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Warwick County, Virginia

Former counties of VirginiaGeography of Newport News, VirginiaHistory of Newport News, Virginia
Lost Counties of Virginia on the mouth of the James River
Lost Counties of Virginia on the mouth of the James River

Warwick County was a county in Southeast Virginia that was created from Warwick River Shire, one of eight created in the Virginia Colony in 1634. It became the City of Newport News on July 16, 1952. Located on the Virginia Peninsula on the northern bank of the James River between Hampton Roads and Jamestown, the area consisted primarily of farms and small unincorporated villages until the arrival of the Peninsula Extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1881 and development led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington. With the railroad came the coal piers, several local stations in Warwick County for passenger service and shipping produce and seafood to markets, and a branch link to the resorts and military facilities in neighboring Elizabeth City County at Old Point Comfort. The community at the southeastern edge on the harbor of Hampton Roads became Newport News in 1896, hosting the world's largest shipyard. At the outset of World War I, the U.S. Army facility which became Fort Eustis was established in the county. After the war, Camp Patrick Henry, a former military facility, became the site of Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport. After sparring over annexations and exploring various plans to refine and/or combine local governments, by mutual agreement, after existing for over 325 years, the City of Warwick was politically consolidated with the younger city of Newport News on July 1, 1958. The better known name of "Newport News" was assumed for the combined entity, forming one of the contemporary cities of Hampton Roads.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Warwick County, Virginia (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Warwick County, Virginia
Old Courthouse Way,

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Latitude Longitude
N 37.129638888889 ° E -76.542166666667 °
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Warwick Courthouse

Old Courthouse Way 14415
23608 , Denbigh
Virginia, United States
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Lost Counties of Virginia on the mouth of the James River
Lost Counties of Virginia on the mouth of the James River
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Denbigh High School (Newport News, Virginia)

Denbigh High School is a high school in Newport News, Virginia. It is a part of Newport News Public Schools. Denbigh carries grades nine through twelve and has an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. This school was rated "Fully Accredited" by the Virginia Department of Education for the 2005–2006 school year. Denbigh is the only host of the Aviation program in Newport News Public Schools. Denbigh High School is represented by its mascot, the Patriot. Recently the known mascot picture of the Patriot was changed to a star with 'Patriots' across it. Rumors of possibly changing from the 'Patriots' and adopting a different mascot have been circulating, but nothing has been confirmed. Their colors are red, white, and blue. It also has the lowest-rated sports teams throughout the region. This school was opened in the fall of 1965 with grades 8-11, and the Junior class of that year became the first Senior class the following year. The class of 1970 was the first to go through all five years at Denbigh. For a time, Newport News had 5-year high schools, and Denbigh (the northernmost of the city's high schools) had 8-12th grades. The class of 1968 presented, as a memorial, a step from the first Denbigh school. The Denbigh area of Newport News is named for the market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. Denbigh is also one of two sites in Newport News that hosts SAT testing and ACT testing. Newport News Public Schools has a Telecommunications Program, which allows students at Denbigh High Schools and other schools within the division to participate in live television production. These students can gain experience reporting, producing, recording, and editing for live productions such as local sporting events. Additionally, Denbigh's choral and band programs are award-winning in local, regional, state, and national competitions.

Richneck Plantation

Richneck Plantation was located on the Virginia Peninsula on the northern shore of the James River between Hampton Roads and Jamestown in the English colony of Virginia. The Richneck manor house's foundation was discovered during construction of the George J. McIntosh elementary school (named for a modern Newport News educator), and became an archeological dig, then listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The earliest proprietor of Richneck Plantation was Robert Rich, second Earl of Warwick and a prominent member of the Virginia Company. The Warwick River, Warwick River Shire, and Warwick County were all named for him. Warwick Towne was the first county seat, succeeded by this plantation under Miles Cary, discussed below. In 1628, Zachariah Cripps patented this area, and later sold the land to Miles Cary Sr., who lived nearby at Windmill Point. After he died repelling Dutch invaders in 1667, it was inherited by his son Miles Cary (1655-1709), who after he came of age, constructed a manor house and lived there with his wife, Mary Milner, and family. Richneck became one of the most important plantations of the Cary family, one of the First Families of Virginia, with many members who served in legislative and government offices. It was successively inherited by Col. Wilson Cary (1703-1772) and his son Col. Wilson Miles Cary (1734-1817), both of whom successively served as legislators, as well as naval officers for the Lower James River before the American Revolutionary War. Wilson Miles Cary signed the Association of 1774 and sided with the patriots during the American Revolutionary War. They also farmed using enslaved labor. The Richneck plantation house burned in 1865, at the end of the American Civil War, and visited by a descendant, Wilson Miles Cary in 1868.Richneck Road remains in the Denbigh area of the modern independent city of Newport News, Virginia.

Warwick River (Virginia)
Warwick River (Virginia)

The Warwick River is a 14.4-mile-long (23.2 km) tidal estuary which empties into the James River a few miles from Hampton Roads at the southern end of Chesapeake Bay in southeast Virginia in the United States. Originating in York County near the northern side a few miles west of Yorktown, it flows south across the Virginia Peninsula and is almost entirely located in the independent city of Newport News. The Warwick River took its name from Robert Rich, second Earl of Warwick and a prominent member of the Virginia Company of London who was proprietor of Richneck Plantation in Warwick River Shire, one of the eight original shires of Virginia created in 1634. The shire became Warwick County in 1643, and became part of the independent city of Newport News in 1958 through a municipal consolidation. In 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War, the Warwick Line, a defensive works across the peninsula, was maintained along the river by Confederate General John B. Magruder against much larger Union forces under General George B. McClellan. Through the use of elaborate ruse tactics, "Prince John" Magruder, who was also an actor, provided valuable time for the ultimately successful defense of Richmond led by General Robert E. Lee which culminated in the Seven Days Battles. The Warwick River adjoins Fort Eustis, a U.S. Army base, on its western shore, which also occupies historic Mulberry Island. During the 20th century, upper reaches of the river were dammed to create fresh water reservoirs for Newport News Waterworks which serves several local communities.

Lee's Mill Earthworks
Lee's Mill Earthworks

Lee's Mill Earthworks is a historic archaeological site located at Newport News, Virginia. The earthworks formed part of the fortifications along the James River, which included fortifications at Fort Crafford, as well as, Dam No.1, and Wynne's Mill in Newport News Park. On April 5, 1862, advance units of Union Brigadier General Erasmus D. Keyes' IV Corps, under the command of Union Brigadier General William Farrar Smith, encountered Confederate units commanded by Brigadier General Lafayette McLaws at Lee's Mill. Heavy rains and massive earthen fortifications defending the river crossing stopped the Union troops from proceeding to Richmond. Confederate Major General John B. Magruder's extensive defensives beginning at Lee's Mill and extending to Yorktown along the Warwick River caused the Union Army of the Potomac Commander Major General George B. McClellan to initiate a month-long siege of the Warwick-Yorktown Line which lasted until May 3, 1862 and contributed to the eventual failure of McClellan's campaign.Lee's Mill has recently been preserved and is being transformed into a passive park with trails interpreting the fortifications. The earthen fortifications remain visible in many locations, including Newport News Park and the Lee's Mill subdivision. An active effort will be made to delineate, preserve and interpret these earthworks for the future.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.