For Reference Do Hot Take From the Library The laaB Eastern Shore l^UmUlllliUI IHitllUU^tSR Virginia 1603 - 1964 »« m • For Reference Not to be taken from this room V^€' T), v/ VIRGINIA BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY CENTRAL LIBIJAR'Y 4100 VIRGiHlA BEACH BLVD. VIIJGINIA BtACH, VA= 23452 NOTE The following explanations are offered relative to inlonnation contained in this printing of The Eastern Shore of Virginia 1603-1964. Page Line 1 3 Reference is made to modern reckoning of longitude. 28 20 The wife of William Gotten was a sis- ter-in-law of William Stone. 43 3 The date should be July 28, 1643. 43 10 The date should be March 1643 N. S. 110 25 The General Assembly of 1732 provided for local sponsorship for licensing at- torneys rather than providing for the direct licensing of attorneys. 197 16 It was George R. Mapp who became the third superintendent and not John R. Mapp. 272 40 William T. Fitchett was Circuit Court Judge from March 1882 to March 1884 between two terms of Benjamin T. Gun- ter. 274 38 The reference to the Clerk of Court should be Robert H. Oldham rather than Robert H. Oldham, Jr. 274 49 In the list of Superintendent of Schools for Northampton County, the name should be D. W. Peterson rather than W. D. Peters, 280 1 John Andrews Upshur was graduated from the United States Naval Academy in the class of 1921. 280 44 Henry Alexander Wise was the son of Edward S. Wise rather than Edgar S. Wise as stated. The publishers are glad to make these notations. If there should be future editions these corrections Vvill be made in the text of the book. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/easternshoreofviOOturm THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA By the Same Author THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN ACCOMACK COUNTY GEORGE YEARDLEY THE GIRL IN THE RURAL FAMILY THE PARKSLEY THREE ARTS CLUB The Eastern Shore of Virginia 1603 - 1964 by NORA MILLER TURMAN VIRGINIA BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY CENTRAL LIRRAr^Y 4100 VIRGINIA BEACH BLVD. VIRGINIA BEACH, VA. 2345? Illustrated with 16 pen-and-ink sketches 6 floor plans 7 maps Published by The Eastern Shxire News, Inc. Onancock Virginia 1964 VIRGINIA BEACH PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM - DUP AlflE3D lLt.7^7 COPYRIGHT 1964 BY NORA MILLER TURMAN PARKSLEY, VIRGINIA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PUBLISHED BY THE EASTERN SHORE NEWS, INC. ONANCOCK, VIRGINIA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER 64-17509 Preface This book gives an account of the outstanding events in the order in which they took place on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, from the first English landing on record to the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It is by no means a complete history, for the records of any century contain enough information for a volume larger than this. Only a few of the important people could be used in the narrative, and it is hoped that readers whose favorite an- cestors were not included will be tolerant. Since the writer has no ancestors on the Shore, there was nothing personal about the selection. The Eastern Shore of Virginia forms the southern part of the crescent-shaped Delmarva Peninsula which lies be- tween the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay on the east, and Chesapeake Bay on the south and west. The ocean islands help form the crescent which has a very irregular under curve next to Chesapeake Bay. The coast lines are broken by num- erous tidal streams and necks of land in assorted sizes and shapes. The Delmarva Peninsula takes its name from Dela- ware, Maryland, and Virginia, the states among which it is divided. Virginia's part was divided into two counties in 1663. Northampton County, which begins at Fishermans Island, has a land area of 226 square miles and a population of 75.1 per square mile. Its population in the 1960 census was 16,966. Accomack County begins at Machipongo and Occo- hannock creeks and extends to the Maryland line. It has a land area of 470 square miles and a population of 65.2 per square mile. Its population in 1960 was 30,635. The land of the Shore gives the appearance of being al- most level but there is enough variation for it to be divided into three surface areas. The central part, which was bounded vi PREFACE by the original bayside and seaside roads, has an elevation of 25 to 45 feet above sea level. The areas next to Chesa- peake Bay and the ocean vary from 25 feet to sea level or below. The salt marshes, or sea meadows, belong to the land at low tide and to the sea at high tide. However, there are some small tracts of land near both the bay and the ocean with elevations above 25 feet. The soil is fertile and the land requires no terraces. A few sand dunes may be seen next to the bay but any resemblance to them inland indicates a nearby irrigation pond. There are more than a hundred named towns, villages and hamlets in Accomack and Northampton counties. Sixty- six of these have post offices. Only three of the towns are large enough to have mail delivery. Well-kept farm houses between the settlements make it hard to tell where one village ends and another begins. The distance from the north terminus of the Bridge- Tunnel to the Maryland line is 72 miles. Every exit or crossroad leads to something of historic or recreational in- terest. Some are to hunting and fishing sites which give the Shore the unofficial title of "Sportsman's Paradise." Others are to historic shrines or monuments and one leads to Chinco- teague Ocean Beach. This narrative of the Eastern Shore of Virginia begins in the year 1603 and ends with the opening of the 17.6 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to the mainland. The book was written for the general reader but the chapter notes may help it find an audience among historians. CONTENTS CHAPTER Page I 1603-1625 1 11 1625-1634 13 III 1634-1642 27 IV 1642-1652 43 V 1652-1663 53 VI 1663-1674 64 VII 1674-1700 76 VIII 1700-1714 92 IX 1714-1752 104 X 1752-1790 118 XI 1790-1800 138 XII 1800-1840 156 XIII 1840-1870 173 XIV 1870-1900 191 XV 1900-1920 209 XVI 1920-1940 223 XVII 1940-1960 240 XVIII 1960-1964 253 Appendix 268 ILLUSTRATIONS Page DEVICES FOR PUNISHMENT 37 DORMER WINDOW HOUSE Hills Farm 89 HILLS FARM Floor Plan 90 HUNGARS CHURCH 112 BIG HOUSE, LITTLE HOUSE and KITCHEN Drummonds Mill Farm 119 DRLTMMONDS MILL FARM Floor Plan 120 TWO ROOM and LOFT HOUSE Debtors Prison 134 DEBTORS PRISON Floor Plan 135 GAMBREL ROOF HOUSE End View 140 END VIEW Floor Plan 141 ONE ROOM and LOFT HOUSE Seymour Kitchen 146 SIAMESE TWIN HOUSE Little Room. Colonnade and Kitchen of Seymour House 147 BIG HOUSE, LITTLE HOUSE, COLONNADE and KITCHEN Seymour House 148 SEYMOUR HOUSE Floor Plan 149 ICE HOUSE 170 ASSATEAGUE LIGHTHOUSE 184 BIG HOUSE, COLONNADE and KITCHEN The Rectory 187 THE RECTORY Floor Plan 188 OLD POINT COMFORT Pennsylvania Railroad Steamer 201 VIRGINIA LEE Pennsylvania Railroad Steamer 231 KERR PLACE Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society Building 258 POCAHONTAS Flagship of the last Ferry Fleet 264 MAPS ACCOMACK PLANTATION 1627 15 ACCOMACK AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES 1700 93 THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA 1800 157 MAGISTERIAL DISTRICTS AND BOUNDARY CREEKS 1870 192 RAILROADS AND MAIN STATIONS 1900 210 CREEKS AND NECKS 1920 224 THE DELMARVA PENINSULA 1964 267 Chapter I 1603-1625 At dawn on July 29, 1603, a fifty-ton ship was riding anchor at 37 degrees 7 minutes and 3 seconds north latitude and 75 degrees 54 minutes and 3 seconds west longitude. This was at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay and the young captain was gazing at tree-covered land at the north side. Soundings showed it was not safe to go nearer so arms and ammunition for eight men and boys were being put into one of the land- ing boats. The captain was prepared to carry out one of the orders of his famous uncle in England. The captain was Bartholomew Gilbert, and his uncle who owned the ship was Sir Walter Raleigh. Captain Gilbert had been with exploring parties in the northern part of the North American continent then called Virginia, but this was his first voyage with full responsibility. Plans were well under way when Queen Elizabeth I died on March 24 and her cousin James of Scotland became King James I of Eng- land the following day, which was New Year's Day of 1603. Sir Walter knew the elderly Queen's days were numbered and he was eager to prove to the successor that he had not abandoned his patent in the New World. Al- though he had sold part of it to a group of merchants, he still hoped to find survivors of the Roanoke Island Colony and reinforce their settlement. Captain Gilbert was ready to carry out the last of his orders. This was to land and see if any trace could be found of Sir Walter Raleigh's colony that had vanished from Roanoke Island almost fifteen years before. The ship had come to Virginia by the southern route and docked at enough islands where "lignum vitae" grew to fill 2 THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA every foot of cargo space. Lignum Vitae is a hardwood tim- ber which brought a high price when running works for clocks and other machinery were made of wood.