Westham was an unincorporated town in Henrico County, Virginia

Henrico County, Virginia

Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. It is located in the present day area of Tuckahoe, Virginia

Tuckahoe, Virginia

Tuckahoe is a census-designated place in Henrico County, Virginia, and a northwestern suburb of Richmond. The population was 43,242 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Tuckahoe is located at ....

.

History

Westham was established on land that had been owned by William Randolph II

William Randolph II

William Randolph II of Wilton , also known as William Randolph, Jr. or Councillor Randolph, was the Treasurer of Virginia and the oldest child of William Randolph and Mary Isham.-Biography and family:...

. When Randolph died, his son Beverley, inherited Westham Plantation and planned to create the town of Westham on part of it to facilitate trade in the Piedmont region of Virginia. After Beverley's sudden death, Peter Randolph inherited his brother's land and completed work on the project - renaming the town "Beverley" in honor of his older brother- with help from William Cabell

William Cabell (American Revolution)

William Cabell was an American statesman, soldier, and politician.Cabell was born in Licking Hole, Goochland County, Virginia. He was the eldest son of William Cabell. He joined his father as a vestryman of St. Anne's Parish, Albemarle County, Virginia in 1751...

 and Peter Jefferson

Peter Jefferson

Peter Jefferson was the father of American President Thomas Jefferson . A surveyor and cartographer, his Fry-Jefferson Map of 1751 accurately depicted the Allegheny Mountains for the first time and showed the route of "The Great Road from the Yadkin River thro Virginia to Philadelphia distant 455...

. Jefferson was one of a number of important Virginians, including Carter Braxton

Carter Braxton

Carter Braxton was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, a planter, and a representative of Virginia....

, Joshua Fry

Joshua Fry

Colonel Joshua Fry was a surveyor, adventurer, mapmaker, soldier, and member of the House of Burgesses, the legislature of the colony of Virginia...

, John Hunter

John Hunter

John Hunter may refer to:* John Hunter , former bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman* John Hunter , Canadian Liberal MP for Parkdale, 1949–1957...

, Robert Rose

Robert Rose

Robert Rose may refer to:* Robert E. Rose, Lieutenant Governor of Nevada* Robert L. Rose, U.S. Representative from New York* Robert S. Rose , U.S...

, and William Stith

William Stith

William Stith was an early American historian. He is the author of one of the earliest histories of Virginia, The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia: being an Essay towards a General History of this Colony, published in Williamsburg by William Parks in 1747...

. who purchased lots in the new town. Peter Randolph eventually sold Westham Plantation to his younger brother, William, who in turn sold the property to William Byrd III

William Byrd III

William Byrd III was the son of William Byrd II and the grandson of William Byrd I. He inherited his family's land in Virginia and continued their planter prestige as a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses.He chose to fight in the French and Indian War rather than spend much time in Richmond...

.

Westham Station

Westham Station

Westham Station in Henrico County, Virginia, was originally located at Westham, Virginia on the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad , which was laid along the towpath of the James River and Kanawha Canal in the 1880s. The R&A railroad was acquired by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in the 1890s...

 was established in the 1880s on the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad

Richmond and Allegheny Railroad

The Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was built along the James River along the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond on the fall line at the head of navigation to a point west of Lynchburg near Buchanan, Virginia, and combined with the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway Company to...

 (R&A), which was laid along the towpath

Towpath

A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...

 of the James River and Kanawha Canal

James River and Kanawha Canal

The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....

. The R&A railroad was acquired by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...

 (C&O) in the 1890s. Nearby, the Westham Bridge

Westham Bridge

Westham Bridge crossed the James River between Henrico County and Chesterfield County. The bridge was located between Bosher Dam and Williams Island Dam just west of the 7 miles of rapids and falls which constitute the fall line of the James River at Richmond, Virginia.Built as a toll bridge in...

 was built across the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

in 1911.

The historic Westham Station building was relocated to a Richmond city park in 1961.