Colonial Parkway Bridges

The meticulous landscaping undertaken during the construction of the Colonial Parkway in the 1930s is evident to this day.

Construction of Halfway Creek Bridge

Construction of the bridge across Halfway Creek. Finished in 1942 this bridge, along with the Colonial Parkway tunnel, was one of the few federal highway construction projects completed during World War II.

Hydraulic fill at College Creek

More than 1.7 million cubic yards of earth were used to create fill for the construction of the parkway at the across the Jamestown isthmus and at College Creek (shown here).

Tree Planting

Meticulous landscaping is a hallmark of classically designed parkways. More than 17,000 trees and shrubs were planted between Yorktown and Williamsburg, including pines, cedars, dogwoods, redbuds, tulip and beech trees.

Large Oak

One of the two "Great Oaks" that stood along the Colonial Parkway, just west of the Newport Avenue access. Though the last was toppled by Hurricane Ernesto in 2006, a sign marks their location at one fo the parkway turnouts. ...

Evamere Estate

The Evamere Gatehouse is the most prominent reminder of the Evamere Estate, built by James W. Ellsworth and named for his late wife.

Newly widowed, Ellsworth returned to his hometown from Chicago in 1898.  He brought his two children with ...

Entering Colonial Parkway

Entering Colonial Parkway

The Colonial Parkway, part of Colonial National Historical Park located on the Virginia's James-York peninsula, is a National Park Service scenic parkway constructed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Public Roads between 1931 and ...

Colonial Parkway Tunnel

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Powhatan's Village

Across the York River is the site of Werowocomco, an Indian village, that was Powhatan’s “chiefest habitation” in the early period of the Jamestown settlement. Captain John Smith was a prisoner there in 1607.

Naval Weapons Station

Naval Weapons Station

The piers extending in to the York River, just to the right, serve a major Navy installation. Since its establishment in 1918, then as a Mine Depot, it has served our country in two World Wars and ...