New Kent County
Posted by: archway
N 37° 25.436 W 076° 53.633
18S E 332422 N 4143585
Placed in 1931, this marker briefly describes the history of New Kent County. It is located on the south side of the eastbound lane of US 60 near the New Kent County / James City County line.
Waymark Code: WM858J
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 01/31/2010
Views: 4
Established in 1654 from York and named for County Kent, England. In it are Chestnut Grove, birthplace of Martha (Dandridge) Custis; White House, home of Martha Custis; Poplar Grove, where Martha Custis met George Washington; St. Peter's Church, where Washington was married to her; Eltham, where John Park Custis, Washington's stepson, died in 1781; Barhamsville, where Patrick Henry received money to pay for powder seized by Lord Dunmore, 1775; Providence Forge, remains of one of the oldest iron forges in America. New Kent County was traversed by Cornwallis and Lafayette in 1781.
New Kent’s original land area included what is now the Counties of King William, King and Queen, Spotsylvania, Louisa and parts of Caroline, Hanover and James City Counties. In fact, in the very early years of our country, New Kent County extended to the “edges of the frontier” and therefore, theoretically speaking, to the Pacific Ocean. New Kent is the birthplace of two First Ladies – Martha Washington and Letitia Christian Tyler. It was also the location of the longhouses of Chief Powhatan and his daughter, Pocahontas. Bacon’s Rebellion ended on New Kent soil in 1676. Civil War troops marched and camped in New Kent, and the Washington-Rochambeau route winds through the New Kent countryside.
Source: New Kent County website
Marker Title: New Kent County
Marker Location: US 60, near Lanexa
County or Independent City: New Kent County
Marker Program Sponsor: New Kent County Citizens' Association
Marker Number: Not listed
Web Site: Not listed
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