Editing James City County, Virginia (section)

===19th and 20th centuries===
During the [[American Civil War]], the [[Battle of Williamsburg]] was waged in York and James City County during the [[Peninsula Campaign]] in 1862. Some earthworks remain at the site of the Confederate [[Fort Magruder]]. After the War, [[Collis P. Huntington]] extended the new [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] through the county to reach new [[coal pier]]s he had built at [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]] on [[Hampton Roads]]. Railroad stations were established (listed west to east) at Diascund, [[Toano, Virginia|Toano]], [[Norge, Virginia|Vaiden's Crossing]], [[Kelton, Virginia|Kelton]], Ewell, Williamsburg, and [[Grove, Virginia|Grove]]. In Williamsburg, the temporary tracks initially laid ran down the middle of Duke of Gloucester Street.

After a change in the Virginia constitution in 1871, Williamsburg became an [[Independent city (United States)|independent city]] from James City County in 1884. Williamsburg and James City County share a combined school system, courts, and some constitutional officers.

Beginning in the early 20th century, preservation and restoration efforts resulted in a major increase in tourism to the county and surrounding area. Attractions developed included [[Colonial Williamsburg]], [[Jamestown Settlement]], the [[Colonial Parkway]], [[Carter's Grove Plantation]], and [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]].

====Colonial Williamsburg====
Perhaps the best-known of the 20th century changes of a local nature which affected James City County was the Restoration and development of [[Colonial Williamsburg]]. Driven by the vision of an Episcopal priest and initially funded by the heir to the [[Standard Oil]] fortune, [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]] and his wife [[Abby Aldrich Rockefeller]], Colonial Williamsburg (or "CW" as it is informally known locally) became a world-class attraction like no other.

{{main|Colonial Williamsburg}}

While the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg is within the city limits of Williamsburg and not located within James City County, in the earliest periods, CW acquired vast acreage in the entire area, notably to the north and east of the Historic District. Foremost was a desire to preserve views and facilitate the effort to allow a visitor to experience as much of the late 18th century experience as possibly with regard to the surrounding environment.

The entrance roadways to the Historic Area were planned with great care. Even in modern times, pathways from the Colonial Parkway and from the relocated [[U.S. Route 60 in Virginia|U.S. Route 60]] at Bypass Road and North Henry Street are without commercial development. The protected vista was extended along [[Route 132 (Virginia)|U.S. Route 132]] in York County to the new road when [[Route 143 (Virginia)|Route 143]] was built as the [[Merrimack Trail]] (originally State Route 168) in the 1930s. When [[Interstate 64 in Virginia|Interstate 64]] was planned and built in the 1960s and early 1970s, the additional land along Route 143 from the designated "Colonial Williamsburg" exit was similarly protected from development. Even in modern times, no commercial properties are encountered to reach the Visitor's Center, although the land is very valuable and the distance is several miles.

The area to the immediate east of the Historic Area in James City County included a vast tract known as the [[Kingsmill, Virginia|Kingsmill Plantation]] property. It was bisected by the historic [[Quarterpath Road]], dating to the 17th century, which led from Williamsburg to the James River at Burwell's Landing. The manor house, built in the 1730s, had burned in 1843, but several brick dependencies survived (and still do into the 21st century). Immediately to the east of the Kingsmill tract was [[Carter's Grove|Carter's Grove Plantation]]. It was begun by a grandson of Royal Governor [[Robert Carter I|Robert "King" Carter]]. For over 200 years, it had gone through a succession of owners and modifications. Then, in the 1960s, after the death of its last resident, Ms. Molly McRae, Carter's Grove Plantation came the control of the Rockefeller Foundation, and was given to Colonial Williamsburg as a gift. At that point in time, the mid-1960s, CW owned land extended all the way from the Historic District to [[Skiffe's Creek]], at the edge of [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]] near [[Lee Hall, Virginia|Lee Hall]].

''(Carter's Grove, at a distance of {{convert|8|mi|km}}, was operated as a satellite facility of Colonial Williamsburg, with several important programs there, until 2003. Eventually, most of the programs were relocated to be closer to the Historic Area, and the property was sold in 2007, with restrictive and conservation covenants to protect it. See separate article [[Carter's Grove]] for more details).''

====Anheuser-Busch====
[[File:Clydesdale-busch-gardens.jpg|thumb|300px|right|One of the famous [[Clydesdale (horse)|Clydesdale horses]] is seen at the [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]] theme park, part of a massive [[Anheuser-Busch]] development in James City County which also includes a brewery, office park, and the [[Kingsmill, Virginia|Kingsmill Resort]] located east of Williamsburg just west of [[Grove, Virginia|Grove]]]]

In the second half of the 20th century, distant from the Historic Area and not along the carefully protected sight paths, the vacant land east of town which was owned by Colonial Williamsburg and locally known as the Kingsmill tract had been long unproductive for either CW or the community. That changed in the early 1970s, under the leadership of CW Chairman [[Winthrop Rockefeller]].

Rockefeller, a son of Abby and John D. Rockefeller Jr., was a frequent visitor and particularly fond of Carter's Grove in the late 1960s. He also served as Governor of the State of [[Arkansas]]. He became aware of some expansion plans elsewhere on the Peninsula of his St. Louis-based neighbor, [[Gussie Busch|August Anheuser Busch Jr.]], head of [[Anheuser-Busch]] (AB). A businessman and promoter, he had originated the use of the now famous [[Clydesdale (breed)|Clydesdale]] team as a company logo in the 1930s.
In 1959, the company had opened what today is known as a [[theme park]] in [[Tampa, Florida]] which was known as simply "Busch Gardens". It was visionary, and predated the massive [[Walt Disney World]] development nearby by several years; today it is known as [[Busch Gardens Tampa Bay]].

While details have never been widely publicized, by the time "Win" Rockefeller and "Gussie" Busch completed their discussions and negotiations, the biggest changes in the Williamsburg area since the Restoration began 40 years earlier were underway. Among the goals were to complement Colonial Williamsburg attractions and enhance the local economy.

The large tract consisting primarily of the Kingsmill land was sold by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to [[Anheuser-Busch]] (AB) for planned development. The AB investment included building a large brewery, the [[Busch Gardens Williamsburg]] [[theme park]], the [[Kingsmill, Virginia|Kingsmill]] planned resort community, and McLaws Circle, an office park. A {{convert|60|acre|m2|adj=on}} portion was donated by Anheuser-Busch in the late 1960s to develop the James City County office complex.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dooley|first1=Emily C.|title=Will brewer's philanthropy go flat?|url=http://www.richmond.com/news/article_7cf32d74-3895-595a-ab6c-7fc12957e4b9.html|publisher=Richmond Times-Dispatch|access-date=December 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623031939/https://richmond.com/news/article_7cf32d74-3895-595a-ab6c-7fc12957e4b9.html|archive-date=June 23, 2022|date=July 20, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

AB and related entities from that development plan now are the source of the area's largest employment base, surpassing both Colonial Williamsburg and the local military bases. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch ranked as the world's second largest brewer.