Berkeley Plantation, one of the first great estates in America, comprises about 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred and named after one of its founders of the 1618 land grant, Richard Berkeley.
Among the many American "firsts" that occurred at Berkeley Plantation are:
On December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers a...
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Berkeley Plantation, one of the first great estates in America, comprises about 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) on the banks of the James River on State Route 5 in Charles City County, Virginia. Berkeley Plantation was originally called Berkeley Hundred and named after one of its founders of the 1618 land grant, Richard Berkeley.
Among the many American "firsts" that occurred at Berkeley Plantation are:
On December 4, 1619, a group of 38 English settlers arrived at Berkeley Hundred, about 8,000 acres (32 km²) on the north bank of the James River near Herring Creek in an area then known as Charles Cittie (sic). It was about 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, where the first permanent settlement of the Colony of Virginia was established on May 14, 1607.
The group's charter required that the day of arrival be observed yearly as a "day of thanksgiving" to God. On that first day, Captain John Woodleaf held the service of thanksgiving. The Charter of Berkeley Plantation specified the thanksgiving...
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