Mulberry Island facts for kids
Mulberry Island is a special place in Virginia. It's an island located along the James River in the city of Newport News, Virginia. You can find it in southeastern Virginia, where the Warwick River meets the James River. It's part of the Virginia Peninsula.
Contents
A Look Back: History of Mulberry Island
Early Days and Tobacco
Mulberry Island was settled soon after Jamestown. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America, started in 1607. In 1610, colonists at Mulberry Island were about to leave Virginia. They were struggling during a tough time called the "Starving Time." But then, Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr arrived from England. He brought fresh supplies, which saved the colony.
By 1614, people were growing thousands of acres of tobacco here. Tobacco was a very important crop. John Rolfe introduced it, and it helped the Virginia Colony make money. In 1619, Mulberry Island was part of a large farm. This farm belonged to William Pierce, whose daughter married John Rolfe.
The Civil War and Brickyard
During the American Civil War, Mulberry Island was important for defense. It was the southern end of the Warwick Line. This was a series of forts and defenses built across the Virginia Peninsula. They stretched all the way to Yorktown. Confederate General John B. Magruder's troops used these defenses. This happened during the Peninsula Campaign in 1862.
Later, from 1898 to 1918, a company called David & Kimpton Brickyard was on the island. They made bricks on the west bank of the Warwick River.
Becoming a Military Base
The U.S. government bought Mulberry Island for $538,000. Before that, it was mostly farmland. During World War I, a military camp was built here. It was called Camp Abraham Eustis. It was named after Abraham Eustis, a famous U.S. Army General.
Camp Eustis had a school for balloon observation. It also had an artillery school. This artillery school stayed open through World War II. In 1923, Camp Eustis became a permanent Army base called Fort Eustis. In 2010, Fort Eustis joined with Langley Air Force Base. Together, they formed Joint Base Langley–Eustis.
Mulberry Island Today
Today, Fort Eustis is home to the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). This is where the Army trains its soldiers. Since 1958, most of the base and all of Mulberry Island are part of Newport News. An Army Aviation School is also located at Fort Eustis. This school teaches soldiers how to fly and work with Army aircraft.
Near Mulberry Island, in the James River, you can see many ships. These ships are part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. People sometimes call them the "Idle Fleet" or "Ghost Fleet." These ships are kept in reserve for national defense. Some of them are old and are being taken away each year to be recycled as scrap metal.
