Whaleyville, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Whaleyville, Virginia is a former incorporated town
which was located in southern Nansemond County, Virginia
. It is located midway between the former county seat
at downtown Suffolk and the North Carolina
border along U.S. Route 13
.
Whaleyville is now a community within Virginia's largest independent city
in land area. Suffolk, Virginia
is part of the region popularly known as Hampton Roads
. However, Whaleyville strives to maintain small town values.
, located on the Delmarva Peninsula
north of Virginia's Eastern Shore
. There, Seth Mitchell Whaley (1821–1901) was born and grew up. He was active in the lumber mill business in Maryland.
and opened a sawmill
nearby. He worked in cooperation with Jackson Brothers Lumber Company, which was established in the new village of Whaleyville, Virginia. Soon what became called the "Big Mill" was operating 24 hours a day.
Between 1885 and 1902, the Suffolk and Carolina Railway, a narrow gauge railroad was built from Suffolk through Whaleyville south to Edenton, North Carolina
. A branch line extended from Beckford Junction (on the Suffolk-Edenton section) to Elizabeth City, North Carolina
. Renamed the Virginia and Carolina Coast Railroad in 1906, it became part of the regional Norfolk and Southern Railway
, a predecessor of the modern Norfolk Southern Corporation. Ports on the railroad at Suffolk at Nansemond Wharf on the Nansemond River
and Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River
each offered Whaleyville a means to ship its lumber and produce of local farmers.
The long-distance Norfolk and Carolina Railroad was also built nearby in 1884 to connect what became the north-south main line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
with the towns and cities of Suffolk, Portsmouth
and Norfolk
.
At the new mill town of Whaleyville, new stores were built. In 1907, the Bank of Whaleyville opened. A high school was added in 1915.
. Many residents also made the move. Lumber continued to be harvested locally, but the area became more dependent upon agricultural activities. However, despite losings it biggest employers, the community preserved. According to a local source, "In 1928. Whaleyville had 500-600 residents, a cotton gin, peanut storage warehouses, two churches, and one of the best consolidated schools in Nansemond County."
(N&S) abandoned its line through Whaleyville, and sold its local tracks and facilities near the port in Suffolk to the Virginian Railway
. In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
(ACL) merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
, (SAL) forming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
(SCL). Both had served Suffolk. Among many parallel tracks considered redundant by the new SCL, the ACL trackage near Whaleyville was also abandoned.
The predecessor agency of the Virginia Department of Transportation
was created in 1906. Road building began in 1909. In 1932, the secondary roads in Nansemond County were added to the state system under the Byrd Road Act
. After bearing such State Highway numbers as 506, 53, and 37, the main highway through Whaleyville was designated U.S. Route 13
.
On July 1, 2006, the City of Suffolk assumed control of its roads including those in the Whaleyville area from the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Nansemond County was one of a number of localties in southeastern Virginia which underwent change in their political structure between 1952 and 1967, resulting in the current large independent cities where counties and smaller cities and towns had largely been in the past. By consolidation of the former Nansemmond County with the much smaller City of Suffolk in 1974, the community voted to create the new independent City of Suffolk
, one of the several cities which adjoin each other in the Hampton Roads
region southeastern Virginia
in the U.S.
.
Although Whaleyville is now politically located within a modern city, it is still surrounded substantially by a farms and woodland. Local Whaleyville residents strive to maintain a small town setting as one of the widely diverse types of communities of the independent city
of Suffolk
, which at 430 square miles (1,113.7 km²), is the largest geographically in Virginia.
The Great Dismal Swamp
is located a few miles east of Whaleyville.
Incorporated town
-Canada:Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.-United States:...
which was located in southern Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...
. It is located midway between the former county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
at downtown Suffolk and the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
border along U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 in Virginia
U.S. Route 13 is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville. In the U.S...
.
Whaleyville is now a community within Virginia's largest independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
in land area. Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
is part of the region popularly known as Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
. However, Whaleyville strives to maintain small town values.
Naming
Whaleyville was named for another town of the same name, Whaleyville, MarylandWhaleyville, Maryland
Whaleyville is a census-designated place in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 124 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Whaleyville is located at ....
, located on the Delmarva Peninsula
Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
north of Virginia's Eastern Shore
Eastern Shore of Virginia
The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Its population was 45,553 as of 2010...
. There, Seth Mitchell Whaley (1821–1901) was born and grew up. He was active in the lumber mill business in Maryland.
History: a new mill town
In 1877, Seth M. Whaley bought a farm in the southern portion of Nansemond County, VirginiaNansemond County, Virginia
Nansemond County is an extinct county which was located in Virginia Colony and the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, from 1646 until 1972...
and opened a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
nearby. He worked in cooperation with Jackson Brothers Lumber Company, which was established in the new village of Whaleyville, Virginia. Soon what became called the "Big Mill" was operating 24 hours a day.
Between 1885 and 1902, the Suffolk and Carolina Railway, a narrow gauge railroad was built from Suffolk through Whaleyville south to Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Chowan County. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for...
. A branch line extended from Beckford Junction (on the Suffolk-Edenton section) to Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County and Camden County in the State of North Carolina. With a population of 18,683 at the 2010 census, Elizabeth City is the county seat of Pasquotank County....
. Renamed the Virginia and Carolina Coast Railroad in 1906, it became part of the regional Norfolk and Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway (former)
The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad running from Norfolk, Virginia southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974, which was merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1990 to form the current entity of the Norfolk...
, a predecessor of the modern Norfolk Southern Corporation. Ports on the railroad at Suffolk at Nansemond Wharf on the Nansemond River
Nansemond River
The Nansemond River is a tributary of the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia. The Nansemond River Bridge crosses the river near its mouth. Both it and the former State Route 125 bridge, demolished in 2008, were once toll bridges. The river begins at the outlet of Lake Meade north of...
and Elizabeth City on the Pasquotank River
Pasquotank River
The Pasquotank River is a coastal water-body in Northeastern North Carolina in the United States. Located between Camden and Pasquotank counties, the Pasquotank connects directly to the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway via Elizabeth City.-History:The name "Pasquotank" is...
each offered Whaleyville a means to ship its lumber and produce of local farmers.
The long-distance Norfolk and Carolina Railroad was also built nearby in 1884 to connect what became the north-south main line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
with the towns and cities of Suffolk, Portsmouth
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
and Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
.
At the new mill town of Whaleyville, new stores were built. In 1907, the Bank of Whaleyville opened. A high school was added in 1915.
Mill closes and moves, town continues on
The Lumber Mill at Whaleyville closed in 1919, and moved to Fayetteville, North CarolinaFayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
. Many residents also made the move. Lumber continued to be harvested locally, but the area became more dependent upon agricultural activities. However, despite losings it biggest employers, the community preserved. According to a local source, "In 1928. Whaleyville had 500-600 residents, a cotton gin, peanut storage warehouses, two churches, and one of the best consolidated schools in Nansemond County."
Transportation
During the Great Depression, the Norfolk and Southern RailwayNorfolk Southern Railway (former)
The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad running from Norfolk, Virginia southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974, which was merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1990 to form the current entity of the Norfolk...
(N&S) abandoned its line through Whaleyville, and sold its local tracks and facilities near the port in Suffolk to the Virginian Railway
Virginian Railway
The Virginian Railway was a Class I railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The VGN was created to transport high quality "smokeless" bituminous coal from southern West Virginia to port at Hampton Roads....
. In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
(ACL) merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
, (SAL) forming the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a former Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971...
(SCL). Both had served Suffolk. Among many parallel tracks considered redundant by the new SCL, the ACL trackage near Whaleyville was also abandoned.
The predecessor agency of the Virginia Department of Transportation
Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. Headquartered in Downtown Richmond, VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges and tunnels in the...
was created in 1906. Road building began in 1909. In 1932, the secondary roads in Nansemond County were added to the state system under the Byrd Road Act
Byrd Road Act
Byrd Road Act was an Act of Assembly passed in February, 1932 by the Virginia General Assembly. Named for former Governor Harry F. Byrd, the legislation was originally presented as measure to relieve the financial pressures of the Great Depression upon the counties, as the state offered to take...
. After bearing such State Highway numbers as 506, 53, and 37, the main highway through Whaleyville was designated U.S. Route 13
U.S. Route 13 in Virginia
U.S. Route 13 is a north–south U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Morrisville. In the U.S...
.
On July 1, 2006, the City of Suffolk assumed control of its roads including those in the Whaleyville area from the Virginia Department of Transportation.
County to City status
Whaleyville was long located in Nansemond County. Records indicate it was formally incorporated by the General Assembly as a town between 1950 and 1973.Nansemond County was one of a number of localties in southeastern Virginia which underwent change in their political structure between 1952 and 1967, resulting in the current large independent cities where counties and smaller cities and towns had largely been in the past. By consolidation of the former Nansemmond County with the much smaller City of Suffolk in 1974, the community voted to create the new independent City of Suffolk
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
, one of the several cities which adjoin each other in the Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
region southeastern Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Although Whaleyville is now politically located within a modern city, it is still surrounded substantially by a farms and woodland. Local Whaleyville residents strive to maintain a small town setting as one of the widely diverse types of communities of the independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
of Suffolk
Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk is the largest city by area in Virginia, United States, and is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,585. Its median household income was $57,546.-History:...
, which at 430 square miles (1,113.7 km²), is the largest geographically in Virginia.
The Great Dismal Swamp
Great Dismal Swamp
The Great Dismal Swamp is a marshy area on the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. It is located in parts of southern Chesapeake and Suffolk in Virginia, as well as northern...
is located a few miles east of Whaleyville.
Local historical notes
- Seth M. Whaley's home is still standing on Whaleyville Blvd. The home is now occupied by private owners.
- Whaleyville United Methodist Church was founded in 1884 for the mill workers and the people of the area. The church is still in use and two stained glass windows bear benefactor S.M. Whaley's name.
- The bank building erected in 1907 by T.O. Knight is still standing. In its 100th year, members of the Whaleyville Historical Society are working with the City of Suffolk, which owns the building, to possible open a Whaleyville Museum there.