The Museum in the Streets®: Urbanna, Virginia Historical Markers

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 25, 2021

Bridge Over the Creek Marker

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1 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 5 — Bridge Over the Creek — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

From the town's beginning, there has been either a ferry or a bridge near this site. County residents traveling to and from the courthouse in Urbanna complained over generations of the slow moving ferry across the creek. The construction of the . . . — — Map (db m186701) HM

2 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 14 — Civil War — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

During the Civil War, ships came and went into Urbanna Creek as the town was occupied at different times by Federal and Confederate forces. Just off the mouth of the creek, on November 8, 1861, a Union tug and steamer armed with cannons fired . . . — — Map (db m186742) HM

3 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 10 — Coca-Cola Bottling Plant — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

This building was built in the 1940s to house a Coca-Cola Bottling Plant. The Coca-Cola Company of Chattanooga sold a franchise in 1921 allowing the sale and distribution of Cokes and other soda pop in Middlesex and six surrounding counties. . . . — — Map (db m186713) HM

4 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 1 — Colonial Courthouse — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

The courtyard of Middlesex County's colonial courthouse was directly behind the brick courthouse building in view from this panel. In the year 1748, the Town of Urbanna became the county seat of Middlsex County. It remained so for 104 years when . . . — — Map (db m186686) HM

5 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 2 — Cross Street — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

Cross Street extends over the three main streets in town, Watling, Prince George and Virginia streets. Throughout the town's hisotry, these four streets vied for commercial dominance. At the turn of the 20th century, Cross Street, briefly named . . . — — Map (db m186689) HM

6 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 13 — Oysters — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

From 1850s to the 1950s, the town's fall and winter economy was driven by oysters. Urbanna's strategic location to fertile Rappahannock River oyster beds encouraged oyster hand-tongers to come to town from September to March. Oystermen from . . . — — Map (db m186726) HM

7 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 6 — Prince George Street and Old Tavern — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

Prince George Street is one of the original streets shown on early 1700s town survyes. The Middlesex County Courtyard backed up to the street and today the colonial "Old Tavern" still stands. Taverns or ordinaries were important to Middlesex's . . . — — Map (db m186702) HM

8 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 4 — Steamboat Era — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets —

The golden era of steamboats began when two steam-powered side-wheel vessels out of Norfolk named Petersburg and Albemarle arrived in 1821 at the mouth of Urbanna Creek. In 1828, a Baltimore firm started the first commercial . . . — — Map (db m186696) HM

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9 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 12 — Tobacco Road — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

Right in front of you is one of the oldest roads in America, Prettyman's Rolling Road descends to the waterfront at the end of Virginia Street. The early economy of Virginia was built from the growing and selling of tobacco. Urbanna Creek . . . — — Map (db m186723) HM

10 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 8 — Urbanna Baseball — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

Before being developed, this area in town was home field to the Urbanna semi-pro baseball team. Alvin G. Loving purchased the land in the 1930s and built a baseball field complete with stands and removable canvases for outfield walls. Urbanna . . . — — Map (db m186710) HM

11 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 9 — Urbanna School — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

Taber Park was once home to Urbanna High School, later known as Urbanna Graded School. The two-story brick school building then located here was completed in 1911 by Sidney Muire as a state-of-the-art school facility. It served elementary and . . . — — Map (db m186704) HM

12 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — Map — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets —

Welcome to Urbanna, Virginia Along this walking tour you will find illustrated panels presenting many lively stories and facts about the town, its buildings, its residents and their lives. Urbanna's origin goes back to June 1680, when . . . — — Map (db m186685) HM

13 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 11 — Virginia Street — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets —

Virginia Street is one of the oldest streets in America and the busiest in Urbanna. There are five original colonial buildings standing. Three of Urbanna's most famous residents, Dr. Arthur Lee, Dr. John Mitchell, and Andrew Jackson Montague . . . — — Map (db m186717) HM

14 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 3 — Watling Street and Urbanna's Master Builder — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

The colonial ferry, later a one-lane bridge, and a steamboat landing paved the way over time for Watling Street to become a main avenue into town. Originally named Wadling Lane, the street in the 1880s wound from the bridge to a carpenter shop . . . — — Map (db m186692) HM

15 ► Virginia, Middlesex County, Urbanna — 7 — Wormeley-Lee-Montague House and Marble House — Urbanna, Virginia — The Museum in the Streets® —

Town buildings provide an interesting contrast in American architectural periods. This colonial one and a half story (circa 1747), Wormeley, Lee, Montague House, is the oldest post and beam structure in town. In 1791, Revolutionary War dimplomat . . . — — Map (db m186703) HM