Editing Caroline County, Virginia (section)

==Communities==
There are two [[incorporated town]]s in Caroline County. They are:

*[[Bowling Green, Virginia|Bowling Green]]
*[[Port Royal, Virginia|Port Royal]]

===Bowling Green===
The town of Bowling Green was earlier known as New Hope Village. One of the earliest stage roads in the colony ran through the area from Richmond to the [[Potomac River]], where a ferry crossing was operated to [[Charles County, Maryland]]. One of the first stage lines in America to maintain a regular schedule operated along this road. New Hope Tavern was built along the road prior to 1700, and the area around it became known as New Hope Village.<ref name="History">[http://town.bowling-green.va.us/history.htm History<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818042520/http://town.bowling-green.va.us/history.htm |date=August 18, 2007 }}</ref>

The town was renamed for "Bowling Green", the plantation of town founder, Colonel John Hoomes. He donated considerable land when the community became the [[county seat]] in 1803. The Bowling Green estate took its name from the Hoomes family's ancestral seat in [[England]], "Bolling Green". Such naming was a tradition in the Colony of Virginia. The Bowling Green estate was the site of one of the first tracks for [[horse racing]] in North America.<ref name="Acknowledgment For Codification">[http://town.bowling-green.va.us/code%20book/historical%20sketch.htm Acknowledgment For Codification<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112231621/http://town.bowling-green.va.us/code%20book/historical%20sketch.htm |date=November 12, 2005 }}</ref>

The manor home of the Hoomes family, built on plantation land patented by Major Thomas Hoomes in 1667, was constructed in 1741. A prominent town landmark, it is one of the oldest residences in original condition in Virginia.<ref name="History"/> Bowling Green Farm is now on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="Acknowledgment For Codification"/>

The present Caroline County Court House was built in 1835, and Bowling Green was incorporated as a town in 1837. The town is best known as the "cradle of American [[horse racing]]".

The [[Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad]] (chartered in 1834) was built through nearby [[Milford, Virginia|Milford]] (just west of town) and reached [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]] by 1837. This important rail link between several major northern [[railroad]]s at Washington, D.C., and other major southern railroads at [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] was partially owned by the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]] for years. It was purchased by [[CSX Transportation]] in the 1990s. A major freight railroad line for north–south traffic, the corridor also carries many [[Amtrak]] trains. Although the closest [[Virginia Railway Express]] (VRE) commuter passenger rail service to [[Northern Virginia]] is accessed at Spotsylvania,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/10/26/vres-spotsylvania-station-to-open-next-month/ |title=VRE's Spotsylvania station to open next month |newspaper=Washington Post |last=Lazo |first=Luz |date=October 26, 2015 |access-date=October 27, 2015}}</ref> future VRE extensions southward may include service at Milford. This would increase convenience for Bowling Green and the surrounding area.

Bowling Green is located along [[Route 2 (Virginia)|Virginia State Route 2]], one of the two earlier highways between [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]] and [[Fredericksburg, Virginia|Fredericksburg]]. In later years, [[U.S. Route 301 in Virginia|U.S. Route 301]] was built through the area, connecting Richmond with [[Baltimore, Maryland]], by what was effectively an eastern bypass of the Washington, D.C., area. A new road, [[Route 207 (Virginia)|Virginia State Route 207]], was established from Bowling Green west to [[Carmel Church, Virginia|Carmel Church]]. It intersects [[Interstate 95 in Virginia|Interstate 95]] and [[U.S. Route 1 in Virginia|U.S. Route 1]], major north–south highways.

In 1941, the United States government acquired {{convert|77000|acre|km2}} of Caroline County to the north and east of Bowling Green. It established the A.P. Hill Military Reservation. Known in modern times as [[Fort A.P. Hill]], the facility was named for Virginia military hero of the [[United States Army]] and later [[Confederate Army|Confederate]] General [[A.P. Hill|Ambrose Powell Hill]]. Thousands of regular military and reserve troops undergo training at the complex each year. It was also the site of national Jamboree gatherings of the [[Boy Scouts of America]] for 29 years between 1981 and 2010.<ref>[http://www.aphill.army.mil/sites/about/history.asp Fort AP Hill, Va • History<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070409024054/http://www.aphill.army.mil/sites/about/history.asp |date=April 9, 2007 }}</ref>

===Port Royal===
Port Royal is one of the area's more historic towns. It was first established in 1652 as a port on a navigable portion of the [[Rappahannock River]] during an era when waterways were the major method of transportation of people and property in the British [[Colony of Virginia]]. It was an important point for export of tobacco, Virginia's [[cash crop]].

Local tradition holds that Port Royal was named after the Roy family. Dorothy Roy and her husband John owned a warehouse chartered by the crown, a [[ferry]] service across the Rappahannock River to [[King George County, Virginia|King George County]] and a tavern. In the 21st century, the chimneys of the Roy house are preserved landmarks in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicportroyal.com/|title=Historic Port Royal|access-date=May 29, 2016}}</ref>

Port Royal was incorporated as a town in 1744. The "town green", upon which stands today the Town Hall and the firehouse, was forever reserved "for public and civic use".<ref>[http://www.co.caroline.va.us/portroyal.html Welcome to Historic Port Royal!<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218170735/http://www.co.caroline.va.us/portroyal.html |date=December 18, 2007 }}</ref>

Shipping of property from the port began to decline after completion of railroads which began in Virginia in the 1830s. The last scheduled passenger ship service ended in 1932, supplanted by highways. However, Port Royal was served by the new highways which became [[U.S. Route 17 in Virginia|U.S. Route 17]] and [[U.S. Route 301 in Virginia|U.S. Route 301]], with their crossroads at Port Royal.

===Census-designated places===
There are two unincorporated [[census-designated place]]s in Caroline County:

*[[Lake Caroline, Virginia|Lake Caroline]]
*[[Lake Land'Or, Virginia|Lake Land'Or]]