Kempsville is a formerly unincorporated community located in the former Princess Anne County, Virginia. In modern times, it is a community within the urbanized portion the independent city of Virginia Beach, the largest city in Virginia.
History
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The town was originally named Kempe's Landing and was a colonial port at the head of the Eastern Branch Elizabeth River. Under the Tobacco Inspection Act of 1730, one of the 40 tobacco inspection warehouses was chartered : " At Norfolk Town, upon the fort land, in the County of Norfolk; and Kemp's Landing, in Princess Anne, under one inspection. "
On November 14/15th, 1775, it was the location where John Ackiss the son of a former Virginia House of Burgess and six others were killed by Colony of Virginia Governor Lord Dunmore's British forces during the "Battle of Kempe's Landing". Ackiss and the six others became the first Virginian casualties of the American Revolutionary War. In 1929, the Daughters of the American Revolution erected a plaque "Skirmish of Kempsville" near the site.
The town of Kempsville, established in 1783, was the location of the county seat of Princess Anne County from 1778-1823. After that date, it was moved to the current location at Princess Anne, Virginia.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church circa 1843, was founded on land donated by David Walke to serve families living in Kempsville and the surrounding areas. In time, the town lost its economic importance and Emmanuel became a rural parish until 1963, when it grew along with the community as a part of the "new" city of Virginia Beach (when Virginia Beach and Princess Anne County merged).
Portions of the church's outer walls are original. The cemetery on the church grounds contains the graves of nine veterans of both the Confederate States and United States Armies of the American Civil War who served in the early 1860s, as well as the more recent grave of Allen Jones "Al" "Two Gun" Gettel, a local boy that made his first pitch on the ball fields now preserved as Kempes Landing Park, who grew up to be a major league pitcher for the New York Yankees, the Cleveland Indians, and the Chicago White Sox over a 10-year career (1945â€"55). [1]
After the county consolidated by mutual agreement with the small resort city of Virginia Beach in 1963, and assumed the latter's name, explosive growth during the 1960s and 1970s transformed Kempsville into a sprawling suburban community of the largest independent city in Virginia. Many of the important historical buildings of Kempsville were either moved or torn down during this transformation. Only two buildings remain from the Revolutionary War period.
Present day
Kempsville is one of seven residence districts in the City of Virginia Beach, and is thereby associated with one seat on City Council. Although the official land area of the Kempsville district is small relative to the size of the City of Virginia Beach, Kempsville's historical influence stretches the entire span of Princess Anne Road from the Norfolk border to the Courthouse and Pungo areas of the city.
Schools
The community of Kempsville operates under the Virginia Beach City Public School System. There are three high schools, two middle schools, and eight elementary schools, respectively: Kempsville High School, Tallwood High School, Salem High School, Kempsville Middle School, Brandon Middle School, Larkspur Middle School, Arrowhead Elementary, Centerville Elementary, Fairfield Elementary, Kempsville Elementary, Kempsville Meadows Elementary, Point O' View Elementary, Providence Elementary Tallwood Elementary, and Woodstock Elementary.
Public Safety
The 4th Precinct is based in Kempsville giving the community police protection by the Virginia Beach Police Department. Fire protection is provided by the Virginia Beach Fire Department through Fire Station 9 and Fire Station 10 in the VBFD system. The Kempsville Volunteer Rescue Squad provides ambulance transportation and EMS services as part of the Virginia Beach Department of EMS.
Retail
The two major shopping centers in the Kempsville community are located directly across the street from each other on the Southwest and Northwest Corners of the Kempsville Road and Providence Road intersection. They are Providence Square and Fairfield Shopping Centers, respectively. These areas are home to several restaurants including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Moe's Southwest Grill, AJ Gator's Sports Bar, Frankies Place For Ribs, Papa John's, McDonald's, Wendy's, YNot Pizza, and Subway. They also house the grocery stores Kroger and Food Lion as well as some businesses such as banks, dental offices, Madison Jewelers, QW Alterations and Kitchen King Cabinets. About .1Â mi north from the Kempsville Road and Providence Road intersection is the 4th VBPD Police Precinct Station, which is located next to the Kempsville Public Library. Also, across Kempsville Road is the Kempsville Presbyterian Church.
Neighborhoods
Some notable Kempsville neighborhoods include Larkspur Farms, Carolanne Farms, Bellamy Manor, Fairfield and Point O' View. The neighborhood of Point O' View is situated on the banks of Kemps Lake that formed from the Construction of Interstate 264/Virginia Beach Express Way. Kemps Lake provides an ideal environment for watersports with its deepest point of 19Â ft.
Road Construction Project
A major road construction project was completed involving Princess Anne, Kempsville Rd, and Witchduck Rd. The Witchduck Road portion and this intersection is one of the busiest corridors in Virginia Beach.
Kempsville Rd./Witchduck Rd. has been widened to 3 lanes in each direction (north and south) with a new intersection of Princess Anne Rd, Kempsville Road and Witchduck Rd. The widened road extends from the Interstate 264 overpass on Witchduck Rd. south bound to the Kempsville Rd/Princess Anne Intersection at the heart of the Kempsville Community.
Now that this road project is completed, a Historic Kempsville Retail District is anticipated to be built in the area surrounding this intersection featuring colonial architecture with retail shopping. The plans for this retail district were envisioned before the recent economic downturn, so much of the proposed new development in the area may take much longer to come to fruition than originally conceived.
On the southeastern corner of the new intersection, construction of the Kempes Landing public park has been completed with a small lake, strolling walkways and a large gazebo resembling the one at James and Dolley Madison's Montpelier estate located in Orange, Virginia. Though construction of the park is complete, there is currently very limited public access to the property as construction is in progress nearly.
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