A Road Trip from Richmond to Williamsburg- 1911

A 1911 account of a road trip down the trip Peninsula by a reporter from the Times-Dispatch. I have included, in red, my own comments about the itinerary.

SUCCESSFUL RUN MADE FROM RICHMOND TO OLD POINT BY TIMES-DISPATCH SCOUT CAR
Correct and Accurate Reading of Road Made for Benefit of Those Desiring to Make Trip-Road in Splendid Condition and People Anxious to Welcome Visitors.

0.0 - Foster Motor Car Company. Down Broad to Jefferson; turn right to
0.4 - Jefferson Hotel. Down Franklin to . . .

1.1 - Capitol Square. Turn right down Ninth; then left down Bank; then right down Tenth; then right up Main to . . .

1.2 - Times-Dispatch. Up Main to Ninth to Capitol then right to . . .

1.6 - Memorial Hospital. Turn to left into Marshall Street; then turn to right one block to Broad Street to . . .

3.0 - Chimborazo Park.
3.3 - Keep straight ahead, skirting Chimborazo Park to right, to
3.5 - Left down steep hill to railroad crossing.
3.6 - Railroad crossing.
4.4 - To Government Road (good condition).

8.4 - Church on right; turn to left. (I believe this is the original Corinth United Methodist Church which is now less than a  half mile to the east.)

9.6 - Pass store and road on left pass by National Cemetery. (Seven Pines National Cemetery.)

10.7 - Good road to
12.6 - Ford; to (Ford over Boar Swamp)
13.2 - Sharp turn to left (about nine degrees)

15.3 - Long Chickahominy Bridge, sandy road. (Bridge at Bottom's Bridge; NOT in its current location.)

15.6 - Short Chickahominy Bridge.(Bridge over Higgins Swamp.)
15.7 - Corduroy road.
15.8 - More corduroy.

15.9 - New road (good).(This would be Clint Lane, then  on what is now Quaker which at that time continued straight through to Rose Cottage Rd and at that road . . .)

18.7 - Take fork to right. Follow, telegraph wires.( . . . going down Quinton Road and then bearing left onto New Kent Highway.)

21.1 - Pass store on left. (Patterson's Store at Crump's Crossroads.)
23.8 - Turn to left and keep straight ahead.(Going north on Emmaus Church Road.)
21.2 - Richardson's store. Turn right, down slight hill. (The Baltimore Store at Talleysville.)
25.4 - Church on left, down hill. (Rising Mt. Zion.)
25.5 - Ford foot of hill- hard bottom. (Pelham Creek.)
26.3 - Store on right.
29.5 - Church on right. (Corinth Baptist; road until 1930's passed north of church.)
29.9 - New Kent Courthouse.
30.7 - Take right fork.

32.4 - Slatersville cross roods. (It gets tricky here. Instead of proceeding down what is now New Kent Highway they seem to go straight through on Stage Road.)

35.1 - Spring at bottom of hill. ( Upper reach of Beaverdam Creek?)
38.6 - Ford; hard bottom. (Warreneye Creek?)
40.0 - Barhamsville.
40.1 - Store on left; turn to right. (Pott's store?)

45.1 - Brick school house on left. (Hickory Neck Academy, the school, was closed in 1908. The year after this trip it would be deeded to the trustees of Hickory Neck Protestant Episcopal Church thus returning it to it's original use.)

45.7 - Cross bridge over railroad.
45.9 - Toano; well of good water at entrance to town turn left through town.
47.1 - Pass brick school house on left. (Toano High School opened 1908.)
50.5 - Pass store on right; well on left.
50.6 - cross railroad tracks; turn sharp left and then right.(Lightfoot.)
52.1 - Pass store on right.
52.1 - Pass fork on right.
52.3 - Pass fork on right.
52.4 - Pass fork on left.
53.6 - Cross railroad.(Across from Yankee Candle.)
54.4 - Pass road on right.
56.0 - William and Mary College on right approaching Williamsburg.
56.1 - Pass fork on right.(Jamestown Road.)
56.4 - Bruton Church on left.

56.5 -Ruins of Williamburg Courthouse on left.(the Old Courthouse of Williamsburg/James City, the one across from the powder magazine, had been destroyed by fire just 3 months before in April 1911. The building was restored to original appearance, except for some new columns, work finishing up January 1912.)

-Times Dispatch, 13 July 1911

The Foster Motor Car Company went into bankruptcy in 1913.

Affair on the Road to Williamsburg, Va.- February 1865 III

                NORFOLK,  February 17, 1865-5 p.m.

 Lieutenant Colonel SMITH,

    Assistant Adjutant-General, Headquarters Army of the James:

COLONEL: Major Hicks reports some force of rebels about him at Williamsburg, and fears an attack on Jamestown Island. If two companies of cavalry, previously asked for, can be ordered to report to him, I request that it may be done.

                GEO. H. GORDON,
            Brigadier-General, Commanding.


                JAMESTOWN ISLAND, February 17, 1865.

Maj. J.C. HICKS:

There have been seen last night and this morning a force of cavalry at Burnt Ordinary, on Richmond road. A negro on Mr. Jones farm carries all the news to rebel scouts. He has been through oar lines at Williamsburg several times and back with information to them. Four  rebels were at a house last night above the island took two mules, and threatened to shoot the man. I am short of ammunition; can I have some up? Can I burn some houses across the island which serve as shelter for rebel scouts, and of which they easily can make a raft to cross over on the lower end of the island?

                    CARLO BLOMBERG,
                        Lieutenant.




                FORT MAGRUDER, February 17, 1865.

Maj. WICKHAM HOFFMAN,

    Assistant Adjutant-General:

There is a force of rebel cavalry at the Burnt Ordinary at the Richmond road. They are still around my lines. I have only a small force at Jamestown Island. Should they attack at that post I cannot help there. I want more cavalry. The rebels are in the vicinity of  Jamestown Island; last night stole some mules just above; threatened to shoot the owner. If possible I would like the two companies I requested a short time since. No news from Major Darling yet.

 Very respectfully,

                        J.C. HICKS,
                        Major, Commanding


-The war of the rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies.; Series 1- Volume 46(Part II)

Three Apprehended

TAKE TRIO IN NEW KENT ON ROBBERY CHARGE

[Special to The Times-Dispatch.]

WILLIAMSBURG, VA.,March 12.- Officer J.T. Crute of New Kent, and Sheriff L.P. Trice, of James City, captured three negroes, William Tabb, Arthur clayton and Ozie Williams, all residents near Toano, Friday, and they are now lodged in the New Kent County jail, charged with having committed a number of robberies the past few weeks.

The men were arrested for robbing the store of Robins Brothers in New Kent Thursday night. According to Officer Crute, the men confessed to this robbery and three others, one of which was that of the general store of J.E. Banks(Ranks?) at Toano. The men were said to have gotten away with considerable loot.

Because of the bad condition of the roads the prisoners could not be taken back to New Kent Friday, and were brought here for the night, having been taken to Providence Forge by train this morning.

-Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 13, 1922



It does say something of the Peninsula's roads, that in 1922 the 13 odd miles as the crow flies was considered too difficult a trek

A Raid on Burnt Ordinary I

The enemy on the Peninsula.

Some excitement was created upon the arrival of the York River train yesterday afternoon, which brought the intelligence that the Yankees had again made their appearance in considerable force on the Peninsula, and that their actions indicated an advance on this city. Later in the evening, however, a courier arrived, bringing the news that during Monday night a negro regiment, a regiment of cavalry, and some artillery, advanced about twelve miles this side of Williamsburg, where they had pitched their tents, manifesting no disposition to proceed any further. The impression is that their designs only for plunder, and that no advance is meditated at this time upon Richmond. In either case ample preparations have been made, and they have only to make a demonstration to insure a signal repulse.

It is known that a few weeks ago Major General Foster, who has been strongly reinforced at Fortress Monroe, had organized a diminutive "on to Richmond," which was on the eve of starting, when an order from Washington countermanded his orders to move, and relieved him from the command of the department. It is also certain that the force at Fortress Monroe has been made of considerable size, and that at Newport News there is a very large encampment, under the command of Brigadier-General Heckman, of New Jersey.

The Daily Dispatch; November 11, 1863.

From the Peninsula.

The Yankee advance on the Peninsula, which was noticed in yesterday's paper, proves to have been but a raid of a foraging party from the Federal forces at Williamsburg. They came up to the neighborhood of the Burnt Ordinary, where they succeeded in loading some twenty-five or thirty wagons with plunder of different descriptions, and then returned. Up to sunset yesterday evening there was no further indication of an advance in that direction.

-The Daily Dispatch; November 12, 1863.