Kempsville High School - Image Yearbook (Virginia Beach, VA)

Page 12 text:

,CI e .gasfofzy of aqbfzincess Qqnne ounfy The history of Princess Anne County began on December 19, 1606 when Captain Christopher Newport commanded the vessels Sarah Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery to the shores of the New World. At four o'clock on April 26, 1607, they entered the Chesapeake Bay, and from that day on, Princess Anne County has had a very important part in the history of the United States. Out of the 104 man crew which entered the Chesapeake Bay, 30 of them landed at what is now called Cape Henry. Having been attacked by natives, and two of them having been wounded, they returned to their ships and anchored at the mouth of the river at what is now called Lynnhaven Bay. Finding the water shallow, some of the party took a ship up into the river several miles, where they saw smoke. They approached and discovered some of the natives on the shore. On landing they saw the natives roast- ing some form of seafood, and the landing party proceeded to .taste this fruit of the new land and found it quite delicious. This is now known as the famous Lynnhaven Oyster. It was on the soil of this County that the history of our English Church began. On April 29th in the county named after Anne, daughter of james II, the first religious ceremony of the English Church in America was conducted by a man named Robert Hunt. Later on as the population increased, churches were erected. The oldest of these is still standing. It is the Old Donation Church which, according to historians, was erected in 1694. In the same year the first courthouse was built at what is now London Bridge and was later moved to its present location. In 1792, here at Cape Henry, the Federal Government erected its first lighthouse in the United States which is still standing. In 1691 Lower Norfolk was separated from Upper Norfolk and called Princess Anne County. The first permanent settlement in Princess Anne was Kempsville, which was a success and is still growing in size. Quite a story could be written about this town which was known at that time as Kemps Landing, since many important happenings came about here. Although it was settled earlier it was not incorporated until May 5, 1782. Kempsville became at this time a very educational and social center. In November 185 2, at Kempsville, the first Fair of the Princess Anne Agricultural Society was held. There were extensive displays of stock, grain, fruits, vegetables, and poultry.

Page 11 text:

gheme I B an heme fi L 4: ! f , 4 I ll - ' I ,. , L ' fi? - we I I 5:2 QDQFTW 9133 J l tl JL ,j 0 596 ' I . 4 W5 ,Fiji , -N ,D . 'L L ff 1 Q kf ' H , ., ' .,.. I . :cg A f 1- Q , Ku

Page 13 text:

There are now few records of schools in these early days, but James Nimmo taught school at New Town and the old church at Lynnhaven was permitted to be used as a school. Of all the private schools the Kempsville Academy was the most prominent, al- though there were others in the county. There were several other early towns in the county. One settlement was Pungo, which was named after an old Indian chief. Lynnhaven was settled by Adam Thorogood in the year 1621 and later became a market place for the settlers. In 1810 William Latham laid off a small town of 245 quarter and half-acre lots. This town was to be called North Land- ing or Cypressville and between the lots was left space for a canal which the Government was to dig. They began work on it just before The War between the States broke out. Settlers seemed to be few at Cypressville. Thus this settlement was a failure and today there are but a few residents and a very delapidated sawmill. Prior to The War between the States, a camp was erected where the Norfolk County water works now operate. This camp was called the Alabama Home Guards and companies from it were organized in various sections of the county. One of these frequently drilled in the Kempsville District. In the late World War the county supplied arms to another company of Home Guards which was formed in the Kempsville District. ' No account of the county would be complete without mentioning the magnificent ocean frontage stretching in an unbroken line. Fronting on the Atlantic Ocean 18 miles from Norfolk is the fashionable seaside, resort, Virginia Beach. North of Chesapeake Bay is Ocean Park and Chesapeake Beach, each with surf bathing and fishing. The history of Princess Anne County would not be satisfactory if we did not mention the Trial of Grace Sherwood in 1706. Grace was prosecuted for witchcraft. She was tried by a jury of eight women, and by her own consent, was tried in the water of john Harper's Plantation. Many people have the idea that Grace was drowned but this is not true. The sheriff was directed to take particular care that she did not drown. Evidence that proves this came in about 1733, when she made her will. Another interesting incident of the county was the arrest of Levin Sykes, Josiah Phil- lips and john Ashley, leaders of a band, who by fire and murder were terrorizing the local inhabitants of Princess Anne and Norfolk Counties. This was known as Phillip's Rebellion. One of the most prominent men of Princess Anne during this period was Adam Thorogood, who came from England in the year 1621. His home, which is of great his- torical interest today, is still in a remarkable state of preservation. Thorogood became a large landowner, a justice of the Court and a member of the Governor'siCouncil.