Editing West Point, Virginia (section)

== History ==
The current site of West Point was once the site of ''Cinquoteck'', a [[Native Americans of the United States|Native American]] village of the local [[Mattaponi]], an [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking tribe affiliated with the [[Powhatan Confederacy]]. During the first half of the 17th century, the Confederacy and the English colonists who established their first permanent settlement at [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]] in 1607 were frequently in conflict. By mid-century, the Natives had been largely overcome, including the area of ''Cinquoteck'', by the ever-expanding [[Colony of Virginia]].

By treaty, the colonial government established reservations for the Mattaponi and [[Pamunkey]] in this area. More than 350 years later, Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribal members continue to occupy the reservations, located a few miles north of modern-day West Point. Both are state-recognized tribes, which now number 11.

In 1655, [[Port Richmond West Plantation]], the home of [[John West (governor)|John West]], was developed to incorporate the former site of Cinquetock. West was a [[List of colonial governors of Virginia|Governor of Virginia]] from 1635 to 1637.

[[File:Residential area, West Point, Virginia.jpg|thumb|left|Houses in a residential section of West Point]]

After the West family sold off parts of the plantation, a settlement started at what became called West Point, which had access to the [[York River (Virginia)|York River]]. In 1691, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] directed that West Point be chartered as a [[port of entry]] on the York. In 1705 the [[House of Burgesses]] authorized the town to qualify as a "free borough", and renamed it "Delaware" in honor of former Royal Governor [[Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr]]. He was John West's elder brother, an early settler of Jamestown, and an earlier colonial governor.

When the [[Richmond and York River Railroad]] was built and completed in 1861 to the port community, just before the onset of the [[American Civil War]], the city took back its former name of "West Point". The railroad was a key strategic goal of [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] General [[George B. McClellan]]'s failed [[Peninsula Campaign]] in 1862 to capture [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]. Massively damaged during the War, the railroad was later rebuilt. It became part of the [[Richmond and Danville Railroad]] system.

In 1870, West Point became an [[incorporated town]]. Linked to Richmond by rail, it became a major shipping point for passenger and freight traffic. It was especially convenient for travel to [[Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore]] and points north via the York River and the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. Much of the Richmond and Danville Railroad (including the section between Richmond and West Point) became part of the [[Southern Railway (US)|Southern Railway]] in the 1890s during a financial reorganization.

Until the early 20th century, West Point was a thriving commercial port and [[resort]] destination. However, the port status declined with the completion of more railroads to the [[ocean]] harbor area of Hampton Roads, notably including the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] at [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]] and the [[Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]] at [[Portsmouth, Virginia|Portsmouth]]. Likewise, tourists began to frequent newer destinations closer to the ocean.

After the decline of both shipping and [[tourism]], a [[shipyard]] built in 1917 and a 1914 pulp paper mill are credited with bringing new jobs to the town. In the 1980s, the railroad was acquired by the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] system in continued restructuring of the industry. It has continued to serve the town's paper mill into the early 21st century.