Henry Town
Encyclopedia
Henry Town, Henry Towne, or Henries Towne was an early English
colonial
settlement in Virginia
, now in Virginia Beach
, Virginia
, in the United States
. Norfolk, Virginia
, archaeologist
Floyd Painter of the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences (now the Chrysler Museum of Art
) originally excavated the site in 1955 but it was only conclusively determined to be Henry Town in 2007 although no primary source documents exist (save those supposedly held by one now-deceased archaeologist) by United States Army
scientists reviewing the site's artifacts. It was located at approximately 36°54′30"N 76°7′20"W, immediately north of U.S. Route 60
(Shore Drive) on what is now Lake Joyce, formerly an inlet connecting with Pleasure House Creek, a western branch of the Lynnhaven River
, itself an estuary
of the Chesapeake Bay
.
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's lieutenant governor
, Samuel Argall
, who wrote of sending a fishing ship "to Henries Towne for the reliefe of such men as were there." Other extant documents mention several forts at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay
as early as 1610, possibly including Henry Town. These records indicate that settlement at Henry Town was contemporary with that at Virginia's first permanent settlement at Jamestown
which was founded in 1607. Captain John Smith of Jamestown
wrote of returning to Cape Henry in 1608 but did not mention why or exactly where.
Despite this documentary evidence, most of the archaeological finds at the Henry Town site date from the middle rather than the early 17th century. Although an archaeologist from the United States National Park Service
who oversaw excavations on Jamestown Island and other archaeologists from the Smithsonian Institution
and the College of William and Mary
have earlier dated the finds as early as 1610, others such as the head of the James River Institute for Archaeology and part of the team that discovered Jamestown, the curator of the Jamestown Rediscovery
collection, and other regional experts dispute such an early date. A limited 2005 excavation at the site dated nothing earlier than the second quarter of the 17th century. The site's artifacts contain Dutch
and Portuguese
pottery
fragments that point to later settlement and tobacco
pipe pieces that are nearly the same as some from the Province of Maryland
that have been reliably dated to about 1650. Some discoveries suggest that the site is connected to Adam Thoroughgood
's nearby tobacco plantation
, which dates to about 1635.
in Newport News
.
The relevance of the settlement to the early history of the English colony in Virginia
has given impetus for the recreation of the site. At nearby Cape Henry
, east of the Lynnhaven River, the First Landing Foundation will undertake a $700,000 project to build more than a dozen structures as well as an outdoor stage to conduct historical dramas.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
settlement in Virginia
Colony and Dominion of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia was the English colony in North America that existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the American Revolution...
, now in Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, archaeologist
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
Floyd Painter of the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences (now the Chrysler Museum of Art
Chrysler Museum of Art
The Chrysler Museum of Art is an art museum in the Ghent district of Norfolk, Virginia. The museum was originally founded in 1933 as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. In 1971, automotive heir, Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. , donated most of his extensive collection to the museum...
) originally excavated the site in 1955 but it was only conclusively determined to be Henry Town in 2007 although no primary source documents exist (save those supposedly held by one now-deceased archaeologist) by United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
scientists reviewing the site's artifacts. It was located at approximately 36°54′30"N 76°7′20"W, immediately north of U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 in Virginia
U.S. Route 60 in Virginia runs west to east through the central part of the state, generally close to and paralleling the Interstate 64 corridor, except for the crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and in the South Hampton Roads area....
(Shore Drive) on what is now Lake Joyce, formerly an inlet connecting with Pleasure House Creek, a western branch of the Lynnhaven River
Lynnhaven River
The Lynnhaven River is a tidal estuary located in the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia, in the United States, and flows into the Chesapeake Bay west of Cape Henry at Lynnhaven Inlet, beyond which is Lynnhaven Roads. It has a small, developed watershed covering , terminating at Lynnhaven...
, itself an estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
Historical and archaeological record
Henry Town was first described by name in a 1613 letter by the Colony of VirginiaColony and Dominion of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia was the English colony in North America that existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the American Revolution...
's lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
, Samuel Argall
Samuel Argall
Sir Samuel Argall was an English adventurer and naval officer.As a sea captain, in 1609, Argall was the first to determine a shorter northern route from England across the Atlantic Ocean to the new English colony of Virginia, based at Jamestown, and made numerous voyages to the New World...
, who wrote of sending a fishing ship "to Henries Towne for the reliefe of such men as were there." Other extant documents mention several forts at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
as early as 1610, possibly including Henry Town. These records indicate that settlement at Henry Town was contemporary with that at Virginia's first permanent settlement at Jamestown
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
which was founded in 1607. Captain John Smith of Jamestown
John Smith of Jamestown
Captain John Smith Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and friend Mózes Székely...
wrote of returning to Cape Henry in 1608 but did not mention why or exactly where.
Despite this documentary evidence, most of the archaeological finds at the Henry Town site date from the middle rather than the early 17th century. Although an archaeologist from the United States National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
who oversaw excavations on Jamestown Island and other archaeologists from the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
have earlier dated the finds as early as 1610, others such as the head of the James River Institute for Archaeology and part of the team that discovered Jamestown, the curator of the Jamestown Rediscovery
Jamestown Rediscovery
Jamestown Rediscovery is an archaeological project of Preservation Virginia investigating the remains of the original settlement at Jamestown established in the Virginia Colony beginning on May 14, 1607. The period under study was from 1607-1698.Preservation Virginia archaeologist Dr...
collection, and other regional experts dispute such an early date. A limited 2005 excavation at the site dated nothing earlier than the second quarter of the 17th century. The site's artifacts contain Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
and Portuguese
Portuguese Empire
The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...
pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
fragments that point to later settlement and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
pipe pieces that are nearly the same as some from the Province of Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
that have been reliably dated to about 1650. Some discoveries suggest that the site is connected to Adam Thoroughgood
Adam Thoroughgood
Adam Thoroughgood was a colonist and community leader in the Virginia Colony who helped settle the area of South Hampton Roads known in contemporary times as the independent city of Virginia Beach, Virginia....
's nearby tobacco plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
, which dates to about 1635.
Contemporary discovery and development
Before its identification as Henry Town the site had been called the Lake Joyce site or the Chesopean site. Its discovery in 1955 attracted attention but it was not until a reexamination of the evidence in light of the Samuel Argall letter that the site was identified by an archaeological team based in the Fort Eustis army baseMilitary base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
in Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
.
The relevance of the settlement to the early history of the English colony in Virginia
Colony and Dominion of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia was the English colony in North America that existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the American Revolution...
has given impetus for the recreation of the site. At nearby Cape Henry
Cape Henry
Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia north of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay.Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Charles...
, east of the Lynnhaven River, the First Landing Foundation will undertake a $700,000 project to build more than a dozen structures as well as an outdoor stage to conduct historical dramas.
See also
- History of VirginiaHistory of VirginiaThe history of Virginia began with settlement of the geographic region now known as the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States thousands of years ago by Native Americans. Permanent European settlement began with the establishment of Jamestown in 1607, by English colonists. As tobacco emerged...
- Jamestown, VirginiaJamestown, VirginiaJamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
- Lost counties, cities, and towns of VirginiaLost counties, cities, and towns of VirginiaLost counties, cities, and towns of Virginia are those that existed within the English Colony of Virginia or, after statehood, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and no longer retain the same form within its boundaries. The settlements, towns, and administrative units discussed here ceased to exist in a...