Jordan Point, Virginia

Jordan Point (or Jordan's Point) is a small unincorporated community on the south bank of the James River in the northern portion of Prince George County, Virginia, United States.

Early history

Upon arrival of English settlers beginning at Jamestown in 1607, the property at Jordan's Point was first known as "Jordan’s Journey" in 1619. It was then located in Charles Cittie (sic), a "burrough" (sic) or "incorporation" (sic) of the Virginia Company of London, the early proprietor of the Virginia Colony. The first recorded owner was Samuel Jordan, who with his wife, Cecily, her two daughters, and their adult male servants, took up residence around 1620, Samuel Jordan died in 1623, and his widow married William Farrar, who moved to Jordan’s Journey, which. appears to have been abandoned by 1635.

Virginia became a royal colony in 1624. Ten years later, in 1634, the area of Jordan's Point became part of Charles City Shire, later Charles City County. The area of Charles City County south of the James River became Prince George County in 1703.

In 1656, the land at Jordan's Point was acquired by Theodorick Bland. In 1671, Richard Bland (I) of Berkeley Plantation inherited it. In 1720, his son, Richard Bland (II), established a home known as Jordan's Point Plantation there.

Richard Bland: Founding Father

Richard Bland (II) was the father of Richard Bland (III) (1710-1776). This Richard Bland became the most famous man of that name in Virginia's history. He was a Justice of the Peace for Prince George County, a member of the House of Burgesses, an early critic of the unfairness of the concept of "Taxation Without Representation", a phrase he may be responsible for, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1774 and 1775. He is considered one of the Founding Fathers although he was elderly by the time of the American Revolution and died in 1776, only a few months after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Richard Bland (III) is the namesake of Richard Bland College. Bland County, Virginia was also named in his honor. The Bland family cemetery is still located at Jordan Point.

Ferry service and drawbridge

Jordan Point was long the southern terminus of a ferry system across the James River connecting with Charles City County on the north shore. In 1966, the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge lift span bridge replaced the ferry system. Located at a bend in the James River, in 1977, Jordan Point was the site of a collision of a tanker ship coming downstream from the Port of Richmond with the Benjamin Harrison Bridge. As a result, the bridge was out of service for 20 months.

Other details

A small airport (now closed) was located near Jordan Point Marina for many years. A residential development, "Jordan Point On The James" now occupies the former airport site.

In modern times, Jordan Point Road carries State Routes 106 and 156 between State Route 10 and the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge.

External links

* [http://www.princegeorgeva.org/ Prince George County, Virginia official website]
* [http://www.rbc.edu/library/SpecialCollections/Richard_Bland.htm Richard Bland Cemetery, Jordan's Point on James River, Prince George County, VA]
* [http://www.chesapeakearchaeology.org/HTM_Site_Summaries/JordansJourneySummary.htm Jordan's Journey Archaeological Study]