Historical Significance

Only a handful of towns and cities exist today in Virginia that were founded in 1680, the year of the Virginia Assembly’s Act of Cohabitation that encouraged the development of a few key, port-of-entry towns throughout the colony. The winding deep-water creek linking the high-banked land to the Great Chesapeake Bay was the main reason for the selection of the port that was to serve the Eastern Shore. By the 1680 act, Onancock, first called Port Scarborough, had its organized beginnings at the headwaters of Onancock Creek though English settlers and Indians had peopled its shores long before 1680.

The life-story of the town of Onancock is rich in history. The town square was in the mainstream of life for more than two centuries when waterways served as America’s roads. The one-block-size town square in the heart of the oldest part of town has remained public property since it was laid out in 1681. Viewing the monuments on the little square enables today’s onlooker to catch a feel of the unfolding pages of history. Monuments to a Civil War hero, to Onancock area residents who gave their lives in World Wars I and II, and to a recent mayor help today’s visitors put dates to historic events. First a marketplace and community gathering ground, the town square has been the site of political gatherings, militia drills and encampments, musical performances, town meetings, traveling shows, church revivals, carnivals, family picnics, weddings and Christmas Carol sings.

Architectural Heritage - houses and churches
Though there is but one known 18th century building, Scott Hall, the town claims a surprising variety of architectural styles. The simplicity of Scott Hall’s well-proportioned 1770's dormered windows set in gambrel roof - Kerr Place, the Eastern Shore of Virginia’s finest example of Federal Architecture - Classical Revival residences of the 1830's and 1840's - Victorian gems built in Onancock’s heyday of steamboat travel; these and more are examples of American architecture to suit any visitor’s interests. Because the town is relatively small with a population of approximately 1500, the visitor can walk, bike or ride in a car for only a few blocks to see an interesting array of residences, close to businesses, all hovering near several branches of Onancock Creek.

Historic churches, four with steeples or towers, speak of a religious heritage that is strong today as in yesteryears. And long before the earliest (still standing) church, Cokesbury, was built, the most famous person ever to have walked Onancock’s paths resided here. Francis Makemie, father of American Presbyterianism, helped establish religious freedom in America when he gained permission to hold religious services in his Onancock home in 1699. A granite marker on Market St. alerts the visitor to his place in history.

Several in-town cemeteries harken to olden times. The Scott Hall graveyard contains a marker for Commodore Z. Whaley who died in the Battle of the Barges, a battle fought in the Bay north of Onancock Creek at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. Reading the epitaphs on mid-1800s tablestones and tombstones in Cokesbury Church’s graveyard recalls early ministers and members of the Methodist Society who first organized in 1788. Still another private cemetery lies beside the creekside Harmon house overlooking the Central Branch of Onancock Creek.

This church was first formed as the Onancock Presbyterian Church in 1883, purchased the current property in 1894 and dedicated the current Sanctuary in 1896. Excerpt from the Peninsula Enterprise “The steeple just completed for the Presbyterian Church is one of the handsomest on the Eastern Shore.” In 1903 the name was changed to honor the memory of Naomi Anderson Makemie, beloved wife of Francis Makemie. Additional historical information can be found in Milestones , Ministers and Centennial pages.

Francis Makemie, one of the founders of the first Presbytery in Philadelphia in 1706, started his first Home Church in Onancock in 1699 obtaining a license to preach from the Accomack Court. While traveling to Boston in January 1707, he stopped in New York and preached. He was arrested for preaching without a license since he had not obtained a separate license in New York from the then Governor, Lord Cornbury. He was acquitted and his case became a landmark decision in favor of religious freedom in America. Use this link for a much more detailed description of Francis Makemie's history.

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