One hundred years before 1776, this site played a key role in a well-known rebellion against the colonial government, a rebellion known as Bacon's Rebellion. This was the site of Arlington plantation, built by John Custis II, the founder of the Custi... Read More

Celebrate the history, beauty, and culture of the Eastern Shore at the Barrier Islands Center. The lovely museum showcases how our peninsula brings together watermen, artisans, farmers, scientists, innovators, and people who love the land. The BIC is... Read More

On a remote edge of the Eastern Shore's broad oceanside marshes in Northampton County is the surprisingly urbane Federal-style residence of Brownsville, built in 1806 for John Upshur. Upshur's ancestor John Browne, from whom the property derives its ... Read More

Photographs and artifacts depicting the extensive history of Cape Charles, the railroad and the ferry service across the Bay to Norfolk. Also, see a videos related to the Chesapeake Bay impact crater and core samples taken during its investigation. A... Read More

This preserve is found on the Bay side of the Eastern Shore. Its 29 acres feature coastal beach, dune, and maritime forest habitats. The preserve provides habitat for the federally threatened northeastern beach tiger beetle (Cicindela dorsalis dorsal... Read More

The Cape Charles Rosenwald School in Northampton County was one of thousands of schools constructed using Rosenwald Funds for African American students in the South during the Jim Crow era of segregation in public education. Built in 1929, the school... Read More

The land at Chatham, which overlooks Church Creek, was patented in 1640. The Federal-period brick house, Chatham, was built in 1818 by Major Scarborough Pitts and named for William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and friend of the American Revolution. The ... Read More

The Cheriton area is one of the oldest settled parts of the Eastern Shore. When Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay and the Eastern Shore in 1608, he wrote in his journal about landing at Cheriton and being brought by Indians to their Werr... Read More

Explore the scenic spot on the banks of Arlington Creek the historic site of Arlington Plantation. The grand manor house built in the 1670s by tobacco farmer John Custis II is no more, but its distinguished lineage lives on in the Arlington National ... Read More

estled between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge serves as one of the country's most valuable stopovers for migratory birds and insects. Established in 1984, we are a haven for monarch butte... Read More

When you visit the County Building, please take a few moments to walk the corridors to view the historic photographs of homes, schools, shops, agriculture, the railroad, steamship ferries and Northampton notables. Also, you can explore the displ... Read More

Home of the oldest continuous courthouse records in the United States of America. Thanks to stubborn, independent stewards of these valuable documents, we can learn much about the earliest history of our country. The Court Green Historic Buildings ar... Read More

Exmore is a quiet rural town of just under 1,500 residents nestled in the heart of Virginia's Eastern Shore peninsula. Its advantageous location, midway between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Virginia-Maryland line, has made Exmore an impor... Read More

The time period of this tour starts in 1884 when Exmore Station opened for railway commerce. During the railroad days, Exmore became an important distribution and transportation hub due to its central location and proximity to produce and seafood pro... Read More

Eyre Hall is one of Virginia's finest and best-preserved colonial homes. Approached by a long, old-fashioned cedar-lined lane, the house overlooks Cherrystone Creek. Thomas Eyre landed at Jamestown in 1622 to take up patented land on the Eastern Shor... Read More

Behind Exmore on the seaside this secluded village is an aquaculture capital raising clams and oysters in the pristine waters. Try some served in a variety of ways here at the 1850 general store turned lunch restaurant. Catch a sea breeze on the scre... Read More

The Hungars Cure Parish is made up of two Episcopal churches on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Christ Church is in Eastville and Hungars Church is in Bridgetown. "Cure" is an old English term; basically it defines a church partnership in which a rector s... Read More

This small (52-acre) county park is often used by recreational groups and private functions, but birding is normally possible on the margins and through the woodland trail even when other activities are in progress. At best a brief, pleasant stop whi... Read More

On Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore, explored by Capt. John Smith in 1608, Kiptopeke offers recreational access to the Chesapeake Bay. It's also a great place to explore unique migratory bird habitat along the Atlantic flyway. The park has two and ... Read More

Located on the bayside on Occohannock Creek, Morley's Wharf is an excellent, free boat launch and put-in area for kayaks or canoes. There are two double wide boat ramps, portable restrooms, and parking for cars and trailers. The long fishing and crab... Read More

Nassawadox rose to local prominence as a center of trade and commerce due to the steam powered sawmill that was once located in town. Named for the Nusswatok Indians, the name derives from the Native American word for "land between two waters." The p... Read More

This county-owned nature preserve contains diverse coastal plain habitats and is located adjacent to an old, capped landfill with a renowned birding history. A flat, 1.4-mile mowed out-and-back trail travels east through an open scrub-shrub habitat, ... Read More

Established in 1887, Northampton Lumber Company is the oldest building supply store still in operation on Virginia's Eastern Shore. The business has evolved and changed with the times to meet its customers needs and remains a mainstay in the communit... Read More

The early Northampton County cottage called Pear Valley is a textbook of vernacular design and displays the refinement that the colonial housewright could give to small dwellings. Lending the house both dignity and stability is the brick end with its... Read More

In 2013, Pear Valley was designated as a National Historic Landmark and became one of only 2,596 landmarks in the entire U.S., 121 Virginia, and two in Northampton County. This places Pear Valley in the company of Virginia's Monticello, Montpelier, a... Read More

The United States of America’s story starts well before 1776 right here in Northampton County. Don’t be fooled by the beautiful idyllic landscape on this isolated peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay. These roads, buildings, a... Read More

This 298-acre preserve contains a mile of Chesapeake Bay shoreline, maritime forest, a freshwater pond, and a 0.75-mile trail through some of the highest sand dunes on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Visitors may choose from three marked trails with i... Read More