Virginia's own Ghost Town (near Williamsburg)

14 years ago

I'm a native, and yet I'd never heard the story of Virginia's own ghost town. EVER.

In 1916, DuPont opened a munitions plant in Penniman, Virginia (near Williamsburg), and paid very good wages. In short order, about 20,000 to 30,000 people had poured into the area looking for work.

DuPont built about 300 houses along the York River for the new workers. The houses were DuPont's own designs. DuPont had also done this at Ramsay, MT, Dupont, WA, Old Hickory, TN, Hopewell, VA and Carney's Point, NJ.

After the armistice was signed (November 11, 1918), they decided to dismantle Penniman and close the plant.

After all, President Woodrow Wilson had promised us that The Great War would be the "War to end all Wars" and with the world's last-ever war fought, who'd ever need to build bombs again?

However, just as the war ended, the Spanish Influenza went through Penniman killing hundreds of people. They couldn't make coffins fast enough, so they started stacking the bodies on the back of trucks and hauling them out for burial.

So, by the early 1920s, the flu was over the Penniman was history and they loaded up the houses from Penniman and PUT THEM ON BARGES and moved them Norfolk (where I live) and other areas.

I've spent one year researching this little bit of Norfolk history, and I find it fascinating! Here are a few photos.

Here are the houses being shipped by barge:

Another photo of the houses that came into Norfolk by barge:

Here's a picture of the houses as they stood in Penniman (about 1920).

Here's an original picture of the house that Dupont offered:

And here it is today, in Norfolk. We have more than 50 of these houses, but their origins and history were long forgotten - sadly.

And here's a photo of Penniman in its hey day:

I love history. :)

Today, the old Penniman site is now Cheatham Annex, a Navy facility. Of those 300 houses built at Penniman, all that's left is ONE house. It looks out over the York River. That one house is the last remnant of Penniman.

Rose

Here is a link that might be useful: More on Penniman - Virginia's own Ghost Town

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Comments (7)

wanda_va
14 years ago
That's fascinating! It's mind-boggling that they had the knowledge and ability to move homes back then. Our ancestors were awesome. When I look at the architecture and millwork in old buildings, I can't believe what they accomplished with their primitive tools.

There is a lot of history in our commonwealth. I love reading the history of our little VA town, which was settled in 1738, and saw a lot of action in the Revolutionary War and Civil War.
marie_ndcal
14 years ago
Thank you for sharing--if only houses could "talk" what tales they would share. Did you contact Ancestry.com with this information? Wonder if there are any descendants around yet?
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lynn_d
14 years ago
That is really interesting, the house designs appear to be common in that era, there are even some in this area tho I don't know that they are duPont designs. Thanks, Rosemary, that is really fascinating.
lydia1959
14 years ago
Very interesting! Thanks.
sue_va
14 years ago
I had never heard of that either, as many times as I have been to Williamsburg.

Since you love history, you will like this. Of course, you may already be aware of it,

This article is in today's local newspaper.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Shenandoah National Park
wanda_va
14 years ago
Sue, that article was interesting. We live very close to the Shenandoah National Park--but north of that area. The local history is so fascinating. The Visitors Center on Skyline Drive has a great video about the history of the area.
jannie
14 years ago
Very interesting. My Grandmother's first husband died of Spanish flu in 1918, her second died from diabetes and various amputations when my Mother (born 1923) was just 9.

Virginia's own Ghost Town (near Williamsburg)

Comments (7)

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