Isle of Wight County, Virginia

History

Isle of Wight County features two incorporated towns, Smithfield and Windsor. The first courthouse for the county was built in Smithfield in 1750. The original courthouse and its associated tavern (The Smithfield Inn) are still standing.

As the county population developed, leaders thought they needed a county seat near the center of the area. They built a new courthouse near the center of the county in 1800. The 1800 brick courthouse and its associated tavern (Boykin's Tavern) are still standing, as are the 1822 clerk's offices nearby. Some additions have been made. The 1800 courthouse is used daily, serving as the government chambers for the Board of Supervisors, as well as the meeting hall for the school board. The chambers are sometimes used as a court for civil trials if the new courthouse is fully in use. The new courthouse opened in 2010; it is across the street from the sheriff's office and county offices complex.

History

In the 17th century, shortly after establishment of the settlement at Jamestown in 1607, English settlers explored and began settling the areas adjacent to the large Hampton Roads waterway. Captain John Smith in 1608 crossed the James River and obtained fourteen bushels of corn from the Native American inhabitants, the Warrosquyoack or Warraskoyak. They were a tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy, who had three villages in the area of modern Smithfield. English colonists drove the Warraskoyak from their villages in 1622 and 1627, as part of their reprisals for the Great Massacre of 1622, in which the Native Americans had decimated English settlements, hoping to drive them out of their territory.

The first English plantations along the south shore within present-day Isle of Wight were established by Puritan colonists, beginning with that of Christopher Lawne in May 1618, and Edward Bennett (colonist) in 1621. Several members of the Puritan Bennett family also settled there, including Edward's nephew, Richard Bennett. He led the Puritans to neighboring Nansemond in 1635, and later was appointed as governor of the Virginia Colony.

By 1634, the entire Colony consisted of eight shires or counties with a total population of about 5,000 inhabitants. Warrosquyoake Shire was renamed in 1637 as Isle of Wight County, after the island off the south coast of England. The original name had come derived from the Native Americans of the area; it went through transliteration and Anglicization, eventually becoming known as "Warwicke Squeake".

On October 20, 1673, the "Grand Assembly" at Jamestown authorized both Isle of Wight County and Lower Norfolk County to construct a fort.

St. Luke's Church, built in the 17th century, is Virginia's oldest church building. In the late 20th century, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its significance. Many landmark and contributing structures on the National Register are in Smithfield including the Wentworth-Grinnan House.

In 1732 a considerable portion of the northwestern part of the original shire was added to Brunswick County, and in 1748 the entire county of Southampton was carved out of it.

In the American Civil War, Company F of the 61st Virginia Infantry Regiment of the Confederate Army was called the "Isle of Wight Avengers."

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 363 sqmi, of which 316 sqmi is land and 47 sqmi (13.0%) is water.

The county is bounded by the James River on the north and the Blackwater River to the south. The land is generally low-lying, with many swamps and pocosins.

Adjacent counties and independent cities

• Newport News, Virginia — northeast
• Suffolk, Virginia — southeast
• Southampton County — west
• Franklin, Virginia — southwest
• Surry County — northwest

Major highways

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900–1990 1990-2000 2010–2020

Racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 38,606. The median age was 44.9 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.4 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 69.2% White, 22.4% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.2% from some other race, and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.1% of the population.

41.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 58.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 15,268 households in the county, of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 23.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 16,441 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.9% were owner-occupied and 21.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

2010 Census

As of the census of 2024, there were 40,942 people, 15,426 households, residing in the county. The population density was 122.3 PD/sqmi. There were 17,566 housing units at an average density of 38 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 72.2% White, 23% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American,1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.0% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 4.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,426 households, out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 20.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.40% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 29.60% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 91.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,387, and the median income for a family was $52,597. Males had a median income of $37,853 versus $22,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,235. About 6.60% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.80% of those under age 18 and 11.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Board of Supervisors

• D5: Don Rosie (I)
• D3: Rudolph Jefferson (I)
• D2: Thomas J. Distefano (I)
• D1: Renee K. Rountree (I)
• D4: Joel Acree (I)

Constitutional officers

• Clerk of the Circuit Court: Laura E. Smith (I)
• Commissioner of the Revenue: Gerald H. Gwaltney (I)
• Commonwealth's Attorney: Georgette Phillips (I)
• Sheriff: James R. Clarke, Jr. (I)
• Treasurer: Julie Slye (I)

State and federal elected officials

House of Delegates:

• Nadarius Clark (D-84)
• Otto Wachsmann (R-83) Senate:
• Emily Jordan (R-17)

U.S. House of Representatives:

• Jen Kiggans (R-VA 02)

Politics

Isle of Wight County has supported Republican presidential candidates in every election Reagan's 1984 landslide. Prior to this, it leaned heavily Democratic, only voting Republican twice after 1910 (in 1928 and 1972, both of which were national landslides), although Republican candidate Dwight Eisenhower only lost it by 26 votes in 1956.

Public services

Blackwater Regional Library is the regional library system that provides services to the citizens of Isle of Wight.

Communities

Towns

• Smithfield
• Windsor

Census-designated places

• Benns Church
• Camptown
• Carrollton
• Carrsville
• Rushmere

Other unincorporated communities

• Battery Park
• Burwell's Bay
• Central Hill
• Comet
• Indika
• Isle of Wight
• Lawson
• Mogart's Beach
• Pons
• Raynor
• Rescue
• Stott
• Walters
• Wills Corner
• Zuni

Gallery

Image:Smithfield_colonial_courthouse.JPG|The 1750 courthouse on Main Street in Smithfield. Image:Smithfield_colonial_tavern.JPG|The 1752 tavern on Main Street, now operated as the Smithfield Inn. Image:Boykins_Tavern,_Isle_of_Wight_County,_VA.jpg|Boykin's Tavern, next to the 1800 courthouse. Image:St._Luke%27s_Chruch,_Isle_of_Wight_County,_VA.jpg|St. Luke's Church, built circa 1632.

References

References

1. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
2. "Isle of Wight County, Virginia".
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. "America and West Indies: March 1676." ''Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies'': Volume 9, 1675-1676 and Addenda 1574-1674. Ed. W Noel Sainsbury. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1893. 355-365. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/cal-state-papers/colonial/america-west-indies/vol9/pp355-365 British History Online] Retrieved June 5, 2019.
5. "Historic St. Luke's Church".
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8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
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12. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Isle of Wight County, Virginia".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
15. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
16. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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18. "Isle of Wight, VA".
19. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".