VA-Z242 Surry County

Marker text: SURRY COUNTY

Surry County, named for the county of Surrey in England, was formed from James City County about 1652. The Quiyoughcohannocks, whose villages were primarily situated in present-day Surry County, were among the first Virginia Indians the English encountered in 1607. By 1609 the English had begun settlements in the county at Hog Island and Smith's Fort, a defensive fortification erected on the south side of the James River along Gray's Creek. One of the nation's outstanding examples of high-style 17th-century domestic architecture, Bacon's Castle, a National Historic Landmark, is located here. The county seat is Surry.

Department of Historic Resources, 2003