It was restored by Sala Clark in the late 1990s. The Mansion on Main was the showplace home of a Victorian-era "Virginian of Virginians", Richard Samuel "R.S." Thomas (1837–1915). Its dock has welcomed the fictional drama of the real "Show Boat" (James Adams Floating Theatre). Revolutionary Patriots used Wharf Hill as a safe harbor for receiving arms and supplies, and a vantage point for directing Federal cannon fire on Main Street. Military actions of both the Revolutionary and Civil War took place in and around the town, as it was considered strategic due to its proximity to the James River. The peanut trade moved to the nearby railroad hub of Suffolk, Virginia. The peanut industry continued until the fire of 1921, which destroyed the peanut warehouses. Purdie's neighbor, Captain Mallory Todd, developed the business of curing and shipping the hams that has made Smithfield world-famous. George Purdie, a County Justice and Postmaster of Smithfield during his lifetime, in 1763 purchased Lots 4 and 5 of the original plat of the Town of Smithfield. They eventually included peanuts and the raising of pork as commodities, leading to the city claiming the titles of "Peanut Capital of the World" and "Ham Capital of the World." "Wharf Hill" was the waterfront location of the beginning of the industries of Smithfield. Īs a river town, its life and growth were dependent on the river. The original survey and plat of the Town of Smithfield was made by Jordan Thomas, County Surveyor, for "Captain Arthur Smith" in 1750. The town was established as a seaport in 1752 by Arthur Smith IV. In 1730, the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730 established "Warricksqueak Bay, in Isle of Wight County" as the site of an official tobacco inspection house. It was renamed as Isle of Wight County in 1637. The Virginia colony officially formed Warrosquyoake Shire (with numerous variant spellings, including Warrascoyack, Warrascocke and "Warwick Squeak") in 1634, but it had already been known as "Warascoyack County" before this. The Native Americans knew this area as Warascoyak, also spelled Warrosquoyacke, meaning "point of land." Smithfield, first colonized in 1634, is located on the Pagan River, south of Jamestown and on the south side of the James River. The company, based in Smithfield, raises 12 million hogs and processes 20 million pounds of them annually. Smithfield Foods, a Chinese Fortune 500 company that owns Smithfield Packing Company and others, is the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. The Virginia General Assembly passed a statute defining "Smithfield ham" by law in 1926, with one of the requirements that it be processed within the town limits. The town is most famous for the curing and production of the Smithfield ham. The population was 8,533 at the 2020 census. Smithfield is a town in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads subregion of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |