| |
Events that helped shaped the neighborhood
Early History
1607 When the English settlers passed by Wythe on their way to Jamestown, members of the local Algonquin Kecoughtan Indian tribe had already been living in the local area for centuries.
1610 Lord Delaware, Governor of the Virginia Company, named the harbor now known as Hampton Roads, “The Earl of Southampton’s Roadstead” in honor of Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton.
1610 The lands of the Kecoughtan Indians were seized by English settlers and became known as the Borough of Kecoughtan.
1619 Representatives from Kecoughtan attended the assembly of the first body of representative self-government in America.
1620 The name Kecoughtan was changed to Elizabeth City, honoring the eldest daughter of the English king, James I.
1634 The first free school in America was established in Elizabeth City County.
1634 Elizabeth City County was named one of eight original shires or counties in Virginia.
1680 The town of Hampton was established as the county seat of Elizabeth City County.
1691 The British Parliament established Hampton as the customs port of the lower James River District.
1705 The town of Hampton was laid out and named in honor of the Earl of Southampton.
1716 The severed head of Blackbeard the Pirate was hung on a pole at the entrance of the Hampton River as a warning to other pirates.
1726 George Wythe, signer of the Declaration of Independence and designer of the Virginia state seal, was born in Elizabeth City County.
1775 The port of Hampton became the headquarters of the Virginia Navy during the Revolutionary War.
|
|
