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35-559: 37°53′24″N 76°14′11″W  /  37.89013°N 76.23633°W  / 37.89013; -76.23633 This Northumberland County, Virginia state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Northumberland County, Virginia 37°52′N 76°23′W  /  37.86°N 76.38°W  / 37.86; -76.38 Northumberland County

70-634: A commonwealth constitutional officer elected every four years, with support from the Virginia State Police . The Northumberland County Sheriff's Office is located in Heathsville. The current Sheriff is John A. “Johnny” Beauchamp. Northumberland County has two courthouses: an antebellum building and a new building constructed in the late 1990s behind the older structure. The county courts (Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court), along with

105-406: A pie. The name of the river comes from an Algonquian word, lappihanne (also recorded as toppehannock ), meaning "river of quick, rising water" or "where the tide ebbs and flows," the name used by the local Rappahannock tribe . In 2018 it became one of the federally recognized tribes in Virginia. Although a few small hamlets developed along the lower Rappahannock during early colonial times,

140-623: A productive oyster and crab fishery. Above Fredericksburg, the Rappahannock provides fine opportunities for recreational canoeing and kayaking . Most of the rapids are Class I and Class II in difficulty, but, near Remington, there are some rapids that are considered to be Class III. The river's watershed is protected in various places as parcels of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge . The oysters that thrive in

175-539: A protein additive for poultry feed. Located at the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 360 , Reedville is a popular place to begin fishing charters and trips to Tangier Island in the Bay. Reedville is also a tourist destination itself, steeped in the history of the menhaden fishing industry. The Millionaire's Row of Victorian Era mansions and several watercraft of the Reedville Fishermen's Museum are listed on

210-645: A river from the sea. Spotswood encouraged settlement in a river valley other than that of the James. In 1714, he began recruiting Protestant immigrants from the Rhineland-Palatinate and Switzerland to homestead on lands he controlled near the confluence of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan. Known as the Germanna settlement(s), these villages were founded in order to exploit the iron ore deposits of

245-630: A tribe as, landless, they disappeared from the historical record. Descendants of the last weroance are working to regain recognition as a tribe, the Wicocomico Indian Nation. Descendants of the Patawomeck achieved tribal recognition from the state of Virginia in February 2010. The size of the county was drastically reduced in 1651 and 1653 when the colonial government organized Lancaster and Westmoreland counties from it. Of

280-793: Is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia . At the 2020 census , the population was 11,839. Its county seat is Heathsville . The county is located on the Northern Neck and is part of the Northern Neck George Washington Birthplace AVA winemaking appellation . The area was occupied at the time of English settlement by the Algonquian -speaking historic tribes of the Wicocomico , Chickacoan, and Patawomeck . The county

315-653: Is home to the Atlantic menhaden fishing industry. It is named for Captain Elijah W. Reed (1827-1888), who is credited with bringing the menhaden fishing industry, and the tremendous wealth that resulted from it, to Reedville—and to Northumberland County in general. Dozens of fish-processing factories , most recently Omega Protein Corporation (successor to Zapata Haynie, Reedville Oil and Guano Company and Haynie Products Company) and Standard Products Company, have dotted

350-462: Is joined from the right by the Rapidan River , its largest tributary . The Rappahannock passes through the city of Fredericksburg . Southeast of Fredericksburg, the river begins to slow and widens into a brackish tidal estuary approximately 50 miles (80 km) long. It passes two small, important historic, river towns, Port Royal and Port Conway , which developed opposite each other,

385-599: Is water. The county is located between the Rappahannock River to the south and Potomac River to the north. Chesapeake Bay is immediately east of the county. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 12,259 people, 5,470 households, and 3,785 families residing in

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420-824: The Chesapeake Bay , south of the Potomac River . An important river in American history, the Rappahannock was long an area of occupation by indigenous peoples, including the Rappahannock Tribe . Similarly, during the colonial era, early settlements in the Virginia Colony were formed along the river. During the American Civil War , due to the river's acting as a barrier to north–south troop movements, it effectively functioned as

455-721: The National Register of Historic Places . Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia , in the United States, approximately 195 miles (314 km) in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west where it rises, across the Piedmont to the Fall Line , and onward through the coastal plain to flow into

490-416: The 172 counties that have ever existed in Virginia's history, Northumberland ended up being an "ancestor" to 116 of these—more than the current 95 counties (several were lost to other states, such as West Virginia ). According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 286 square miles (740 km ), of which 191 square miles (490 km ) is land and 94 square miles (240 km ) (33.0%)

525-526: The Chesapeake Bay approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of the mouth of the Potomac River and approximately 60 miles (97 km) east of the state capital, Richmond . At the point where the river enters the bay, between Windmill Point, on the north, and Stingray Point , on the south, it is more than 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide. This estuary , south of the Northern Neck peninsula, is

560-857: The Clerk of the Circuit Court and the Commonwealth's Attorney, both commonwealth constitutional officers, are located in the new building. The Commissioner of Revenue and the County Treasurer, both commonwealth constitutional officers, have offices in the older building. The county is served by two fire departments, Callao Volunteer Fire Department in Callao and Fairfields Volunteer Fire Department with buildings in Reedville and Burgess (on Glebe Point). There are four rescue squads that serve

595-562: The Northumberland coastline near Reedville and adjacent fishing communities. Today, Omega Protein remains the largest industrial organization in the area. Omega, with a fleet of large oceangoing fish-harvesting vessels, supported by a number of spotter aircraft, is a major industry in the area and on the Eastern seaboard . Menhaden, once caught, are cooked in large mass and processed for further use in various applications, including as

630-552: The Wicocomico and Chickacoan tribes to merge and by 1655, assigned them a reservation of 4,400 acres (18 km ) near Dividing Creek, south of the Great Wicomico River . The Patawomeck Tribe was hunted nearly to extinction in 1666, and survived only by intermarriage. By the early 1700s, the Wicocomico tribe was greatly reduced, and English colonists took control of their lands. They were believed to be extinct as

665-428: The age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.70. In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.60% under

700-469: The age of 18, 4.80% from 18 to 24, 20.20% from 25 to 44, 30.10% from 45 to 64, and 26.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.20 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 88.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 38,129, and the median income for a family was $ 49,047. Males had a median income of $ 30,151 versus $ 24,116 for females. The per capita income for

735-621: The boundary of the eastern theater of the war, between the "North" (the Union ) and the "South" (the Confederate States of America ). It was at the center of a major theater of battle where tens of thousands of troops fought against each other. In this period some 10,000 enslaved African Americans escaped to freedom across the river to Union lines, after the first Battle of Fredericksburg . The river drains an area of 2,848 square miles (7,380 km ), approximately 6% of Virginia. Much of

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770-417: The county was $ 22,917. 12.30% of the population and 8.10% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 17.00% are under the age of 18 and 10.70% are 65 or older. Supervisors of Northumberland county are: The County Administrator is E. Luttrell Tadlock. There is no police department in the county. Instead, law enforcement is the responsibility of the county Sheriff ,

805-518: The county. Northumberland Elementary, Middle, and High School all share the same campus. The Middle and High school students share the High School building while the Elementary students have their own dedicated building on campus . The Superintendent is Dr. Holly Wargo. Reedville is a small village in eastern Northumberland County on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay . Reedville

840-515: The county. The population density was 64 people per square mile (25 people/km ). There were 8,057 housing units at an average density of 42 units per square mile (16 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 72.18% White , 26.58% Black or African American , 0.15% Native American , 0.20% Asian , 0.33% from other races , and 0.56% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 5,470 households, out of which 20.11% had children under

875-400: The county: Northumberland Emergency Services, Callao Volunteer Rescue Squad in Callao, Mid-County Volunteer Rescue Squad in Heathsville, and Northumberland County Rescue Squad in Reedville and Burgess. Smith Point Sea Rescue performs water, largely boat, rescues in the mid-Chesapeake Bay area, including Northumberland County. Northumberland County Public Schools instructs about 1200 students in

910-559: The estuary of the Rappahannock River are the least salty oysters of the East Coast. They are renowned for their sweet and smooth flavor, described as almost buttery. The low salinity allows a Blue Ridge minerality to come through. These oysters are known for being good to consume with wine. The nutritious oysters were eaten on a large scale in 19th-century Washington. They were served fresh, grilled, stewed, or as part of

945-508: The first burgess for the territory in the House of Burgesses , which met at the capital of the Virginia Colony at Jamestown . The county was formed from a part of York County . The land between the Potomac River and the York River was formed into Northumberland County officially in 1648, prior to the creation of Westmoreland County and Lancaster County . The colonial court ordered

980-437: The former on the south bank, the latter on the north. The last navigable points for ocean-going ships, they were early ports for the export of tobacco, the major commodity crop. As it flows past Tappahannock on its southern bank, the river is well over a mile wide. The last settlements of any size before it reaches the Chesapeake Bay are Irvington , Urbanna , Stingray Point , and White Stone Beach . The broad river enters

1015-522: The region. During the War of 1812 , the Battle of Rappahannock River was fought on the river. Seventeen British boats filled with hundreds of marines and sailors captured four American privateers . During the American Civil War , the river, with few convenient fords and fewer bridges, provided a barrier and defensive line behind which movements of troops could be accomplished with little fear of attack from

1050-485: The river was finally circumvented by General Ulysses S. Grant in the Wilderness (or Overland) Campaign of 1864, ending in the ultimate Union victory. During and after the first battle at Fredericksburg in late December 1862, about 10,000 enslaved African Americans from area plantations and the city reached for their futures, crossing the river to gain freedom behind Union lines. This exodus and its "Trail of Freedom"

1085-454: The river-side flank. It was an especially difficult barrier for Union troops to overcome in their attempts to thrust into southern Virginia, as they were vulnerable to attack while trying to cross the river on temporary bridges. Control of the river changed hands many times during the course of the war. Significant battles fought along the river include the Battle of Fredericksburg and two Battles of Rappahannock Station . The defensive line at

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1120-410: The settlement of the Rappahannock River valley began in earnest during the first years of the eighteenth century, at the urging of Governor Alexander Spotswood . The James River had been surveyed up to its fall line , the point where, geologically, continental bedrock of the Piedmont meets the sedimentary rocks and alluvial soils of the coastal plain. It is usually the last navigable portion of

1155-623: The watershed is rural and forested. Development in the area has increased since the late 20th century with the southward expansion of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. suburbs. The Rappahannock River rises at Chester Gap , a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains a few miles southeast of Front Royal, Virginia , near the single point where Warren , Fauquier , and Rappahannock counties come together. (Source Coordinates 38°49'40.1"N 78°06'08.8"W.) It flows southeastward, past Remington , Kelly's Ford , and Richardsville , before it

1190-530: Was commemorated in 2010 by installation of historical markers on both sides of the river, in Fredericksburg and in Stafford County. The exodus to freedom is now celebrated in an annual re-enactment starting in Fredericksburg. In some 18th- and 19th-century documents, including some Civil War records, the Rappahannock River was referred to as "Hedgeman's River". A 1736–1737 survey labeled

1225-551: Was created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1648 during a period of rapid population growth and geographic expansion. Settlement began in this area of the Northern Neck around 1635. Originally, known as the Indian district Chickacoan , the area was first referred to as Northumberland (a namesake of Northumberland County, England) in the colonial records in 1644. The following year, John Mottrom served as

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