Virginia Rivers · VA
Tappahannock
A colonial tobacco port on the Rappahannock.
- Population
- 2,193 (2020 census)
- Name
- “Cold-water creek”
- Oldest tavern
- 1710
Then
- 1608
John Smith lands and fights the Rappahannock people, then makes peace.
- 1680
A surveyor maps Hobbs His Hole Harbour, later called New Plymouth and then Tappahannock.
- 1730
Tobacco inspection warehouses are set up, and ocean-going ships call here.
- 1814
British forces seize the town on December 2 and burn the courthouse and two jails.
- 1927
The Downing Bridge opens across the Rappahannock.
Now
Tappahannock is the Essex County seat. The 1710 Tavern opened in 2023 in what is thought to be the oldest tavern building in Virginia.
3 tide stations around Tappahannock
- Tappahannockin town
- Wares Wharf5.5 mi
- Saunders Wharf14.8 mi