View source for Magruder, Virginia

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'''Magruder''' was a small [[unincorporated community|unincorporated town]] in [[Virginia]] near [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] in [[York County, Virginia|York County]]. Settled mostly by African-American [[freedmen]] after the [[American Civil War]], it once had its own church, post office, cemetery, lodge, and homes. After this land was acquired for the development of the US military reservation known as [[Camp Peary]], all the residents and businesses were displaced. Magruder is considered extinct and one of the [[List of former counties, cities, and towns of Virginia|lost towns]] of Virginia.

==History==
Magruder was located in [[York County, Virginia|York County]]. The site was north of the colonial-era capital of [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] and just west of [[Queen's Creek]], which flows into the [[York River (Virginia)|York River]] on the north side of the [[Virginia Peninsula]].

The small settlement which became Magruder was named for [[American Civil War]] [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] General [[John B. Magruder|John B. "Prince John" Magruder]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} During the [[Peninsula Campaign]] of the [[American Civil War]] in 1862, a large federal force under General [[George B. McClellan]] began at [[Fort Monroe]] at the entrance to [[Hampton Roads]] and moved west to try to capture the Confederate capital city of [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]].

General Magruder headed a small force known as the Army of the Peninsula.<ref>[http://www.civilwarhome.com/armyofpeninsula.htm Army Of The Peninsula<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> His mission was to delay the federal advance, and he became well known for his deceptive and successful tactics in doing so. The federal campaign of General McClellan culminated in failure after the series of battles known as the [[Seven Days Battles]] just east of Richmond.

After the Civil War and Emancipation, the area in which Magruder was located became settled by [[African American]] families, who were mostly former slaves ([[freedmen]]). Decades later, the [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (C&O) built through the area in 1881 to reach the [[coal pier]]s and the new city of [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]] on the ice-free harbor of [[Hampton Roads]]. The C&O later built a spur line which extended to Magruder Station.

During [[World War II]], in 1942–43, the [[U.S. Navy]] took over a large area in the north western portion of York County to train [[Seabees]] and hold special German prisoners-of-war which became known as [[Camp Peary]]. All residents of the entire towns of Magruder and [[Bigler's Mill, Virginia|Bigler's Mill]] were removed. Many of the [[African American|black]] residents of Magruder and the Baptist church relocated to the majority-black community of [[Grove, Virginia|Grove]] in nearby [[James City County, Virginia|James City County]]. The Presbyterian church,<ref>Presbyterian church</ref> which, with its cemetery, is close to the entrance, remains. Grove had been sparsely populated until the years after 1918, when a large influx of displaced black families moved there after their land was taken to create a military reservation which became the [[Naval Weapons Station Yorktown]].

After World War II, the Camp Peary area was transferred to the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]] and was used as a state game preserve. Then, in 1951, the Navy reclaimed the land and closed the base to the public. Despite efforts at secrecy, Camp Peary eventually became well known as "The Farm," a training facility for the U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA). Although access to the base is still restricted the roads and many structures of Magruder and Bigler's Mill are still there and many are occupied.

{{further|Camp Peary}}

== See also ==
*[[Bigler's Mill, Virginia]]
*[[Penniman, Virginia]]
*[[Former counties, cities, and towns of Virginia]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}Newport News Daily Press, Tuesday, April 15, 1986, p. B4. "Some still resent disappearance of town" by Bruce C. Ebert

==Further reading==
*McCartney, Martha W. (1977) ''James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth''; James City County, Virginia; Donning and Company; {{ISBN|0-89865-999-X}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020715002656/http://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Bucket/ch7.html "Cast Down Your Buckets Where You Are"] An Ethnohistorical Study of the African-American Community on the Lands of the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station 1865-1918

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[[Category:Geography of York County, Virginia]]
[[Category:1860s establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:Ghost towns in Virginia]]