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89-683: Construction began in 2006 and completed to Jamestown in October 2015. With the Williamsburg extension, the trail extends approximately 62 miles (100 km), and attracted 1.2 million users in 2021. The VCT largely parallels Virginia Route 5 , a Virginia Scenic Byway , with its own physically separated, asphalt-paved lane — including on the Dresser Bridge over the Chickahominy River . Its zero mile marker at Jamestown

178-710: A Democratic politician in the Jim Crow South, Arnold promised to "deal with all Virginians fairly", whatever their ethnicity. He was endorsed by Arthur Wergs Mitchell , the first black American to be elected to the United States Congress as a Democrat. Arnold ultimately lost the Democratic primary to John S. Battle , who won the gubernatorial election. Even after the Great Migration of many blacks to northern jobs and cities, Petersburg

267-590: A daily average of 300. In 2003, Virginia's Secretary of Transportation (now former state delegate), Whitt Clement , a Danville, Virginia native, noticed the Danville Riverwalk Trail benefited the local economy. Clement developed financial support for the VCT, an idea that been developing for more than a dozen years, and developed bipartisan support to have an area adjacent to Route 5 surveyed. He subsequently founded Virginia Capital Trail Foundation ,

356-532: A kind of blueprint for the national civil rights movement. Beginning in the 1950s black Americans in Petersburg struggled to desegregate public schools and facilities. In 1958 the City Council closed Wilcox Lake, a popular swimming hole in Petersburg to prevent the lake's public recreational area from being racially integrated. It never re-opened to swimming. Through sit-ins in the bus terminal in 1960,

445-691: A mostly agricultural state with few major cities. Starting in 1813, the city paved its streets, which helped attract business. In 1816 the Upper Appomattox Canal Company completed the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System to bypass the Appomattox Falls, which facilitated traffic up and down river to Farmville as well as powered cotton and flour mills. Petersburg responded to the silting-up of its Appomattox River port by building

534-399: A new campus there. This is the site of the present-day Central State Hospital , which provides a variety of mental health services. In 1894 a fireworks factory exploded killing eleven people. The limitations of Petersburg's small geographic area and proximity to Richmond are structural problems that have hampered it in adapting to major economic changes in the 20th century. Other forces in

623-647: A nonpartisan advocacy partner to provide expertise, raise public awareness, seek funding and contributions as well as to promote the trail. The project received the support of the state's four successive Virginia governors. According to the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation, the trail generated $ 8.9 million in economic activity in fiscal year 2018–19, and in 2020 had 1.2 million visitors, an increase of 42% over 2019. The only other multimodal path in Virginia to receive more visitors annually

712-718: A peninsula on the north shore of the Appomattox River ) became the area's free black residential area. With access to waterways and a population sympathetic to refugee slaves, this neighborhood was an important site on the Underground Railroad . During the Antebellum period Petersburg became the slave states' eleventh largest city, and 49th among all American cities in industrial development. Commission merchants (39 firms by 1860) bought agricultural products from nearby Dinwiddie County as well as points to

801-552: A substantial business community, based on manufacture of tobacco products, cotton and flour and banking. At the time of the American Civil War , Petersburg was the second-largest city in Virginia after the capital, Richmond, and the seventh-largest city in the Confederacy. Petersburg's population had the highest percentage of free black Americans of any city in the Confederacy and the largest number of free blacks in

890-704: Is directly adjacent to Jamestown Settlement and near the foot of the Colonial Parkway — a scenic road linking Jamestown , Williamsburg and Yorktown . The trail, which crosses Route 5 at marked intersections, ranges in width from eight to ten feet (2.4 to 3.0 m) and is dedicated exclusively to non-motorized pedestrian and bicycle use, with a vegetation barrier separating it from the automobile road. Many sections pass through woods, and terrain varies from mostly flat near Jamestown to mostly rolling hills near Richmond, and includes about 30 wood bridges crossing streams and marshy areas. At Varina , near Richmond,

979-793: Is part of the 4,228-mile TransAmerica Trail as well as the Historic Coastal Route of the East Coast Greenway . In 2016, the VCT won the Urban Land Institute 's Lingerfelt Award for Best Overall Project and the ULI's award for Best Community Impact — as well as Virginia Commonwealth University 's Excellence in Virginia Government Public-Private Partnership Award. In 2017, the trail received

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1068-593: Is the Virginia Beach oceanfront boardwalk. Mileage is signaled in single mile markers along the trail in seven groups, color coded to sections which roughly reflect construction phases, here listed from Jamestown to Richmond: Despite the VCTF's desire to connect Richmond and Williamsburg, the VCT currently has its eastern terminus in Jamestown, and does not extend to Williamsburg. Users can reach Williamsburg by

1157-724: The 18th Corps , attacked the Dimmock Line , a series of defensive breastworks constructed to protect Petersburg. General Robert E. Lee arrived with his Army of Northern Virginia , and the 292-day Siege of Petersburg began. Due to botched Union leadership and arrival of Confederate General William Mahone , the Union forces suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of the Crater , suffering over 4,000 casualties. In early April 1865, Union troops finally managed to push their left flank to

1246-491: The American Civil War (1861–1865), because of this railroad network, Petersburg became critical to Union plans to capture the Confederate States national capital established early in the war at Richmond. The 1864–65 Siege of Petersburg , which included the Battle of the Crater and nine months of trench warfare devastated the city. Battlefield sites are partly preserved as Petersburg National Battlefield by

1335-656: The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the final British drive to regain control of the colony led to the Battle of Blanford in April 1781, which started just east of Petersburg. As Virginia militia retreated north across the Appomattox River, they took up the planks of the wooden Pocahontas bridge to delay the enemy. Although the British captured Blanford and Petersburg, they did not regain

1424-521: The Colony of Virginia in 1634 by King Charles I of England . These are James City County , Charles City County , and Henrico County , moving from east to west as the area was developed in the colonial period. Some of the larger and older of the extant James River Plantations are along the route. None is owned by any government. Houses and/or grounds are generally open daily to visitors, with various admission fees applicable. From west to east, these are

1513-607: The Hampton Roads harbor and the Atlantic Ocean ). In 1645, the Virginia House of Burgesses ordered Fort Henry built, which attracted both traders and settlers to the area. The Town of Petersburg, chartered by the Virginia legislature in 1748, incorporated three early settlements, and in 1850 the legislature elevated it to city status. Petersburg grew as a transportation hub and also developed industry. It

1602-729: The Mid-Atlantic . This was part of a drive to improve public education that started with the Reconstruction legislature. In 1888, its first president, John Mercer Langston , was elected to the US Congress on the Republican ticket, the first black American to be elected to Congress from Virginia. In 1882, the state legislature also authorized moving the mental asylum facility to the Mayfield Farm and developing

1691-636: The National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior . Petersburg rebuilt its railroads, including a connecting terminal by 1866, although it never quite regained its economic position because much shipping traffic would continue to the Norfolk seaport. After the consolidations of smaller railroads, both the CSX and Norfolk Southern railway networks serve Petersburg. Petersburg has

1780-570: The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad in 1835, and three years later it opened between Petersburg's Pocahontas neighborhood and Richmond's Manchester neighborhood, proving a more convenient and cheaper link than the Manchester Turnpike. The legislature in 1846 chartered Southside Railroad to Farmville and Lynchburg to the west. It would run 124 miles westward and supersede the technologically outdated Upper Appomattox Canal and acquire

1869-486: The Shirley Plantation , Edgewood Plantation, Berkeley Plantation , Westover Plantation , Evelynton Plantation , Belle Air Plantation, Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation , North Bend Plantation and Sherwood Forest Plantation . The first piece of SR 5 was added to the state highway system in 1923, a portion of the road running west from Charles City for 18.5 miles (29.8 km) toward Richmond , and

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1958-661: The United States Army 's Sustainment Center of Excellence , and the Army's Logistics Branch, Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation Corps. Archaeological excavations at Pocahontas Island found evidence of a prehistoric Native American settlement dated to 6,500 BCE , the early third of the Archaic Period (8,000 to 1,000 BCE). Succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area for thousands of years before European exploration and colonization. When

2047-483: The 1880s, a coalition of black Republicans and white Populists held power for several years in the state legislature. This resulted in two major public institutions in Petersburg, as the legislature invested for education and welfare. In 1882, the legislature founded Virginia State University in nearby Ettrick as Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. It was one of the first public (fully state-supported) four-year historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in

2136-639: The 1950s, Petersburg became the southern terminus of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike , predating the U.S. Interstate Highway System . Since that time, Petersburg has struggled in competition with nearby Richmond, as the capital has grown to dominate the region in a changing economy as industries restructured. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Virginia's Democratic Party –dominated legislature approved constitutional changes that effectively disenfranchised most blacks and many poor whites. Those disfranchised suffered major losses in

2225-541: The 1960s, many middle-class families moved to newer housing in the predominantly white suburbs. They also moved to the Richmond metro area, where the economy was expanding with jobs in new fields of financial and retail services. Some companies shifted industrial jobs to states further south, where wages were lower, or overseas. The declining economy increased the pressure of competition and racial tensions in Petersburg. These flared from 1968 until 1980, when black members of

2314-527: The 20th century, these and other black churches were leaders in the national Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s-1960s. Richard Bland College , now a junior college , was originally established here as a branch of Williamsburg's famed College of William and Mary . Petersburg remains a transportation hub. Area highways include Interstate Highways 85 , 95 , and U.S. Route highways with 1 , 301 , and 460 . Both CSX and Norfolk Southern rail systems maintain transportation centers at Petersburg. Amtrak serves

2403-598: The 8 mile long City Point Railroad , which linked the city to City Point on the James River, reachable by larger Chesapeake Bay and Norfolk -bound ships. During the same decade Petersburg became a railroad center. The Virginia and North Carolina legislatures authorized the 65-mile long Petersburg and Weldon Railroad , in 1830 (three years after the first American railway, the B.& O. ) and its "Southern depot" began handling (mostly freight) traffic to Weldon, North Carolina in 1833. The Virginia legislature authorized

2492-655: The Appomattox Railroad in 1854. Petersburg business interests for years managed to block a charter for the last major line, the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad , which was completed in 1858. It connected Petersburg to the Atlantic Ocean port of Norfolk and would foster more growth in that city than Petersburg itself. In 1851 the city introduced gaslights and by 1857 installed a new municipal water system. All these civic improvements helped attract and hold

2581-500: The Arnold Pen Company, at the time one of the largest manufacturers of fountain pens , launched a campaign for Governor of Virginia. As a Petersburg city councilman, Arnold had pushed through a budgetary increase earmarked for equality and fair access for public housing and recreational facilities for everyone, including people of color, and increased budgetary considerations for the black schools in Petersburg. Unusually for

2670-522: The City Council accused the white Mayor of racism over a re-districting plan which they and the ACLU alleged was designed to allow whites to maintain white supremacy in the city. For decades, the city government was run by a small group of white businessmen and bankers. Most were wealthy enough to own homes in the exclusive Walnut Hill neighborhood and their interrelated families had been established there for generations. In 1980 one black councilwoman described

2759-577: The Colonial Parkway or other routes without a dedicated pedestrian or bike lane. A dedicated trail connecting mile marker zero of the VCT and Williamsburg is under study as the Birthplace of America Trail (BoAT) — envisioned as two, thirty mile trails connecting the VTC with both a proposed South Hampton Roads Trail and a trail to Fort Monroe . Another expansion is planned to connect to

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2848-601: The English arrived in Virginia in 1607, the region was occupied by the Appamatuck , a significant tribe of the Powhatan Confederacy . They were governed by a weroance , King Coquonosum , and by his sister, Queen Oppussoquionuske . This Algonquian -speaking people later had a town at Rohoic Creek (formerly known as Rohowick or Indian Towne Run). Present-day Petersburg developed to the east. Petersburg

2937-582: The Lynch and Callender mills at Ettick and Matoaca and Battersea across the Appomattox river, and the Merchant's Manufacturing Company had another mill at Campbell Bridge near Ettrick. Together those cotton mills constituted approximately a third of that industry in the state. The town also had three water-powered flour mills by 1860, and five iron foundries. The city became an important industrial center in

3026-677: The Mid-Atlantic region. When the Civil War began in 1861, Petersburg was strategic in supporting the Confederate effort. The city provided several infantry companies and artillery units to the Confederate Army, along with three troops of cavalry. In April 1861 more than 300 free black Americans of Petersburg volunteered to work on the fortifications of Norfolk, Virginia under their own leader. Slaveholders also contributed

3115-676: The PIA gained agreement by the president of the Bus Terminal Restaurants to desegregate lunch counters in Petersburg and several other cities. Virginia officials strongly opposed school integration following the 1954 US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. They initiated the program of Massive Resistance . For instance, rather than allow schools to be integrated, then Governor of Virginia , J. Lindsay Almond ordered

3204-528: The Petersburg City Schools, which had become predominantly black due to whites sending their children to private schools or moving to suburbs. Projected industrial development of large tracts of farmland in the annexed areas failed to take place. In 1985 Petersburg again sought to annex more land from Prince George County. This time the nearby City of Hopewell , a city that already had huge amounts of taxable industry within its borders, joined

3293-682: The Petersburg Volunteers—who distinguished themselves in action at the Siege of Fort Meigs on the Great Lakes frontier on May 5, 1813. Fourth President James Madison called Petersburg "Cockade of the Union" (which later was applied to the town as a nickname "Cockade City"), in honor of the cockades which Volunteers wore on their caps. Petersburg Blacks established the First Baptist (1774) and Gillfield Baptist Church (1797),

3382-530: The Petersburg city government as "our own little version of the Byrd Machine ", comparing it to the political organization led by segregationist Democrat , Harry Flood Byrd , that controlled Virginia politics for decades. In 1968, following the April assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. , Petersburg was the first city to designate his birthday as a holiday; in 1983 it would be memorialized as

3471-683: The Scenic Virginia Scenic Tourism Award . Virginia State Route 5 Virginia State Route 5 ( SR 5 ) is a primary state highway in the Commonwealth of Virginia . It runs between the independent cities of Richmond and Williamsburg . Between Charles City County and James City County , it crosses the Chickahominy River via the Judith Stewart Dresser Bridge , a fixed-span bridge which replaced historic Barrett's Ferry and

3560-481: The Upper Shirley Vineyards). 44 historical markers along the route describe 400 years of political, social, military, and economic history. Near Richmond the trail passes through an area of riverfront adaptive reuse developments where former industrial factories have been converted to loft apartments and offices. Before ending under flyovers of Interstate 95 near Richmond's Shockoe Bottom area,

3649-483: The VCT was largely purpose-built over 12 years as a multi-use trail, with a small portion near downtown Richmond converted from a previous rail bed. The trail cost approximately $ 75 million to construct — with approximately $ 70 million from federal funding and $ 5 million from state and local funding. VDOT maintains a system of seven realtime trail counters, which received 550,000 counts its first completed year and more than 1,4 million counts as of mid-2018 — with

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3738-476: The ability to exercise their rights as citizens. The legislature also instituted Jim Crow laws, including imposing racial segregation . With many black Americans having served the nation and cause of freedom in WWII, in the postwar years they pressed for social justice, an end to segregation, and restoration of voting power. In 1949 Petersburg businessman and politician, Remmie Arnold , the president and owner of

3827-609: The advantage of local freight haulers) before the American Civil War . In 1860, the city's industries and transportation combined to make it the state's second largest city (after Richmond). It connected commerce as far inland as Farmville, Virginia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Mountains chain, to shipping further east into the Chesapeake Bay and North Atlantic Ocean . During

3916-450: The annexation suit to try to annex commercial areas of Prince George County, including Fort Lee and suburban neighborhoods near the base where many military families live. Many residents of Prince George had relocated to stay within the county after the previous annexation by Petersburg. They were strongly opposed to another attempt by the cities to annex their neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Defense also expressed strong opposition to

4005-411: The citizens of Petersburg, black and white alike, since the mid-1960s, as a necessary measure to allow the city of expand its tax base and its potential for growth and development. The city argued to the counties that it was better prepared to provide municipal-type services than the predominantly rural counties and that the city needed more land for expected new development. The annexation was opposed by

4094-417: The city of Colonial Heights ) with Dinwiddie County for statistical purposes. The city is 21 miles (34 km) south of the commonwealth (state) capital city of Richmond . It is located at the fall line (the head of navigation of rivers on the U.S. East Coast ) of the Appomattox River (a tributary of the longer larger James River which flows east to meet the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at

4183-472: The city with daily Northeast Regional passenger trains to Norfolk, Virginia , and long-distance routes from states to the South. In the early 21st century, Petersburg civic leaders promote the city's historical attractions for heritage tourism, as well as industrial sites reachable by the transportation infrastructure. The federal government is also a major employer, with nearby Fort Gregg-Adams , as home of

4272-520: The city's largest manufacturer, closed a cigarette factory in town. De-industrialization, restructuring of railroads, and related national structural economic changes cost many jobs in the city, as happened in numerous older industrial cities across the North and Midwest. The post-World War II national construction of highways encouraged development outside cities and suburbanization added to problems. In addition, reacting to racial integration of schools in

4361-415: The compact core: these include indie restaurants, bars and coffee shops. The long-abandoned Walnut Mall, which closed in the early 1990s, has been demolished. The Army has expanded activities at nearby Fort Gregg-Adams, home of the United States Army 's Sustainment Center of Excellence . The Army's Logistics Branch, Ordnance, Quartermaster, and the Transportation Corps moved there from Fort Eustis following

4450-522: The county and city governments that have had negative impact on regional cooperation. Prince George County is predominantly white while the city of Petersburg is roughly four-fifths black. These strained relationships have slowed regional progress and eroded business confidence, hampering economic development in the region to the present day. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, numerous remaining retail merchants, including Thalhimers , JC Penney , and Sears Roebuck , left older shopping areas in Petersburg for

4539-435: The county governments, who lost most of their commercial tax base, as well as the residents of the annexed suburban areas. Following the annexation, blacks realized that the annexations had added 8,000 new white residents. City council members were then elected at-large, requiring majority approval for each seat. Black civil rights organizations challenged the annexations in court, saying these were motivated to illegally dilute

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4628-447: The early 1950s when they were both in divinity school in New York state. In 1957 they co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an important force for leadership of the movement in the South. Walker also founded the Petersburg Improvement Association (PIA), modeled on the Montgomery Improvement Association in Alabama . According to Walker and other close associates of King, Petersburg had played an important role,

4717-402: The federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day , becoming a true national holiday when South Carolina became the last state to sign the observance into law. In an attempt to stem its economic decline, in 1971 the city completed steps begun in 1966 to annex 14 square miles of land from adjacent and predominantly white counties of Prince George and Dinwiddie. The annexation had been generally supported by

4806-473: The first and second oldest black congregations in the city and two of the oldest in the nation. These black churches were the first Baptist churches established in Petersburg. The Gillfield Baptist Church obtained title to its land in 1818 and in 1859 completed a $ 7000 brick structure; the Petersburg African Baptist Church also owned its own sanctuary and the community also organized burial and other benevolent societies. Many free blacks in Virginia migrated to

4895-443: The following years to explore points to the west, as far as the Appalachian Mountains . Around 1675, Wood's son-in-law, Peter Jones, who then commanded the fort and traded with the Indians, opened a trading post nearby, known as Peter's Point . The Kennon and Bolling families, prominent tobacco planters and traders, also lived in the area and engaged in local politics. In 1733, Col. William Byrd II (who founded Richmond at

4984-426: The former drawbridge . The entire length of SR 5 outside Richmond and Williamsburg is a Virginia Byway . Since 2015, the Virginia Capital Trail dedicated pedestrian and bicycle trail runs alongside the automobile highway. For much of its distance, SR 5 generally parallels the north bank of the James River , following the path of older colonial roads. It passes through three of the original eight shires created in

5073-571: The former SR 321 was extended 3.5 miles (5.6 km), the rest of the way to Richmond. SR 321/SR 41 was also extended west for 2.0 miles (3.2 km) in 1926, two more miles in 1927, and 5.4 miles (8.7 km) - the rest of the way to State Route 39 (now State Route 22 ) at Shadwell - in 1928. In Richmond, SR 41 initially used Broad Street, a hairpin turn through Chimborazo Park , Fulton Street, Williamsburg Road, Hatcher Street, Newton Road, and New Osborne Turnpike. State Route 39 from Shadwell west to Monterey , now U.S. Route 250 ,

5162-536: The growing urban community, despite increasing legislative restrictions. Until 1860 Petersburg was a majority black American city, although the enslaved population had few legal rights. Between 1850 and 1860, Petersburg's free black community increased 24%, although industrial growth fueled an even greater increase in the white population. Of the 18,366 people counted in Petersburg by federal census takers in 1860, 9,342 were white, 5,680 were slaves, and 3,244 free blacks. Thus in 1860, nearly 26% of all free persons were black,

5251-550: The highest proportion in any Southern city. Free Black men worked as tobacco twisters, in iron foundries, and as draymen, boatmen and cabdrivers, or in the skilled trades of mason, wheelwright, coopers and blacksmiths. Free Black women worked in tobacco factories as stemmers, or as washerwomen or seamstresses or laborers. Plantation owners also brought slaves for hire into the city. As in many other upper South cities, many white households had slaves, but more than 40% were enslaving just one servant. Pocahontas Island (actually usually

5340-505: The labor of numerous black slaves. In 1864, Petersburg became a target during the Overland Campaign of Union General Ulysses S. Grant . Its numerous railroads made the city a lifeline for Richmond, the Confederate capital. After his defeat at the Battle of Cold Harbor , Grant remained east of Richmond, crossed the James River and moved south to Petersburg. Grant intended to cut the rail lines into Petersburg, stopping Richmond's supplies. On June 9, troops led by William F. "Baldy" Smith of

5429-410: The mayor of Colonial Heights, James McNeer, met with Harris and members of his board to discuss job opportunities for blacks in the mall area. McNeer later became President of Richard Bland College . In the late 20th century, Petersburg worked to restore historic buildings and attract different kinds of stores and businesses to its historic center. During the 1993 Virginia tornado outbreak , Petersburg

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5518-460: The mid-20th century, such as industrial and railroad restructuring, reduced the number of jobs in the city. In addition, suburban development attracted people to newer housing outside the city. World wars led to major federal institutions being constructed near Petersburg, which created local jobs. Soon after World War I started, the US Army established Camp Lee just outside of Petersburg in Prince George County for training draftees. The facility

5607-451: The new Southpark Mall that opened in 1989 in adjacent, and predominantly white, Colonial Heights . A Miller & Rhoads store in Petersburg closed when the department store chain went out of business in 1990. The Ku Klux Klan had held marches in Colonial Heights. After the new shopping mall opened, blacks led by civil rights activist Curtis W. Harris and the SCLC boycotted Southpark Mall for about five years. The boycott ended after

5696-410: The new United States. After the war, in 1784 Petersburg annexed the adjacent towns of Blandford (also called Blanford), Pocahontas and the outlying town of Ravenscroft, which became neighborhoods of the larger city. An area known as Gillfield was annexed in 1798. Residents' devotion to the cause of America two decades later during the War of 1812 (1812–1815) led to the formation of the militia unit of

5785-444: The north, south and west and sold supplies. Petersburg's industrialists processed cotton , tobacco and metal, then shipped the resulting products out of the region. Richmond and Petersburg became the two largest tobacco towns in the world, with Richmond selling 61% of the state's tobacco in 1861, and Petersburg 23%. Petersburg's cotton industry relied on waterpower since its inception in the 1830s, and by 1860 towns had developed around

5874-436: The offshore naval Battle of the Capes at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay , forcing the British resupply and evacuation fleet to withdraw. In October 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the superior allied Continental Army 's General George Washington and French General comte de Rochambeau . After two further years of infrequent conflict and many treaty parlies, the Revolutionary War ended with Britain formally recognizing

5963-422: The oldest free black settlements in the state at Pocahontas Island. Two Baptist churches in the city, whose congregations were founded in the late 18th century, are among the oldest black congregations and churches in the United States . In the post-bellum period, a historically black college which later developed as the Virginia State University was established nearby in Ettrick in Chesterfield County . In

6052-812: The planned Appomattox River Trail , a 9.9 mile moderately trafficked pedestrian, bicycle and pet-friendly trail near Petersburg, Virginia . A projected North-South multi-purpose trail, the Fall Line Trail , is projected to cross the VCT near Richmond. Amenities along the largely rural, wheelchair-accessible path include parking areas, restrooms, shelters, fix-it stations with tethered tools and air pumps — as well as private restaurants, gas stations, food vendors, bike rental and tour companies. Points of interest include parks and wildlife habitats as well as numerous prominent historic monuments, buildings (including former homes of Presidents John Tyler, William Henry Harrison, and Benjamin Harrison), plantations (including Shirley and Berkeley Plantations , Westover Church and

6141-452: The proposed annexation. After five years of litigation, with attorney Richard Cranwell representing Prince George County, the Virginia courts, including the Virginia Supreme Court , unanimously ruled that the cities had not shown that annexation would benefit their cities, nor was it necessary to provide governmental services to Prince George residents. The prolonged annexation fight contributed to decades of racially tinged hostility between

6230-454: The railroad companies repaired the damaged railroads to the city. Saint John's Episcopal Church was founded in Petersburg in 1868. In 1870 the General Assembly incorporated the Central Lunatic Asylum as an organized state institution, as part of an effort by the bi-racial Reconstruction -era legislature to increase public institutions for general welfare. The legislature also founded the state's first system of free public education. During

6319-402: The railroad to Weldon, North Carolina and the Southside Railroad . With the loss of Petersburg's crucial railroad lines, the Confederate forces had to retreat, ending the siege in a victory for the Union Army. The fall of Petersburg meant that Richmond could no longer be defended. Lee attempted to lead his men south to join up with Confederate forces in North Carolina. Hopelessly outnumbered, he

6408-509: The remaining mileage to the state line was added in 1933. In the 1933 renumbering, State Routes 41 and 835 both became part of a new State Route 5 , as did the piece of State Route 39 from Monterey to Shadwell . By 1935, the whole route west of Richmond became an extension of U.S. Route 250 into Virginia, truncating SR 5 to its present Richmond- Williamsburg route. SR 5 was extended east along State Route 31 through Williamsburg to State Route 168 (now State Route 143 ) "to improve

6497-541: The route was completed from Richmond to Williamsburg, with 3.00 miles (4.83 km) from the west and 1.70 miles (2.74 km) from the east. The road from State Route 32 (now U.S. Route 15 ) at Zion Crossroads east to Oilville was added to the state highway system by 1923 as State Route 321 . Extensions east from Oilville were added for four miles (6.4 km) in 1924, six miles (9.7 km) in 1925, and 7.5 miles (12.1 km) in 1926. By 1927, SR 321 became an extension of SR 41 west from Richmond, and that year

6586-404: The same time) conceived plans for a city at Peter's Point, to be renamed Petersburgh . The Virginia General Assembly formally incorporated both Petersburg and adjacent Blandford on December 17, 1748. Wittontown, north of the river, was settled in 1749, and became incorporated as Pocahontas in 1752. Petersburg was enlarged slightly in 1762, adding 28 acres (110,000 m ) to "Old Town". During

6675-518: The schools in several localities including Warren County , Charlottesville and Norfolk , to be closed. The school board of Prince Edward County closed the public schools for five years, starting in 1959. In Petersburg, the Bollingbook School opened in 1958 as a segregation academy for white students. Retail and industry prospered until about the late 1980s. Petersburg was hit hard in 1985 when tobacco giant Brown & Williamson ,

6764-543: The service to travelers interchanging between Route 5 and Routes 60 and 168" in 1958. SR 31 has since been truncated to the SR 5 junction. Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 33,458 with a majority black American population. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with

6853-575: The strategic advantage. Lord Cornwallis' forces coming up from the Carolinas into Virginia occupied Yorktown on the York River , waiting to meet a Royal Navy fleet. But a larger combined American-French army soon surrounded and besieged them. Cornwallis and his troops found themselves trapped and isolated when the French Navy's West Indies fleet under Admiral de Grasse sailed north and won

6942-512: The trail passes through The Low Line , a landscaped linear park under an active, elevated CSX rail trestle. A private shuttle services partial or one-way users. The Virginia Capital Trail Foundation hosts an annual fund raiser bike ride, marketed as The Cap2Cap. As of early 2019, more than 50 trained volunteers serve as Capital Trail Ambassadors — identifying hazards (gravel, poor signage, etc.) and providing information, directions, mechanical assistance and minor medical attention. The trail

7031-677: The trail passes through Four Mile Creek Park and makes a 3.5-mile horseshoe-shaped diversion around the Route 5 and I295 interchange. At Richmond, the trailhead is next to the James River at the downtown flood gates of Great Shiplock Park . The VCT is a public-private partnership of the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation (VCTF), a tax exempt organization which promotes the path, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), which built and maintains it. As discussed below,

7120-491: The voting power of blacks. A federal judge, citing provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, agreed and ordered the city to be divided into single-member districts , or wards, to enable blacks the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. White flight from the annexed suburban neighborhoods began almost immediately. As residents of the city of Petersburg, their children would be required to attend

7209-543: Was 40 percent black in 1960. Under state segregation and Jim Crow laws, those citizens were barred from free use of public spaces and facilities. Major black churches, such as First Baptist and Gillfield Baptist, formed the moral center of the Civil Rights Movement in Petersburg, which gained strength in mid-century and was a center of action. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker , the pastor of Gillfield Baptist Church, had become friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in

7298-445: Was designated as State Route 413 , since a new alignment of SR 41, heading east from Charles City toward Williamsburg for eight miles (13 km), was added to the state highway system, as was a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) piece at the other end, heading west from State Route 510 (now State Route 31 ). A further 3.50 miles (5.63 km) from the west and 2.80 miles (4.51 km) from the east were added in 1930 and 1931, and, in 1932,

7387-641: Was founded at a strategic point at the fall line of the Appomattox River and settled by English colonists. By 1635 they had patented land along the south bank of the Appomattox River as far west as present-day Sycamore Street, and about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland. In 1646, the Virginia Colony established Fort Henry a short distance from the Appamatuck town, near the falls. It provided waterpower for mills and later industrialization. Col. Abraham Wood sent several famous expeditions out from here in

7476-426: Was numbered State Route 41 . Three miles (4.8 km) were added in 1924, 6.39 miles (10.28 km) were added in 1925, and the remaining 3.5 miles (5.6 km), taking the route to the Richmond city limits, were added in 1927. An extension to the east, heading north from Charles City to State Route 39 (now U.S. Route 60 ) at Providence Forge , was added in 1926. In the 1928 renumbering of state roads, this

7565-414: Was part of the initial 1918 state highway system (numbered State Route 9 until 1923). It initially continued west from Monterey on present US 250, but by 1924 it used current State Route 84 west to West Virginia . The road west from Monterey towards West Virginia Route 56 (now U.S. Route 250 ) for 7.86 miles (12.65 km) was added to the state highway system in 1930 and 1932 as State Route 835 ;

7654-483: Was struck by an F4 tornado that swept through the downtown area, seriously damaging a number of restored historic buildings and businesses. The same tornado also touched down in Colonial Heights destroying a Walmart store. As of 2007, Petersburg has continued to evolve as a small city, and its commercial activities have changed. Downtown Petersburg, known as Old Towne, has had new businesses established in

7743-489: Was surrounded and forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House , Virginia, on April 9, 1865. In the years after the Civil War, many freedmen migrated to Petersburg, founding numerous churches, businesses and institutions. The Freedmen's Bureau established new facilities for freedmen , including a mental health hospital in December 1869, at Howard's Grove Hospital, a former Confederate unit. The U.S. Federal Government and

7832-498: Was the final destination on the Upper Appomattox Canal Navigation System , which opened in 1816, to a city mostly rebuilt after a devastating 1815 fire. When its Appomattox River port silted up, investors built an 8-mile railroad to City Point on the James River, which opened in 1838 (and was acquired by the city and renamed the Appomattox Railroad in 1847). As discussed below, that became one of four railroads built (some with government subsidies) constructed (with separated terminals to

7921-530: Was used again during World War II . In 1950 the camp was designated as Fort Lee , and additional buildings were constructed to house the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps Center and School. During WWII Camp Pickett was established west of Petersburg near the small rural town of Blackstone , and the Defense Supply Center, Richmond opened in neighboring Chesterfield . In the postwar period, some of these installations have been reduced in size. In

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