Warwick, Virginia (Chesterfield County)
Encyclopedia
Warwick was an unincorporated town and port in Chesterfield County, Virginia
, located on the navigable portion of the James River
about 5 miles south of downtown Richmond, Virginia
(and east of the fall line
). Due to a sandbar in the river, although the falls did not begin until the river reached Richmond and Manchester
, Warwick was as far upriver as many ships of the day could safely navigate. Regarding navigation on the James River, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, written in 1781–82, then-Governor Thomas Jefferson
stated "Vessels of 250 tons may go to Warwick" http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=JefVirg.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all
Warwick, just west of where a local tributary, Falling Creek
, has its confluence with the river, was in existence from 1750 to 1781. It was an important port and manufacturing center. During the American Revolutionary War
, Warwick's craftsmen turned out clothing and shoes, and its mills ground flour and meal for the Continental troops stationed at Chesterfield Courthouse. On April 30, 1781, General Benedict Arnold
's British troops burned the town, destroying ships, warehouses, mills, tannery storehouses, and ropewalks. The Lost Town of Warwick no longer exists, but its place in history is noted on a Virginia Historical Marker nearby.
Portions of the original Warwick Road
extended from the port town of Warwick through Colonel Archibald Cary
's Ampthill Plantation
(which is now part of the large DuPont Plant
, annexed areas of Chesterfield which are now part of South Richmond, and back into Chesterfield County to reach the Bon Air
area. Much of the original Warwick Road was intact as a through route until around 1960.
In 1619, Falling Creek Ironworks
was established in the Virginia Colony near the future site of Warwick. The first in what became the United States, the facilities were destroyed and most of the colonists there killed during the Indian Massacre of 1622
on Good Friday
, March 22, 1622.
In modern times, the Port of Richmond's facility known locally as Richmond Deepwater Terminal includes part of the former site of Warwick.
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
, located on the navigable portion of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
about 5 miles south of downtown Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
(and east of the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
). Due to a sandbar in the river, although the falls did not begin until the river reached Richmond and Manchester
Manchester, Virginia
Manchester, Virginia is a former independent city in Virginia in the United States. Prior to receiving independent status, it served as the county seat of Chesterfield County, between 1870 and 1876...
, Warwick was as far upriver as many ships of the day could safely navigate. Regarding navigation on the James River, in his Notes on the State of Virginia, written in 1781–82, then-Governor Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
stated "Vessels of 250 tons may go to Warwick" http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=JefVirg.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all
Warwick, just west of where a local tributary, Falling Creek
Falling Creek
Falling Creek is a tributary of the James River located near Richmond, Virginia. Approximately in length, it varies in width between at its source to several hundred feet in the Falling Creek Reservoir. Falling Creek rises in the Salisbury section of northwestern Chesterfield County and empties...
, has its confluence with the river, was in existence from 1750 to 1781. It was an important port and manufacturing center. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Warwick's craftsmen turned out clothing and shoes, and its mills ground flour and meal for the Continental troops stationed at Chesterfield Courthouse. On April 30, 1781, General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
's British troops burned the town, destroying ships, warehouses, mills, tannery storehouses, and ropewalks. The Lost Town of Warwick no longer exists, but its place in history is noted on a Virginia Historical Marker nearby.
Portions of the original Warwick Road
Warwick Road (Chesterfield County)
This article is about Warwick Road in the Richmond area. See also Warwick Road, Perth. A similarly named roadway, Warwick Boulevard, is located in the former Warwick County section of Newport News, Virginia...
extended from the port town of Warwick through Colonel Archibald Cary
Archibald Cary
Archibald Cary was a public figure from the colony of Virginia.-Life:Cary was a member of the House of Burgesses from 1756 to 1776...
's Ampthill Plantation
Ampthill (Chesterfield County)
Ampthill Plantation was located in the Virginia Colony in Chesterfield County on the south bank of the James River about four miles south of the head of navigation at modern-day Richmond, Virginia. Built by Henry Cary about 1730, it was just upstream of Falling Creek...
(which is now part of the large DuPont Plant
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, annexed areas of Chesterfield which are now part of South Richmond, and back into Chesterfield County to reach the Bon Air
Bon Air, Virginia
Bon Air is a census-designated place in Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States. The population was 16,366 at the 2010 census. The community is considered a suburb of the independent city of Richmond in the Richmond-Petersburg region, and shares a post office with Richmond...
area. Much of the original Warwick Road was intact as a through route until around 1960.
In 1619, Falling Creek Ironworks
Falling Creek Ironworks
Falling Creek Ironworks was the first iron production facility in North America. It was established by the Virginia Company of London in Henrico Cittie on Falling Creek near its confluence with the James River. It was short-lived due to an attack by Native Americans in 1622.The long-lost site was...
was established in the Virginia Colony near the future site of Warwick. The first in what became the United States, the facilities were destroyed and most of the colonists there killed during the Indian Massacre of 1622
Indian massacre of 1622
The Indian Massacre of 1622 occurred in the Colony of Virginia, in what now belongs to the United States of America, on Friday, March 22, 1622...
on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, March 22, 1622.
In modern times, the Port of Richmond's facility known locally as Richmond Deepwater Terminal includes part of the former site of Warwick.