Hopewell, Virginia

Hopewell is an independent city in the state of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 22,354. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The Bureau_of_Economic_Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prince George county for statistical purposes.

History

City Point

The city owes it existence to its site overlooking the James and Appomattox Rivers. City Point the oldest part of Hopewell, was established in 1613 by Sir Thomas Dale. It was first known as "Bermuda City", which was changed to Charles City, lengthened to Charles City Point, and later abbreviated to City Point.

Related Topics:
James - Appomattox River - City Point - 1613 - Thomas Dale

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"Charles City Point" and was located in Charles City Shire when the first eight shires were established in the Colony of Virginia in 1634. Charles City Shire soon became known as Charles City County in 1637. An area of the county south of the river including City Point became Prince George County in 1703.

Related Topics:
Charles City Shire - 1634 - Charles City County - 1703

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During the American Civil War, City Point was the headquarters of General Ulysses S. Grant during the Siege of Petersburg in 1864 and 1865. The City Point Railroad, built in 1838 between City Point and Petersburg played an important role, and later became the oldest portion of the Norfolk and Western Railway, itself now a part of Norfolk Southern.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - General Ulysses S. Grant - Siege of Petersburg - 1864 - 1865 - City Point Railroad - 1838 - Petersburg - Norfolk and Western Railway - Norfolk Southern

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City Point was an unincorporated town in Prince George County until the City of Hopewell annexed the Town of City Point in 1923.

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Hopewell Farm

Hopewell was developed by the DuPont Company in 1914 as Hopewell Farm, an incorporated area in Prince George County. DuPont first built a dynamite factory and then switched to the manufacture of guncotton during World War I. Nearly burned to the ground in the infamous Hopewell Fire of 1915, Hopewell prospered afterwords and became known as the "Wonder City". Unlike most cities in Virginia, Hopewell was never incorporated as a town but was incorporated as an independent city in 1916. It was abandoned by DuPont after World War I and briefly became a ghost town, until Tubize Corporation established a plant at the old DuPont site in 1923. The same year, the city of Hopewell annexed the neighboring town of City Point.

Related Topics:
DuPont Company - 1914 - Dynamite - Guncotton - World War I - 1915 - Independent city - 1916 - Tubize Corporation - 1923

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1935 bus tragedy

Hopewell made national news when, on December 22, 1935, a bus plunged through the open draw of the Appomattox River Drawbridge on Virginia State Highway 10 just outside Hopewell's city limits. Of the 15 occupants of the bus, only one survived.

Related Topics:
December 22 - 1935 - Appomattox River - Drawbridge - Virginia State Highway 10

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