In the Pines

From the account of the 95th Pennsylvania Volunteers as they marched through New Kent during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 . . .

The Pines of Virginia often played an important part in the history of our army life, and were many times the theme of some poetic effusion. The erection of bowers to ward off the sunbeams; construction of picket-huts and corduroying the roads. The use of pine wood for fuel which when green would emit a nasty disordering smoke damaging to the sight. We used to cut pine branches with which to decorate our camp on festive occasions and many times whilst on the march through some dense thicket have had the springy limbs of some stubborn bush fly back and switch our faces. The charcoal burner, also had his abode in the pines before Richmond. 

-The Ninety-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers (Gosline's Pennsylvania Zouaves") in the Sixth Corps
George Norton Galloway, 1884

Road Building in 1911

                                 NEW KENT PROMISES AID. 
         Nearly $2,000 Will He Given for Richmond-Newport News Highway.
                                 [Special to The Times-Dispatch.]  

Roxbury, Va.. February 10.-There was a full attendance of the members at a meeting of the New Kent Board of Supervisors held at the courthouse on Tuesday. After several matters of routine interest were disposed of the subject of the proposed highway from Richmond to Newport News was discussed. Each of the four districts in the county promised to give $200; by private subscriptions the amount of $1,000 was raised, and the board agreed to allow four months' work of the county teams and employees. It was also decided that the county shall ask appropriation from the State to equal that made by the county. The subscriptions and time allowed means more than $2,000 for this county. The route of the proposed highway could not better please the residents of New Kent, as it will traverse the entire, length of the county, a distance of thirty-two miles.

 -Times Dispatch, 11 February 1911

Office of State Highway Commission. 

Richmond. Va., April 6. 1911. 

Bid will be received at this of office 12 o'clock noon, Saturday, for the construction of about ten miles of sand-clay road in New Kent county from New Kent Courthouse to the James City county and about six in James City county from the New Kent count line to Toano.  

Specification on file at this office.  

Certified check for $250.00 to accompany each bid.  

Further information furnished on application to the undersigned. 

The right is reserved to reject any and all bids. 

P. St. J. Wilson.
State Highway Commissioner


-Virginia Gazette(Williamsburg), 20 April 1911