Economic activity was primarily related to fishing and farming, which remain important to the local economy.
Artifacts (including a seven-ton oyster midden, or dump site) discovered by archaeologists from the William and Mary Center for Archaeological Research document a Native American presence dating to 500 B.C., long before John Smith visited the area during his voyage of discovery in 1608.ĭuring Colonial times, the region was dotted with plantations and farms settled by such notables as the families of George Washington, James Monroe and Robert E.
