Yorktown’s proudest claim to national importance is that America won its independence here.  Although the intent was declared at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, it was only after five difficult years of effort and loss of thousands of lives that the ephemeral idea of independence  came to fruition by victory at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

          Yorktown’s history considerably precedes 1781.  The present location of the charming town today was occupied by the native-American population for at least 10,000 years prior to European arrival.  It is located at the narrowest crossing point of the York River, and natives likely used this point to travel from "the Peninsula" to the "Middle Peninsula".  Little, however, is documented about these early inhabitants and travelers and no exhibits presently tell their story.

1600

           In 1620, Captain Nicholas Martiau, was sent by King James I to build forts in Virginia, specifically at York, and to complete the great log palisade between College and Queen Creeks.

                    York’s fort was initially built just a short distance down river from the present Yorktown, and a small settlement developed there because of the fort’s guarantee of safety.  This village also became a receiving port and mercantile center for the growing population.  The site is now part of the United States Coast Guard Reserve Training Center . 

           Martiau’s early settlement and bringing of other settlers had qualified him to receive several grants of land, one of which is the present location of Yorktown.  Sadly, Martiau did not live to see the town develop on his personal landholdings.  He died in 1657, but his grandson sold 50 acres of the land for the establishment of “York Town” in 1691.  The town's creation established Yorktown as the principal location for securing tobacco, good, wares and other merchandise.  The port, wharves, warehouses and other appropriate buildings for the conduct of commerce were situated at the riverfront.

          Surprisingly, the town’s original 50 acres did not include the land immediately adjacent to the river--land that today features a park, several restaurants, a motel, beaches, a museum, and a few residences.  That land became valuable as the town developed and in 1738 was purchased and added to the town.  This parcel was overseen by the Yorktown Trustees, a board created in 1738 which still administers this land's affairs today.

1700 

          The town continued to grow, and by the passage of the Tobacco Inspection act of 1734, nearly all of Yorktown’s 85 town lots had been purchased and development begun.  With high quality Virginia tobacco established as the main money crop and Yorktown named as a tobacco inspection port, the town’s growth potential for the future seemed secure.

         Virginia’s planters who lived in Yorktown or had second homes here, lavished themselves and their homes with luxury and expensive items from England.  In 1764, an English visitor commented that he perceived “a great air of opulence amongst the inhabitants...every considerable man keeps an equipage...very pretty garden spots...avenues...are prodigiously agreeable.  The roads are infinitely superior to most in England...and the planters live in a manner equal to men of the best fortune..”

          Unfortunately, tobacco exhausted the soil and modern fertilization practices had not yet evolved.  As a result, the quality and quantity of tobacco declined dramatically from mid-century on, and Yorktown’s heavy dependence on the tobacco-based commerce proved to be its downfall.

                    Yorktown’s place in early American history was established by several Yorktown residents who devoted themselves to Virginia’s and the new nation’s service.  Principal among them was certainly Thomas Nelson, signer of the Declaration of Independence.  Additionally, David Jameson, a Scots merchant of Yorktown, served in the Virginia Senate and in the Privy Council and as Lieutenant Governor and , finally, acting governor in 1781.  Cyrus Griffin, last president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, was another prominent Yorktown citizen. 

          Clearly, the ultimate historically significant event for Yorktown is the victory of General George Washington’s army over the British army.  Lord Cornwallis surrendered, on ground known today as Surrender Field, October 19, 1781, effectively ending the American Revolution.  The battles of the American Revolution which began in 1776 covered much of the eastern seaboard.  This final major battle was the culmination of numerous back-and-forth movements of the Franco-American forces and of the British.  What caused Cornwallis to dig in for a siege in Yorktown?  How was Washington able to move his massive troops so quickly to Yorktown?  How did the French fleet know to move to its critical location at just the right moment? 

          A visit to Yorktown’s many historic sites answers some of those questions and creates even more questions in the minds of the visitor!  Nevertheless, the story of Washington, Cornwallis, Lafayette, De Grasse, and the thousands of soldiers and sailors of the American, British, and French nations is the story of Yorktown.

          The streets of Yorktown today bear little witness to the town’s importance in 1781 and bear little resemblance to its appearance at that time.  In early 1781, Yorktown was still a bustling port and mercantile center---but it’s heyday had clearly passed as other larger more convenient ports became more prominent.  The town, however, still had homes, stores, warehouses, storage buildings, public buildings, and other structures packed tightly along its unpaved main street and side streets.  Along the river, numerous wharves and associated buildings stood as testament to Yorktown’s importance, waning though it was.  Buildings of every nature stood chock-a-block along the town’s short main street with no thought of our present-day zoning concerns, and, in fact, were monuments to the town’s professional, mercantile, and residential prosperity and prominence. 

          After October 19, 1781, Yorktown was in a considerably different position after suffering dramatically during the siege, with numerous buildings destroyed or heavily damaged.  Many of its occupants left the town, never to return, and many of those remaining demolished damaged buildings with little thought of rebuilding. Many, of course, repaired their homes and businesses, and life in Yorktown continued.

1800