At the confluence of the James and Pagan rivers in Isle of Wight County, the Basses Choice/Days Point Archeological District reflects a nearly continuous span of human occupation from ca. 4000 B.C. through the 19th century. Prehistoric site types range from small, temporary Archaic and Woodland camps to larger, more sedentary Woodland communities. Historic period occupation includes portions of three Virginia Company settlements, two of which suffered heavily in the 1622 Indian uprising. Archaeological excavation of the sites with the Basses Choice/Days Point Archeological District should yield new information on the material culture and architecture of Virginia’s earliest English settlers. The district takes its name from Nathaniel Basse, who patented land here in 1622. The property was occupied by the Wilson family in the early 19th century and by the Blackwell family during the Civil War.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia