History of Virginia Beach, VA

 

History of Virginia Beach, VA

Virginia Beach, VA is a coastal city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The city is known for its extensive beachfront, which stretches for over 35 miles. The city was founded in 1607 by English settlers who were looking to establish a permanent colony in North America. Virginia Beach has a long history of being a major tourist destination, as well as a hub for military activity. During World War II, the city was home to several major military bases, including the Naval Operating Base Norfolk. In recent years, Virginia Beach has become a popular retirement destination for seniors and a major center for business and finance. The city is also home to several colleges and universities, including Old Dominion University and Virginia Wesleyan College.Virginia Beach is a city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 437,994. In 2015, the population was estimated to be 452,745.[7] It is the 37th most populous city in the United States.[8]

Virginia Beach is located at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which is one of only two bridge-tunnels spanning the Atlantic Ocean. The city is listed as having the longest pleasure beach in the world and is home to three miles (5 km) of oceanfront beaches.[9][10] Every year the city hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships as well as the North American Sand Soccer Championship, a beach soccer tournament. It is also known for the Neptune Festival, an annual event which features parades, concerts, and sports competitions.

The city is located at the southern edge of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, situated on the confluence of the Elizabeth River and Chesapeake Bay along the Mid-Atlantic coast. The harbor area includes Sewell's Point, Willoughby Spit, and Chic's Beach.[11]

The area's history begins with several Native American groups, including the Powhatan Confederacy,[12] which was led by Chief Wahunsunacawh (known popularly as "Powhatan"). In 1607, English settlers led by Captain Christopher Newport established the Jamestown Settlement on the banks of the James River. The Virginia Company's charter provided for establishment of a colony of 100 men, but due to conflicts with Native Americans and supply shortages, only about 60 settlers arrived in Jamestown.[13]

The early years of the colony were difficult, with high rates of disease and mortality. The English began to import African slaves as laborers in 1619.[14] In 1634, the English Crown granted land titles in what is now Virginia Beach to eight loyalists who had fled from Massachusetts during the European settlement attempt known as the Great Migration.[15][16] They named the new town "Elizabeth Cittie" after Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of King James I of England.

When the Elizabeth River area was incorporated as a town in 1680, it was named "Norfolk" after the English county from which many of its early settlers had come.[17] The following year, King Charles II granted a charter for establishing a borough Town in Virginia Beach. It was named "Charlestown" after him. In 1705, the seat of Lower Norfolk County was moved to what is now known as Old Dominion University's campus in Norfolk.[18][19]

In 1730, Francis Awbrey (or Aubrey) built a house of frame near the intersection of present-day Princess Anne Road and Pacific Avenue. He is believed to be the first permanent settler in present-day Virginia Beach.[20]

In 1763, the Virginia General Assembly moved the capital of the colony from Jamestown to Williamsburg. In 1781 during the American Revolutionary War, King George III attempted to re-establish control of the colony by landing a force of 7,000 troops at Cape Henry. They were defeated by Colonial militias under the command of Colonel John Blake in what is now called the Battle of the Chesapeake. Afterward, he retreated with his remaining troops to New York. On September 5, 1783, representatives of King George III and representatives of the 13 colonies that became the United States signed the Treaty of Paris in which Great Britain recognized the sovereignty of the United States and agreed to withdraw its troops from the country.[21][22]

When Virginia was admitted into the United States on June 25, 1788, Norfolk was designated as its capital city.[23] In 1790, Congress met in the Old Hall of the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg, the colony's former capital. The site of this first meeting is now commemorated as Waller Park. On July 1, 1791, Andrew Jackson became the first and only U.S. president born in what is now Virginia Beach when he was born at his family's home on Bridle Path Lane in present-day Princess Anne County (the part of Lower Norfolk County that later became independent as a separate county).[24]

In 1804, Norfolk was incorporated as a borough.[25] Two years later, it became an independent city. In 1862 during the American Civil War, Norfolk was one of the largest Confederate supply bases and shipyards in the South. It was also a major hospital center with over 60 field hospitals. On January 1, 1863, Virginia's state government seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy.

In late May 1862, Union forces moved into Norfolk after defeating Confederate troops at the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 8–9. General John E. Wool dispatched Brigadier General John Dix to take charge of the Union garrison and navy yard. The following day, Dix received orders from President Abraham Lincoln to "proceed with all convenient speed" to Philadelphia and assume command of the Eastern Department. Dix's replacement, Brigadier General John Peck, arrived on July 2. Peck was also ordered to take charge of the Union garrison and navy yard in Philadelphia

In 1845, the Virginia Legislature voted to move the state capital from Richmond to a more central location. The search for a suitable location ended in 1852 when the legislature agreed upon a site along the James River just outside Richmond known as Shockoe Bottom. Construction of a new state house (now called the Virginia State Capitol) began that same year. In 1860, the decision was made to move the capital city again, this time to Albemarle County near Charlottesville. The city of Richmond then became primarily a government town with few private businesses or residences.

On April 19, 1861, three days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, Virginia seceded from the Union. Norfolk was strategically important to the Confederacy because it was a major port city and had a large navy yard that could build ships and repair them. On May 10, Union forces destroyed much of the Norfolk Navy Yard to prevent it from being used by the Confederates. The Union also occupied Norfolk's waterfront and began blockading the city's harbor.

In February 1862, Confederate general Julep Early attacked a Union garrison at Hampton Roads in an attempt to break the blockade. The battle, known as the Battle of Hampton Roads, was inconclusive, but it did prevent further attempts by Early to break the blockade. In May, Union forces led by Major General George B. McClellan landed on the Virginia Peninsula and began a campaign to take Richmond, the Confederate capital. McClellan's army eventually reached the outskirts of Richmond, but he was forced to retreat in late June after Confederate general Robert E. Lee launched a counteroffensive known as the Seven Days Battles.

In September 1862, Union forces under Major General John Pope were defeated by Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run (also known as the Second Battle of Manassas). Lee then invaded Maryland, hoping to win support for the Confederacy from that state. On September 17, 1862, Union and Confederate forces clashed at Antietam Creek in western Maryland in what was then the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. Although the Union forces were technically victorious, they had suffered such heavy casualties that Lee was able to continue his invasion. He then moved his army back into Virginia, where he defeated another Union army at Fredericksburg in December.

In January 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in areas under Confederate control. This action further angered many white Southerners who now saw the war as a fight not just to preserve the Confederacy but also to protect their way of life. In May 1863, Union forces under Major General Joseph Hooker were defeated by Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Despite this victory, Lee's army was so depleted by casualties that he was forced to cancel his invasion of the North.

In late June 1863, Lee's army clashed with Union forces under Major General George G. Meade at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The three-day battle, which resulted in a Union victory, was the largest and most important engagement of the war. It also turned out to be the bloodiest, with over 50,000 casualties (dead, wounded, and missing). After Gettysburg, Lee began retreating back to Virginia. In September 1863, he was defeated by Union general William T. Sherman at the Battle of Chickamauga in Tennessee. Although this was technically a Confederate victory, it was so costly in terms of casualties that Sherman was able to continue his advance into Georgia.

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