Kingsmill, Virginia facts for kids
Kingsmill is a special area in James City County, Virginia. It's home to a big planned neighborhood, a fancy resort, a fun theme park, a brewery, and a business park.
This area is located near the James River, just east of where the first English settlement, Jamestown, was built in 1607. It's also close to Interstate Highway 64. You can usually get to Kingsmill's businesses and attractions from U.S. Route 60 or Virginia State Route 199.
Contents
Kingsmill's Story
Kingsmill Plantation's Beginning
|
Kingsmill Plantation
|
|
.jpg)
Kingsmill Plantation Dependency
|
|
 Location in Virginia
Location in the United States
|
|
| Nearest city | Williamsburg, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Area | 135 acres (55 ha) |
| Built | 1680 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001401 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | April 26, 1972 |
Kingsmill gets its name from Richard Kingsmill, an important person in the Virginia Company. This company was formed in England to help start settlements in Virginia. Richard Kingsmill received one of the first land grants, about 300 acres (1.2 km2), in this area.
Later, in the 1730s, a British Colonel named Lewis Burwell III created a large plantation here. He called it Kingsmill Plantation. It had a big house, other buildings, and gardens. Along the river, Burwell's Landing was a busy spot with a tavern and ferry.
During the American Revolutionary War, there was some fighting in the Kingsmill area. The main house burned down in 1843. Today, only the old office and kitchen buildings remain. They are some of the oldest brick buildings still standing in Virginia.
Kingsmill During the Civil War
The American Civil War (1861–1865) also touched the Kingsmill Plantation lands. In 1862, Union troops, led by Major General George B. McClellan, tried to capture Richmond, the capital of the Confederate states.
McClellan gathered a huge army and many ships. His plan was to use both land and river forces to attack Richmond. However, controlling the James River became difficult after a famous battle between ironclad warships. Union ships couldn't get past a strong Confederate defense at Drewry's Bluff. This meant McClellan's attack on Richmond would depend mostly on his land forces.
In April 1862, McClellan's army slowly moved up the Virginia Peninsula. The Confederates, led by General John B. Magruder, built three lines of defense to slow them down. The second and most important line was the Warwick Line, near the Warwick River. Magruder used clever tricks to make his small army seem much larger. This made McClellan move very slowly, giving the Confederates time to build defenses around Richmond.
After about 30 days, McClellan was ready to attack the Warwick Line. But the Confederates quietly left their positions and retreated towards Richmond. McClellan sent his cavalry to chase them.
The Confederates fell back to a third line of forts just east of Williamsburg. This line was called the Williamsburg Line. It had 14 forts, with Fort Magruder as the main one. This fort was very strong, with high walls and a deep moat.
On May 5, 1862, the Battle of Williamsburg took place. Union and Confederate troops fought near Fort Magruder. The Confederates had fewer soldiers but fought hard. Even though McClellan claimed victory, most historians see it as a Confederate success. The Williamsburg Line served its purpose: it delayed the Union army long enough for the main Confederate forces to retreat safely to Richmond.
Today, parts of these old forts, including Fort Magruder, are still preserved.
Williamsburg: A Quiet Town Changes
Williamsburg was founded in the early 1600s as a fortified settlement. During the American Revolutionary War, Virginia's capital moved from Williamsburg to Richmond.
Williamsburg was not directly on a major river, which made trade difficult. People had to travel a distance to reach landings on the James or York rivers. Because of this, Williamsburg didn't grow into a big trading center for many years. It was mostly known for the College of William and Mary and the first mental hospital in the United States.
In the 1880s, a railroad builder named Collis P. Huntington extended the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway through Williamsburg. This railroad connected Williamsburg to other parts of the country and helped transport coal. It also brought passenger and freight services, which helped the area.
Near Kingsmill, the Carter's Grove Plantation was still active. But the old Kingsmill Plantation lands were mostly empty and unused. The land wasn't great for farming, so it remained quiet for a long time.
Colonial Williamsburg and New Growth
In the early 1900s, John D. Rockefeller Jr., a wealthy heir, and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, became very involved in the Williamsburg area. They helped fund and create Colonial Williamsburg. This project aimed to restore and rebuild the old colonial capital to look like it did in the 1700s. It celebrates the early history of the United States.
The Rockefellers loved Williamsburg and helped the community in many ways. Abby Rockefeller, for example, worked to improve education for African Americans in the area, helping to establish the Bruton Heights School.
The Rockefellers bought a lot of land around Williamsburg, including the old Kingsmill Plantation property. They had hoped to buy a working plantation, but that didn't happen.
Later, in the 1960s, their son Winthrop Rockefeller became chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. He also learned that Anheuser-Busch, a big brewing company, wanted to build a brewery and other businesses in eastern Virginia. Winthrop Rockefeller and August Busch II, the head of Anheuser-Busch, worked together.
This led to Anheuser-Busch developing many new things in the Williamsburg area. This included not only the brewery but also the Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park, the Kingsmill Resort, and the Kingsmill on the James planned community. These developments created thousands of jobs and brought in millions of dollars in tax money.
Both Winthrop Rockefeller and August Busch II are credited with helping to make the Greater Williamsburg area a major tourist destination. They believed that adding more attractions would bring more families to the region and help the local economy grow.
Kingsmill Today
Today, Colonial Williamsburg and the developments started by the Rockefellers and the Busch family continue to provide many jobs and economic activity for Williamsburg and James City County.
Major developments in the Kingsmill area include:
- Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park
- Quarterland Commons Commercial Park
- Kingsmill Resort golf resort
- Kingsmill on the James planned community
