Lee Hall, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Lee Hall is a former unincorporated town
(or village) long located in the former Warwick County
. Since 1958, Lee Hall has been a suburban community in the extreme western portion of the independent city
of Newport News
in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
which was built in 1859 as the home of Richard Decatur Lee, a prominent local farmer who was not directly related to the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee
. The mansion was used as headquarters for Confederate
generals Joseph E. Johnston
and John B. Magruder
during the Peninsula Campaign
of the American Civil War
in 1862. Nearby is Endview Plantation
, a 238-year-old house. Endview was used as a hospital during the Civil War and as a campground during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812
and the Civil War.
Lee Hall Depot was a railroad station on the Peninsula Extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
(C&O), which was built through the area of Warwick County
in 1881 to reach the new coal
export facilities at Newport News on the port of Hampton Roads
. On October 19, 1881, the first passenger train from Newport News took local residents and national officials to the Cornwallis Surrender Centennial Celebration at Yorktown
on temporary tracks which were laid from Lee Hall Depot.
Lee Hall Depot became a very busy railroad station after the establishment nearby of Fort Eustis (originally named Camp Abraham Eustis) in 1918, with freight and heavy troop movements. the busy activity resumed during World War II
. It was expanded to accommodate this role. East of Lee Hall, a rail spur leads to the base, where the Fort Eustis Military Railroad
operated.
With the coming of the automobile as a common form of travel in the early 20th century, attention was directed to improving roads. As part of the Good Roads Movement
, the new road which became U.S. Route 60 was routed from Williamsburg
through Grove
, bridging Skiffe's Creek
as it entered Warwick County
to reach Lee Hall. This routing was chosen rather than following a competing route via Halstead's Point
in York County (now on the base of the US Naval Weapons Station Yorktown
just northeast of the gate on VA-143).
Earlier, the east-west road which became U.S. 60 was State Route 9. SR 9 was renumbered as State Route 39 in 1923, and became U.S. 60 in the mid-1920s when it was routed through Grove. A large ceremony hosted by Warwick County treasurer and civic leader Simon Curtis
was held at the Lee Hall Depot in 1924 to celebrate the completion of first hard-surfaced roadway (concrete) between Newport News and Williamsburg.
Two-laned U.S. 60 continues to form the main thoroughfare through the largely residential and neighborhood business section of Grove and Lee Hall, paralleling four-laned State Route 143 and Interstate 64. The village portion of Lee Hall is connected to I-64 via State Route 238 (Yorktown Road).
Although Warwick County became a city in 1952 and then was consolidated with Newport News in 1958, in the half century since, the Lee Hall area has retained a rural atmosphere, partially due to the proximity of the expansive Newport News Park
and Newport News Reservoir along the former Warwick River
and nearby Skiffe's Creek
.
. It is the only survivor among five stations which were located in Warwick County, the others formerly located at Oriana, Oyster Point, Morrison
, and Newport News.There are plans to relocate the historic 2-story depot slightly to the north of the busy CSX Transportation
railroad tracks, as well as redevelop the adjacent historic area as Lee Hall Village. Across the street from the Depot, the Boxwood Inn, a bed and breakfast
establishment in an 1896 house, is open and available for overnight visitors and some meals. The city's tourism agency operates several other attractions at Lee Hall Mansion and Endview Plantation, as well as nearby civil war historical sites.
As of late 2009, the Lee Hall Depot has been moved across the street, and when it is restored it will once again have reserved areas for train boarding by passengers, accommodating potential future rail growth. This seems likely, given that since 2008, Amtrak ridership has increased significantly, and there are currently plans to add two additional train depot stations for Amtrak within Newport News, one in downtown and one near the Newport News Williamsburg International Airport.
Lee Hall is served by both Hampton Roads Transit
(HRT) and Williamsburg Area Transport
(WAT).
For direct service to the Williamsburg Amtrak
and Greyhound
/Carolina Trailways station, ride the WAT Grey Line to the Williamsburg Transportation Center.
For service to the same in Newport News, ride HRT Route 116 to the Newport News Greyhound station or ride the 116 and transfer to the 106 or 107 to get to the Newport News Amtrak station.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
(or village) long located in the former Warwick County
Warwick County, Virginia
Warwick County was a county in Southeast Virginia that was created from Warwick River Shire, one of eight created in the Virginia Colony in 1634. It became the City of Warwick on July 16, 1952...
. Since 1958, Lee Hall has been a suburban community in the extreme western portion of the independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
of 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...
in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
History
Lee Hall was named for nearby Lee Hall MansionLee Hall Mansion
Lee Hall or Lee Hall Mansion is a historic brick mansion home that was built during the period from 1848 to 1859. The community of Lee Hall, Virginia is named for it. It is located near the junction of U.S. 60 and VA 238, near Newport News, Virginia....
which was built in 1859 as the home of Richard Decatur Lee, a prominent local farmer who was not directly related to the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
. The mansion was used as headquarters for Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
generals Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
and John B. Magruder
John B. Magruder
John Bankhead Magruder was a career military officer who served in the armies of three nations. He was a U.S. Army officer in the Mexican-American War, a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and a postbellum general in the Imperial Mexican Army...
during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1862. Nearby is Endview Plantation
Endview Plantation
Endview Plantation is a 17th century plantation which is currently located on Virginia State Route 238 in the Lee Hall community in the northwestern area of the independent city of Newport News, Virginia....
, a 238-year-old house. Endview was used as a hospital during the Civil War and as a campground during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
and the Civil War.
Lee Hall Depot was a railroad station on the Peninsula Extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(C&O), which was built through the area of Warwick County
Warwick County, Virginia
Warwick County was a county in Southeast Virginia that was created from Warwick River Shire, one of eight created in the Virginia Colony in 1634. It became the City of Warwick on July 16, 1952...
in 1881 to reach the new coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
export facilities at Newport News on the port of Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
. On October 19, 1881, the first passenger train from Newport News took local residents and national officials to the Cornwallis Surrender Centennial Celebration at Yorktown
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, United States. The population was 220 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
on temporary tracks which were laid from Lee Hall Depot.
Lee Hall Depot became a very busy railroad station after the establishment nearby of Fort Eustis (originally named Camp Abraham Eustis) in 1918, with freight and heavy troop movements. the busy activity resumed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was expanded to accommodate this role. East of Lee Hall, a rail spur leads to the base, where the Fort Eustis Military Railroad
Fort Eustis Military Railroad
The Fort Eustis Military Railroad is an intra-plant United States Army rail transportation system existing entirely within the post boundaries of the United States Army Transportation Center and Fort Eustis , Fort Eustis, Virginia...
operated.
With the coming of the automobile as a common form of travel in the early 20th century, attention was directed to improving roads. As part of the Good Roads Movement
Good Roads Movement
The Good Roads Movement occurred in the United States between the late 1870s and the 1920s. Advocates for improved roads led by bicyclists turned local agitation into a national political movement....
, the new road which became U.S. Route 60 was routed from Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
through Grove
Grove, Virginia
Grove is an unincorporated community in the southeastern portion of James City County in the Peninsula subregion of Virginia in the United States. It is located in the center of the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, communities linked by the Colonial Parkway; the area is one of the busiest...
, bridging Skiffe's Creek
Skiffe's Creek
Skiffe's Creek is located in James City County and the independent city of Newport News in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States...
as it entered Warwick County
Warwick County, Virginia
Warwick County was a county in Southeast Virginia that was created from Warwick River Shire, one of eight created in the Virginia Colony in 1634. It became the City of Warwick on July 16, 1952...
to reach Lee Hall. This routing was chosen rather than following a competing route via Halstead's Point
Halstead's Point, Virginia
Halstead's Point was an unincorporated community in York County, Virginia. In 1918, during World War I, a large tract of land in the area including Halstead's Point was taken by the U.S. Navy to create a military base initially known as a mine depot, where ordnance for military shifts was handled...
in York County (now on the base of the US Naval Weapons Station Yorktown
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a United States Navy base in York County, James City County, and Newport News in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia...
just northeast of the gate on VA-143).
Earlier, the east-west road which became U.S. 60 was State Route 9. SR 9 was renumbered as State Route 39 in 1923, and became U.S. 60 in the mid-1920s when it was routed through Grove. A large ceremony hosted by Warwick County treasurer and civic leader Simon Curtis
Simon Curtis
Simon Curtis is an American actor and singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He gained fame for playing Royce Du Lac in the film Spectacular! ....
was held at the Lee Hall Depot in 1924 to celebrate the completion of first hard-surfaced roadway (concrete) between Newport News and Williamsburg.
Two-laned U.S. 60 continues to form the main thoroughfare through the largely residential and neighborhood business section of Grove and Lee Hall, paralleling four-laned State Route 143 and Interstate 64. The village portion of Lee Hall is connected to I-64 via State Route 238 (Yorktown Road).
Although Warwick County became a city in 1952 and then was consolidated with Newport News in 1958, in the half century since, the Lee Hall area has retained a rural atmosphere, partially due to the proximity of the expansive Newport News Park
Newport News Park
Newport News Park, located in Newport News, Virginia, is the largest park in the system of municipal parks maintained by the Newport News Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. At 8,065 acres , it is one of largest city-run parks in the United States...
and Newport News Reservoir along the former Warwick River
Warwick River
Warwick River is the name of several rivers:In New Zealand*Warwick River In the United States*Warwick River *Warwick River *Warwick River Shire, a former division of Virginia...
and nearby Skiffe's Creek
Skiffe's Creek
Skiffe's Creek is located in James City County and the independent city of Newport News in the Virginia Peninsula area of the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States...
.
Lee Hall Depot preservation
In the 21st century, Lee Hall Depot (no longer is use) is the only surviving C&O structure of its type on the lower PeninsulaVirginia Peninsula
The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, USA, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay.Hampton Roads is the common name for the metropolitan area that surrounds the body of water of the same name...
. It is the only survivor among five stations which were located in Warwick County, the others formerly located at Oriana, Oyster Point, Morrison
Morrison, Virginia
Morrison was a small unincorporated community in Warwick County, Virginia. After a municipal consolidation in 1958, it became a neighborhood of the independent city of Newport News.-History:...
, and Newport News.There are plans to relocate the historic 2-story depot slightly to the north of the busy CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
railroad tracks, as well as redevelop the adjacent historic area as Lee Hall Village. Across the street from the Depot, the Boxwood Inn, a bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
establishment in an 1896 house, is open and available for overnight visitors and some meals. The city's tourism agency operates several other attractions at Lee Hall Mansion and Endview Plantation, as well as nearby civil war historical sites.
As of late 2009, the Lee Hall Depot has been moved across the street, and when it is restored it will once again have reserved areas for train boarding by passengers, accommodating potential future rail growth. This seems likely, given that since 2008, Amtrak ridership has increased significantly, and there are currently plans to add two additional train depot stations for Amtrak within Newport News, one in downtown and one near the Newport News Williamsburg International Airport.
Transportation
The Lee Hall community is served by exit 247 of Interstate 64. About 1 block from the historic railroad station, U.S. Route 60 and State Route 238 intersect.Lee Hall is served by both Hampton Roads Transit
Hampton Roads Transit
Hampton Roads Transit a.k.a. "HRT" formed in October 1999 by the voluntary merging of PENTRAN on the Virginia Peninsula and TRT Hampton Roads Transit a.k.a. "HRT" formed in October 1999 by the voluntary merging of PENTRAN (Peninsula Transportation District Commission) on the Virginia Peninsula and...
(HRT) and Williamsburg Area Transport
Williamsburg Area Transport
Williamsburg Area Transit Authority is a governmentally-operated agency which provides transit bus and paratransit services in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County in the Historic Triangle area of the Virginia Peninsula subregion of Hampton Roads in southeastern...
(WAT).
- HRT operates Route 116 (Mall-Hall Loop) between Patrick Henry Mall and Warwick Blvd (US 60U.S. Route 60U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway, running from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast in Virginia to western Arizona. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri, at its intersection...
) @ Elmhurst St about every 30 minutes http://www.gohrt.com/routes/route%20116.pdf - WAT operates the Grey Line Newport News Connection hourly http://www.williamsburgtransport.com/Pages/GreyLineRT60E.html
For direct service to the Williamsburg Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
and Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
/Carolina Trailways station, ride the WAT Grey Line to the Williamsburg Transportation Center.
For service to the same in Newport News, ride HRT Route 116 to the Newport News Greyhound station or ride the 116 and transfer to the 106 or 107 to get to the Newport News Amtrak station.
See also
- Newport News Department of Parks, Recreation and TourismNewport News Department of Parks, Recreation and TourismThe Newport News Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is the government agency responsible for maintaining city parks and other sites of interest to tourists and the general population within the city of Newport News, Virginia. It is under the authority of Assistant City Manager Alan Archer...
- Historic TriangleHistoric TriangleThe Historic Triangle is located on the Virginia Peninsula of the United States and includes the colonial communities of Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown, with many restored attractions linked by the Colonial Parkway in James City and York counties and the City of...
- Peninsula CampaignPeninsula CampaignThe Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
- Collis P. HuntingtonCollis P. HuntingtonCollis Potter Huntington was one of the Big Four of western railroading who built the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the first U.S. transcontinental railroad...