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A GUIDE TO OLD JAMESTOWN.
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NOTES
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A Journey on the James,
TOGETHER WITH
A GUIDE TO OLD JAMESTOWN.
Compiled foe A. P. V. A. by
William G. Stanaed, Committee on Guide Book.
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Notes on a Journey on the James,
[FOR GUIDE TO JAMESTOWN SEE PAGES 13-22.]
JUST opposite the wharf were formerly the yards of the Midlothian Coal and Iron Mining Company. Coal mined at Mid- lothian in Chesterfield county, thirteen miles from Richmond, was brought to this point on one of the first railroads built in Virginia. It was completed in 1831; its motive power was horses and mules, and it was phenomenal as paying a dividend of ten per cent, at the end of the first six months.
POWHATAN SEAT. — Starting on its way down the river, the steamer soon passes, on the left, the wharves of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company. The brick building in the rear of these wharves is "Powhatan Seat," long the residence of the Mayo family. Joseph Mayo, the brother of Major William Mayo, who laid off the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, set- tled here about 1725. A tradition of long standing, claims that this was the place where Pocahontas rescued John Smith, and the stone on which his head was placed is still pointed out. Another large boulder bearing some rude carving is said to mark the burial-place of Pow- hatan. It seems certain, however, that both of these traditions are incorrect. The celebrated rescue took place at Werowcomoco, Glouces-
ter county, and one of the early historians writes that Powhatan, soon after the death of Pocahontas, retired to OVapakes ("in the Des- ert"), near the Chicahominy, where he had stored up furs, &c., against the time of his bur- ial. He was doubtless buried at this place, which is now called Orapax, in New Kent county. At the time when this place (Powhatan) was visited by Captain Smith, it was an Indian vil- lage of twelve houses, the residence of a subordi- nate chief called "Little Powhatan." Smith, who described it as the most delightful situation in Virginia, purchased it from, the Indians, and named it "None Such," but could not persuade the stupid colonists to occupy it, they preferring to settle on the lower, marshy river bank.
TREE HILL. — A short distance below the Chesapeake and Ohio wharves, is seen, on a hill, on the left, the "Tree Hill" house. This place was at one time the residence of Col. Miles Sel- den and others of that family, but was chiefly cele- brated for its race track, on which, for many years, the leading horses of the United States met at the annual Spring and Fall races. Its cele- brity during the earlier portion of the nineteenth century equalled that since attained by Long Branch, Saratoga, or Monmouth.
Association JUN 12 t9!3
AVHITBY. — Nearly opposite Tree Hill, on the right bank of the river, is an old estate called Whitby, which was settled about 1660 by John Goode, whose descendants owned it about 200 years. The house built by him was removed some years ago, and the present one built.
CHATSWORTH. — Not far below "Tree Hill," and on the same side of the river, is Chatsworth, also of note as a stock farm, and now the property of Mr. Chaffin, of Richmond. This was formerly a seat of the Randolph family, from the time of Col. Peter Randolph, member of the Council, and Surveyor-General of the Customs, to that of Mr. William B. Randolph, the last male of his imme- diate branch, who died since the late war. This was the birthplace of Beverley Randolph, Gover- nor of Virginia; of Col. Robert Randolph, of "Eastern View," Fauquier county (ancestor of the present Eipiscopal Bishop of the Southern Diocese of Virginia) , and also the birthplace of Mrs. Fitzhugh, of "Chatham," grandmother of Mrs. Gen. Robert E. Lee.
WARWICK (5) — An old chimney standing on the right bank of the river, lately marked the site of the village of Warwick. Before the bars above this place had been removed this was quite an im- portant shipping point. In April, 1781, the Brit- ish took possession, destroyed a magazine of 500 barrels of flour, several mills, warehouses, store- houses, rope walks, &c., and burnt two vessels in the river, and several on the stocks. They appear
net to have burnt the dwelling houses, as Chas- tellux, who was there in 1782, describes it as "a charming place called Warwick, where a group of handsome houses form a sort of village, and there are several superb ones in the neighbor- hood, among others that of Col. Gary, on the right bank of the river, and Mr. Randolph's on the op- posite shore." The village was soon afterwards abandoned and the house gradually torn down. Within the memory of man the large tavern was standing and used as a barn.
"AMPTHILL," (5 1-2)— On the right bank is the large, square brick house (some distance from the river), whose roof and chimneys give good evidences of its antiquity. It was, it is believed, built by Henry Gary (who superintended the erec- ection of the capitol and palace in Williamsburg) and was afterwards the residence of his son, Ar- chibald Gary, of Revolutionary celebrity. Archi- bald Gary, as chairman of the committee, reported, on May 15, 1776, in the Virginia Convention, the resolutions instructing the Virginia delegation in Congress to propose to that body "to declare the United Colonies free and independent States." The negroes of the neighborhood formerly had a tradition that Col. Gary was buried in the cellar of the house. This has been explained by a sug- gestion that his body was probably moved from the house at night. The estate later became the property of Mr. Robert Temple.
FALLING CREEK (6).— At the lower end
of the "Ampthill" estate Falling Creek flows into the river. This was a place of great note in the early colonial period; and here, about half a mile up the creek, the first iron works in America were established m 1620. The iron was made from bog ore found in the vicinity. Considera- ble progress was made in this work, but in 1622 the superintendent and all of the workmen were killed by Indians, and their tools thrown in the river. Since the year 1700, at least, there has been a grist mill on the creek, and one still exists near a picturesque little fall. Col. Cary's mills here were burned by Tarleton during the Revolution.
WILTON (6) is the large brick house on the left bank of the river, just opposite the mouth of Falling Creek. This old mansion with its handsomely wainscoted rooms, was built early in the eighteenth century by William Ran- dolph, son of Colonel William Randolph, Jr., of Turkey Island, and remained in possession of his descendants until the period of the C'vil War. While several of its owners represented Henrico In the House of Burgesses and State Legislatur'i. perhaps the best known members of tbe bi'anch of the Randolphs who lived here have been Innes Randolph, the poet and Anne Randolph, who just prior to the Revolution, Avas one of the reignmg belles of the Colony, and who was called by the beaux of her day (as appears from Jefferson's let- ters) "Nancy Wilton." In one letter Jefferson tells John Page that Ben. Harrison has gone to
Wilton, and expresses a desire to know his luck. Fortune favored him, for we know that the fair Nancy married Benjamin Harrison, of Brandon, who was a member of the "First Executive Coun- cil of the State."
DREWRY'S BLUFF (7). — The high bank on the right side of the river is "Drewry's Bluff." In May, 1862, before the fortifications here had been comi)leted, though vessels loaded with stones had been sunk in the river, a strong Federal fleet came up the river intending to reduce Richmond. After a hot fight, in which the monitor "Galena" was disabled, it was defeated, and dropped down the river. Subsequently the fortifications here were made so strong that no attempt was made to pass.
CHAFFIN'S BLUFF (8 1-2). — Below Wilton Creek was strongly fortified by the Confederates.
DUTCH GAP (14).— In 1611 Sir Thomas Gates with a large party of men, settled on the penin- sula at this point, and established the town of Henricopolis. Ralph Hamor, writing in 1615, says that there was a fortification thrown across the neck (probably where the canal now is), and a church and a number of framed houses erected. In 1619 the Virginia Company determined to es- tablish a college here. 10,000 acres of land were appropriated for its support, a rector appointed, and other arrangements made for the successful opening. The massacre of 1622 put an end to
Henricopolis and to the college whicli was to be established nearby. Bishop Meade states: "It has also been called Dutch Gap, because there are indubitable marks of the commencement of a channel by the first Dutch settlers across its nar- row neck, by which the water might be let through, and seven miles of travel saved. The channel was opened about half way across, that is about 60 yards, and then abondoned.
In 1864 General B. F. Butler undertook to cut a canal at this point for the purpose of allowing the Federal gunboats to evade the heavy batter- ies at the "Hewlett House," opposite the other end of the peninsula. The Confederates shelled the working parties, and killed many men. Butler's canal had attained a depth of five or six feet when work on it was abandoned. In 1871 and 1872 the canal was made navigable. This peninsula be- came, in the early part of the seventeenth cen- tury, the property of the Farrar family, whose name it still retains. Later it belonged to the Randolps and Goxes. Before the introduction of steam tugs, the long bend here was known and dreaded ^by sailors, for no matter whence the wind came, in some parts of the trip around, ves- sels had to be towed by their boats, hence the old- time name for Dutch Gap bend among the sail- ors was "Pull and be !"
OSBORNE'S. — About half way around this bend on the Chesterfield side of the river, is Os- borne's, formerly the site of the village called Gatesville. In April, 1781, the British forces cap-
tured and destroyed here about twenty-five ves- sels loaded with a large quantity of tobacco, flour, &c. They appear also to have destroyed the lit- tle village as no notice of it appears at this time. For a number of years this was the ship- ping point for coal from the Clover Hill mines, in Chesterfield. About four miles above Osborne's on April 27, 1781, after a hot action with the British, the vessels of the Virginia Navy, then in the river, were defeated, captured and de- stroyed.
VAKINA, or AIKEN'S LANDING. — The Pe- ninsula at this point was styled in the earliest land grants "The Neck of Land in the Upper Parts," but in 1632 is called "Varina," a name derived, it is said, from the fact that tobacco grown here resembled a Spanish tobacco called Varinas. This was long the county seat of Hen- rico, and, it is said, was the place of residence of John Rolfe and Pocahontas, on a tract of land given them by Powhatan. The tradition may be correct, for there is on record in Surry a deed from Thomas Rolfe, their son, conveying land which, he states, had been given him. At Varina also was the Glebe of Henrico Parish, where Rev. Wm. Stith lived when he wrote the history of Virginia; some forty years ago the sites of the glebe, courthouse, jail, tavern and John Rolfe's house were pointed out. Under the name of Aiken's Landing, Varina was well known during the late war as a place of exchange of prisoners.
6
CURLE'S NECK (20), on the north side of the river, was the site of a settlement at a very- early date. It was first divided into a number of small farms, which gradually became consolidated. Here lived John Pleasants, a Quaker merchant and planter, ancestor of the family of that name; here also, in 1674, settled Nathaniel Bacon, "the Rebel," whose confiscated estate was afterwards sold to William Randolph. The latter appears to have become the owner of a large part of the neck, and he left it to his son, Richard, grand- father of John Randolph, of Roanoke. Later, the estate, containg over 3,000 acres, became a part of the great landed property of Major Wm. Allen, of Claremont. The estate is now the property of Mr. Senff, who, some years ago, built the fine brick house near the wharf.
TURIvEY ISLAND, on the north bank of the river, was so called, it is said, because there was once here an island in the river whicli was a favorite resort of wild turkeys. This was the home of Col. William Randolph, the first of the family of that name, and the ancestor of so many eminent Virginians, among them Thomas Jeffer- son, John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, Edmund Ran- dolph, Peyton Randolph, and John Randolph, of Roanoke. During the late war the estate was owned in part by General George E. Pickett. McClellan took refuge in and near this place after the "Seven Days' Battles," to be under the protection of his gunboats. The mansion house
was destroyed at this time by the fire of the gun- boats.
MALVERN HILL. — In sight from Turkey Is- land is Malvern Hill, the scene of the battle fought July, 1862.
SHIRLEY (3 0), on the left bank of the river, nearly opposite Bermuda Hundred, has long been one of the most noted houses on the river. The estate was patented early in the seventeenth cen- tury by Colonel Edward Hill, Sr., a man of much prominence in the Colony. It was inherited by his son. Colonel Edward Hill, Jr., also a man of note, whose armorial tomb remains in the grave- yard here. His granddaughter and heiress, Eliza- beth, married John Carter, Secretary of State of the Colonj^ and son of Robert (King) Carter. The property has been ever since in the posses- sion of the Carters. This was the birthplace of Anne Hill Carter, wife of Light Horse Harry Lee, and mother of General Robert E. Lee. Many in- teresting family portraits are preserved here.
BERMUDA HUNDRED (3 0), in Chesterfield county, at the junction of the James and Appomat- tox rivers, was at the time of the first settlement occupied by an Indian town. In 1611 Governor Dale took possession and established a settlement which he named Bermuda City. In the latter part of the seventeenth century "the town" of Bermuda was laid out. Warehouses and several stores were built, while quite a little village grew
up in the vicinity. Fifty years ago a number of chimneys scattered along the terrace-like rise bacli of the present wharves, and a great number of broken bricks in the field showed where the little "town" had been.
On May 2d, 1781, the British forces, under Phil- lips and Arnold, returning from their incursion to Richmond, embarked at Bermuda Hundred.
For many years previous to the late war, be- fore the upper portion of the river was deepened, this was an important shipping point, and was the port of Richmond for large vessels.
In 1864 General B. F. Butler, with twenty-five or thirty thousand men, was compelled to fall back into this neck, and his force was rendered so useless for offensive operations that he was said to be "bottled up." Just outside of this pe- ninsula still remain many heavy earthworks thrown up by him. Bermuda Hundred is now the terminus of the Richmond and Farmville Rail- road.
CITY POINT (33), in Prince George county, across the Appomattox from Bermuda Hundred, derives its name from the fact that in 1620 land was laid out here for the establishment of "Charles City," (one of the cities which were to be estab- lished in each county). It is spoken of in the records of Prince George in 1720, as "City Point'
On April 24, 1781, the British forces landed here, and marched to Petersburg, which they captured. General Grant had his headquarters here during the siege of Petersburg, and President
Lincoln was here on a visit to him when Rich- mond was evacuated.
On the Appomattox river is "Appomattox," the beautiful estate of the late Dr. Richard iBppes, which has been in the possession of his family for 272 years. A large tract of land here was pat- ented in 1(>35 by Col. Francis Eppes, afterwards a member of the Council of State. This is no doubt the oldest title in Virginia, and probably in the United States. Not far away is "Cawsons," formerly a seat of the Blands, and the birthplace of John Randolph, of Roanoke. The house at Cawson's was long since destroyed.
JORDAN'S POINT (35), three miles below City Point on the same side of the river, was long the residence of the Blands, and was the home of Richard Bland, of Revolutionary fame, v/hom Jefferson called "the wisest man south of James river." As a member of the House of Bur- gesses and Conventions, and of the Continental Congress, and a writer on Colonial rights, he was one of the foremost men of his time.
At an early period, this place was settled by Samuel Jordan, who named his house after one of Fletcher's plays, "Beggar's Bush." He defended himself manfully at the time of the Indian mas- sacre in 1622. Not long after his death, in 1623, his widow. Cicely, was courted by Mr. William Farrar and Rev. Greville Pooley, and as she ap- parently promised to marry both suitors, the of- fers got into the colonial courts, with the result that the Council issued an edict imposing severe
penalties on any woman who should engage her- self to move than one man at a time. Unsympa- thetic persons have called attention to the fact that this law has never been repealed.
BERKELEY (37 3-4), in Charles City county, (originally "Berkeley Hundred"), derived its name from being the seat of the plantation established about 1620, by Berkeley, Tracy, and others; their representative, the philanthropic George Thorp, who came to Virginia to take charge of the in- tended college, was killed at Berkeley by the In- dians in the massacre of 1622.
About the beginning of the eighteenth century the estate became the property of the eldest branch of the Harrison family, and was the home of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and in 1773, the birthplace of his son, "William Henry Harrison, President of the United States. Berkeley was a place famous for its hospitality, and it is said that every presi- dent from Washington to Buchanan was enter- tained here. After the battle of Malvern Hill, McClellan retreated to this point. Five miles be- low, on the same side of the river, is "Qreenway," the birthplace of President John Tyler. This is the only instance on record where a president and vice-president were natives of the same county.
WESTOVER (39 1-4), in Charles City county, has long t-een one of the most noted places in Vir- ginia, it was for many years the county seat of
Charles City county. The plantation was first the property of a family named Paulett; was sold to Theodorick Bland (whose tomb remains near the Westover hoase, in what was formerly the yard of Westover church), and was by him sold to Col. William Byrd, first of that name and de- scended to his son, Col. William Byrd, the found- er of Richmond, who collected here, at Westover, the largest private library in America; a library containing 3,625 volumes. From the second Wil- liam Byrd the estate passed to his son William, who commanded a Virginia regiment during the French and Indian war. The estate was sold by the heirs of this last William Byrd. The present house was built in 1737.
In January, 1781, the British forces, under Ar- nold, landed here on their way to Richmond. Cornwallis crossed the river here, prior to the battle of Yorktown.
Westover is now owned by Mr. and Mrs. W. McC. Ramsey.
WEYANOKE (44 1-2) .When the English set- tlers first ascended James river, the Indians in this vicinity were under the command of a female chief styled the "Queen of Weyanoke." The es- tate was at one time the property of Governor Yeardley. The large old house was built about 1727 by one of the Harwood family, and remained the property of his descendants, the Lewises and Douthats, until a few years past.
FLOWER DE HUNDRED (43), on the right
9
bank of the river, t>ears a name whicli has caused considerable discussion. It is probably derived from "Fleur dieu," (the lily), or from the old English family of Flowerdew. It was owned by Governor Yeardley. It his been owned for many years by the Wilcox family. At Windmill Point, on this estate, was erected, in 1G21, the first wind- mill in English America. In 1S64 General Grant's army crossed the river here.
FORT POWHATAJ^f (46 1-4), was a fortifica- tion built and garrisoned during the war of 1S12. It is situated on the right bank of the river, where the stream is considerably narrowed.
UPPER BRAXDOX (49 1-2), about five miles below Fort Powhatan, is a large estate which for- merly belonged to the Harrison famil}'. The house here is one of the handsomest on the river.
BRANDON (55) — The original name of this place was "Martin's Brandon," so called from being the property of that restless adventurer of early colonial days, Captain John Martin. He appears to have abandoned it, and about 1635 it was patented in part by Richard Quiney, a Lon- don merchant, whose brother, Thomas Quiney, married, in 1616, Judith, daughter of William Shakespeare. The Quineys owned Brandon until about 1702, when one of them bequeathed it ti his nephew, Robert Richardson, who, in 1710, sold the estate to Nathaniel Harrison. It has ever since been the property of the descendants of the latter.
The house contains a large and interesting collection of portraits. The window panes in the hall, on which were cut the names of guests at the 3VIay and Christmas parties through many years, and which were the subject of John R. Thompson's well-known lines, "On the Win- dow Panes at Brandon," were intentionally de- stroyed by_ Federal soldiers.
CLAREMONT (56 1-4), divided by Chippoaks creek from Brandon, was formerly an estate of 12,5 00 acres owned by the late Major William Allen. The family of Allen owned land here as early as 1649, and continued to increase their estate by the purchase of neighboring lands (including Wakefield, the original seats of the Harrrisons), until the death of Colonel William Allen (uncle of Major William Allen), the last male of the family, who left his great estates to his nephew, on condition that he would take the name of Allen. The dwelling house (still standing) was one of the best in Virginia. The Allen estate has now been sold in smaller tracts of land, and the flourishing town of Claremont established. It is a termi- nus of the Atlantic and Danville railroad.
SANDY POINT (57 3-4), across the river from Claremont, was from the latter part of the seventeenth until the first quarter of the nineteenth centurj% the seat of the Lightfoot family. The house, said to have been built in 1717, is named "Teddington," and the estate
10
which, prior to the late war included 4,8 00 acres, was one of the best on the river. Charles Campbell the historian, wrote in the Southern Literary Messenger a pleasant account of a visit here (when it was owned by Robert B. Boiling), entitled "A Christmas at Teddington."
THE CHICKAHOanNY (59). — Just below Sany Point (or "Teddington"), at Dancing Point, the Chickahominy flows into the James. On this river Captain Smith was captured by the Indians, and on this river, also, McClellan's army did not capture Richmond. It played, indeed, a most important part in the defence of the city.
FOUR ]\nLE TREE, on the other side of the river, is the name of a large estate which was granted, in 163 7, to Henry Browne, afterwards member of the Council. Many generations of his family (which was one of the most influen- tial and wealthy of the county) owned the plan- tation, until the present century, when it passed to their descendants, the Cockes. A large, old mansion still remains.
GRAY'S .CREEK, SMITH'S .FORT (69). Nearly opposite Jamestown in the county of Surry, a little above Scotland Wharf, Gray's Creek flows into James River. At the mouth of the Creek is a place called "Smith's Fort." The Surry County Records show that Thomas Rolfe, the son of Pocahontas, owned an estate
of 1,200 acres here, which was called "Smith's Fort," which he sold to Thomas Warren The same records prove that the old brick house standing near the Creek, was built by Warren in 165 4, making it, perhaps, the oldest brick house, with a positive date, in Virginia. There is recorded in Surry a deed dated 16 74, from Thomas Rolfe to William Corker, conveying 15 0 acres between "Smith's Fort old fields" and "Devil's Woodyard Swamp," "being due to the said Mr. Rolfe by gift from the Indian King." On a high bluff out of sight of the River and almost encircled by the creek, traces of trenches may still be seen There can be little doubt that this was the fort, built accord- ing to Smith as a place of refuge if the settlers had to leave Jamestown.
SWAN'S POINT, nearly opposite Jamestown, was settled early in the seventeenth century by William Svv^an, and was, in 1676, the resi- dence of his son, Col. Thomas Swan, member of the Council, at whose house the commission- ers sent from England to suppress Bacon's Rebellion held their meetings.
JAMESTOWN (69), END OF BOOK.
SEE CHAPTER AT
ARCHER'S HOPE (71) three miles below James- town on the same side of the river, the creek of this name enters the James. This stream and a considerable territory on both sides of
11
it bore, in the early Colonial period, the name Archer's Hope, a name given in honor of Gabriel Archer, one of the Council of 1607. Here it was desired that the first settlement should be made, but the water was too shoal.
KINGSMILL, (75.28), formerly a large estate is on the North side of the river below Archer's Hope. It derives its name from Rich- ard Kingsmill, a prominent settler, whose daughter and heiress married first. Col. Wil- liam Tayloe, of the Council, and secondly, Na- thaniel Bacon, President of that body. On her tomb, which has been removed from York County, to St. Paul's churchyard, Norfolk, the honors of her various alliances are evenly and quaintly divided The epitaph only states that she was the wife of the Hon. Nathaniel Bacon; but the arms are Tayloe and Kingsmill impaled. The Bacon arms which duly appear on the good President's tomb at her old home in York County, are not given place on his wife's tomb. Kingsmill was long the property of the Burwell family. About 173 6, Lewis Burwell built a large brick house near the river. It has been destroyed. This was formerly a landing place for Williamsburg, but steamers no longer touch here.
HOG ISLAND, (75.09), on the South side of the river has been for some years called "Homewood." It is still a large estate, embrac- ing about 2,2 00 acres. It was called by the
original name as early as 1608, being used by the eai'ly settlers as a place for keeping their hogs The Holts, a prominent family of this section, owned the estate for many genera- tions.
CARTER'S GROVE, on the North side of the river, is situated on a bluff eighty feet above the beach, and commands a magnificent water view. The house here, one of the best on the river, was built in 1736 by Carter Bur- well. Robert (King) Carter left the estate, describing it as all his property in Martin's Hundred, to his daughter Elizabeth, with rever- sion to her son. Carter Burwell, and directed that it should alwaj^s be called "Carter's Grove." The house contains an especially wide and beautiful hall and the railing of the stair- case still bears gashes made by th sabres of Tarleton's troopers.
The landing here was known as Burwell's Ferry, and was the scene of an attempt by Arnold to make a landing in December, 1780, which was defeated by the Virginia Militia. The British forces, however, under Arnold and Phillips were more successful in April, 1781, forced their way and occupied Williamsburg.
BURWELL'S BAY, — The wide expanse of water below Carter's Grove and Hog Island de- rives its name from the Burwells' who owned large estates on its borders. Near Rock wharf (87), Edward Bennett, a prominent London
12
merchant and member of the Virginia Company- established a large plantation about 1621, in partnership Avith his nephew Richard Bennett, afterwards Governor of Virginia, and others. At a later period, much of the land became the property of the Burwell family.
MULBERRY ISLAND, (85) is notable as the place where, on June 8, 1610, the little vessels containing the despairing settlers who had the
day before abandoned .Tamestown, were met by a message from Lord Delaware, just arrived in
the bay. This timely arrival isaved Virginia from being abandoned
WARWICK RIA^ER, (93) enters the James on the North side In the early part of the Civil War it constituted part of General Mc- Gruder's line of defense against the advance of General McClellan.
On James River, and extending from the Warwick River down to Deep Creek was the extensive estate of Captain Samuel Matthews, Governor of the Colony, 165 8-1660, and for many years one of the leading men of Virginia. A writer in 164 8 describes his fine estate and excellent management, and concludes his ac- count with the statement, that Captain Matthews "Kept a good house, lived bravely and was true lover of Virginia." A good character for an old Virginia gentleman.
NEWPORT'S NEWS, (102) a flourishing
city, especially noted for its shipyard, where in recent j'ears many of the best ships of the navy have been built, as well as many fine ves- sels for passenger and freight traffic.
The statement that the place was originally called New Port Nuce, from a family of Nuce, is a mere guess, without any evidence to sup- port it. In the earliest records in which the name appears it is called "Newport's News," or "Newse." Alliterative names were the fashion of the day. Higher up the river were "Jordan's Journey," "Cawsey's Cave," and other like names. There is no reasonable doubt that after this fashion this place was called "Newport's News," in honor of Christopher Newport. The proper name is not Newport News, but New- port's News.
Off Newport's News on March 8, 18 62, oc- curred the famous battle between the Confede- rate iron clad Virginia and a fieet of power- ful wooden ships of the United States Navy, which revolutionized naval warfare. On the 9th. was fought the drawn battle between the Vir- ginia and the Monitor Ericsson, at the end of which, however, the Monitor withdrew from action.
HAMPTON. — O'riginally an Indian village called Kechoughtan, was settled by the Colon- ists at an early date. In 1610 two small forts were built here. The English name — abrevi- ated from Southampton — of the town and roads, was given in honor of Henry Wriothes-
13
ley, Earl of Southampton, Treasurer (President) of the Virginia Company and friend of Shake- speare. The town was formally established in 1680. It contains an interesting old church, built about 172 8. The people of Hampton have always been noted for spirit and for their loyalty to Virginia The first hostilities of the Revolution in Virginia occurred here, when some small English vessels tried to force a landing, and in the Civil War, the inhabitants burned the town that it might not shelter the Federal army. Only one house, and the walls of the church were left
The Soldier's Home and the Hampton Nor- mal and Industrial School are well known places in the vicinity
POINT COMFORT (110) or Old Point, as it is generally known, was named by the first set- tlers in their gratification at reaching a quiet haven after the long voyage. A fort has been in existence here since 1619. The present Fort Monroe was begun in 1819. The hotels here have long been places of fashionable resort.
CRANEY ISLAND, on the South side of Hampton Roads, was during the war of 1812, the scene of a sharp little action in which the English forces, under Admiral Cockburn were defeated. In 1862, the Confederate iron clad Virginia was blown up here because her draught was too great to ascend James River.
Sewell's Point derives its name from Henry
Sewell, an early settler, who was a member of the House of Burgesses in 163 9.
WILLOUGHBY POINT or SPIT was on the
estate of the family of Willoughby, which dur- ing almost the entire Colonial period was of prominence. Col. John Willoughby took the side of the King and joined Lord Dunmore in 1776, but the family remained in Virginia.
ELIZABETH RIVER, on which Norfolk and Portsmouth are situated, was named for the beautiful and unfortunate daughter of James I, Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia.
With this river, our notes for the journey between Richmond and Norfolk end.
A GUIDE FOR VISITORS TO JAMES- TOWN.
Description and History.
JAMESTOWN (69), was reached by the first Colonists in the ships Susan Constant, God- speed, and Discovery, on May 13th, 1607, and the landing was completed on the next day. It was at first intended to establish the settlt;- ment on a bluff on the upper side of Archer's Hope Creek, a short distance below Jamestown, but the water there was too shoal for the ships to come close to the shore. No more than the briefest summary of the history of "James Citty," which was practically the history of the colony for a hundred years, can be giveii.
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Here all of the Governors resided, and the as- semblies and courts were convened, until the capital was removed to Williamsburg; here Pocahontas came as a little girl to visit, help or warn the colonists, here she was baptized and married; here the first legislative assembly convened in America met in 1619, and here, in the same year, the first slaves brought to Vir- ginia were landed. At Jamestown the maidens brought over for wives for the colonists were married; here, in 1622, George Sandys com- posed the first poetical production in Anglo- American literature, his translation of the Metamorphoses of Ovid, and the first book of the Aeneid; and at this place in April, 1635, occurred the first organized resistance, in Vir- ginia, to governmental oppression, when Gov- ernor Harvey was deposed. In 1644, O'pechan- canough, the fierce old Indian chief, was brought to Jamestown a prisoner, and was murdered by a guard. In March, 165 2, Gover- nor Berkeley fortified the town and procured the assistance of several Dutch vessels lying in the river to aid in his intention of resisting an attack by the Parliamentary forces, but sur- rendered on easy and equitable terms; and here, in 1660, with great rejoicing the restoration of Charles II was proclaimed. In 1676 many of the most interesting events of Bacon's Re- bellion occurred at Jamestown, and the little village, including the State House and church, was burnt to the ground by Bacon and his ad- herents. About 1700 the seat of government
was removed to Williamsburg, and Jamestown was soon almost entirely abandoned, and be- came merely the site of a few plantations.
Beverley, writing in 1706, says Jamestown was then almost deserted. As the owners of the smaller lots on the island moved away their land was sold or abandoned, and the
land gradually passed into a few hands. In 165 3 Edward Travis had a grant of 3 26 acres, near the lower end, and his family gradually acquired other portions by purchase or grant, so that in 16 82, when Edward Travis (proba- bly son of the preceding) obtained a re-grant for all of his lands, he held 55 0 acres. This estate remained the property of the Travis fam- ily until within the nineteenth century. "James Citty" had long been entitled to a representa- tive in the House of Burgesses, and when the inhabitants removed, and the land became the property of the Travises, Jamestown became a "pocket borough" (the only instance in Vir- ginia), from which, for many years, one of the Travis family, or his nominee, was always returned. Smyth, writing of a visit here in
1772, says that Champion Travis, Esq., was the owner of the whole town and almost all the land adjacent, and "I believe there are no more voters than himself."
The other portion of the island became the
property of Edward Jacqueline, and of his de- scendants the Amblers, whose large brick
house was some years ago destroyed by fire. It
is stated that the house thus burnt was only
15
a portion of the original Ambler house, one part having been destroyed many years ago. This was the home of two brothers, Richard and Jacqueline Ambler, who were so fortunate in love as to win from such rivals as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson the hands of Mary Gary and Rebecca Burwell.
The present wall around the graves at the church was built early in the nineteenth cen- tury by Mr. Ambler and Mr. Lee, of "Green- spring," who had the fragments of the wall re- maining around the old churchyard taken down, and built around the smaller space con- taining the remaining tombs.
On July 4, 1781, Cornwallis retreating down the river camped at Jamestown, and on July 6, fought near Jamestown a sharp action with the Americans under Lafayette, in which the latter were defeated. On the 9th, the British army crossed the river and proceeded to Ports- mouth. In September, 1781 the first French troops arriving in Virginia for the Yorktown Campaign landed at Jamestown.
In 1861, the Confederate Fort was erected by the order of Gen. R. E. Lee.
In 19 01 excavations were carried on in the church and churchyard, which brought to light the heavy brick foundations of a church 55 by 2 6 3-4 feet, and within these foundations those of a smaller building, doubtless the earlier church. Various old tombs were also unearthed one of which, in the church, once had brasses inserted. The incision in the stone shows that
there was the figure of a knight in armor, and there is good reason to believe that this must have been the tomb of Governor Sir George Yeardley, who died in 162 7. If this is a cor- rect assignment of the tomb, it would prove that this was the site of the original church.
There were found three tiled chancels, one beneath the other. Abundant evidences of fire were found, and in the debris below the floor level of the last church were found the sexton's tools with bits of charred wood, showing where the helves had been. Many other relics were discovered, which are preserved in a little mu- seum at Jamestown. Excavations also revealed that many bodies had been buried within the church.
In 1903 a large block of connected brick foundations was discovered by Mr. S. H. Yonge and excavated and saved from destruction un- der his supervision. Mr Yonge's remarkable monograph, "The site of Old James Towne 1607-1698," shows how he identified the most Western of these houses as the State House of 1666-1698). The identification is complete and these ruins are now among the objects of chief interest at Jamestown.
The Association for the Preservation of Vir- ginia Antiquities.
This organization, established and controlled by Virginia women, but with many men as members, and on its board and committees.
16
was chartered in 1889. To it the country owes the existence of any relics of interest of old Jamestown, and indeed, almost the existence of the upper part of the Island. By an act passed in 18 92, the State of Virginia conveyed to the Association any rights it might have at Jamestown.
On March 3rd, 18 93, Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Bar- ney generously gave 22 1-2 acres surrounding the churchyard. Until Mr Barney purchased the island, the tombs and tower had been con- stantly subject to the vandalism of visitors. The A. P. V. A. at once enclosed its property, placed a keeper in charge, strengthened the tower which had gotten into a very weak con- dition, and planted trees and flowers.
The river was making rapid inroads on the ^ore and for a number of years the most im- portant work of the Association was the en- deavor to secure a sea-well. Its efforts have been successful and Congress has made three appropriations for the purpose. The present massive breakwater, designed and constructed by Mr. S. H. Yonge, U. S. Engineer, will pro- tect the island for an almost unlimited time.
The Association has also made the excava- tions which have been described, and has stimu- lated interest by annual pilgrimages to James- town, by publications and by lectures. The Association has received official recognition both from the United States and the State of Virginia. It has representatives on the board of the Tercentenary Exposition and received
from the last Virginia Legislature an appropri- ation of $2,500, to be used for buildings and improvements at Jamestown in 1907. It has donated to the United States an acre and a quarter of land for the site of the monument which the government was to erect in commemor- ation of the founding of the nation. Under an agreement by which the United States agreed to spend $10,000 on buildings, improvements and policing at Jamestown, the Association opens its grounds without admission fee, dur- ing the period of the Norfolk Exposition.
During the year 19 07, there will be at James- town a series of most interesting celebrations and services, at which the A. P. V. A. will either commemorate some historic event, or be the recipient of some highly valued building, statue or other memorial.
On May 9th, the Colonial Dames of America will present an exceedingly handsome pair of gates. On May 11th, the National Society of Colonial Dames will present the restored church, on May 13 th, the A. P. V. A. and its guests will commemorate with elaborate cere- monies, at which the Governor of Virginia, and the British Ambassador will be the princi- pal speakers, the three hundredth anniversary of the birthday of the United States. On other days the quaint and attractive house, built by the Daughters of the American Rev- olution, the statue of John Smith, the statue of Pocahontas, given by the Pocahontas memo- rial Association, the bronze drinking fountain
17
from the Massachusetts Society of Colonial Wars; the House of Burgesses monument from the Norfolk branch of the A. P. V A.; the tab- lets to Rev. Robert Hunt from the dio- ceses of Virginia, and West Virginia; of Wil- liam Claiborne from Mrs. W. R. Cox; of Lord Delaware, from Mrs. de Benneville Keim, and that containing a copy of the epitaph of John Smith, from the Washington Branch of the A. P. V. A., will be more or less formally pre- sented. The consecration of the Church for non-secretarian religious purposes, and the completion of the monument erected by the United States will be among the most notable days of the year. In October, the General Con- vention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, then in triennial session in Richmond, will spend a day at Jamestown.
ADVICE TO ^nCSITORS.
As the steamer approaches Jamestown the tourist's eye is caught by a long white line on the shore. When we come nearer this is shown to be the massive sea-wall erected by the United States Government, which will forever protect the Island from further ravages of the river.
It will be well to seize a few minutes before we land and tell the traveler that the loss of ground by the inroads of the river has been chiefly above the tower, and that there is good reason to believe that the twenty acres which
have been engulfed were never anything but a sort of suburb of the little town, and proba- bly contained no buildings of importance.
On reaching the shore from the wharf we are in the upper end of the portion of the island, which, from 1623 to 1700, was that chiefly oc- cupied by "James Citty." Here were the homes of the Governors and other prominent men of that period, and at least one State-house was situated on the river bank not far below the wharf.
Proceeding up the road from the wharf, we soon reach the ground given by the Associa- tion for the Preservation of Virginia Antiqui- ties, to the United States Government for a monument site. In the midst of gravelled walks and flower beds, stands a shaft one hun- dred feet high, modeled after the Washington monument in Washington, but with more grace- ful lines. There are five tablets, containing appropriate inscriptions..
Adjoining the monument lot to the west is the property of the Association for the Preser- vation of Virginia Antiquities.
Though the gTOiinds of the Association are open to all during the period of the Exposi- tion, it should be noted that otherwise, the As- sociation retains full control. There is an effi- cient police force, whose members will give visitors every assistance in their power; but who will rigidly suppress all disorder and ar- rest any person guilty of disorderly conduct, or of trespass or injuring buildings, tombs.
18
fences, monuments, ruins, etc., or breaking flowers, trees or shrubs.
It should be stated in the beginning that the chief guide for the antiquities of Jamestown is Mr. Samuel H. Yonge's most valuable work, "The Site of Old 'Jamestown,' 1607-1698." This book has revolutionized or, we may say, created our present knowledge of the old capi- tal. All who desire to study the subject tho- roughly must make use of Mr. Yonge's book. It can be purchased at Jamestown and at book- stores generally. The price is $1.00.
We enter the grounds of the A. P. V. A. through very handsome wrought iron gates of colonial pattern, with brick pillars twelve feet high. These gates with their beau- tiful design and decorations and appropriate motto are the gift of the Society of Colonial Dames of America. They were designed by the well known architects Carrere and Hastings.
If the visitor wishes to study Jamestown in chronological order, let him proceed at once up the river bank or through the Confederate fort to the first jetty above. In the river, about one hundred and seventy-five yards dis- tant, was the shore line of 1607, and Mr. Yonge's investigations have proved conclusively that on this old shore line, at a point opposite where the visitor is standing, must have been the spot on which the first settlers landed.
We will now turn back to the Confederate fort and place ourselves at its northwestern an- gle. Here, or only a short distance away, is
believed to have been the north bastion of the triangular palisaded fort of 1607. If the visi- tor, standing at the point indicated, will with his eye mark out a line beginning at the river bank at the angle of the Confederate fort fur- thest down stream, carry it across the fort to a point on the road between the fort and the State-house foundations, and then return to the river not far above the jetty which has been referred to, he will (as far as it is now possible to locate the site) have included all that remains above water of the site of the original palisaded town.
Near where he stands good Parson Hunt con- ducted the first religious service; around him the settlers built their first cabins. Here lived Smith and Percy, Dale and Gates; here Poca- hontas made her visits of help and warning, and here was the little church in which she was baptized and married. Here were experi- enced the horrors of the terrible "starving time," and to the shore in front the wasted sur- vivors dragged themselves to welcome Lord Delaware, and watched him as he knelt on the sand in devout thanksgiving.
This narrow circuit, where probably every j^ard of ground covers a grave, may well be called the ibattle-ground and burial-place of Virginia's "forlorn hope," through whose la- bors and sufferings the foundation of the col- ony was laid.
The incidents of historic interest connected with the old palisaded town would occupy
19
mucti more time for relation and. thought than the vi'sttor usually has to give, so we must now turn to the churchyard.
Lingering for a time to examine the old tow- er, which was for so long the only visible relic of Jamestown, we pass through it and enter the beautifully reconstructed building erected behind. Only a few years ago the foundations of the old church v/ere covered with several feet of earth and large trees grew above them. Within the outer walls will be noticed two fragments of wall only nine inches thick. These narrow walls are based on round cobble stones, and could have borne nothing but a frame superstructure. There is good reason to believe that these little fragments of wall are parts of the church built shortly before 1619, in which the first Virginia Legislature assembled in that year. No more interesting
bits of brick exist in America than these relics of the building in which legislation by the peo- ple of the Western World began.
The massive three-foot foundations, with their buttresses and tiled chancel, are the re- mains of the first brick church, built in 163 9- 42. The church was burnt by Bacon's men in 1676 (the keeper will show relics of the fire
which were found in excavating) and rebuilt not long afterwards. It is not believed that the thick walls were materially injured by the fire. At some unknown period early in the
eighteenth century the church was abandoned and gradually disappeared. The entire area of
the church is full of graves, and some of them contained spurs, gold lace and other evidences of distinction in dress.
After the fragments of the earlier church, the most interesting thing in the ruins is a tomb in front of the chancel, which once bore inlaid brasses (removed at some unknown time). This is the only example of such a tomb in America. To many the channels in the stone seem to show a pointed helmet and other conventional indications of knighthood, and it has been plausibly conjected that the tomb was in memory of Governor Sir George Yeardley, who died at Jamestown in 1627.
Back of the church is the graveyard with a number of interesting old tombs, many of which have been in fragments, but have now been restored as far as possible. Caught in the side of a great sycamore is a part of the tomb of Mrs. Sarah (Harrison) Blair, wife of James Blair, the founder of William and Mary College. On the other side of the tree is the base of Dr. Blair's tomb. As his epitaph is known it is intended to restore the slau. Other tombs which may be mentioned are those of members of the Ludwell family (ancestors of Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee, the signers of the Declaration), of Lady Frances Berkeley (a fragment), of Mrs. Elizabeth Drummond, daughter-in-law of William Drum- mon d, of Bacon's Rebellion fame (recent- ly removed from "Greenspring"), and of Wm.
20
Sherwood, wliose. epitaph, as his will directed, states that he was a great sinner.
For several years after the foundations or the church were unearthed, they were covered with a rough frame structure to protect them from the weather. The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, desiring to pay a tribute to the birthplace of the nation, asked permission of the A. P. V. A. to build and present to that Association a reconstruction of the old church This building was to be as much like the old church as possible and would at once be a beautiful and appropriate memo- rial and a protection to the ruins within. The architect of the restored building is Mr. Ed- mund M. Wheelwright, of Boston, Mass., and the entire work has been a great success. In order to presei've the old foundations as far as possible, concrete piers were placed in them at intervals, and steel beams laid on these piers. The new walls resting on the beams are above; but not on the old foundations, though this is not apparent. Specially burnt and moulded bricks were made, and as the making of white glazed bricks, such a charac- teristic features of colonial buildings, seems to be a lost art, genuine old glazed-headed brick were procured at great trouble and expense from wrecks of walls and chimneys in remote parts of Virginia. The effect is all that could be desired. The old tiled Chancel, the eastern wall, and the foundations of the earlier church have been untouched, and are protected by a
railing running around inside the church. The original church was floored with brick, and this is repeated in the restoration. Fragments of slate, showed the character of the roof and the new church has also one of slate. The roof is a handsome hammerbeam truss. Por- tions of the leads of the old diamond shaped panes enabled the architect to make this fea- ture an exact imitation, while the hinges and wrought nails are copies from similar articles dug up at Jamestown. The great east window is copied from that in the church near Smithfie'd, the oldest Protestant church in America, and the only brick 17th century church left intact in the original United States. Too much praise can- not be given to the Colonial Dames, their ar- chitect and builders, for the perfect manner in which their work has been accomplished.
Great interest is added to the interior of the church by several tablets. The largest is of bronze, about nine by five feet and repre- sents the administering of the first communion by Rev. Robert Hunt. It is the gift of the three dioceses of Virginia and West Virginia. Close by ^are handsome tablets in honor of Wil- liam Claiborne, Secretary of State, and one of the most notable Virginians of the 17th Cen- tury, given by Mrs. W. R. Cox, of the good Lord Delaware, Virginia's first Governor in chief, who saved the Colony in the "Starving Time," presented by Mrs. de Benneville Keim, a de- scendant of his brother Governor John West, and another (most appropriately) containing a
21
copy of the epitaph of Captain John Smith, formerly in St. Sepulchre's church, London. Only four or five places remain in the church for tablets, and the Association will see that these are reserved to commemorate eminent men or events of great historic interest.
As has been stated above. Bishop Randolph of the diocese of Southern Virginia, will, dur- ing the summer or fall, consecrate the building as a non-sectarian church, the Association agreeing to reserve it for such purposes only as might become a sacred building. There can indeed be no more sacred spot.
Just south of the churchyard, which is sur- rounded by a handsome fence, given by the President of the A. P. V. A. with gates given by brancli Associations, one finds the granite Cross recording the visit in 1898 of the General Con- vention of the Episcopal Church (then in ses- sion at Washington) to Jamestown. Nearby is the monument in honor of the House of Burgesses, erected by the Norfolk branch of the A. P. V. A.
Also near, close to the Fort and to the river, we see what has long been felt to be lacking in Virginia, — a statue of Captain John Smith. This striking bronze figure is the work of the sculptor Couper, and is mainly the gift of one, to whom of all of its members, the A. P. V. A. is chiefly indebted.
Passing again through the Confederate Port, the visitor finds near its upper end, facing the broad expanse of water, a graceful bronze
statue of Pocahontas, presented by the Poca- hontas Memorial Association. The sculptor Partridge has most excellently executed his con- ception of the Indian maiden as she stole through the forests to aid or warn the settlers at Jamestown.
Only a few steps farther is the "Rest House," or "Comfort Station," erected by the United States Government, under its agreement with the A. P. V. A. It is situated almost on the river bank, and its many windowed pavilion fitted with benches receives most refreshing breezes. In this building are rooms for the sole use of women and children .
It may be as well to mention here that this house, like that erected by the D. A. R., Is supplied with water from the artesian well sunk a year ago by the A. P. V. A. This well fur- nishes a large quantity of water to the house and to several hydrants on the grounds.
Just outside the Northwestern corner of the Fort, the place of a hydrant is taken by a handsome bronze drinking fountain, the gift of the Massachusetts Society of Colonial Wars.
Leaving the vicinity of the Confederate fort, and crossing the open space we reach the next ridge, which has been long marked by an old pear tree and an ancient bricked well. Here, surroundd by a wire fence, we find the most extensive group of foundations which remains. They extend from the river eastward for a distance of two hundred and forty feet. The iiouse at the inshore end of the row (it is
22
divided into sections by a partition wall) was the State-house, built about 166 6, and burnt by Bacon in 167 6. In front of this State-house and most probably on the side toward the Con- federate fort, took place the famous interview between Bacon and Berkeley, and around the building gathered Bacon's musketeers, demand- ing a commission for their leader. The identi- fication of this building, which is complete, and the excavation and preservation of the remains are due to Mr. Yonge.
This State-house was rebuilt on the same foundation, but was finally destroyed by fire in 1698, and with it ended the history of old Jamestown.
On the same ridge in the rear of these foun- dations the visitor will find the most attractive place for rest, and one of the chief centres of interest on the grounds. A quaint house of
Colonial design, modeled to some extent
after the old "Malvern Hill" house has been erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution, as a memorial and ^ gift to the A. P. V. A. It contains several bed-rooms, a large assembly hall, dining-room, kitchen, etc., and has been furnished by the Daughters with antique furniture and domestic implements.
Returnijig to the boat we may pause again in the Confederate fort and examine more carefully this relic of the "Lost Cause, which was erected in 18 61, under the orders of Gen- eral R. E. Lee. It is most fitting that an era which was so momentous to Virginia and to the whole country, should have such a memo- rial at the birthplace of the nation.
The limited space of this little book will not permit fuller details in regard to the very in- teresting discoveries made in 19 02, but a pamphlet sold at Jamestown gives a complete account.
23
WEST WOOD, HO!
By Charles Washington Coleman.
A poem for the celebration by the college of William and Mary and the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities of the 288th anniversary of the Landing of the English at Jamestown in Virginia, 13th May, 1895.
Around the Old World's struggle and contention
The sea came leaping in against the shore; And some there were, 'midst effort and dissension,
Who said the booming waves a message bore. And some went down ujDon the sand to hearken,
And felt their souls to keen adventure strung; Bright dawned the day no gloom of doubt might dai'ken,
As ever in their ears the promise rung.
"Oh, hear! The Old World's creed is fallacy.
The true grown false through cycles swiftly sped;
Like wilful winds its wild discords are spread Athwart the atmosphere. Lo, I, the sea, Keep catching at the shore with monody
Of deep harmonious dissonance; give heed !
Ye restless wills^ the witless Old is dead; ' Come seek the New, come to the West with me."
(Toil and strife and hope's promises broken. Clashing and clangor of arms that slay.
But, "Listen" they said, "for the sea hath spoken; Listen what message the sea would say!")
"O ye who groan beneath oppression's heel;
Ye who contend against the right of might;
O true, tried hearts; 0 souls bereft of sight Through long mind darkness; 0 ye men who feel Within you leap life's passionate appeal,
Your children's children crying for the lights
Beyond the billows lyeth fair and white A virgin beach to kiss your coming keel."
O'er the crash of Armadas, the wreck of flotillas, Clear through the parliaments' wrangles and stress.
Heard they the song of the breaking billows. Felt the world's destiny westward press.
The warrior knight from the fray with the foeman. The priest in his cassock, the courtier curled.
The clown and the poet, the brawny-armed yoeman — Stout English hearts all, the great force of the world.
In the wake of the sun, with the sweep of the surges Eager and onward the true hearts pressed.
Feeling the force that humanity urges. Hearing the call and its high behest.
24
Here found they a home, those valiant seaman,
Here at last the sails were furled, And here did they plant them the flag of the freemen —
The van of the race that has girdled the world.
O men of this last time, here where ye stand The ground is holy. Be ye firm and just;
For heirs are ye, to that brave hardy band. Who crossed a pathless sea and westward thrust.
Bearing the message of man's destiny. Here lived they, strove and died; here sleeps their dust;
For that they wrought, then are ye blest and free; This ground is holy; keep ye well the trust.
From tawny tides of Powhatan, From white-lipped waves of Chesapeake;
Still, with the sun has pressed the van, O'er jjlain and cloud-wreathed mountain peak —
Three thousand miles of glorious land,
The stretch of freedom's fair estate, From here the splendid arc is spanned —
Virginia to the Golden Gate.
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