Irvington Town

Lancaster County, Virginia

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Irvington Town Hall is located at 235 Steamboat Road, Irvington, VA 22480.
Phone: 804‑438‑6230. Lying along Carter's Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock River, the town was known as Carter's Creek Wharf from 1873‑1891; the name was changed to Irvington in 1891 in honor of Captain Levin H. Irvington who settled here in 1866.

Beginnings [1]

The Town of Irvington's roots are intertwined with the creek and coves that act to shape the Town's 8.78 miles of shoreline. Original residents of the Town largely emigrated here from the Eastern Shore of Maryland during the 19th century. These founding residents came to the area by means of the waterways and earned their livelihood from the water. Irvington's original development patterns evolved as this founding generation settled and set up home and occupation.

All of Irvington's first commercial/industrial areas and neighborhoods were established within short walking distance of the water. These waterfront areas were chosen for both convenience and necessity. First, during this time water-based transportation was the primary mode of travel through means such as the steamboat. Secondly, as much as the creek and coves aided water borne transportation, they served to discourage land-based means of travel. As such, early development in Irvington occurred at the end of present day Steamboat Road in east Irvington and towards the end of King Carter Drive in west Irvington. Lastly, at the central place where west and east Irvington were linked by roads, many of the Town's quasi-public uses developed such as churches and schools.

Irvington expanded and became linked to the nearby Towns of White Stone and Kilmarnock as well as the Village of Weems as land-based transportation developed. As these inland ties developed, traffic increased through Irvington on what is the present day Irvington Road. These changes in transportation shifted growth in the Town up along Steamboat Road and King Carter Drive towards the Town's present commercial center.

  1. Town of Irvington Comprehensive Plan, Town of Irvington, Virginia, 2007, www.irvingtonva.com, accessed November, 2010.

Nearby Towns: Kilmarnock Town •


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