Cooperative Living July 2019 - 32

Crossroads | Story and photos by Bill Sterling, Contributing Writer
EASTVILLE, VA
Eastville
T
A Town with Charm
and Rich History
urn just about anywhere in
Eastville and you are likely to
bump into history.
" Eastville is a charming and
historic town and a great place to live, "
says Cindy Tatem who has been
Eastville's postmaster for about 10 of her
24 years in the postal service, lives in
town and knows almost everyone on a
first-name basis.
Graceful old homes, several of them
listed in the National Register of Historic
Places, are found throughout Eastville, the
Northampton County seat on Virginia's
Eastern Shore.
Cessford, built in 1801, was the
headquarters for the Union army during
the Civil War after it was commandeered
by Gen. Henry Lockwood, who lived in
the house throughout the war.
By 1619, the English had permanently
settled here as one of the eight original
Virginia shires, or counties. Local
government began in 1632 with officials
meeting in homes or privately owned
taverns and ordinaries. Early court records
from those gatherings have survived and
represent the oldest continuous county
court records in the United States, dating
from 1632. They can be seen at the clerk's
office at a modern courthouse complex
built in 2006.
Eastville has been the county seat since
1680, with the old courthouse built in 1731.
The Declaration of Independence was
publicly read from the steps of the
courthouse on Aug. 13, 1776. Signs on
the courthouse green aid visitors in a
self-guided walking tour of the grounds.
During the Civil War, officials in
Richmond wanted all court records for
safe keeping. Northampton County
refused, which turned out to be a wise
call since Richmond burned and
Northampton's records survived the war.
A " newer " courthouse built in 1899 is
now a small museum, where a weathered
whipping post and a measuring stick are
among the items displayed. Visitors also
can view the debtor's prison from 1814.
" Our court records can be a valuable
tool for genealogists, " says Eastville Mayor
Jim Sturgis as he sits in his office at the
Northampton Insurance Agency aside his
dog, Julia Belle, a rescue bloodhound with
distinguished breeding. A 2013 session at
Indiantown Park helped awareness of the
community's Native American heritage.
" Some of the participants researched
their lineage in the court records,
unbroken from 1632, and found them
extremely helpful, " Sturgis says.
Three generations of mayors
Sturgis is not only the third-generation
owner of the insurance agency, which his
grandfather founded in 1934. He is the
fourth in his family to become the town's
mayor. Ten years ago, he succeeded his father,
Edgar Sturgis, who had been Eastville's
mayor for almost 40 years after taking over
the position from his father. The elder
Sturgis, who was also the town's fire chief
Cindy Tatem has been Eastville's
postmaster for 10 of her 24 years
in the postal service.
30 | Cooperative Living | July 2019
The Eastville courthouse, built in 1731. The
Declaration of Independence was read from its
steps on Aug. 13, 1776.
The 1899 courthouse is now a museum showing
the history of the area.
co-opliving.com
JAY DIEM PHOTO
JAY DIEM PHOTO
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living July 2019
