May 2013 Rivah - The Rappahannock Record

Lancaster County
History
Indians occupied the Northern Neck
for some 10,000 years before Capt. John
Smith sailed up the Rappahannock River
in 1608. The Powhatan Confederate was
represented here by the Moraughtacunds
and the Cuttatawomen tribes. A short 43
years later, Lancaster County was established
from neighboring Northumberland.
Families of notable influence in the social,
political and economic climate of the
colonies built magnificent “empires” here,
and family names like Carter and Ball still
are prevalent today.
Robert “King” Carter (1663–1732) of
Corrotoman Plantation (in Weems) was the
son of immigrant John Carter. He acquired
over 300,000 acres with some 1,000
slaves working his various properties.
Married twice, “King” Carter fathered
15 children. Among his descendants were
eight governors of Virginia, three signers
of the Declaration of Independence, two
presidents, leader of the confederate
armies Gen. Robert E. Lee, and a Supreme
Court Justice.
Carter is buried alongside his wives at
the church he built near Irvington, Historic
Christ Church.
The Ball family, meanwhile, established
themselves at Millenbeck and Epping
Forest. Mary Ball, the mother of George
Mathews County
History
Mathews County was an established
shipbuilding center for the
Chesapeake Bay when it broke away
from Gloucester in 1791 to become a
separate county.
About that time, 12 sailing ships
over 20 tons each were built in a single
year in Mathews, which the Chiskiake
Indians had called Werowocomico.
Between 1790 and 1820, approximately
a third of the ships built in Virginia
came from Mathews. The sharp,
fast vessels, popularly known as Baltimore
Clippers, were built throughout
the Chesapeake Bay region.
Before the War of 1812, these fast
ships were simply known as “Virginia
built.”
From 1802 to 1844, Mathews was
an official port of entry for the registration
and enrollment of ships. During
this period, 10,000 vessels called
at the “Port of East River.” The customs
house stood at Williams Wharf
(marker 13), which was a center of
maritime activity until the steamers
quit running in the 1940s.
Cricket Hill, near Gwynn’s Island,
was the site of one of the last naval
engagements of the Revolutionary
War. In June 1776, Continental forces
bombarded the British fleet and encampment
on Gwynn’s Island. Lord
60
Hear the Kilmarnock & District Pipe Band at the annual Kirkin’ of the Tartan on Sunday,
May 5, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Christ Church. Scots from around the mid-Atlantic
region will travel to Christ Church for the annual blessing of their family tartan.
Washington, was born about 1708. The
Mary Ball Washington Museum is located
in Lancaster Courthouse and offers an extensive
genealogy library.
A courthouse was established in 1698
at Queenstown on the Corrotoman River
but in 1742 was relocated to a central
area were the militia gathered, now known
as historic Lancaster Courthouse.
Dunsmore, the last royal governor,
was driven from the colony, ending
British rule in Virginia.
When water was the highway, boats
were the standard means of travel.
The arrival of steamships at Williams
Wharf with cargo from Norfolk, Newport
News or Baltimore was a daily
highlight.
World War II put most of the steamboat
lines out of business. In 1942
the government requisitioned most of
the bay and coastal steamers for ser-
Today Lancaster County, with a population
of some 11,400, has one of the largest
communities of retirees in the state
thanks to its picturesque shoreline and
temperate climate.
The world class Steamboat Era Museum
on the Commons in Irvington and the
Kilmarnock Museum on North Main Street
in Kilmarnock offer visitors a nostalgic trip
The 15th annual Tour De Chesapeake returns to Mathews County on May 17-19.
vice in the war effort.
The last remaining steamboat line,
the Old Bay Line, stopped its York River
to Baltimore run in 1942. About 20
years later, the Old Bay Line dropped
passenger service between Baltimore
and Norfolk. The steamers stopped
for good in the spring of 1962.
Today Mathews has a population of
9,200 people. While it is the smallest
county in the Northern Neck
and Middle Peninsula with only 87
square miles, it has some 367 miles
back in time.
Government
Lancaster County offices are headquartered
at 8311 Mary Ball Road in Lancaster
Courthouse. 462-5129. There are three
incorporated towns in Lancaster County:
Kilmarnock, White Stone and Irvington.
The sheriff’s office can be reached at
462-5111.
Libraries
Lancaster Community Library,
Kilmarnock, 435-1729.
For Visitors
Information Center in the Lancaster
by the Bay Chamber, 506 N. Main in
Kilmarnock (weekdays) or Kilmarnock Antique
Mall at 144 School St.
Don’t Miss
s April 27----Casino Night on the Rivah,
6-10 p.m., Northern Neck Boys &
Girls Club
s Through May 17----“Northern Neck
Views: Acrylic Paintings by Ed Headley”
at the Mary Ball Washington
Museum & Library.
of shoreline and some of the area’s
best public access.
Government
Most county government offices
are in Liberty Square at 10604 Buckley
Hall Road, Mathews, 725-7172 or
co.mathews.va.us. The sheriff’s office
can be reached at 725-7177.
Libraries
Mathews Memorial Library, 251
Main St. 725-4123.
For Visitors
The Mathews County Visitor and
Information Center is in historic Sibley’s
General Store at 239 Main St.
725-4229.
Don’t Miss
s April 26-28—Godspeed at Williams
Wharf
s May 4—Mathews High School
Regatta
s May 11—YMCA Barbecue Bash