Discover Tappahannock
History and Meaning Behind the Name
Tappahannock is older than Richmond, Fredericksburg and even Williamsburg. Captain John Smith landed here in 1608 but was driven back to his ship by the local Indians.
In 1608, this area was first visited by Captain John Smith. The area was inhabited by Native Americans and when Captain Smith attempted to land here, he was fiercely driven back to his ship. It was a Native American village and so he gave both the river and the village Native American names. The river became the Rappahannock, which meant "rise and fall" of water, and the village, set upon it, became Tappahannock, which means "town on the rise and fall of water".
Ship captain Richard Hobbs patented 800 acres here in the early 1660s and the area became known as Hobbs His Hole; "hole" referred to an area of deep water that provided good anchorage. England desired to establish a port of entry and tobacco warehouse in each county and Benjamin Goodrich sold the Crown 50 acres of land for the town site. Town leaders tried changing the name Hobbs Hole to New Plymouth for a few years, but the original name of Tappahannock officially returned in 1705. On and around the water remain thirteen homes and buildings from the early days of the town.
The Town of Tappahannock was established by Act of the Virginia Legislature at James City in 1680. The Town was laid out in half acre squares which still bear the original numbers and its wide and straight streets still retain the original names. To the original 68 lot numbers eight "slip" lots were added to make the Town border on the Rappahannock River. A "Square" bounded by Prince (Main), Church, Queen, and Cross Streets was set aside in 1680 for "the Publick Use" and on this square are located four of the "Landmark" buildings.
Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Water Trail
Captain John Smith created the first detailed map of the Chesapeake Region. His masterpiece map of Virginia, published in 1612, remained in active use for seven decades and opened this part of North America to European exploration, settlement, and trade. The geographical accuracy is astounding given that Smith traveled about 2500 miles in a series of short expeditions and had only primitive mapmaking tools to work with.
Tappahannock Main Street
Tappahannock became a Designated Main Street Community in Fall of 2020. Connect with the Tappahannock Main Street website to keep up with events happening on Main Street, news regarding Main Street Revitalization and much more.