York River State Park

York River State Park is located near the unincorporated town of Croaker in James City County, Virginia on the south bank of the York River about 10 miles downstream from West Point.

Croaker Landing Archaeological Site (44JC70)
Panorama of Croaker Landing, taken in 2011
Nearest cityCroaker, Virginia
Coordinates37°24′19″N 76°42′50″W
Area2,531 acres (1,024 ha)[1]
NRHP reference No.87000753[2]
VLR No.047-0093
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 14, 1987
Designated VLRMarch 17, 1987[3]

The York River is formed from the confluence of the Mattaponi River and the Pamunkey River at West Point. The York River empties into the Chesapeake Bay about 30 miles downstream from Croaker Landing.

In the state park, the historical Croaker Landing is an archaeological site listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1987. The name "Croaker" is believed to have derived from the abundant quantity of Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), an inshore, bottom-dwelling fish found in the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the York River. The site contains evidence of Native American habitation throughout the Woodland period (c. 1000 B.C. - A.D. 1600).[4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[2]

The town of Croaker was known in its early history as Taskinas Plantation. It was the site of a 17th and 18th century public tobacco warehouse where local planters stored their crops to be shipped to England.

York River State Park opened in 1980. It is accessed via Exit 231-B of Interstate 64, which is signed "Croaker-Norge." The old Richmond-Williamsburg Stage Road, now U.S. Route 60, also is nearby.

References

  1. "York River State Park". Virginia State Parks. Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  4. Calder Loth, ed. (1999). The Virginia Landmarks Register: Croaker Landing Archaeological Site (p. 240). ISBN 9780813918624.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.