Westham, Virginia

Westham was an unincorporated town in Henrico County, Virginia. It is located in the present day area of Tuckahoe, Virginia.

History

Westham was established on land that had been owned by William Randolph II.[1] 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.[1] 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 and Peter Jefferson.[1] Jefferson was one of a number of important Virginians, including Carter Braxton, Joshua Fry, John Hunter, Robert Rose, and William Stith. who purchased lots in the new town.[1] Peter Randolph eventually sold Westham Plantation to his younger brother, William, who in turn sold the property to William Byrd III.[1]

Westham Station was established in the 1880s on the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad (R&A), which was laid along the towpath of the James River and Kanawha Canal. The R&A railroad was acquired by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) in the 1890s. Nearby, the Westham Bridge was built across the James River in 1911.

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

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Hendricks, Christopher E. (2006). "The Piedmont". The Backcountry Towns of Colonial Virginia. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. pp. 40–44. ISBN 9781572335431.

Coordinates: 37°35′21″N 77°32′24″W / 37.58917°N 77.54000°W