The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-09-03
Marched Over Grounds 0cCup pied
By Jamestown Exposition
INTERESTING HISTORY IS UNEARTHED
DURING REVOLUTIONARY WAR
SEWELL'S POINT SCENE OF
SEVERAL BATTLES.

| NORFOLK, Va, Sept. 3.-In compil-
ing a history of the site of the James,
town Exposition to be held on Sewelrs
Point on Hampton Roads near Norfolk
J in 1907 Charles w. ConsolvO, who
takes a deep interest in the history of
the subject, has unearthed many inter-
esting facts. He is lineal descendent
of a princely house of CASTLE and
could, if he so desired, deck his name
with numberess Dons and VS.. He,
however, prefers the simpler life of
this country and scorns all titles.
First View BY English.
Among other interesting facts, he
has discovered that it was from Sew
ellis Point near the site of the ex-
position that the English first saw
Chesapeake Bay which, the friendly
| Chesapeake Indians told the white
| men, signified Mother of Waters"
These explorers had been sent out
| from the settlement founded by Sir
| Walter Raleigh on Roanoke Island in
1885. The expedition had been sent
out under command Of Sir Richard
Grenville who afterward attained i'm
mortal fame by his stubborn fight
against SO Spanish ships with his little
vessel the Revenge. He left the col
onists under command of Captain Ralph
Lane who, during the winter, set out
! with a few companions to explore the
Lane after much toll and privation
reached Sewell's Point and there dis
covered the village of Chesapeake In
dams who showed him the mighty
bay lying behind Old Point Comfort.
Suffered Many Privations.
The Roanoke colony was abandoned
shortly after this. The colonists suf-
fered frightful privations and were
necessarily attacked by the hostile
Indians. Sir Walter Raleigh ordered
that a settlement should be establish
ed on the site of the present city Of
Norfolk, but owing to lack of proper
naval cooperation the colony was not
established.
The Chesapeake Indians were a tribe
of four hundred people with one hum
bred fighting men. When Lane came
to Sewel's Point they We're encamp-
ed on that point with their tepees
spread out in a wide circle.
First White Man.
The first white man to settle on the
J point was Henry Sewell who built his
| house there in 1889. He was a men,
Der of the house of Burgesses of lower
Norfolk county. Of the buildings
erected by Mr.. Sewell only two remain.
One of these is the old blacksmith
| shop and the other is dwelling house
which stands on the site of the first
court house and Jail ever erected in
| the English colonies. The dwelling
is in a good state of preservation and
| the curious windows are still barred
| by iron bars imported from England.
over the Exposition grounds the arm
! les engaged in three wars have march
ed During the Revolution Sewell's
Point was the scene of several skir-
mishes During the war of 1912 when
the British attacked and destroyed
Hampton they stopped at Sewelrs
Point In the Civil war the point was
occupied by the battery of the Con-
federate defences of Norfolk.
The flint with which the Chesa-
peake Indians tipped their arrowheads
was quarried from the banks of
Boush's creek which bounds one side
of the exposition grounds,
The glamour of pirates and witches
who have in the far past haunted the
locality still hangs about the place
and historical Renaissance associat-
ing Sewells Point with almost every
stage of the nations history abounds.
|