Belle Haven

County Line

Town of Belle Haven
P. O. Box 238
Belle Haven, Virginia 23306
Tel: (757) 442-5031

Belle Haven is on the County Line between Northampton and Accomack Counties. Most of the incorporated town is on the Accomack side. 

Please read Judy Bono's article about Belle Haven in the Cooperative Living Magazine "Down Home in Belle Haven" published in 2005. 



The County Line

 

In 1663, Northampton was divided just below present-day Nassawadox creating Accomack County once again, in the north and Northampton County in the south (Turman 1964: 43; 64). At this time, the settled area of Accomack County had not yet reached the modern town of Accomac. Land patents for large tracts of agricultural land increased dramatically in the northern portion of the county between 1664 and 1670. In October of 1670, the General Assembly, displeased with the management of the new county, adopted a resolution that united Accomack and Northampton County. The new Northampton County would have separate Upper and Lower courts (Turman1964: 70). Four years later, the Eastern Shore was once again divided into two counties, although an exact boundary line was not immediately established. Bacon’s Rebellion against Governor Berkeley in 1676 halted governmental affairs across the colony and tabled concerns about the boundary line. Bacon’s forces traveled to the Eastern Shore in order to capture Governor Berkeley; the shore militia provided protection and Governor Berkeley made his way to Jamestown. Bacon’s Rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful; however Governor Berkeley was eventually called back to England. The Accomack/Northampton boundary division was still unsettled over a decade after the rebellion ended, but was finally resolved in 1688 by an act of the General Assembly. (Turman 1964: 76-80; 85).  

Source: Historic Architectural Survey of Eastern Shore




History 

"The community of Belle Haven  is situated just north of Exmore along a former stagecoach road. The community was settled by a man named Bell in the eighteenth century who constructed the first residence and a large oven from which he sold baked goods to passing travelers. The community was first called Bell’s Oven. It was bypassed by the railroad in the 1855; however its close proximity to a later transportation rail line, the 1884 Eastern Shore Railroad, as well as steamboat traffic, caused Belle Haven to develop into a bustling community. A small commercial district is located at the core of the district with the remaining, and majority of the districted comprised of residences. In addition to commercial buildings and residences,  churches and cemeteries also are located in the community. Most of the structures were constructed from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. " 

http://www.easternshorevablog.com/majestic-historic-home-circa-1912-just-a-few-minutes-from-the-chesapeake-bay/


 

Town Hall 

 

*Note: The Town of Belle Haven is split between Northampton County and Accomack County. Because the larger portion of the town is in Accomack County, state law dictates that they should conduct elections for town offices. For more information on Town of Belle Haven elected officials contact the Accomack County Registrar at 757-787-2935