History of Suffolk, Virginia

The area around Suffolk, Virginia, which is now an independent city in the Hampton Roads region in the southeastern part of the state, was originally inhabited by Native Americans, notably a tribe known as the Nansemonds. Suffolk was first explored by the English settlers based at Jamestown not long after their arrival, seeking means to survive in the inhospitable environment at Jamestown Island.

ettlement by the Nansemond

By at least 1584, the Nansemond tribe originally lived in four villages along the Nansemond River, centered near Chuckatuck (now part of the city of Suffolk). Their head chief lived near Dumpling Island where the tribe’s temples and sacred items were located. At that time the tribe had a population of 1,200 persons with 300 bowmen.cite web|url=http://virginiaindians.pwnet.org/today/nansemond.php|title=Virginia Indians Today - Nansemond|publisher=Virginia's First People - Past & Present|accessdate=2008-03-18] cite web|url=http://www.nansemond.org/joomla|title=Timeline of Nansemond History|accessdate=2008-03-18]

In 1608, Captain John Smith and other colonists from Jamestown began to explore the Nansemond River, following the oyster beds;cite journal|last=Hobbs|first=Kermit|year=2008|title=A history worth discovering|journal=Discover Suffolk|pages=11–13] the English attacked the Nansemond. In 1609, the Nansemond Indians drove Smith out; in return the English robbed the tribe's temple. Despite such setbacks, the new colony continued to grow, and soon settlers populated the area on a permanent basis, eventually driving out the Nansemond—the tribe lost their last known reservation lands in 1792.

Early colonial settlement through the American Revolution

The area was first part of 1634's Elizabeth River Shire and then, in 1637, part of Upper Norfolk County, part of which became Nansemond County in 1646. The Nansemond River, the commerce it helped create, and the English, who recognized the opportunity they would have there, gave rise to a settlement at Constant's Wharf (named for a Captain John Constant) at Sleepy Hole Point. In 1742, authorized by the House of Burgesses, the new town was officially named "Suffolk" after Royal Governor William Gooch's home county of Suffolk in England.

The town was burned by the British in 1779 during the American Revolutionary War, being completely destroyed when thousands of barrels of turpentine and pitch warehoused along the river caught fire.

Through the Civil War

Suffolk became an incorporated town in Nansemond County in 1808. As part of Virginia, it sided with the Confederacy in the American Civil War. From May 12, 1862, to July 3, 1863, the town was occupied by 25,000 Union troops under Major General John J. Peck. Peck made his headquarters in the Greek revival house now called "Riddick's Folly"; graffiti from the occupying soldiers can still be seen on the walls.cite web|url=http://www.riddicksfolly.org/history.html|publisher=Riddick's Folly|title=Our History|accessdate=2008-03-18] cite web|url=http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/va/va031.html|title=Suffolk Fort Huger, Hill's Point Civil War Virginia|accessdate=2008-03-18] During this period, Confederate General James Longstreet unsuccessfully besieged the town with 20,000 men between April 11, 1863, to May 4, 1863—finally being ordered to disengage by General Robert E. Lee to join the Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg. At the order of General John Adams Dix, the Union forces abandoned the town for strategic reasons two months later, on July 3.cite news|title=The evacuation of Suffolk|url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A07E1DC1E3BE63BBC4951DFB1668388679FDE|work=The New York Times|date=July 17, 1863|accessdate=2008-03-18]

Confederate cavalry general Laurence S. Baker is buried in the town's Cedar Hill Cemetery.cite journal|last=Fitts|first=Deborah|year=2004|month=July|title=New Monument Honors Suffolk, Va. Confederate Officer|journal=Civil War News|publisher=Historical Publications Inc.|location=Tunbridge, VT]

Later political history

Suffolk became a city independent from the surrounding county in 1910. At a practical level, the two remained closely linked, and the county seat of Nansemond County remained at Suffolk after the city became politically independent. Thus it remained until 1972 when it was converted to city status to become the short-lived lost city the City of Nansemond.

On January 1, 1974, the City of Nansemond and the City of Suffolk united to become the present City of Suffolk, consolidating with the outlying unincorporated towns of Holland and Whaleyville. The end result was a new municipality encompassing a total of 430 square miles, making it the largest city in land area in Virginia and the 11th largest in the country.fact|date=March 2008

Suffolk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2008. It is (as of 2008), the fastest-growing city in Virginia.

The importance of peanuts

In 1912, Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici opened facilities of the Planters Nut and Chocolate Company in Suffolk. By 1941, Suffolk had been declared "The Peanut Capital of the World". The city also became home to Planters' Mr. Peanut, a world-famous advertising icon (voted the country's third-most popular in 2004). A statue of Mr. Peanut is prominently displayed in downtown Suffolk. The company, now owned by Kraft Foods, is the area'sclarifyme 11th largest employer.

Obici and his wife Louise themselves moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia in 1924, settling at Bay Point Farm in Chuckatuck on a bluff overlooking the Nansemond River. Their home, which has been designated a Virginia Historical Landmark, now belongs to the City of Suffolk. In memory of his wife, Amadeo arranged funds to build Louise Obici Memorial Hospital in Suffolk, which opened in 1951. In 2006, a newer facility, the Obici Sentara Hospital, became its successor. For many years, the call letters of local AM radio station WLPM stood for World's Largest Peanut Market.fact|date=March 2008 Today, Suffolk remains a major peanut processing center.

The railroad

As a gateway to Norfolk and Portsmouth, Suffolk became a major rail interchange point, served at one time or another by many of Virginia's railroads. Before the American Civil War, both the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad and the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad had been built through Suffolk, early predecessors of 21st century Class 1 railroads operated by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern respectively. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, the Atlantic and Danville Railroad, and the Virginian Railway also built through Suffolk on their way to the harbor at Hampton Roads.

Tornado

On April 28, 2008, a massive tornado moved through portions of Suffolk. The tornado is considered one of the strongest tornadoes to strike the state of Virginia in recent history and the worst to strike Hampton Roads since a tornado spawned by the remnants of Tropical Storm Dennis 9 years prior. Preliminary reports indicate that the tornado was found to be an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

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