Sewell's Point

:For other people and things named "Sewell", see Sewell (disambiguation)

Boundaries determined by weather

Although Hampton Roads represents a sheltered area from the tempests of both the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the area’s shorelines change with extreme weather. At one time, Willoughby Bay did not border Sewell’s Point to the north!

Related Topics:
Hampton Roads - Chesapeake Bay - Atlantic Ocean - Willoughby Bay

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The area known as Willoughby takes its name from Thomas Willoughby, who came to Virginia in 1610 and received a land grant around 1625. Willoughby's son, Thomas II, was living there in the 1660s, and legend has it that his wife awoke one morning following a terrific storm (possibly the "Harry Cane" of 1667) to see a point of land in front her home, where there had been only water the night before. The Willoughby family, it is said, were quick to apply for an addendum to the original land grant, giving them ownership of the "new" property.

Related Topics:
1610 - Land grant - 1625 - 1667

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Severe storms and hurricanes would continue to transform the contour of the coast, and the Willoughby holdings, for more than a century. Although official records of Hampton Roads weather go back only to 1871 when the National Weather Service was established in downtown Norfolk, records of earlier storms have been located in ships' logs, newspaper accounts, history books and writings of early settlers.

Related Topics:
Hurricanes - 1871 - National Weather Service

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Residents of colonial coastal Virginia were very much aware of the weather. To people who lived near the water and derived much of their livelihood from the sea, a tropical storm was a noteworthy event. During a hurricane in 1749, the Chesapeake Bay rose 15 feet above normal, sand spit was washed up at Sewell's Point and, with the help of The Great Coastal Hurricane of 1806, Willoughby Spit was formed. The area of water now located between Sewell’s Point and Willoughby Spit is known as Willoughby Bay.

Related Topics:
Hurricane - 1749 - Chesapeake Bay - Willoughby Spit

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