Osborne Landing
Captain John Smith’s Adventures on the James
The Arrohateck Indians lived along the James River north of the Appomattox. They met Smith and his comrades on their initial journey up the James, paddling out to meet the English on a small island. “In the midway staying to refresh our selves in [a] little Ile,” wrote Smith, “foure or five savages came unto us which described unto us the course of the River, and after in our journey, they often met us, trading with us for such provision as wee had.”
Advice of the Natives was no doubt helpful to the English when navigating a succession of oxbows in the river below modern Richmond. Laced with creeks and cloaked in marsh, some of the low peninsulas become islands at high tide. Modern river travelers follow a more direct course through man-made channels.
Capt. John Smith’s Trail
John Smith knew the James River by its Algonquian name: Powhatan, the same as the region’s paramount chief. Smith traveled the river many times between 1607 and 1609, trading with Virginia Indians to ensure survival at Jamestown. What he saw of Virginia’s verdant woodlands and pristine waters inspired him to explore the greater Chesapeake Bay, chronicling its natural wonders.
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Historic Osborne
Osborne Boat Landing is across the river from the historic village of Osborne. Named in honor of one of the colonists and located at the mouth of Proctor’s Creek, Osborne was once a busy port. A ferry operated here between Henrico and Chesterfield counties.
Peter Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson’s father, was born here in 1708 and later married at this little settlement. Unfortunately, Osborne was deemed unsuitable for farming, so the House of Burgesses approved the motion that the land be sold in 1761. The site was divided into 120 lots, but the project was largely unsuccessful.
In 1781, during the Revolutionary War, British troops under Benedict Arnold burned the town and engaged American vessels in a fierce battle just offshore.
Marker can be reached from Osborne Turnpike 0.3 miles north of Kingsland Road, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
