County of Northampton

Small Town. Big Heart. 

History 

The Cheriton area is one of the oldest settled parts of the Eastern Shore. When Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay and the Eastern Shore in 1608, he wrote in his journal about landing at Cheriton and being brought by Indians to their Werrowance in Accomack. Historian Jennings Cropper Wise wrote in Ye Kingdome of Accomacke that Captain Smith’s map of the expedition showed that “Accomack was situated within the interior of Cheriton and on or near the place called Cherryton, in Northampton County.” According to Wise, the Shore’s first community was “The Towne” located on the present site of Cherrystone Campground. “The Towne” was established in the 1630’s but was soon abandoned. 

Cheriton started out as a railroad town and can trace its beginnings to 1884 when the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad Company was extended from Maryland to Cape Charles. The new railroad ran through land owned by Dr. William Stratton Stoakley, who in 1886, laid out the western part of his land as a town. Dr. Stoakley is credited with the idea of calling the town Cherrystone or Cherrytown. Cheriton became the accepted spelling and the official name of the town. A store and post office were established, and Dr. Stoakley became Cheriton’s first postmaster. At the same time, the town of Sunnyside was established on Bayside Road, where downtown Cheriton is today. The towns of Sunnyside and Cheriton eventually grew together and merged. Since then, the town has been called Cheriton, although older residents still refer to the downtown area as Sunnyside. Cheriton prospered during the early 1900’s due to its role as a local agricultural shipping point and service center. The town had its own school house, fire company, several churches, and a thriving downtown business district. The Town of Cheriton was incorporated in 1951. 

Today Cheriton is an attractive town with many late 19th and early 20th century homes, as well as several historic churches and commercial buildings. These older structures contribute to Cheriton’s historic small town character. Cheriton is fortunate that Route 13 bypassed the town to the west allowing Business Route 13 to serve as a safe “Main Street”. This has also allowed Cheriton to retain its small town flavor and still serve as a commercial center for the southern portion of Northampton County. 

From Town of Cheriton, Virginia Comprehensive Plan Adopted 2006

Town Hall 

TOWN OF CHERITON

MAYOR (2 Year Term) (Beginning Jan. 1, 2023)

Jacqueline V. Davis
21145 Mill St.
Cape Charles, Virginia 23310

MEMBER OF TOWN COUNCIL (2 YEAR TERM)(BEGINNING JAN. 1, 2023)

B.B. "Barry” Downing, Jr
PO Box 723
Cheriton, Virginia 23316

Ivan Pena
20459 Lankford Hwy
Cheriton, VA 23310

Larry E. LeMond
PO Box 1057
Cheriton, Virginia 23316

Robert K. "Bo” Lewis
PO Box 34
Cheriton, Virginia 23316

Norma P. Spencer
PO Box 1076
Cheriton, Virginia 23316 

Jason Bryan Sparrow
3487 Sunnyside Rd.
Cape Charles, VA 23310

Public Safety 

Cheriton Volunteer Fire Company 

Station 14 Cheriton Vol Fire Co 
4083 Sunnyside RD Cheriton, VA
757-331-1555 

Cheriton Volunteer Fire Co. Facebook page  

See more on our Volunteer Fire and Rescue page 


A memorial to fallen firefighters is located at the entrance to Station 14. Photo Credit: Jean E. Flynn

Cape Charles Rescue Station 

Cape Charles Rescue Service is located in Cheriton

Cape Charles Rescue Service
22215 South Bayside Rd Cheriton
757-331-2392 

"Located in the rural county of Northampton, Virginia on the Lower Eastern Shore. We provide emergency medical services to the residents of the neighborhoods of Cheriton, Cape Charles and the surrounding areas in the lower portion of Northampton County."

Visit the Fire and Rescue page for more information. 

Businesses

Cheriton offers a variety of businesses and services: 

•  Accounting and Tax services
• DMV express office
• Eastern Shore Signs
• First Horizon Bank
• Shayer Auto Sales
• automotive repair and autobody shops
• a hardware/farm store
• a plant nursery
• farm stands
• A1 seafood market and Food truck
• El Ranchito Mexican Store and Food Truck
• Carmelita's Mexican Food Store and Food Truck
• Kat's Soul Food Kitchen
• Little Havana Seasonal Store and Food Truck
• Froggy's Pizza and Subs
• Hardee's
• Cape Charles Tiny Livin'
• Jacob Parks Personal Training
• LLC, S'PAW Days pet grooming
• Shore Stop gas station 
• Pacific Atlantic Professional Academy and hair salons. 

Merchandise is displayed on the sidewalk outside of the shops along N Bayside Rd. 


Pretty petunias bloom along the sidewalk.  

Cherrystone

Photo by Jean E. Flynn

Head across Route 13 down Townfield Road and you will come to the Chesapeake Bay and also one of the largest employers in Northampton County. Cherrystone Aqua Farms and Cherrystone Family Camping Resort is owned by Ballard Bros. Virginia ranks top in the nation for hard clams with the Eastern Shore leading the industry at $28 million in sales. 

Visit our Aquaculture pages for more about aquaculture in Northampton County. There is also a list of where to Buy Clams and Oysters ( and fish and crabs, too) in the County.

Sun Outdoors Camping Resort

Photo courtesy of Sun Outdoors

Sun Outdoors Camping Resort is a vacation destination for families looking for wholesome fun and adventure.

Community 

Photo credit: Jean E. Flynn 

Two big, beautiful, brick churches anchor the town and flank Sunnyside Rd. that leads to the Village of Oyster. More churches can be found along this road going out of town. Just behind the Baptist church on the left is the old fire station.  

Community events are held throughout the year including Cheriton Family Fun Day and the Annual Christmas Parade. Cheriton Local Market is held once  a month in warm weather for artisans and farmer's produce.  There is also Bingo at the Fire Hall to fund raise for the volunteer fire company, as well as the popular Eastern Shore ComicCon.  

For more on dates and times of community events, visit the Calendar page. 

American Legion Post 56

Visit the American Legion Post 56  Facebook page.

Are you a veteran looking for fellowship, volunteer opportunities to support veterans, their families and the community? Sign up now. Post 56 dues are $40/year. Send the application to American Legion Post 56, PO Box 357, Cheriton, VA 23316.

"American Legion Northampton Post 56 is one of the oldest American Legion Posts in the Nation. Started in 1919 and chartered in 1922, the original Post was located in Cape Charles, Va. The Post burned down in 1964 destroying all Post history, military memorabilia and artifacts. A handful of veterans acquired the present structure in 2006. Post 56 now boasts over 220 members who served our country in a time of war.

A roadside memorial welcomes veterans and their families to Post 56. The cross behind the silhouette of the soldier reads, "All gave some. Some gave all." 
Photo credit: Jean E. Flynn

We support a variety of local charities. Support of “Freedom Hunters” is undoubtedly our largest effort every year. We plan, coordinate and fund numerous hunting and fishing opportunities. Freedom Hunters reflects the outdoor community’s appreciation to our troops by taking select active duty and combat veterans, families of fallen heroes, children of the deployed, as well as those wounded or injured, on outdoor adventures.

We provide children opportunities to learn about Americanism and Government.
· Middle School Essay Contest
· Boys State
· Girls State
· Flags for 1st Graders

Local Support
· Quarterly Blood Drives with the Red Cross
· Local Food Pantry Donations
· Clothes for Vets Donations to the VA
· Annual Poppy Drive
· Memorial Day, 9-11 Remembrance, Veterans Day Ceremonies
· Cape Charles July 4th Parade

And don’t forget about our great Friday Night Dinners for members and their families. Low cost and a great time.

As you can imagine, all this takes the enthusiastic help of volunteers. We are fortunate to have quite a few, but we can always use more. Are you a veteran? Do you have a family member who served? Interested in supporting our veterans and the local community? Come join us?"

Operating Hours: Sun – Thurs (5:00 – 9:30 PM). Sat – Sun (5:00 PM to 12:00)

Meetings:

· American Legion Meeting: 2nd Tuesday of the month @ 6:30 PM
· American Legion Auxiliary Meeting: 2nd Wednesday of the month @ 7:00 PM
· Sons of the American Legion Meeting: 1st Monday of the month @ 6:00 PM 

Little Free Library and Blessing Box

The Little Free Library in Cheriton is located near the parking lot of the Playground. 

"Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world." 

For more about Little Free Libraries in Northampton County, visit our Free Education page.


A Blessing Box outside of the Methodist Church in Cheriton.

Neighbors caring about Neighbors. 

A Blessing Box is where people leave donated goods for others to pick up anonymously.  Neighbors fill them with items that will help those in need—everything from non-perishable food to toiletries. 

Schools 

East Coast Migrant Head Start 

22198 S. Bayside Road
Cheriton, VA 23310
Telephone: (757) 665-4976

OUR MISSION

East Coast Migrant Head Start Project is committed to preparing the children of migrant and seasonal farm workers for success. We do this by providing holistic, high quality early childhood education services for children and families in a nurturing, culturally sensitive environment and by providing services and advocating for children and families in their other areas of need.  

Northampton County Public Schools

Recreation

Cheriton Town Park

The children's play area in Cheriton features a combination swing set with a baby swing, an ADA swing intended for children with disabilities and two other swings. The park also has a fun play system with a 3 slides and jungle gym.  

Please visit our Parks page for more information about Cheriton Playground and the Calendar page for events. 

 
Photo credit: Jean E. Flynn

Public-Use Bike Repair Station  

Northampton County has provided bike repair stations that let you fix your bike for free.

Public-use Bike Repair Station is located outside the Town Hall/DMV office. 

Each station is equipped with a bike mounting seat, a bike pump, and a set of tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, tire levers, and hex keys) to make repairs easy and convenient. It's also ADA compliant. 

For more information and instructions on using the tools and station, please visit our Public Use Bike Repair page. 

Birding and Boating 

Photo credit: Jean E. Flynn

For more recreational fun, head a short way down Sunnyside Road toward the seaside. Cheriton's neighbor, the Village of Oyster,  offers a free boat ramp,  kayak launch and a birding trail. All provided by Northampton County.