Lightfoot, Virginia
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Lightfoot (formerly Kelton) is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
which straddles the James City
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
county border, west of Williamsburg, in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. Originally known as Six-Mile Ordinary, Lightfoot is six miles west of the colonial capital on the Richmond Road ( U.S. Route 60), which, as well as Centerville and Longhill roads, dates to the pre-Revolutionary War period. Six-Mile Ordinary was located along the old
stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...
road to New Kent County and Richmond. (An ''ordinary'' was a colonial-era
tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...
with food and lodging for travelers and their horses.) Nearby, by tradition, the land at War Hill (or, as it came to be called, Warhill) is named for an
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
battle that took place there on June 26, 1781, between British troops under
Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...
and allied forces under the
Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...
. Nearly 150 men were killed or wounded in the battle, which occurred during the campaign that led to the victory at Yorktown, establishing independence for Virginia and the United States. In 1881, the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis Potter Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Rich ...
was built through the area, and a local station named Kelton was established in what is now the Lightfoot area. The source of the station's name is not clear. In 1882, when a post office was established, the first postmaster suggested the name of Philip Lightfoot, who had been a prominent lawyer and merchant prior to 1748. However, it may also have been named for Lightfoot Taylor, who ran a stage stop there in the 1880s. In modern times, Lightfoot is probably best known as home to the expansive Williamsburg Pottery Factory. At one time, the entrance to the Lightfoot community had a sign that read "Welcome to Lightfoot, Home of the Williamsburg Pottery Factory." Lightfoot also has a strip of outlet and specialty shops, hotels, motels, and restaurants, including the Great Wolf Lodge family resort, and a small but popular amusement park called Go-Karts Plus. In 2006, the Sentara Health System opened the new Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center off Mooretown Road. Nearby are
Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
, U.S. Route 60 and State Route 199, a semi-circumferential highway around Williamsburg that has its western terminus at Lightfoot. Near Great Wolf Lodge is Bruton High School, which opened in 1976. By the late 20th century, the 588-acre (238 ha) Warhill tract was one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land in the area. In 1996, it was purchased for public use. Located on Centerville Road near the interchange of U.S. Route 60 and State Route 199, the land was envisioned as multi-purpose in James City County's "Master Plan." In 1999, the Warhill Sports Complex opened adjacent to the site of the new high school. In 2005, construction began on the new Warhill High School of Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, which opened in the fall of 2007.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Lightfoot has a
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Lightfoot, Virginia
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Further reading

*McCartney, Martha W. (1977) ''James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth''; James City County, Virginia; Donning and Company;


References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in James City County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in York County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia