Grove (also known locally as the Grove Community) is an unincorporated community in the southeastern portion of James City County in the Peninsula subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from many smaller railroads begun in the 19th century James City County (formally the County of James City) is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the In Law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any Municipality. James City County (formally the County of James City) is a county located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the The Virginia Peninsula is a Peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the region of land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the USA. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Grove is located along a two-laned stretch of U.S. Route 60 east of Williamsburg's Busch Gardens Europe theme park and Exit 243 of Interstate 64 and west of Lee Hall, which is just across the Newport News city border at Skiffe's Creek. US Route 60 in Virginia runs 312 miles west to east through the central part of the state generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor Busch Gardens Europe is a Theme park located in James City County, Virginia about 3 miles (5 km southeast of Williamsburg. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group Interstate 64 in Virginia runs west to east through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region a total of 298 miles Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town (or village long located in the former Warwick County. Skiffe's Creek is located in James City County and the Independent city of Newport News in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads Grove is located in almost the exact center of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, comprised of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown, all linked by the Colonial Parkway. The Historic Triangle is located on the Virginia Peninsula of the United States and includes the colonial communities of Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 Williamsburg is a city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia Yorktown is a Census-designated place (CDP in York County, Virginia, United States. Colonial Parkway is a scenic 23-mile (37 km Parkway linking the three popular attractions of Virginia's Historic Triangle of colonial-era communities Jamestown The area is one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world.
Grove borders the James River about 5 miles downstream from Jamestown near the confluence of Grove Creek, which was renamed Busch Creek in the 1970s. The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 The area was long-occupied by the Native Americans, most recently those of the Powhatan Confederacy when the first English colonists settled there as part of Martin's Hundred in 1618. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten) or Powhatan Renape (literally the "Powhatan Human Beings" is the name of a Martin's Hundred was an early 17th century plantation located along about ten miles of the north shore of the James River in the Virginia Colony east of Jamestown The population of Wolstenholme Towne, the administrative center of the hundred, was decimated during the Good Friday attacks throughout the Virginia Colony during the Indian Massacre of 1622. Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony The Indian massacre of 1622 (also known as the Jamestown Massacre) occurred in the Virginia Colony on Good Friday, March 22, 1622. About 120 years later, work began on Carter's Grove Plantation there. Carter's Grove, also known as Carter's Grove Plantation, is a 750 acre (3 km² Plantation located on the north shore of the James River in the Grove After many occupants over a 200 year period, the 1755-era mansion and surrounding gardens of were operated by Colonial Williamsburg for about 40 years, and during that time, the original site and remains of ill-fated Wolstenholme Towne were discovered by archaeologists in 1976. Colonial Williamsburg' is the historic district of the Independent city of Williamsburg Virginia. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos (The historic and preserved Carter's Grove Plantation was returned to private ownership and occupancy as a residence in 2007). Grove saw quick growth in population twice in the first half of the 20th century as large tracts of land and entire communities were taken nearby along the north side of the Peninsula for military use, creating the present-day US Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, the Cheatham Annex complex, and Camp Peary. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a United States Navy base in York County and James City County in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia Camp Peary is a military reservation in York County near Williamsburg Virginia. Many of the families uprooted chose to relocate to Grove, which was close by. During much of the 20th century, a satellite facility of Fort Eustis, Camp Wallace, was located in a portion of Grove. Fort Eustis is a United States Army military installation located in Newport News Virginia. Fort Eustis is a United States Army military installation located in Newport News Virginia.
Grove currently includes residential areas, churches, neighborhood retail businesses, a nursing home, day care facilities, a modern community center and a magnet school of the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJC). A magnet school is a School which offers specialized courses or curricula. The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (locally known also as WJCC or WJC) is a combined Public school division which serves the As of early 2008, many new homes were under construction and along the southeastern edge, many sites for industrial purposes have been attractive to developers, where the expansion on vacant land was ongoing. An industrial estate is an area of land set aside for industrial development.
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Geography
Grove includes the narrowest portion of James City County, bordering the James River to the south and York County to the north. The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia With the exception of lowlands near the river, most of Grove was originally heavily wooded, and much of it still is.
Grove Creek and Skiffe's Creek, each tributaries of the James River, provide local drainage. Skiffe's Creek is located in James City County and the Independent city of Newport News in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads The latter also constitutes the eastern border of Grove (and the county), which adjoins the Lee Hall area of the independent city of Newport News. Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town (or village long located in the former Warwick County. An independent city is a City that does not form part of another general-purpose Local government entity Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River
The former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) runs along the northern edge of Grove. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from many smaller railroads begun in the 19th century It is now part of the Peninsula Subdivision of CSX Transportation.
Early history: 17th through 19th centuries
Native Americans
For one thousand years or more, the Native Americans in the area prior to the arrival of Spanish and English settlers in the 16th and 17th centuries were semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States A hunter-gatherer society is one whose primary subsistence method involves the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild Foraging and Hunting A major village is believed located somewhere nearby, although the site has not been identified. The site of another village, Chiskiack, was a few miles to the north. Kiskiack (or Chisiack or Chiskiack) was a Native American tribal group of the Powhatan Confederacy.
At the time the English settlers established Jamestown in 1607, the Powhatan Confederacy included most natives in the area, although there were some other small unaffiliated tribes in the area. Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 The Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten) or Powhatan Renape (literally the "Powhatan Human Beings" is the name of a A chief named Wahunsunacock (also known as Chief Powhatan) created his powerful empire in the late 16th and early 17th centuries by conquering or affiliating by agreement with approximately 30 tribes covering much of southeastern Virginia, which he called Tenakomakah. Chief Powhatan (c June 17, 1547 &ndash c 1618 whose proper name was Wahunsenacawh or (in seventeenth century English spelling Wahunsunacock Tsenacommacah (variously spelled as Tenakomakah, Attanoughkomouck, and Attan-Akamik) was a territory in present-day eastern Virginia that was A capital of this confederacy, Werowocomoco, was located near the north bank of the York River in present-day Gloucester County, about 15 miles as the crow flies from Grove. Werowocomoco was a village which served as the political center of the Powhatan Confederacy, a grouping of 30 Native American tribes speaking an Algonquian The York River is a navigable Estuary, approximately 40 mi (64 km long in eastern Virginia in the United States. Gloucester is a county of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA.
By the mid-17th century, the Native Americans remaining in the area were primarily living on reservations north of the York River, or were assimilating into the general population with the European colonists and freed slaves of African American heritage. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa
- See also: Powhatan
Martin's Hundred, Wolstenholme Towne
The Grove Community was probably named for nearby Grove Creek, which drains into the James River about 6 miles east (downstream) of Jamestown. The Powhatan (also spelled Powatan and Powhaten) or Powhatan Renape (literally the "Powhatan Human Beings" is the name of a The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 Grove Wharf at the confluence of Grove Creek and the river is shown on some very early maps of Virginia.
Initially, the English of the Virginia Company of London chose Jamestown to begin their settlement of the Virginia Colony, arriving in 1607 in a fleet of three ships commanded by Christopher Newport. The London Company (also called the Charter of the Virginia Company of London) was an English Joint stock company established by royal charter by The Colony of Virginia (also known frequently as the Virginia Colony and occasionally as the Dominion and Colony of Virginia) was the English colony Christopher Newport (c 1561&ndash1618 was an English sailor and Privateer. (See main article Jamestown, Virginia)
After five very difficult years, the new colony gradually began expanding, and plantations were established along the James River, largely to grow non-native strains of tobacco, introduced and successfully exported in 1612 by colonist John Rolfe, who later married Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan. Jamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14 1607 Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. John Rolfe (c 1585 &ndash 1622 was one of the early English settlers of North America. Pocahontas (c 1595 – March 21 1617 was a Native American woman who married an Englishman John Rolfe, and became a celebrity in London in the last year of her
About 7 miles downstream from Jamestown on the same north bank of the river, just east of Grove Creek, the Grove area was originally settled by the English in 1618 as part of Martin's Hundred, a proprietary plantation of over 20,000 acres (80 km²) which was an enterprise of the Martin's Hundred Society, a London-based investment group operating under the auspices of the Virginia Company of London. Martin's Hundred was an early 17th century plantation located along about ten miles of the north shore of the James River in the Virginia Colony east of Jamestown There, not far from the riverfront, the new Wolstenholme Towne, the Martin's Hundred administrative center, was established.
Following what seemed a promising start, the majority of the population of Wolstenholme Towne, including men, women and children was largely wiped out by the Indian Massacre of 1622, one of the largest single locations of loss of life by settlers during the attacks. The Indian massacre of 1622 (also known as the Jamestown Massacre) occurred in the Virginia Colony on Good Friday, March 22, 1622. Although rebuilt a few years later, and protected by the cross-peninsula palisade to the west anchored by Middle Plantation and completed in 1634, Wolstenholme Towne was abandoned by around 1643, and the site was lost until 1976 (see below). Middle Plantation in the Virginia Colony, was an unincorporated town originally established in 1632
Martin's Hundred Parish Church was established by the Church of England, and served the area including Wolstenholme Towne. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican It was later combined with Yorkhampton Parish in adjacent York County. York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Royal colony, creation of shires (counties)
The privately owned Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624, and Virginia became a royal colony. Warwick County was a County in Virginia which was consolidated with the city of Newport News in 1958 The name Charles I may refer to Kings Charlemagne, Charles I Holy Roman Emperor (742-814 Charles I of England, Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River The Virginia Company refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I in 1606 with the purposes of establishing In 1634, the English Crown created eight shires (i. The eight Shires of Virginia were formed in 1634 in the Virginia Colony. e. , counties) in the colony of Virginia, with a total population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants. A county is a Land area of Regional Government within a larger State. James City Shire, as well as the James River and Jamestown which had been named earlier, took its name from King James I, the father of the then-king, Charles I. James City Shire was formed in the British colony of Virginia in 1634. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. About 1642-43, the name of the James City Shire was changed to James City County.
Slavery, freedom
James City County holds the dubious distinction of receiving the first slaves imported to Virginia. Slavery is a social-economic system under which certain persons — known as slaves — are deprived of personal freedom and compelled to perform labour or services Beginning in 1619, the first black men men were brought to the colony as indentured servants. An indentured servant is a form of Debt bondage worker The Laborer is under Contract of an Employer for some period of time usually three to Increasingly toward the end of the 17th century, large numbers of slaves from Africa were brought by Dutch and British ships to the Virginia Colony. On the large tobacco plantations, as chattel (owned property), they replaced indentured servants (who were only obligated to work for an agreed period of time) as field labor, as well as serving as household and skilled workers. Personal property is a type of Property. In the Common law systems personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. As slaves, they were not working by mutual agreement, nor for a limited period of time. Even their offspring also were born into what was later called the "peculiar institution" of slavery. "(Our peculiar institution" was a Euphemism for Slavery and the economic ramifications of it in the American South.
However, even early on, there were free African Americans, as the first indentured servants completed their contracts. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Some individual slaves also began obtaining their freedom. This was usually accomplished by escape, through their own enterprise, or through manumission, which was essentially the benevolence of their owners, as family-type ties grew between some of the slaves and owners. Manumission is the act of freeing a slave, done at the will of the owner
Known as freedmen, these men and women lived at various locations throughout the area until the mass emancipation of all of the slaves took place during the years of the American Civil War (1861-1865). A freedman is a former slave who has been manumitted or emancipated. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Despite Virginia's secession from the Union in 1861, Fort Monroe, at the eastern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, never fell out of Union hands, and during the course of the War, became a gathering point for many slaves seeking their freedom. Fort Monroe (also known as Fortress Monroe) is a Hampton Virginia, military installation located at Old Point Comfort, which is on the tip of the Many heard President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation read under the Emancipation Oak, now on the grounds of Hampton University. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. Emancipation Oak is a historic Tree located on the campus of Hampton University in what is now the City of Hampton Virginia. Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton Virginia, United States.
After the War, many freedmen settled in inland areas of the Peninsula, either as landowners, tenant farmers, or renters who worked as watermen. While the southern side of the peninsula along the James River had long been occupied by plantations, the northern side along the York River west of Yorktown had not been as heavily developed. The York River is a navigable Estuary, approximately 40 mi (64 km long in eastern Virginia in the United States. Yorktown is a Census-designated place (CDP in York County, Virginia, United States. Many freedmen moved into this area, establishing close-knit communities, and entire towns such as Magruder. Magruder was a small unincorporated town in Virginia near Williamsburg in York County.
Carter's Grove
Over 100 years after Wolstenholme Towne was abandoned, Carter's Grove Plantation was built on part of the Martin's Hundred land for Carter Burwell, son of Elizabeth Carter Burwell and her husband, Nathaniel Burwell. Carter's Grove, also known as Carter's Grove Plantation, is a 750 acre (3 km² Plantation located on the north shore of the James River in the Grove Carter Burwell was the grandson of wealthy plantation and landowner Robert "King" Carter (of Lancaster County), who had acquired his nickname of "King" for his wealth and business practices, and was one of the largest landowners in the Virginia Colony of his era. Robert Carter also known as King Carter (1663 &ndash August 4 1732 of Lancaster County was a Colonist in Virginia and became one of the Lancaster County is a County located on the Northern Neck in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state in the United States.
King Carter in bequeathing the land upon his death in 1732 required that it forever after be known as "Carter's Grove". This name likely was a combination of the Carter family name, which carried status as one of those considered First Families of Virginia, and Grove Creek, which runs along the property's western border, and flows into the James River at its edge. First Families of Virginia (FFV originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown and along the James River and other navigable
The new plantation home, completed in 1755, could also be the source of the place name of the Grove Community, which was established many years later on immediately adjacent land. Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco The Carter's Grove mansion was occupied and renovated by a series of owners, the last major changes being of the late 1920s era. The last private owner died around 1964, and the plantation moved into philanthropic ownership.
Under ownership of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CW) since 1969, Carter's Grove mansion is currently furnished in many period pieces primarily of the 19th, and early 20th centuries. Colonial Williamsburg' is the historic district of the Independent city of Williamsburg Virginia. Some of these were at that time already antiques acquired in the 1920s from an auction at Westover Plantation, long the home of the Byrd family. Westover Plantation is located on the north bank of the James River in Charles City County Virginia.
On the grounds, near the river, the long-lost site of Wolstenholme Towne was located on Carter's Grove Plantation in 1976, where a historic archaeological dig was documented by noted archaeologist Ivor Noel Hume. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Ivor Noel Hume is a British born Archaeologist and Author. He studied at Farmingham College and St
A landmark in the Grove Community, Carter's Grove Plantation had been open to the public for tours of the mansion, recreated slave quarters, and also featured a partially recreated Wolstenholme Towne. Carter's Grove, also known as Carter's Grove Plantation, is a 750 acre (3 km² Plantation located on the north shore of the James River in the Grove
In 2003, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation made a decision to concentrate on attractions closer to the Historic Area near downtown Williamsburg and closed the facility to the public. Williamsburg is a city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia In addition to the distance factor, the Carter's Grove Mansion and furnishings and the Wolstenholme Towne site did not fit well with CW's primary goals. Closer to the Historic Area, another interpretive site for the African American experience related to CW was developed. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa
Carter's Grove continues to be maintained by the Foundation and is used for support purposes. The Foundation has indicated that it is receptive to new ownership provided the site continues to be used for similar non-commercial purposes.
Carter's Grove Country Road, formerly offered a one-way narrow but paved and bucolic link to the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg. Carter's Grove Country Road was a narrow bucolic road between Carter's Grove Plantation at Ron Springs Road in the Grove Community of southeastern James City Colonial Williamsburg' is the historic district of the Independent city of Williamsburg Virginia. However, it was damaged during Hurricane Isabel in late 2003, and has been closed to traffic since then as well. Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. (The primary access to the plantation on U.S. Route 60 was reopened shortly after the storm, although the property remains closed to the public). For the US Route 60 in the 1925 plan see US Route 66. US Route 60 is an east-west United States highway, running 2670 Miles
Location, early nature of community
The Grove Community is located about a mile inland and parallel to the riverfront adjacent to the large Carter's Grove plantation property. Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco It stretches approximately 4 miles along U.S. Route 60, known locally as Pocahontas Trail. For the US Route 60 in the 1925 plan see US Route 66. US Route 60 is an east-west United States highway, running 2670 Miles Until 1918, the Grove Community was lightly populated, with mostly farmers and fishermen by trade. According to a state atlas, in 1895, Grove had a population of 37 persons and its own post office.
Grove Station on the new C&O Railroad
Nearby, Grove Station was established by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) under the leadership of Collis P. Huntington. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from many smaller railroads begun in the 19th century Collis Potter Huntington ( April 16 or October 22 1821 – August 13 1900) was one of The Big Four of western railroading (along with The C&O's Peninsula Extension was built through the area from its previous eastern terminus in Richmond in 1881 to reach the coal piers and the new city of Newport News on the generally ice-free harbor of Hampton Roads. This article is about the city of Richmond the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A coal pier is a Transloading facility designed for the transfer of Coal between rail and ship Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the region of land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the USA. Although a number of other railroad stations were also established in James City County and the adjacent area, the primary purpose of the railroad was through coal traffic, a traffic pattern that continues in the 21st century under C&O successor CSX Transportation.
Grove Station is long gone; however, other C&O railroad stations to the east at Lee Hall and to the west at Williamsburg are extant, with the latter still receiving intercity passenger rail service from Amtrak. Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town (or village long located in the former Warwick County. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 Another historic C&O station, built in 1908 for Norge, has been preserved and was relocated in 2006 to the site of the Croaker Branch of the Williamsburg Regional Library. Norge is an unincorporated community in James City County, Virginia, United States. Croaker is an unincorporated community in James City County, Virginia, United States on the south bank of the York River 10 miles
Growth in 20th century
In the first half of the 20th century, Grove grew quickly twice as additional residents chose to relocate there from two large military reservations established by the U.S. Navy in adjacent York County, which took the land they had formerly occupied. York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia Many new homes were built and amenities including electricity, running water and sidewalks were added.
Relocations from "the Reservation" and Lackey area
Prior to World War I, many African Americans lived just west of the current unincorporated town of Lackey in York County, where they (and their ancestors) had obtained land as freedmen and former slaves or rented under sharecropping arrangements and established homesteads, particularly after the American Civil War. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Lackey (also known locally in its heyday as "the Reservation" was a small unincorporated community near Yorktown in York County, Virginia York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South This close-nit community, along the old Yorktown-Williamsburg Road, was sometimes called informally "the Reservation", as it had been largely settled simultaneously by freedmen.
As the United States became more involved in World War I in 1917, the U.S. Navy determined that it needed to establish a supply and munitions base near Yorktown adjacent to the York River. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Yorktown is a Census-designated place (CDP in York County, Virginia, United States. The York River is a navigable Estuary, approximately 40 mi (64 km long in eastern Virginia in the United States. Under Executive Order of President Woodrow Wilson, the US Navy took a sizable piece of land to create the needed military base, initially known as a mine depot. Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. [1] Many homes were taken, as were three churches also displaced. As the land was taken to became part of what is now known as the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in 1918, the residents who were mostly farmers or fishermen, some owners, other tenants, scattered to other portions of York County, and nearby Williamsburg. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a United States Navy base in York County and James City County in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia A few crossed the York River and settled in Gloucester County. Gloucester is a county of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. Perhaps the largest portion chose nearby James City County, and a substantial number relocated to Grove, which was close by, but south of the Navy land.
John Pack Roberts, who was born in approximately 1860, was a farmer and self-taught man who educated himself in the law and became a magistrate often known as "Judge Roberts". He is credited by historians as being instrumental in the growth of the Grove Community. He did this by helping some of those displaced from "the Reservation" obtain financial compensation from the federal government. The Grove area is now part of the Roberts Magisterial District of the James City County, perhaps in honor of Judge Roberts or other members of his family.
Camp Wallace
Camp Abraham Eustis (which became Fort Eustis in 1923) was established in 1918 in neighboring Warwick County encompassing Mulberry Island and some adjacent mainland. Fort Eustis is a United States Army military installation located in Newport News Virginia. Mulberry Island is located along the James River in southeastern Virginia at the confluence of the Warwick River on the Virginia Peninsula. A few miles upstream, also along the James River, a satellite facility, Camp Wallace, was established in 1918 as the Upper Firing Range for artillery training. Consisting of 30 barracks, six storehouses, and eight mess halls, it was located on 160 acres in Grove west of Carter's Grove and south of U. S. Route 60. Camp Wallace was the first site of the Army's aerial tramway. An aerial tramway is a type of Aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a cable and is pulled by another cable
In 1971, the U. S. Army agreed to a land swap with Anheuser-Busch in return for a larger parcel which is located directly across Skiffe's Creek from Fort Eustis (adjacent to the southeastern edge of the Greenmount Industrial Park). Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc ( (ˈænhаɪzər bʊʃ is the largest Brewing company in the United States with a 48 Skiffe's Creek is located in James City County and the Independent city of Newport News in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads Along with land previously owned by Colonial Williamsburg, the former Camp Wallace land became part of a massive development. Colonial Williamsburg' is the historic district of the Independent city of Williamsburg Virginia. [1] Nearby, the Busch Gardens Europe theme park opened in 1975, as well as a large brewery, and the Kingsmill Resort. Busch Gardens Europe is a Theme park located in James City County, Virginia about 3 miles (5 km southeast of Williamsburg. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group Kingsmill was the name of a Plantation located in James City County Virginia. [2]
Highway success
With the coming of the automobile as a common form of travel in the early 20th century, attention was directed to improving roads. As part of the Good Roads Movement, the new road which became U.S. Route 60 was routed through Grove from Williamsburg and bridging Skiffe's Creek into Warwick County to Lee Hall. The Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between 1880 and 1916 US Route 60 in Virginia runs 312 miles west to east through the central part of the state generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor Williamsburg is a city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia Warwick County was a County in Virginia which was consolidated with the city of Newport News in 1958 Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town (or village long located in the former Warwick County. This routing was chosen rather than following a competing route via Halstead's Point in York County (now on the base of the US Naval Weapons Station Yorktown). Halstead's Point was an unincorporated community in York County Virginia. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a United States Navy base in York County and James City County in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia
Earlier, the east-west road which became U. S. 60 was State Route 9. SR 9 was renumbered as State Route 39 in 1923, and became U. S. 60 in 1926 when it was routed through Grove.
Two-laned U. S. 60 continues to form the main thoroughfare through the largely residential and neighborhood business section of Grove, paralleling four-laned State Route 143 and Interstate 64. State Route 143 is a primary State highway in the Virginia Peninsula region of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. Interstate 64 in Virginia runs west to east through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region a total of 298 miles
Relocations from Magruder
During World War II, another small town, Magruder, located about 3 miles north of Williamsburg in York County, and hundreds of acres of surrounding land were taken to establish a U.S. Navy base for Seabee training initially known as Camp Allen, which later became known as Camp Peary. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Magruder was a small unincorporated town in Virginia near Williamsburg in York County. The Seabees are the Construction Battalions of the United States Navy. Camp Peary is a military reservation in York County near Williamsburg Virginia. As had been the case with the Naval Weapons Station during World War I, this community was also largely populated by African Americans landowners and tenants, as well as businesses and a church.
Once again, the Grove Community grew with relocated households. At least one church, Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, was relocated from Magruder, and rebuilt along U. S. 60 in Grove.
Modern times
In modern times, the Grove community, currently consisting of about 1,100 families, and a scattering of schools, churches, and retail and industrial businesses, is located on a rural postal delivery route and carries the mailing address of Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, although that historic city itself is located about 5 miles to the west. Rural Letter Carriers deliver Mail in what was traditionally considered Rural areas of the United States. Williamsburg is a city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia Between Williamsburg and Grove are Anheuser-Busch industries and developments, including the company's Williamsburg brewery, Busch Gardens Europe theme park, an office park, and the Kingsmill resort and planned community. Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc ( (ˈænhаɪzər bʊʃ is the largest Brewing company in the United States with a 48 Busch Gardens Europe is a Theme park located in James City County, Virginia about 3 miles (5 km southeast of Williamsburg. Theme park is the generic term for a collection of rides and other Entertainment attractions assembled for the purpose of entertaining a large group Kingsmill was the name of a Plantation located in James City County Virginia. A new town, planned community or planned city is a City, Town, or Community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically
Residential
Grove is largely a bedroom community. A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential from which most of the Workforce commute out to earn their livelihood Housing in Grove is generally considered more affordable than in many other areas of the fast-growing county, and many families have lived there for generations. There is combination of older detached single-family homes situated on lots, with many dating to the two world war periods of rapid growth, and a number of much newer ones, which are both interspersed in older neighborhoods and in several much newer subdivisions. There are several large condominium projects and several mobile home parks, including two larger ones which feature modern amenities such as underground wiring, curbs and gutters, paved driveways, street lighting, and community playgrounds. Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories rather than on site and then taken to the place where they will be occupied
As of 2007, Grove was seeing some additional residential development in the form of a new townhouse project, and some new detached single family homes. While the mobile home parks are not expanding, in some instances, new or much newer mobile homes are replacing older ones on the existing lots. Throughout Grove, there are very few vacant lots for additional mobile homes.
Community facilities
James River Elementary School and James River Community Center are co-located in a modern complex. James River Elementary School is a Magnet school of the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC The school is a magnet school of the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJC) which offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, one of only five such schools in Virginia. A magnet school is a School which offers specialized courses or curricula. The Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (locally known also as WJCC or WJC) is a combined Public school division which serves the The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP is an Educational program managed by the International Baccalaureate (IB for students aged 3 to 12 A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" [2]
There are also 5 churches, a nursing home, 2 day care centers, a fire station, and Grove Christian Outreach Center (GCOC), a weekday agency which is affiliated with Grove Community Church. Staffed by volunteers, GCOC assists with family needs and coordination of community resources such as the local food bank.
Retail
Grove includes a small retail strip at its eastern end, the Windy Hill Shops, which includes a convenience store with gasoline. A convenience store is a small store or shop. They are often located alongside busy roads or at gas/petrol stations. There is also a free-standing 7-11 store and a campground, all on the north side of U.S. Route 60. US Route 60 in Virginia runs 312 miles west to east through the central part of the state generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor
Industrial
Near Grove's eastern edge, on the south side of U. S. Route 60, the county's James River Enterprise Zone, an Urban Enterprise Zone is located. Urban Enterprise Zones ( UEZ s also known as Enterprise Zones encourage development in blighted neighborhoods by offering entrepreneurs and investors tax and regulatory The 5. 6 square mile (15 km²) area contains 2,400 acres (9. 7 km²) planned and zoned for industrial uses. James City County is actively seeking additional industrial business in this prime area of the county. The sites within a designated "enterprise zone" offer state and local incentives to businesses that locate in those zones, invest and create jobs.
Since the James River Enterprise Zone's inception in 1996, James River Commerce Center and Greenmount industrial parks have added tenants such as a Ball Manufacturing plant, an aluminum can plant which supplies Anheuser-Busch's Williamsburg brewery. An industrial estate is an area of land set aside for industrial development. Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc ( (ˈænhаɪzər bʊʃ is the largest Brewing company in the United States with a 48 A distribution center for Wal-Mart and a Haynes furniture warehouse are also located there. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores Recently, a masonry supply firm and a Volvo equipment rental facility have each announced plans to establish facilities, and Carter Machinery Company, a Caterpillar dealership with 17 locations in Virginia and West Virginia, announced in May 2007 that is building a new sales and service center on a 23-acre site. Caterpillar Inc ( is a United States -based Corporation headquartered in Peoria Illinois. A large property adjacent to the James River which formerly housed BASF is currently vacant and other additional sites are also available for more development. BASF SE () is a German chemical company and the largest chemical company in the world [3] [4]
U. S. Route 60 relocation project
For several years in the early 21st century, a major project of James City County officials and Supervisor Bruce Goodson, who represents the Roberts Magisterial District, has been to improve US Route 60 between Grove and Newport News to provide better (faster and more direct) access to Interstate 64 from the industrial sites in Grove which generate a considerable volume of truck traffic, and reduce the same on the existing roadway. US Route 60 in Virginia runs 312 miles west to east through the central part of the state generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor Interstate 64 in Virginia runs west to east through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region a total of 298 miles
Access for the industrial traffic to I-64 currently requires a drive of about 4 miles in either direction on two-laned sections of U. S. 60 at non-highway speeds through residential areas, sharing the road with local traffic and school buses serving either the James River Elementary School's county-wide magnet program or alternatively, the large elementary school in the Lee Hall community in neighboring Newport News, as well as neighborhoods along the route. A school bus is a Bus used to transport Children and Adolescents to and from School and school events
In June 2007, Virginia's Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a major portion of the funding needed for the U. The Commonwealth Transportation Board, formerly the State Highway and Transportation Board regulates and funds transportation in Virginia. S. Route 60 relocation project. The relocated divided highway will begin on its western end near the current intersection of Blow Flats Road and, on a new alignment, will cross through the Greenmount Industrial Park to reach the Newport News city limits. There, a new crossing of Skiffe's Creek will be built, and the remainder of the roadway will continue on a new alignment and effectively bypass the two lane portion of U. S. Route 60 through the historic Lee Hall community, rejoining the current highway near the cloverleaf intersection of Fort Eustis Boulevard, where there is access four-laned access close by to exit 250 of Interstate 64 as well as an extant four-laned section of U. S. Route 60 which begins there and extends to the east as Warwick Boulevard. US Route 60 in Virginia runs 312 miles west to east through the central part of the state generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor In a separate project, portions of Warwick Boulevard east of Fort Eustis in Newport News are being widened to six lanes.
A similar roads issue was earlier visited in the 1930s, when the current parallel State Route 143 (Merrimack Trail) was built as part of a four-laned through-route alternative to U. State Route 143 is a primary State highway in the Virginia Peninsula region of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. Merrimack Trail is the local name for State Route 143 as it passes through portions of York County and James City County and the Independent city S. 60 for increasing volumes of east-west through traffic in the area. Once again, plans have been made for the two-laned bucolic nature of Route 60 through the Grove and Lee Hall communities to be preserved without the major impact a widening project would have upon these historic communities.
Public transportation
Although there is little retail or hospitality employment in Grove, especially with Carter's Grove Plantation currently closed (since 2003), many residents use the Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT) public bus system or its complimentary paratransit service to reach employment, shopping, and other business at adjacent Busch Gardens Europe, in downtown Williamsburg, and at businesses along the way such as the Kingsmill resort and shops, and hotels, motels, and restaurants in the Fort Magruder vicinity, or transfer to other routes in the WAT network through the system's hub at the Williamsburg Transportation Center. Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT is a governmentally-operated agency which provides Transit bus and Paratransit services in the City of Williamsburg, A transit bus (US (also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus) is a Bus used for Public transport purposes Paratransit is an alternative mode of flexible passenger transportation that does not follow fixed routes or schedules Busch Gardens Europe is a Theme park located in James City County, Virginia about 3 miles (5 km southeast of Williamsburg. Kingsmill was the name of a Plantation located in James City County Virginia. Fort Magruder was an high earthen fortification straddling the road between Yorktown and Williamsburg Virginia, just outside the latter city (and former Virginia Amtrak, Greyhound Lines, and Trailways services as well as taxicabs and rental cars are also located there. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 Greyhound Lines is an intercity Common carrier of passengers by Bus serving over 3700 destinations in the United States. The Trailways Transportation System is a group of 80 independent bus companies that have entered into a Franchising agreement A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride
The WAT bus route serving Grove leaves the Williamsburg Transportation Center on the hour and runs along U. S. Route 60 through the entire length of Grove from Williamsburg and continues east to serve the Wal-Mart distribution center, a Haynes furniture warehouse in the growing Green Mount industrial park, and provide an hourly connection six days a week to the massive Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) system at the western edge of Newport News at Lee Hall. An industrial estate is an area of land set aside for industrial development. Hampton Roads Transit (HRT formed in October 1999 by the merging of PENTRAN ( Peninsula Transportation District Commission) on the Virginia Peninsula and Newport News is an Independent city in Virginia. It is at the south-western end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town (or village long located in the former Warwick County. The WAT bus stops on a side street adjacent to the local Food Lion and other stores, returning to Williamsburg via Grove with departures on the half hour.
The HRT system covers most of the other cities of Hampton Roads, with extensive networks in highly urbanized areas of Newport News, Hampton, and Norfolk. Some heavily patronized HRT routes trace their heritage to street railway lines started in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Notable residents and sites
- Dr. J. Blaine "Jim" Blayton (1905-2002) was a prominent African American physician in the Williamsburg area who lived in Grove. James Blaine "Jim" Blayton, MD ( August 13, 1905 - December 15, 2002) was a prominent African American Physician Dr. Blayton built a 14-bed hospital in Williamsburg in the early 1950s because, at that time of racial segregation in Virginia, local African Americans were only allowed beds in the basement of the only other existing hospital in town, which was owned and operated by a white physician. Dr. Blayton was also a civic leader. A residential facility for senior citizens in downtown Williamsburg was named the Blayton Building in his honor.
- In 1963, Oscar H. Blayton (son of Dr. J. Blaine Blayton), also of Grove, became the first African American to attend the College of William and Mary as an undergraduate. The College of William and Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, also known as William & Mary or W&M) is a Public university He graduated from Yale University Law School in 1977, and established a law practice in Williamsburg. Yale Law School, or YLS, is the Law school of Yale University in New Haven Connecticut.
- In the mid 1970s, just west of Grove between U.S. Route 60 and the James River, the Busch Gardens Europe theme park, a large brewery, and the Kingsmill planned community and resort were developed by Anheuser-Busch Corporation. For the US Route 60 in the 1925 plan see US Route 66. US Route 60 is an east-west United States highway, running 2670 Miles The James River in the US state of Virginia is a long River, including its Jackson River source Busch Gardens Europe is a Theme park located in James City County, Virginia about 3 miles (5 km southeast of Williamsburg. Kingsmill was the name of a Plantation located in James City County Virginia. A new town, planned community or planned city is a City, Town, or Community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc ( (ˈænhаɪzər bʊʃ is the largest Brewing company in the United States with a 48 The earlier Kingsmill Plantation was located along the river just west of Grove Creek and Carter's Grove Plantation.
- Grove Creek Natural Area is located on private property, west of Carter's Grove Plantation. Although not open to the public, rare plants are located there. The natural area is monitored by members of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Natural Plant Society.
Trivia
- A small but historic section of the northwestern edge of Grove is physically located in York County and is listed on that county's Historical Resources Survey (as are the former sites of the lost towns of Lackey and Magruder). York County is a county located on the north side of the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia
- Magruder Avenue in Grove was presumably named in recognition of the resettlement of many residents there from the former town of Magruder during World War II. Magruder was a small unincorporated town in Virginia near Williamsburg in York County.
- Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, relocated from Magruder in 1943, maintains cemeteries at its new and former locations. Although access to the base at Camp Peary is under highly restrictive security, families and others from the church may enter to visit and tend to the old cemetery with special permission. Camp Peary is a military reservation in York County near Williamsburg Virginia.
- Privately-owned Carter's Grove Country Road, a narrow, bucolic paved roadway which led 8 miles from its namesake through woods and swamps the "back way" to Colonial Williamsburg was closed after damage during Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Carter's Grove Country Road was a narrow bucolic road between Carter's Grove Plantation at Ron Springs Road in the Grove Community of southeastern James City Colonial Williamsburg' is the historic district of the Independent city of Williamsburg Virginia. Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. It is no longer a through route.
See also
Sources
Publications
- McCartney, Martha W. Lost counties cities and towns of Virginia are those which formerly existed in the English Colony of Virginia, or the Commonwealth of Virginia after it became a state Locust Grove is the name of some places in Virginia: Locust Grove King and Queen County Virginia Locust Grove Orange County Virginia Sugar Grove is a Census-designated place (CDP in Smyth County, Virginia, United States. (1977) James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth; James City County, Virginia; Donning and Company; ISBN 0-89865-999-X
Websites
- "Cast Down Your Buckets Where You Are" An Ethnohistorical Study of the African-American Community on the Lands of the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station 1865-1918
- James City County Virginia official website - history section
References
External links
- James City County (official website)
- Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
- James River Elementary School magnet school in Grove
- Williamsburg Area Transport public bus and paratransit service
- Williamsburg Regional Library
- Grove Christian Outreach Center
- Grove Creek Natural Area, Virginia Natural Plant Society
- Skiffe's Creek watershed
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