Surry County Agricultural Treasures
From 1607 to 1652, Surry County was a south-of-the James extension of James City County with agriculture at its heart. With it’s secluded location providing plentiful undeveloped land, there are numerous family
farms, many of which offer “agri-tourism” opportunities, and many businesses featuring Virginia produced
foods and plants. In Surry you can find “clean food” produced without pesticides and GMO-free.
Come experience life on a farm, pick your own fruits, berries and vegetables and “Savor the Secrets of Surry”.
**Please note, due to the seasonal nature of this tour, it is recommend for the summer months.
In addition, please call ahead to ensure that the “pick-your-own” locations are ready for visitors.
Your tour begins by catching the 8:30 AM ferry from Jamestown (approximately a 20 minute drive from
Merchant’s Square in Williamsburg)
8:45: Arrive at Scotland Wharf on the Surry side of the James River. Travel to College Run Farms via
State Route 637 and 634.
College Run Farms is a small family-owned “pick-your-own” operation that features strawberries,
blueberries, sweet corn, butter beans, and pumpkins throughout the summer and early fall months. They also
offer ice-cream made with their fresh fruits throughout the summer. Fall features pumpkin ice-cream, and a
corn maze.
Plan on at least an hour if you are picking your own produce. Prices will vary.
Hours may vary due to the season and the
availability of certain crops, so be sure to call
ahead (757-294-3970) or find them on
facebook at (https://www.facebook.com/pages/
COLLEGE-RUN-FARMS/198321694408),
which they update regularly throughout the
picking season.
10:00: Depart for Drewry Farms travelling on Route 634 (Alliance Road) towards Route 10. Turn right
on Route 10, turn left at the stop light in the Town of Surry onto Route 31 South for about ______ miles.
Drewry Farms is located on your left, on Strawberry Lane.
Drewry Farms is a pick-your-own operation, specializing in blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Hours may vary due to the season, and the availability of some crops, so be sure to call ahead
(757-899-3636) or check out their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drewry-FarmsBlueberries/117126898334206) which is updated regularly.
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Surry County Agricultural Treasures
The Drewrys offer shares in their heritage breed
cows and pigs, so if you are interested in non-GMO, freerange all natural meat, please call for more information
about buying in bulk.
The Blueberry Jam Festival celebrated its second
year in 2013, with live music, and plenty of vendors
featuring local foods, crafts, and information about natural
gardening and foods. No date for 2015 has yet been
announced.
Plan on at least an hour if you are picking your own produce.
11:30: Return to the Town of Surry via Route 31 North for lunch at Edward’s Ham Shoppe.
It’s impossible to imagine Virginia without smoked ham, and even more impossible to picture Surry
County without Edwards ham. Their products are produced by the family-owned factory that is behind the
small country store on Hwy 10. Stop here for delicious and quick ham biscuits and traditional Brunswick stew.
Their store also features a wide selection of Edwards products, as well as local Virginia delicacies and gifts.
12:30: After lunch, take Route 10 west to C.W.
Reeson’s Boxwood Farm. These slow-growing
plants are just as popular among gardeners today
as they have been for hundreds of years for their
ability to be shaped into topiary, or left to provide
lush green privacy where needed. Appointments
recommended: (757) 866-8479
1:30: Travel Route 10 east to Surry, stopping at
Farmer Joe’s Greenhouse on your way back to the
ferry.
Farmer Joe’s is part greenhouse, part gift
shop, and part fresh-florist. Depending on the time
of year, you will be able to buy tomato plants for
your garden, or fresh locally grown tomatoes. Either
way, the owners and employees will be more than
happy to offer gardening advice on any question
you might have. Open daily, call ahead during the
off-season: (757) 294-3151.
2:30: Return to the ferry via Route 31 North
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Historic House Museum Tour
From 1607 to 1652, Surry County was a south-of-the-James extension of James City County. There
are many examples of early architecture in Surry County; in fact, Surry is home to 17 structures listed on the
National Historic Register. While not all of these structures are available to the public, we would like to invite
you to visit several that are.
Come experience life across the centuries and “Savor the Secrets of Surry”.
Your tour begins by catching the 9:30 AM ferry from Jamestown (approximately a 20 minute drive from
Merchant’s Square in Williamsburg)
9:45: Arrive at Scotland Wharf on the Surry side of the James River
Drive to Smith’s Fort Plantation, less than 10 minutes away via Hwy 31 South
Smith’s Fort Plantation is part of a tract of land given to John Rolfe upon
the occasion of his marriage to Pocahontas by his new father-in-law, Powhatan.
Although the house that stands there now was built ca. 1761, further back on the
property there are the remains of a earthen fort that was begun by John Smith in
1608 as a complement to Jamestowne, to protect against Spanish raiders.
Smith’s Fort Plantation is open
10:00-5:00 Friday through Sunday, March through December.
During the summer months, Memorial Day through Labor Day, the
house is also open on Monday
from 10:00 to 5:00. Special tours
can be arranged by appointment.
There is a fee associated with
touring this site. Please call (757)
294-3872 or visit:
http://reservationvirginia.org/visit/
historic-properties/smiths-fortplantation
for more information.
Plan on at least an hour to tour the house and for a self-guided tour of the
fort remains.
11:00 AM: Continue on Route 31 S, turn left at the stop light in the Town of
Surry and follow Route 10 East to Bacon’s Castle Trail, turn left. You will
find the entrance to Bacon’s Castle on the left (approximately 20 minutes away).
Bacon’s Castle is America’s oldest surviving Jacobean structure. Built ca.
1665 by Arthur Allen, it acquired it’s nickname after being occupied by followers
of Nathanial Bacon during Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676. The house also boasts an
English formal garden, and several outbuildings, including slave quarters dating
to 1830.
Bacon’s Castle is open Friday and Saturday, 10AM to 5PM,
and Sunday 12Noon to 5PM. During the summer months,
Memorial Day through Labor Day, the house is also open
on Monday from 10AM to 5PM. Special tours can be
arranged by appointment. There is a fee associated with
touring this site. Please call 757-357-5976 or visit
http://preservationvirginia.org/visit/historic -properties/
bacons-castle for more information.
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Historic House Museum Tour
Plan on at least an hour and a half to tour the house and the surrounding grounds at Bacon’s Castle.
12:30: Return to Route 10, travel west to Route 634 (Alliance Road) turn right. Follow Alliance Road to
Chippokes Plantation State Park (entrance on left). Upon entering the park, turn right toward the historic
area, follow signs to the parking area behind the Jones-Stewart Mansion House.
Chippokes Plantation is a year-round State
Park featuring a campground, cabins, a swimming area, boat rentals, hiking, and more.
Chippokes advertises itself as the nation’s
oldest continuously farmed plantation, with
agricultural activity centered around the JonesStewart Mansion, built in 1854. Heritage
breeds of several kinds of farm animal also call
the park home, and antique farming
techniques can be observed in the appropriate
seasons. Special events throughout the year
include the Steam & Gas Show, and the Pork,
Pines, and Peanuts Festival. Admission to the
park, including a guided tour of the Mansion,
is $5. For more information, call (757) 2943728 or visit the Friends of Chippokes
Plantation State Park website at
http://www.chippokes.com/index.php
Chippokes Plantation was named after a friendly local Indian chief. It is believed that Chippokes and his
men used the area as a hunting ground before the expansion of the English colony, although little is truly known
about him.
Albert Carroll Jones built the existing antebellum mansion in 1854. In the 20th century, the property was
acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Victor Stewart and the home was lovingly restored. The Stewarts donated Chippokes
to the Commonwealth of Virginia to be used as a State Park. There are numerous historic structures which
surround the home as well as a lovely English garden.
Please allow yourself an hour and a half to two hours to enjoy Chippokes.
2:30: Return to the ferry via State Route 634 and Hwy 10 West.
Turn right at the stop light in the Town of Surry towards the
ferry on Route 31 North. Along the way, stop at Anna’s Pizza in
Surry for a late lunch or an early supper of delicious hand-tossed
pizza, calzones, or fresh sandwiches. Anna’s is located in the heart
of the Town of Surry.
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Our Common Roots
From 1607 to 1652, Surry County was a south-of-the-James extension of James City County. Many
early interactions between European and Native Virginians (including the Nottoway tribes) occurred here.
Many modern African-Americans can trace their ancestry to Surry County as well. Between the Colonial and
Early United States periods, the County proved a haven for freed indentured servants and runaway slaves.
After the American Civil War and Emancipation new black citizens owned property and began raising families;
many local families have family histories tied to this period of history, too. Whether your interest is in
European, Native or African-American history, or all of the above, we all share a similar heritage.
Come explore “Our Common Roots” and “Savor the Secrets of Surry”.
Your tour begins by catching the 9:30 AM ferry from Jamestown (approximately a 20 minute drive from
Merchant’s Square in Williamsburg)
9:45: Arrive at Scotland Wharf on the Surry side of the James River
Drive to Smith’s Fort Plantation, less than 10 minutes away via Hwy 31 South.
Smith’s Fort Plantation is part of a tract of land given to John Rolfe upon
the occasion of his marriage to Pocahontas by his new father-in-law, Powhatan.
Although the house that stands there now was built ca. 1761, further back on the
property there are the remains of a earthen fort that was begun by John Smith in
1608 as a complement to Jamestowne, to protect against Spanish raiders.
Smith’s Fort Plantation is open
10:00-5:00 Friday through Sunday, March through December.
During the summer months,
Memorial Day through Labor
Day, the house is also open on
Monday from 10:00 to 5:00.
Special tours can be arranged
by appointment. There is a fee
associated with touring this site.
Please call (757) 294-3872 or
visit:
http://reservationvirginia.org/
visit/historic-properties/smithsfort-plantation
for more information.
Plan on at least an hour to tour the house and for a self-guided tour of the
fort remains.
11:15: Continue on Hwy 31 S, taking a left at the stoplight in the Town of
Surry onto Hwy 10 East. Drive on Hwy 10 E for approximately twenty
minutes, until you reach the historical marker which commemorates the
Quiyoughcohannock Indian tribe, located on Hwy 10, just past the hamlet of
Bacon’s Castle.
The Quiyoughcohannock (key-yock-co-hannock) tribe was the first tribe
that the English settlers encountered as they traveled up the James River in
1607, taking the time to share a meal with them. Because the charter the English
carried stated they were not to settle within five miles of inhabited land, they
carried on up the James River, settling at present-day Jamestowne.
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Our Common Roots
The Quiyoughcohannock Indians were part of the Powhatan Confederacy, and although they were
concentrated mainly in Surry County, they also continued to interact with the English after they had settled at
Jamestowne—indeed, they were among the strongest allies the English had, providing them with food and
even guides on a journey to search for the lost Roanoke colonists. Captain John Smith noted in his diary that
Pepsicuminah was a “honest, proper, good, promise-keeping king.” The Quiyoughcohannock were eventually
driven out of the area or absorbed into other tribes by the 1630s, when the influx of English settlers to the
James River valley became too great.
12:00 Noon: Take Hwy 10 West until you arrive again in the Town of Surry.
Lunch at the Colonial Farmhouse, Ltd. featuring fried chicken prepared to order, she-crab soup, and a widevariety of soul-food inspired dishes, this locally-owned restaurant is sure to satisfy! Open everyday except
Tuesday from 11:00 to 9:00. Call ahead with any questions or special requests: 757-294-3171
1:15 PM: Head west on Hwy 10, then turn right on State Route 646 (Spring Grove Road) toward the
Town of Claremont. At the junction, pause to read the Historic Marker (on the left of Rt. 10) commemorating
the Temperance Industrial and Collegiate Institute.
Dr. John Jefferson Smallwood began the Institute in 1892, and it operated for thirty-six years without
public funding. Over those years, it offered a three-year high school and four-year college education to over
two thousand African-American students. In 1912, just prior to Dr. Smallwood’s death, the school built an
imposing four-story structure called Lincoln Hall, as well the town’s first electrical-generating plant, which
provided power for the Town of Claremont. After the school closed its doors in 1928, the land was sold, and
the buildings were gradually torn down. Unfortunately, today nothing visible remains of this once-vibrant
Institute that drew students from as far away as New York and Washington D.C.
2:00PM: Continue on State Route 646 into Claremont.
The Claremont School is an example of the Rosenwald Fund schools that were
built between 1917 and 1932. Julius Rosenwald was the president of Sears, Roebuck,
and Co, and inspired by his friendship with Booker T. Washington, he organized a
foundation that provided funds to impoverished and underserved black communities so
that they could build quality one-room schoolhouses, teacher’s homes, and workshops.
The school is currently being preserved by the First Baptist Church of Claremont, and is
not open for tours.
Dr. John J. Smallwood
2:30PM Reverse your ride on State Route 646 to Hwy 10 East, continuing onto
Hwy 31 North to catch the 3:00PM ferry.
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