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West Point is an incorporated town in King William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,866 at the 2000 census. History
The current site of West Point was once the site of Cinquoteck, a Native American village. It became the site of Port Richmond West Plantation, home of Governor of Virginia John West (1590-1659). He was the Royal Governor of the colony from 1635-1637. In 1664, the area became part of a large land grant made to his son, Captain John West, who eventually became a Lt. Colonel, and led the New Kent Militia. In 1691, the Virginia General Assembly directed that West Point be created as a port of entry and in 1705 the House of Burgesses authorized the town to qualify as a "free borough" and named it "Delaware" in honor of former Royal Governor Thomas West, third Lord Delaware, who died in 1618. When the Richmond and York River Railroad was built before the American Civil War, the old name of "West Point" was restored in 1861. The railroad was a key strategic part of Union General George B. McClellan's failed Peninsula Campaign in 1862 to capture Richmond. Massively damaged during the War, afterwards, it was rebuilt, and became part of the Richmond and Danville Railroad system. West Point became an incorporated town in 1870 and soon became a thriving commercial port and resort destination. Linked to Richmond by rail, it became a major shipping point for passenger and freight traffic, and was especially convenient to Baltimore and points north via the York River and the Chesapeake Bay. The railroad became part of the Southern Railway system in 1894. After the decline of tourism, a shipyard built in 1917 and a pulp paper mill built in 1918 are credited with revitalizing the town. The railroad later became part of the Norfolk Southern Railway, which continues to serve the town's paper mill in modern times. West Point is the only town in Virginia to have a school district which is independent from the school district of the county in which it is located. Research Tips
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