''James City County, Virginia as shown on 1895 map''
'James City County' (formally, the 'County of James City') is a
county located on the
Virginia Peninsula in the
Hampton Roads region of the
Commonwealth of
Virginia, a
state of the
United States. Its population is 48,102 (as of 2000), and it is often associated with
Williamsburg, an
independent city which borders James City County, and
Jamestown which is within the county. As of 2007, the population is estimated at 60,867 [
[1]] and as of 2004, the median household income is $66,180[
[2]].
First settled by the English colonists in 1607 at
Jamestown in the
Virginia Colony, the County was formally created in 1634 as
James City Shire by order of King
Charles I. James City County is considered one of only five original
shires of Virginia to still be extant today in essentially the same political form.
Beginning in 2006, and extending into 2008, the county is hosting the
Jamestown 2007 celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown Settlement.
History
:''This section incorporates text from the
1911 edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the
public domain.''
17th & 18th centuries
Proprietary colony
The
Virginia Company of London was granted a proprietorship (charter) by the King
James I of England to attempt to establish a colony in the area we now know as Virginia. England had been at war with Spain and was seeking both capital funds and income in the form of royalties. In December, 1606, 3 ships set sail from England, led by Captain
Christopher Newport. Upon reaching the New World at
Cape Henry, they selected a site to settle about 40 miles inland from the coast along a river to be better protected from attacks by sea from other Europeans. Soon after the establishment of the
Jamestown Settlement in 1607 in the new
Colony of Virginia,
English settlers first explored and then began settling more of the areas adjacent to
Hampton Roads and along the
James River.
The first five years were very difficult, and the majority of the colonists perished. In 1612, imported strains of
tobacco cultivated in Virginia bu colonist
John Rolfe were successfully exported and a
cash crop had been identified.
In 1619, the Virginia Company of London instituted a number of changes, to help stimulate more investment and attract settlers from England. In the long view, foremost among these was the establishment of what became the
House of Burgesses, the first representative legislative body in the European settlement of North America, predecessor of today's
Virginia General Assembly. Also in 1619, the
plantations and developed portions of the Colony were divided into four "incorporations" or "citties" (sic), as they were then called. These were (east to west)
Elizabeth Cittie (initially known as Kecoughtan),
James Cittie,
Charles Cittie, and
Henrico Cittie. Each "cittie" covered a very large area. Elizabeth Cittie not only included land on both side of the James River, but most of what we now know as
South Hampton Roads and also included Virginia's
Eastern Shore.
The Virginia Company's "James Cittie" stretched across the
Peninsula to the
York River, and included the seat of government for the entire colony at
Jamestown Island. Each of the four "citiies" (sic) extended across the
James River, the major thoroughfare of commerce for the settlers, and included land on both the north and south shores. With the incentives of 1619, many new developments, known as "
hundreds" were established.
Wolstenholme Towne, Carter's Grove Plantation
About this same time, downriver from Jamestown, in the southeastern end of what is now James City County near present-day
Grove, a fortified settlement known as
Wolstenholme Towne was established near the river and just east of the confluence of Grove Creek on a land grant known as
Martin's Hundred. However, the population of the town, named for Sir
John Wolstenholme, a principal of the Martin's Hundred Society investors back in England, was severely decimated during the
Indian Massacre of 1622, and many men, women and children were killed or abducted. While it was rebuilt, Wolstenholme Towne was eventually abandoned about 1643, and soon even the location was forgotten as it became one of the
lost towns of Virginia.
Over 100 years later, the property had become part of
Carter's Grove Plantation, itself built around 1753 by the grandson of
Robert "King" Carter, who had become one of the wealthiest planters and served for a period as Virginia's acting governor. Another 200 years later, the long-lost the site of Wolstenholme Towne was rediscovered in 1976 during an archaeological dig overseen by
Ivor Noel Hume after the Carter's Grove Plantation property came under the ownership of
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Royal colony, creation of shires (counties)
The privately owned
Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624, and Virginia became a royal colony. In 1634, the English Crown created eight
shires (i.e.,
counties) in the colony of Virginia, with a total population of approximately 5,000 inhabitants.
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. About 1642-43, the name of the James City Shire was changed to James City County.
Middle Plantation, Williamsburg, Green Spring
On high ground midway across the Virginia Peninsula,
Middle Plantation was established in 1632 as a fortress in the ongoing conflicts with
Native Americans. By 1634, a palisade or fortification had been completed across the peninsula with Middle Plantation at the center. This protected the lower peninsula to the east.
Middle Plantation and James City County were selected for the site of the
College of William and Mary in 1693 and became the location of the capital in 1699 after Jamestown was burned (again) in 1698. Shortly thereafter, Middle Plantation was renamed
Williamsburg in honor of King
William III of England. The capital was moved to
Richmond in 1780 at the outset of the
American Revolution. The
Battle of Green Spring was fought in the county just a short time before the British surrender at Yorktown. (
Green Spring Plantation was the former home of Royal Governor
William Berkeley).
19th & 20th centuries
During the
American Civil War, the
Battle of Williamsburg was waged in York and James City County during the
Peninsula Campaign in 1862. Some earthworks remain at the site of the Confederate
Fort Magruder. After the War,
Collis P. Huntington extended the new
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway through the county to reach new
coal piers he had built at
Newport News on
Hampton Roads. Railroad stations were established (listed west to east) at Diascund,
Toano,
Vaiden's Crossing,
Kelton, Ewell, Williamsburg, and
Grove. In Williamsburg, the temporary tracks initially laid ran down the middle of Duke of Gloucester Street.
After a change in the Virginia constitution in 1871, Williamsburg became an
independent city from James City County in 1884, although it remained the
county seat. Williamsburg and James City County share a combined school system, courts, and some constitutional officers.
Beginning in the early 20th century, preservation and restoration efforts resulted in a major increase in tourism to the county and surrounding area. Attractions developed included
Colonial Williamsburg,
Jamestown Settlement, the
Colonial Parkway,
Carter's Grove Plantation, and
Busch Gardens. At the turn of the 21st century, new
archaeological work was underway at Jamestown and nearby
Green Spring Plantation, with the promise of new historical discoveries. Each is especially attractive to archaeologists because of the lack of development after the mid 19th century.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 180
mi² (465
km²), of which 143 mi² (370 km²) is land, and 37 mi² (95 km², or 20.47%) is water.
James City County straddles two major watersheds, the James River Watershed and the York River Watershed. (Both are sub watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which stretches from Pennsylvania to Virginia). Within the James River and York watersheds are eleven sub watersheds - Diascund Creek, Ware Creek, Yarmouth Creek, Gordon Creek, Powhatan Creek, Mill Creek, College Creek, James River, York River, Skiffe's Creek and Chickahominy River.
[3]
Demographics
As of the 2000
census[1], there were 48,102 people, 19,003 households, and 13,986 families residing in the county. The
population density was 337/mi² (130/km²). There were 20,772 housing units at an average density of 145/mi² (56/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.05%
White, 14.37%
Black or
African American, 0.28%
Native American, 1.46%
Asian, 0.05%
Pacific Islander, 0.44% from
other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
Of the total 19,003 households, 30.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.80% were
married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.30% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there are 91.00 males.
Economy
The median income for a household in the county was $55,594, and the median income for a family was $66,171. Males had a median income of $43,339 versus $27,016 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $29,256. 6.40% of the population and 4.10% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.30% are under the age of 18 and 4.80% are 65 or older.
Towns and communities
There are no
incorporated towns in the county.
Unincorporated communities include:
★
Croaker
★
Diascund
★
Five Forks
★
Grove
★
Indigo Park
★
Jamestown
★
Kingspoint
★
Kingsmill
★
Lightfoot
★
Norge
★
Toano
Education
Elementary, secondary schools
The local public school division is jointly operated with City of Williamsburg, and is known as
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools (WJCC).
The area is also served by
Walsingham Academy, an independent school.
Higher education
A campus of
Thomas Nelson Community College is located in the county near the Kingsmill development.
Portions of the
College of William and Mary (which is actually a university with post-graduate programs) are located in the county, and the main campus straddles the city-county border with Williamsburg.
Industrial
Anheuser-Busch industries and developments have a major presence in James City County. These include a brewery, the
Busch Gardens Europe theme park and the
Kingsmill resort and
planned community. Just to the east of the Anheuser-Busch properties, in the southeastern section of the county, on the south side of U.S. Route 60, the county's James River Enterprise Zone, an
Urban Enterprise Zone is located in
Grove. The 5.6 square mile area contains 2,400 acres 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. A distribution center for
Wal-Mart and a Haynes furniture warehouse are also located there. Recently, a masonry supply firm and a Volvo equipment rental facility have each announced plans to establish facilities. 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. 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.
[4] [5]
U.S. Route 60 Grove-Lee Hall traffic
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.
[2]
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 school buses for other schools going into and out of neighborhoods along the route in both communities.
On a historical note, a very 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.S. 60 for increasing volumes of east-west through traffic in the area. Once again, options have been chosen so that 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.
Skiffe's Creek Connector
In June 2007, Virginia's
Commonwealth Transportation Board approved a major portion of the funding needed for the U.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 an new alignment, will cross through the Greenmount Industrial Park to reach the Newport News city limits. The portion of relocated roadway planned in James City County is being described as the Skiffe's Creek Connector.
Newport News section
At the Newport News border, 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 nera the entrance to
Fort Eustis, 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.
In a separate project, portions of Warwick Boulevard east of Fort Eustis in Newport News are currently being widened to six lanes.
Military sites, bases
During the
American Civil War, the 1862
Peninsula Campaign was a move up the Virginia Peninsula from Fort Monroe at the eastern tip by Union troops in an attempt to take the Confederate capital of
Richmond. A Confederate line of defense for Williamsburg extended across the Peninsula just east of town.
Fort Magruder, an earthen fortification, was located at a strategic point at the juncture of the roads from Lee's Mill and Yorktown to Williamsburg. A few earthworks and a small memorial remain along present-day Penniman Road in a residential area.
In early 2006, Riverside Health System donated 22 acres of the 350 acres of land that it had bought from Colonial Williamsburg in 2004, to create a public park. The land, located about 1.5 miles south of Fort Magruder (towards the James River), includes two redoubts that were part of the line of defenses made up of 14 redoubts, of which Fort Magruder was the largest.
The
Grove Community in the southeastern end of the county was populated with many
African-American families displaced during
World War I and
World War II as the military reservations for the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and Camp Peary respectively were created on the sites of the
lost towns of
Lackey and
Magruder.
No military installations are currently headquartered in the county. Small portions of
Camp Peary and
Yorktown Naval Weapons Station are located in James City County, although most portions of each of these large installation are located in neighboring
York County. Also, a very small portion of
Fort Eustis property adjacent to Skiffe's Creek Reservoir is also located in the county, although almost all of that facility is located in the independent city of
Newport News.
Sources
Publications
★ McCartney, Martha W. (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
References
1. Geographic references: Main sources, #2
2. http://www.james-city.va.us/news/news_details-a.php?RECORD_KEY(news_results)=news_id&news_id(news_results)=293
External links
Economic Development
★
Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance - serving James City County
Government
★
James City County (official website)
★
Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
Political parties
★
James City County Democratic Committee
★
James City County Republican Committee
Attractions
★
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's official site
★
APVA web site for the Jamestown Rediscovery project
★
Historic Jamestowne
★
★
Where are We Digging Now?
★
Jamestown 2007 Celebration
★
Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center
★
Virtual Jamestown
★
National Park Service: Jamestown National Historic Site
★
Busch Gardens Williamsburg web site
★
Friends of Green Spring a large interactive web site with streaming video and more than a dozen essays ("The voices of Green Spring")
★
National Park Service, Green Spring web page
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