1584

March 25 Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618) to search and discover 'remote and heathen lands'

1584

April 27 Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe reach Roanoke Island in July, authorised by Sir Walter Raleigh, claim the land and return to England in September

1585

Sir Walter Raleigh (1554-1618) led expeditions to both North America and South America in order to found new settlements and find gold. Raleigh sends several shiploads of colonists to the east coast of North America and names Virginia in honour of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen.

1585

Raleigh's fleet of seven vessels under Sir Richard Grenville (1541 - 1591) reach Roanoke Island in June

1586

The colonists on Roanoke Island are forced to return to England due to hardships

1587

John White ( 1540? - 1606 ) with 150 men, women, and children sent by Sir Walter Raleigh and found the City of Raleigh & establishes a second English colony at Roanoke and becomes Governor

1587

August 18 - Elinor White Dare gave birth to a daughter, Virginia Dare, the first child born of English parents in the New World

1587

August 22 1587 - John White returns to England for more supplies leaving the thriving colony. Seven assistants are left in charge with strict instructions that if the colonists should decide to leave the fort, they would carve their destination on a tree and add a Maltese cross if they had to leave because of attack

1590

August 15 1590 John White arrives back to Roanoke to find that the settlers have all disappeared. The word "CROATOAN" is found carved into a tree without any crosses or signs of distress. The fate of "The Lost Colony" still remains a mystery

1602

Sir Walter Raleigh sends Samuel Mace of Weymouth on a voyage to Virginia (North Carolina) to explore and search for survivors of the Lost Colony

1606

10 April 1606 English investors form the London Virginia Company are backed by a royal charter to finance permanent English settlements in the New World

1607

Virginia Colony established by colonists dispatched by the London Company found the first permanent settlement at Jamestown

1609

Henry Hudson (1565-1611) English and navigator explores the area

1612

John Rolfe (1585 - 1622) exports first crop of improved tobacco

1614

John Rolfe and Pocahontas marry at Jamestown on April 5 1614

1671

Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam establish English claims to the Ohio Valley

1722

Virginia government allows families to live rent-free for ten years on land owned by the state

1722

Iroquois surrender claims to land south of the Ohio River in addition to counties in the eastern panhandle

1725

Northern part of western Virginia explored by fur trader John Van Nehne

1732

Scottish, Irish, Welsh, and German pioneers settle the western portions of Virginia including Harper's Ferry

1744

Territory ceded to the English by Indians of the Six Nations

1748

"The Harpers Ferry" begins carrying passengers across the Shenandoah River

1756

1756 - 1763: The Seven Years War (French and Indian War) due to disputes over land is won by Great Britain. France gives England all French territory east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans. The Spanish give up east and west Florida to the English in return for Cuba.

For additional facts and information about Colonial America refer to the Virginia Colony

1775

1775 - 1783 - The American Revolution creates the United States of America. The Revolution was due to the British burden of taxes and total power to legislate any laws governing the American colonies. George Washingtonled the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War (American War of Independence

1776

July 4, 1776 - United States Declaration of Independence

1778

July 10, 1778 - France declares war against Britain and makes an alliance with the American revolutionary forces

1783

September 3, 1783 - The Treaty of Paris is signed by the victorious United States and the defeated Great Britain

1788

Statehood - The Date that Virginia was admitted to the Union - June 25, 1788. Constitution - Virginia was the 10th State to be admitted to the Union. State Motto - " Sic Semper Tyrannis " the State Motto is translated as " Thus Always to Tyrants".

1803

The Louisiana Purchase - In 1803, the United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France. The U.S. Secretary of State, James Madison paid 15 million dollars for the land

1812

1812 - 1815: The War of 1812 between U.S. and Great Britain, ended in a stalemate but confirmed America's Independence

1820

Maine becomes its own state

1859

John Brown raided Harpers Ferry and set in motion events that led directly to the outbreak of the Civil War.

1861

1861 - 1865: The American Civil War. outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president and in 1861 the South Secedes. The initial Secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. These eleven states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. The bombardment of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War.

1865

The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy

1865

1865 December 6 - The Abolishment of Slavery. The Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, thus officially abolishing slavery.

1865

The surrender of Robert E. Lee on April 9 1865 signalled the end of the Confederacy

1898

1898-1901 The Spanish American War. On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris the US annexes Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines.

Virginia Timeline

Origin of the name - Named after Queen Elizabeth I of England - the "Virgin Queen.

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