's Bluff, Harden's
Bluff and Mother Tynes' Bluff. The overlook and deep navigable channel just offshore made this location a strategic military . . . — — Map (db m244356) HM
The Park Story - Located in the heart of downtown Smithfield, Windsor Castle Park is a 208-acre riverside park. Dedicated in May of 2010, the park features a woodland trail system, picnic and open area space, dog park, kayak/canoe launch, . . . — — Map (db m166415) HM
Wrenn’s Mill stood south of here on Pagan Creek. A mill powered by water for grinding grain existed there before 1685, when Thomas Green bequeathed it to his wife. The mill was referred to as Little Mill and Green’s Mill before Charles Wrenn . . . — — Map (db m2679) HM
Isle of Wight County. Area 314 Square Miles. One of the original Shires formed in 1634. Its name was at first Warrascoyack, changed in 1637 to Isle of Wight. Of the oldest churches in the United States is in this County. . . . — — Map (db m108148) HM
On 22 Apr. 1861, at the beginning of the Civil War, six sons of Benjamin Mills Roberts and Mary Ann Wright Roberts enlisted in Co. D (Isle of Wight Rifle Grays), 16th Va. Inf. Regt. They were Mills W., John W., Sylvester J., Benjamin C., Francis C., . . . — — Map (db m182335) HM
Once known as Corrowaugh and Frog Level, this community was named Windsor Station in 1856. The name Windsor Station was shortened to Windsor when the town was incorporated in 1902. The people listed on this monument are a mere handful of those who . . . — — Map (db m113818) HM
Zuni, a rail stop along the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad, was established by 1736. Confederate forces were stationed here in 1861 to protect the railroad bridge and the road leading to Suffolk. In May 1862, they destroyed the bridge to prevent . . . — — Map (db m18160) HM
