Artery of Commerce
Sailing ships and the rivers they travelled were vital to the tidewater plantations of Virginia and Maryland. They were the colonial counterpart to our vehicles, highways, and railroads.
In front of you is Popes Creek; beyond is the Potomac River. Every Potomac River plantation was an international port of call. A steady procession of ships graced the river, collecting hogsheads of tobacco for shipment to England and unloading both the necessities and niceties of colonial life.
The river not only linked the new world to the old, but linked the Potomac River plantations to one another. Regular interaction gave the Potomac River plantation families a strong collective identity distinct from that of the rest of tidewater Virginia.
Marker can be reached from Popes Creek Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
