City of Hopewell

Orange-crowned Warbler, © Baxter Beamer

What is now the City of Hopewell grew from a settlement at City Point, which is situated on a high bluff overlooking the confluence of the Appomattox and James Rivers. The village of City Point was established in 1613 by Sir Thomas Dale, and though it was a small settlement, its strategic location meant that City Point was a witness to major historical happenings almost from its inception. By the 1700s, City Point was home to tobacco warehouses, foreshadowing its later role as an industrial center. In 1781, Benedict Arnold marched part of his British troops through City Point. The small town incorporated as City Point in 1826, though by 1840 it remained a tiny hamlet with a population of only 300. During the Civil War, City Point’s strategic location again made it the site of momentous historical events. Its proximity to Petersburg and the Confederate capital of Richmond, as well as its location at the confluence of two major rivers, made City Point a significant military target, and Union General Benjamin Butler occupied the area in 1864. Following this, General Ulysses S. Grant made City Point the site of his headquarters, using it as a base of operations for the Siege of Petersburg. The Union army also set up a massive 6,000 bed hospital there. Testifying to City Point’s significance, President Abraham Lincoln visited in 1864 and 1865. By 1870, however, the town had again faded into obscurity, with a population that remained around 300 until the early 20th century.

It is here that the story of modern day Hopewell really begins. In 1912 DuPont purchased a large parcel of land at what was then called “Hopewell Farms,” looking to construct a dynamite plant. By 1914, they had decided instead on a plant to produce guncotton, an important munitions component. DuPont proceeded to construct the largest guncotton plant in the world, and the World War I demand for war materiel spurred massive and rapid growth; as the City itself puts it, “instant boom town.” In a matter of only a few years, the local population rose from around 750 to over 40,000. The City of Hopewell incorporated in 1916, skipping incorporation as a town and absorbing City Point. If the boom was instant, the decline was nearly so as well. In 1918, with the war over, DuPont shuttered the guncotton plant and the population dropped by half. Other industries, including artificial silk and chemical manufacturing, replaced guncotton in the 1920s, and the fortunes of Hopewell since have risen and fallen with industry. During the 1960s, Hopewell played a role in the Civil Rights Movement, both locally and nationally, under the charismatic leadership of Rev. Curtis W. Harris. As a friend of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Harris was involved in planning both the 1963 March on Washington, and the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Previously, in 1960, Rev. Harris had led sit-ins to protest segregated lunch counters in Hopewell. He remained a vibrant activist into his nineties, embracing environmental justice and protesting against the plan to build an ethanol plant in one of Hopewell’s black neighborhoods. In the 21st century, Hopewell’s leaders have worked to revitalize the downtown through renovating the marina, constructing a state-of-the-art public library, and restoring the 1928 Beacon Theatre into a concert venue that has hosted acts as diverse as Kansas, Vanilla Ice, Loretta Lynn, The Spinners, and Blue Oyster Cult.

The birding in Hopewell is no less exciting than its vibrant history. Despite its small size, Hopewell is a phenomenal birding destination with much to offer and a host of interesting records. The star of the show is City Point, which is now managed by the National Park Service as part of the Petersburg National Battlefield Park. The bluffs overlooking the Appomattox and James Rivers are covered in tangled vegetation that acts as a magnet for overwintering warblers and sometimes exciting vagrants. Carefully walking the park in winter and scouring feeding flocks will almost certainly turn up multiple Orange-crowned Warblers, Baltimore Orioles, and often a Nashville Warbler or other lingering surprise. City Park, located near the public library, is another good spot to search for vagrants and overwintering passerines. The Hopewell City Marina typically hosts large congregations of gulls in the winter, and carefully working through the flocks will sometimes reveal an Iceland Gull or other uncommon visitor. In the spring and summer, the bridge over the Appomattox River is home to a nesting colony of Cliff Swallows. On the west side of Hopewell, Mathis Park/Crystal Lake Park and Weston Plantation are both wooded locations that typically offer up the expected suite of woodland breeders; in migration, check for warblers and thrushes. While Hopewell has a bounty of riparian tangles hosting exciting winter visitors, it is short on open habitat. Field species like Eastern Meadowlark can be difficult to come by without lucking into a migrant. Shorebird spots are likewise scarce, as is standing water, making puddle ducks harder to find.

The list of notable records from Hopewell is long, with many of them coming from City Point. The highlights reel includes Franklin’s Gull, Glaucous Gull, Sandwich Tern, Snowy Owl, Ash-throated Flycatcher, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Western Tanager, and Painted Bunting. The city is also somewhat of a magnet for overwintering passerines, particularly warblers, with multiple winter records of Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and Wilson’s Warbler.

—Matt Anthony 

Hotspots

Christmas Bird Counts

The city is at the center of the count circle for the eponymous Hopewell CBC, which has been conducted since 1954. In addition to including the entire City of Hopewell, this count also includes parts of Chesterfield, Charles City, Henrico, and Prince George Counties, as well as a small portion of the City of Colonial Heights.

sources