Chesapeake Virginia in Profile

A city of 222,000 people in Virginia's Norfolk County near Hampton Roads, Chesapeake was formally created in 1963 when a merger occurred of two existing towns. The area's rich and fascinating history goes back several centuries, however. Much of that history is bound up in early English exploration and settlement, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the exploits of America's Virginian Founders - including, of course, the inimitable George Washington.
The earliest English settlement in the area was established around 1620 on the banks of the nearby Elizabeth River, and Norfolk County was created in 1636.
The area that now comprises Chesapeake grew with residential and commercial development of "community crossroads." These areas are still commonly referred to today with community names such as Pleasant Grove, Great Bridge, Oak Grove, Fentress, South Norfolk, Portlock, Deep Creek, Western Branch, Indian River and Hickory.
During the 1950s, both Norfolk County and South Norfolk fell victim to annexation suits filed by neighboring cities. Between 1950 and 1960, the country lost nearly 50,000 residents and 30 square miles of land area. Under these circumstances, both Norfolk County and South Norfolk officials found it difficult to plan for the future.
Norfolk was used as a staging area by Virgnia's British Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, in the early months of the Revolutionary War. British and Patriot armies collided on December 9, 1775, in the historic Battle of Great Bridge, just a few hundred yards from where the Chesapeake Municipal Center complex stands today. In a brief but decisive battle, the Rebels put Lord Dunmore's forces to flight.
As early as 1763, George Washington had conceived the idea of improving the Dismal Swamp by building a navigable canal. Today, the Great Dismal Swamp Canal is America's oldest inland waterway, but its history is uneven at best. This is one of those rare cases in which the heroic George Washington's vision was unrealistic, and this undertaking proved to be less an exercise in civic improvement than one of the first public works boondoggles in American history. Because the canal was dug completely by hand, progress was slow and expenses high. The canal finally opened in 1805, but immediate fell on hard times. Completion of the Albermarle and Chesapeake Canal in 1858 dealt a serious blow to the Dismal Swamp Canal. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Dismal Swamp Canal is the oldest operating artificial waterway in the country. Both canals are operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and form part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
The first local encounter of the Civil War occurred at Sewell's Point in May 1861. Although no battles were fought in the Chesapeake area, Union troops occupied and laid waste to much of the land, cause that's just how they rolled. When the war ended, Norfolk County took advantage of its abundant natural resources. Its coastal location, miles of riverfront and deep water harbors and the fertile, level farmland allowed county residents to recover quickly from the wartime destruction, moving without hesitation into the 20th Century.