Editing Eastville, Virginia (section)

== History ==

The present town of Eastville is situated near the sites of the first [[European colonization of the Americas|European settlements]] established on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. In 1620, [[Thomas Savage (Virginia interpreter)|Thomas Savage]], having been trained as an interpreter and working with the [[London Company|Virginia Company]] to secure land on the shore from the indigenous cultures there, settled on land that in time came to be known as “Savage Neck,” a few miles southwest of Eastville.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Turman|first1=Nora Miller|title=The Eastern Shore of Virginia 1603-1964|date=2007|publisher=Heritage Books|pages=33}}</ref> By the last quarter of the 17th century, Henry Matthews had settled on the tract of land covering the present town. In 1677, Northampton County residents petitioned for the county court to be moved to a more central location, suggesting Matthew's home.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mariner|first1=Kirk|title=Off 13: The Eastern Shore of Virginia Guidebook|date=2010|publisher=Miona Publications|pages=88}}</ref> The first courthouse was completed in 1690 and a small community developed to serve the needs of the court called “The Horns,” named for the several peninsulas of land which extended west into the Chesapeake Bay from the area.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Turman|first1=Nora Miller|title=The Eastern Shore of Virginia 1603-1964|date=2007|publisher=Heritage Books|pages=80}}</ref> Not until almost a century later in 1773 was the town laid out and officially named Northampton Court House.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Turman|first1=Nora Miller|title=The Eastern Shore of Virginia 1603-1964|date=2007|publisher=Heritage Books|pages=128}}</ref> The last decade of the 18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century saw significant growth and development, including the construction of a third courthouse in 1795, the building of a tavern adjacent to the court green, and several large homes which remain a core part of the town's historic landscape today, including [[Cessford (Eastville, Virginia)|Cessford]], Park Hall, and Ingleside, all examples of Georgian and Federal architecture.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Turman|first1=Nora Miller|title=The Eastern Shore of Virginia 1603-1964|date=2007|publisher=Heritage Books|pages=145}}</ref> The town was known as Northampton Court House and Peachburg until the name Eastville was officially given to the community around 1800.