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Welcome to Our Web Site!  The Mathews County
Historical Society
began preserving the rich history of Mathews County Virginia more than
40 years ago. Our historical
collection contains personal papers, books, genealogies,
documents, manuscripts, maps,
architectural surveys, photographs
and
newspaper clippings. These items contain a wealth of information for
researchers and casual browsers.
In 1999, the Society established a partnership with the Mathews Memorial Library to house their respective collections of archival research materials and memorabilia related to Mathews County, the Chesapeake Bay and the Commonwealth of Virginia. These two
collections
are housed in the
Chesapeake Room and the Herman Hollerith Archival Room at the Mathews
Memorial Library. The collections are cataloged and can be accessed by
the public using the Library online
public
catalog system. History of Mathews County Virginia With only 94 square miles of land, Mathews is
one of the smallest of Virginia's counties. It was originally
delineated c. 1651 as Kingston Parish within neighboring Gloucester
County. In 1791, the Virginia General Assembly designated it as a
separate county and named it for a prominent American Revolutionary War
officer, General Thomas Mathews of Norfolk. Mathews supported the
separation legislation and was the Speaker of the Virginia House of
Delegates. In 1776, the last of Virginia's Royal Governors, Lord
Dunmore, was driven from the colony's shores by Continental cannons at
Cricket Hill across from Gwynn's Island. The county has also served as
an important shipbuilding center, especially during the 1830s. Captain
Sally Tompkins, the only woman to serve as a commissioned officer in
the
Confederate Army, was born here at Poplar Grove.
Mathews County Historical Society P. O. Box 855 Mathews, Virginia 23109-0855
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© 2011
MATHEWS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY |
