September Rivah Visitor's Guide - The Rappahannock Record

Middlesex County
History
Middlesex County was formed around
1669 from Lancaster County, which makes
it one of the oldest English settlements in
the United States. Many plantation homes
still stand from the Colonial era. The county
is rich in history that spans nearly 350 years.
Bordered by the Rappahannock and
Piankatank rivers and the Chesapeake Bay,
much of its history centers around the water.
The town of Urbanna was formed in 1680
as a center for shipping tobacco from surrounding
plantations.
Urbanna was the county seat until 1852
when it was moved to Saluda, a more central
location for area citizens. Throughout
the county are homes built in the 1700’s
and wartime stories abound dating back
to the Revolutionary and Civil wars. During
these wars, plantations such as Providence
and Rosegill were bombarded and looted.
Stingray Point near Deltaville gained
immortal fame as the spot where Captain
John Smith was nearly killed by a stingray.
Three centuries ago ships from London,
Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow were
common sights on Urbanna Creek. Just
across the creek from Urbanna is Rosegill,
one of the oldest plantations in America. It
was for many years a center of influence in
the Colony and a power in the political and
Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park will host their final “Groovin’ in the Park” concert of 2011
on Saturday, September 24, when Robbin Thompson (above) takes the waterfront stage. The concert is from 6-8 p.m.
Admission is $10.
commercial life of this area. It was the home
of five generations of Wormeleys, one of
the most influential families in the colony.
Colonial governors Sir Henry Chicheley and
Lord Howard of Effingham made Rosegill
their home.
During the Civil War, General George
McClellan formulated a plan of attack to
take Richmond by starting from Urbanna.
The plan was named the Urbanna Plan, but
it was never instituted.
In 1862, several Yankee warships bombarded
the town but legend has it that
the only thing the Yanks killed was an old
hare. One of the cannonballs did hit the old
courthouse, which today is the Middlesex
Woman’s Club building on Virginia St.
During the bombardment the townsfolk
congregated on the creek bank near
where the Urbanna Bridge is located today.
Legend has it that an old man by the name
of Montague stood at the top of the hill and
whenever he saw a flash of a cannon firing
he would scream “squat” and the townsfolk
would squat down to the ground.
Today Middlesex County has a population
of 9,600 and is home to the popular
Urbanna Oyster Festival, which draws thousands
to enjoy a weekend of music and
mollusks every November.
Government
Middlesex County offices are in the
Woodward Building at the Courthouse
Complex in Saluda. www.co.middlesex.
va.us. 758-4330. Middlesex has one
town, Urbanna: 758-2613.
Libraries
Middlesex Public Library Urbanna Branch,
758-5717. Deltaville Branch, 776-7362.
For Visitors
Old Tobacco Warehouse in Urbanna. Listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
Serves as a visitors center today. 45 Cross
St. www.urbanna.com. 523-4711.
Don’t Miss
s Sept. 7—Holmes Brothers Benefit
Concert, SCW Middle School
s Sept. 17—Firemen’s Crab Feast,
Urbanna
Northumberland County
History
Northumberland County is called the
Mother County of the Northern Neck.
Presumably settled by the English
in 1640, Northumberland was officially
established by an act of the Burgesses in
Jamestown in 1648. It was later divided
into three additional counties, Lancaster,
Richmond and Westmoreland Counties.
At its heart is Heathsville, the county
seat. Located between the headwaters of
the Coan and the Great Wicomico rivers, in
1679 it was chosen as the site of the county
courthouse. The building was completed
and county justices were moved in 1681.
In 1797, citizens established a 20-acre
town around the courthouse square naming
it in honor of citizen leader John Heath who
lived just down the road at Springfield, an
historic plantation mansion still standing
and occupied today.
In 1992, the National Register of Historic
Places designated Heathsville an Historic
District, along with the original courthouse
and tavern, now a restaurant, gift shop
and museum. The courthouse square also
includes a blacksmith shop, transportation
museum, old jail and carriage house.
Northumberland was once dependent
upon tobacco as its major cash crop and
currency. Later, most of its residents relied
on the water for their livelihoods. Today,
By the time the sun rises, the fishing boats from Northumberland County are
deep into the work day gathering fish from the Chesapeake Bay.
there are many charter boat captains. And
cruises, like those to Tangier and Smith
Island, are major tourist attractions.
The quaint fishing village of Reedville,
with its “Millionaire’s Row” of Victorian
homes, remains a tribute to the area’s heritage.
The Reedville Fisherman’s Museum
provides a comprehensive overview of the
village’s fishing industry, both past and current.
Burgess is home to the Northern Neck
Farm Museum, which features the area’s
agricultural history, from the Indians who
roamed the lands to the large commercial
canneries that once lined the shores. Visitors
can learn about agriculture, view the
tools that assisted the farmers and learn the
impact of these industries on the people of
this region.
With more than 556 miles of scenic shoreline,
more than 12,300 call Northumberland
County home.
Government
The Northumberland County seat is
on Rt. 360 in Heathsville. 580-7666 or
co.northumberland.va.us. The sheriff’s
office can be reached at 580-5221.
Libraries
Northumberland Public Library is at 7204
Northumberland Highway in Heathsville,
580-5051. High speed wireless internet
access available.
For Visitors
The Northumberland County Chamber
of Commerce Visitors Center,129
Northumberland Hwy. (Rt. 360) in Callao is
open Wed., Thurs. and Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
and Fri., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 529-5031.
Don’t Miss
s Sept. 9–11––The eighth annual
Antique & Classic Boat Show, sponsored
by the Reedville Fishermen’s
Museum and the Tidewater Chapter of
the Antique and Classic Boat Society will
be held.
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