Reenactment of the first landing (Captain Smith, foreground)
Virginia Timeline History
1607: Jamestown established as the first permanent English settlement in
America 1612: Tobacco is introduced, and would soon become a major export to
England 1624: Virginia is declared a royal colony by King James I 1693: College of William and Mary is founded 1699: Capital moves to Williamsburg 1765: Patrick Henry and other, discontent over high taxes, push the Stamp
Act Resolves 1776: Virginia declares itself independent 1780: Richmond becomes the capital 1781: Lord Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, and the Revolutionary War
ends 1788: Virginia becomes the 10th U.S. State 1789: George Washington becomes the first U.S. President, and begins a
long succession of Virginians who would become President 1819: Thomas Jefferson founds the University of Virginia 1861: Virginia secedes from the Union, and Richmond becomes the capital
of the Confederacy 1865: The Civil War ends when Robert E. Lee surrenders at the Appomatox
Courthouse 1870: Virginia rejoins the Union 1940s: 185 ships built in the Newport News Shipyard for deployment in
World War II 1959: Public school integration begins in Virginia 1964: Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is completed 1989: L. Douglas Wilder becomes the first black governor of a U.S. State
Virginia Timeline History