City of Petersburg

American Goldfinch, © Alex Shipherd

Today, Petersburg is somewhat overshadowed by Richmond, just over 20 miles to the north. In truth, however, this city has a long history as one of the most bustling and prominent urban centers in Virginia. With its strategic location at the fall line of the Appomattox River, the area that is now Petersburg has been important to humans long before European contact. Archaeological evidence indicates that this area was inhabited by indigenous peoples for thousands of years before Europeans ever laid eyes on it. By the time the English arrived in Virginia, the Appamatuck people had a settlement near present-day Petersburg. English colonists established Fort Henry nearby in 1646, taking advantage of the falls to power mills. By the 1670s, Peter Jones founded an Indian trading post called Peter’s Point, thereby laying the groundwork for the eventual city. “Petersburgh,” as it was then known, was established in 1733 by Col. William Byrd, who also founded Richmond around the same time. The town was incorporated in 1748 along with adjacent Blandford, while Pocahontas was incorporated in 1751; both these towns would eventually be subsumed into Petersburg. As early as the 1770s, Petersburg became the site of a vibrant Free Black community, centered on Pocahontas Island, which continued to attract migrants and grew to become one of the most prominent and successful Free Black settlements in the South.

During the 19th Century, Petersburg rode a rising tide of industrialization to become a major urban center. Always a hub for transportation, the city was centrally-located in a largely agricultural state, making it an important area for processing and transporting agricultural products, especially tobacco and cotton. With the growth of rail transportation in the 1830s, Petersburg’s star rose even higher; prior to the Civil War, it was one of the largest cities in the south, and in 1860 it ranked as Virginia’s second-largest. During the Civil War, Petersburg’s importance as a shipping center, particularly for supplying the Confederate capital at Richmond, made it a major target of Union operations, culminating in the Siege of Petersburg in 1864. Led by General Ulysses S. Grant and lasting 292 days, the siege initially resulted in a crushing Union defeat at the Battle of the Crater, but ultimately led to the fall of Petersburg, thereby starting the dominoes that ended in Lee’s retreat and ultimate surrender at Appomattox.

For a too-brief period following the Civil War, Petersburg was an important part of emergent programs designed to benefit newly-freed slaves. The 1870s saw construction of facilities including churches, hospitals, and schools, as well as the rebuilding of Petersburg’s railroads. Virginia State University, founded in 1882, was one of the first public historically black colleges and universities in the region; in 1888 its president, John Mercer Langston, became the first African-American elected to Congress from Virginia. However, by the 20th century Petersburg entered a period of decline fueled by both waning industrial fortunes and the ugly policies of the Jim Crow South. Petersburg’s mid-20th century history was marked by bitter struggles over Civil Rights and desegregation, coupled with a legacy of white flight that resulted in a lengthy period of urban decay. This was exacerbated by conflict between the city and bordering Prince George and Chesterfield Counties over annexation; as the predominately Black city annexed land from the largely white counties, more residents fled to the suburbs. Some of the effects of this legacy still hamper development in Petersburg today, though there are signs of brighter horizons yet to come. Long reliant on industry, the city has worked to change its economic focus and attract new businesses to the downtown area. Nearby Fort Lee, one of the largest military installations in the area, continues to be a significant boon for the local economy as well.

If Petersburg’s recent history has been one of unjust neglect, this is certainly true from a birding perspective as well. Despite being a fairly large city, located less than a half hour from Richmond and connected to two interstates, Petersburg is almost completely overlooked by Virginia birders; it ranks 127th in the state for complete eBird checklists, with the trailing six all very small, mostly rural independent cities. Birders who do commit to exploring the city will find that there are several wonderful birding spots, along with plenty of opportunities for pioneering. The top hotspot in the city is Lee Memorial Park, a 300-acre wooded park located in the city center that provides ample opportunities for year-round woodland birding as well as a large lake that sometimes attracts waterbirds. The Petersburg National Battlefield includes a park tour road that is mostly within the city limits. Again, this area is great for woodland birding, and on the right spring or fall day the woods along here can be alive with migrants! The area around The Crater is an open grassland that attracts, depending upon the season, species including Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Northern Harrier. Sometimes the vistas of sky here are a great place to spot soaring Mississippi Kites.

On the southern edge of the city, the Petersburg Sports Complex has productive wood edges as well as an extensive series of wet ditches and retention ponds that sometimes harbor ducks or shorebirds. There are also a few agricultural fields nearby, which can be a good bet for open country species – sometimes there are also Wild Turkeys foraging here! With persistence and luck, waterfowl can be found in the city in several spots, including the Pocahontas Street Pond, Berkeley Manor Park, and two mid-sized residential lakes in the Woodmere neighborhood. Old Wagner Road is another worthwhile spot, passing through a variety of habitats including a wooded residential area, some open fields, and eventually ending in a large wetland that is a good spot for ducks, grebes, and herons, as well as Red-headed Woodpeckers. Several of the pine stands along Old Wagner also harbor Brown-headed Nuthatches.

Apart from these spots, Petersburg surely offers other birding opportunities that remain undiscovered. Much of the city is unexplored by birders, especially the northern edge along the Appomattox River. While access points are fewer than in neighboring Colonial Heights and Hopewell, one wonders if there are any spots along the river that would prove to be similar magnets for overwinter passerines or rarities as some of the riverfront parks in the other aforementioned cities. With fewer than 10 eBirders having logged more than 50 species in the city as of February 2021, Petersburg clearly needs more attention from Virginia birders!

—Matt Anthony

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