Mathews County, Virginia, is now the home of the National Park Service’s newest Chesapeake Gateways site—elevating an important piece of wharf history and modern-day water recreation hub.
The five-acre Williams Wharf property on the East River is a historical landing going back 400 years in American history. The site was utilized as a port-of-call in the colonial transatlantic tobacco trade; frequented by steamboats out of Baltimore and Norfolk during the steamboat era; and a commercial fishing hub in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mathews County has a strong seafaring heritage of wooden boatbuilding, commercial fishing and men who served in the United States Merchant Marines.
Williams Wharf Landing’s dock was also a key filming spot for the 2019 film Harriet. Cynthia Erivo, a megastar for her work in Wicked, played abolotionist Harriet Tubman. Williams Wharf stood in for 19th-century Philadelphia with Yorktown’s Schooner Alliance docked nearby.
As a Chesapeake Gateways site, the landing joins over 200 other locations in the Bay region for the public to enjoy while learning about Chesapeake Bay history. The National Park Service uses the sites to encourage protection of the Bay watershed and to offer entry points for visitors to the region.
Williams Wharf Landing, owned by Mathews Land Conservancy (MLC), is currently being developed to offer hands-on opportunities for the public to experience the natural and cultural heritage of the East River. It is home to the Mobjack Rowing Association and the Mathews County Public School System’s rowing team.
“We are pleased to receive this prestigious designation and to put it towards advancing our core mission to preserve and protect waterway access for public use, benefit, and education,” said MLC president Bernadette La Casse.
MLC was formed in 1994 to acquire and protect Williams Wharf Landing from continued industrial use. It had been used for decades as a fuel oil distribution site.
MLC has installed a floating dock, fishing pier, pavilion, bulkheads and other structures to enhance public use. The property is used annually for musical venues, competitive boat docking, and festivals honoring the Bay’s maritime heritage.
The construction of the planned Williams and Catharine Owens Waters Edge Center has been started but paused because of funding challenges. When completed it will serve as a regional educational and recreational center for waterfront and maritime activities.
The Chesapeake Gateways Network program includes sites across six states and the District of Columbia that highlight the Bay’s watershed. With the designation, the National Park Service provides financial and technical assistance.
MLC relies solely on private donations, grants, and fees for general operations, as well as maintenance, improvements, and project construction. For more information about community water access, educational events, or to donate go to mathewslandconservancy.org.
