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The SOUTH-CENTRAL LOOP of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Heritage Trail goes from commerce to history ... with lots of beautiful farmland in between. Start and end anywhere on the loop. Use the loop map to help find your way. |
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Town of Exmore Located on US Highway 13, just south of the County line. Located in the center of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Exmore (population 1,136), boasts a small town flavor with big town plans. Downtown Exmore is now a mixture of antique malls, interesting shops, offices, light manufacturing, and farmers market. When the New York, Pennsylvania and Norfolk Railroad decided to build a line through the Eastern Shore, towns and villages were built around the stations. The original stations were (from north to south): New Church, Hallston (now Hallwood), Metompkin (now Parksley), Accomac (now Tasley), Pungoteague (now Keller), Exmore, Birdsnest, Eastville and Cape Charles. More stations were added later. The railroad was completed on October 25, 1884 and on December 12 of that year a post office opened in Exmore. There is some debate over how Exmore got its name. The popular story is that the town was called "Xmore" because it was the tenth station south of the Delaware State line. During the late 1800's and 1900's Exmore became a business and shipping center for area farmers. Farmers depended on the railroad to get their produce to market so the town became filled with wagons and trucks loaded with fresh fruit and vegetables. The railroad was also an important transportation line for passengers moving along the eastern seaboard. Hotels were built near many stations. One of the first large buildings in Exmore was Shield's Hotel. Shield's was located on what is today the corner of Bank and Front Streets. |
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Willis Wharf From Main Street in downtown Exmore, take Willis Wharf Road east. The road ends in Willis Wharf. The drive from Exmore to Willis Wharf is short and sweet. You'll pass farm fields and tidy homes on the way to the seaside port. Willis Wharf is a pretty little town from which you can view the seaside marshes. Aquaculture and seafood businesses line the waterfront. At the southern end of town is a nice marina and boat ramp. Stop for lunch on the porch at the restaurant across from the post office. Aerial view of Willis Wharf. |
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Brownsville Seaside Farm From Willis Wharf, go back toward Exmore on Willis Wharf Road, but turn left onto Seaside Road. Drive south about 4.5 miles. Turn left onto Brownsville Road. The Brownsville Seaside Farm is at the end of the road. Brownsville is an approximately 1,200 acre seaside farm located near Nassawadox. The headquarters of The Nature Conservancy's Virginia Coast Reserve is located there. Visitors are welcome to call the office at 757-442-3049 or stop in for more information during regular business hours 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. The historic house at the farm is a private residence. The Nature Conservancy owns 14 of the barrier islands along our Atlantic Coast. In the 1960s, developers purchased one of the islands with the intent of building a seaside resort. In response, The Nature Conservancy helped put together a coalition to purchase the islands to prevent coastal development and preserve habitat. Today the staff conducts research and ecological management, such as eelgrass and oyster restoration projects, on and around the barrier islands, while working with local people to preserve the coast from future development. Current land protection programs include acquiring conservation easements on mainland farms, working with state and federal agencies to expand refuges, and working to preserve key habitat on the Shore's southern tip and Chesapeake Bay shore. The Conservancy recently expanded its program area offshore to the Continental Shelf as part of its ambitious goal to establish the Virginia Coast Reserve as a platform site for marine conservation. |
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Town of Nassawadox From the Brownsville Seaside Farm, go back out Brownsville Road to Seasdie Road. Turn left (south). Turn right onto Franktown Road and you're in Nassawadox. The Town of Nassawadox ("the land between two waters") is the hub of medical care on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Shore Memorial Hospital and numerous medical offices are located in town. Other attractions are a variety of shops, restaurants, services and offices. Shore Memorial Hospital is the Shore's only hospital, first constructed in 1927. Nassawadox was first settled by a Quaker, William Robertson in 1659. Nassawadox rose to local prominence as a center of trade due to the sawmill located in town. It's location on the railroad and on US Highway 13 have helped the town remain prosperous. There are a restaurant and shops in town to serve visitors. |
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Hungars Episcopal Church From Nassawadox, cross US Highway 13, going west on Franktown Road. Turn left at Bayside Road (Rt 618). Go about 3.5 miles. The Church is on the left. It is a large brick structure set back from the road. Present building constructed in 1742 and restored in 1851 and again in 2001. This church owns one of the few complete sets of colonial communion silver in existence, consisting of a chalice, paten, flagon and bason, each engraved with "IHS". The set was given to the Chuch by John Custis of Williamsburg and dates to 1742-43. Other treasures include a cassock of black taffeta and a white surplice from the 1800s and altar cloth of eyelet embroidery with "1749" on it; a prayer book of 1758 and a Bible of 1753. Hungars Parish also holds the record of being the longest church ever built in colonial Virginia. Listed on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. |
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Barrier Islands Center From Hungars Church, go south on Bayside Road about 3.5 miles. Turn left on Young Street. The entrance to the Barrier Island Center is on the left. The Eastern Shore Of Virginia Barrier Islands Center preserves and perpetuates the culture and history of the islands through education, collection of artifacts, and interpretation of this unusual coastal way of life. The barrier islands have a colorful past, complete with stories of pirates, revolutionary war battles, dramatic shipwrecks, and a hearty breed of independent men and women. The museum is housed in former County Almshouse. Listed on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. A long, narrow chain of islands parallels the Eastern Shore of Virginia Atlantic coastline, separated from the mainland by shallow bays. These 18 barrier islands are a defining characteristic of our region. They provide protection from storms, habitat for wildlife, beaches for recreation, and even a launch range for rockets. Assateague Island is a National Seashore and our northernmost barrier island. It offers public beach access by car and is the home of the wild ponies made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague book and movie. Wallops Island is the next island south, and it has the unique distinction of being a rocket launch, research, and training location for NASA and the U.S. Navy. Most of the other barrier islands are owned by the government or the Nature Conservancy and are protected from development as valuable habitat for birds and other wildlife. |
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Indiantown Park From the Barrier Island Center, cross US Highway 13 to Machipongo Drive. Turn right on Seaside Road. Go 4.5 miles. Turn left onto Indiantown Road and follow it to its end. This county park provides good woodland habitat for spring and fall migrant songbirds, and has a lengthy trail that makes an enjoyable walk. The large multi-purpose park has a baseball diamond and soccer field. A grassy trail provides access to the woodlands. Eastern bluebirds have been spotted along open area edges in the summer. The park's woodlands and margins also attract a variety of colorful insects including butterflies and the forktail, a tiny but colorful damselfly that is quite rare in the southeastern United States. |
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Town of Eastville From Indiantown Park, go back out Indiantown Road. Continue straight; cross US Highway 13. The road ends at Courthouse Road in the center of Eastville. Historic Eastville (population 203) was established in about 1715 as the Northampton County seat. A charming courthouse green invites the visitor to explore the surrounding buildings. Interesting historic homes surround the government complex in town. Northampton County was one of the eight original shires of Virginia, and its courthouse at Eastville contains the oldest continuous court records in the United States (dating from 1632). The courthouse complex, listed on both the Virginia and National Registers of Historic Places, is unusual in retaining its early inn, a part of which dates back to 1724. The Declaration of Independence was proclaimed at the door of the courthouse in Eastville on August 13th, 1776. Another historic and architectural landmark in Eastville is Christ Church, built in 1828. The Communion Service (flagon, chalice and paten) in Christ Church was given in 1741 by John Custis of Arlington, father-in-law of Martha Custis, whose second husband was George Washington. The hand-wrought silver alms basin was presented by Lt. Gov. Francis Nicholson who came to Virginia in 1690 and was one of the Founders of the College of William and Mary. |
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Eastville Inn On Courthouse Road in downtown Eastville. Built in 1724 with additions and modifications over the decades, the Eastville Inn remained a popular and well-known hostelry and restaurant until the 1950's, with a restaurant operating intermittently until 1993. In 1994, together with local organizations, the County was successful in obtaining federal grant money through the Virginia Department of Transportation to renovate the inn. The renovation of the exterior and first floor interior of the Eastville Inn was completed in 2000. There is a period garden in the courtyard between the Inn and the adjacent County administrative offices. A restaurant operates in the Inn, and should be on the list of places to try for any visitor to the Eastern Shore. |
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Northampton Courthouse On Courthouse Road in downtown Eastville. For three hundred years courthouses and court records have been an integral part of the history of Eastville, county seat of Northampton County, Virginia. In 1731 the court awarded the contract for a new courthouse to John Marshall, to be built of brick laid up in Flemish bond at the cost of 50,000 pounds of tobacco. This is the present Old Courthouse, though altered somewhat from its original size (it formerly measured approximately 35 by 23 feet) and from its original site, which was in the area of the Confederate monument on the Court Green. The Clerk's Office nearby, also of brick, dates after 1750, probably some time in the third quarter of the 18th century. To get back to Exmore: go north on US Highway 13. To go to the Southern Loop of the Heritage Trail: go south on US Highway 13 to Eyrehall Drive. Turn right to visit the Eyre Hall gardens. |
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