Accomac is a town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is the seat of Accomack County. Accomac has a population of around 500.
Accomac was established in 1786 as the Town of Drummond, on the property of Richard Drummond. Drummond, or Drummondtown, was named the county seat by the Virginia General Assembly at that time. Drummondtown was renamed Accomac in 1893.
The New York, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk Railroad went through Accomack County in 1884, and new towns were formed along the railroad. The railroad bypassed Drummondtown/Accomac, and thus began a debate on moving the county seat. Voters ultimately rejected moving the courthouse in 1895 to Parksley, but Accomac remained a quiet place, including after the construction of U.S. Route 13 around the town in the 1920s.
The old Debtor's Prison, on Courthouse Avenue. The prison is one of three extant in Virginia.
The Debtor's Prison was built in 1783 as a home for the county jailer inside of the jailyard. The home was converted into a debtors' prison in 1842, to separate debtors from criminal prisoners.
On Wise Court, off of Courthouse Avenue, is an old bank building, built in 1835.
The Accomack County Courthouse, off of Front Street. The courthouse was built in 1899.
Buildings on the courthouse green. The Clerk's Office, on the right, was built in 1889.
The old Accomac Hotel, on Front Street. The hotel was built in 1922 on the site of a colonial tavern that had burned down in 1921. The tavern was the birthplace of Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise.
The Mercantile Building, on Front Street. The structure was built in 1815, and has served as a store, customs office, and post office over the decades.
Buildings on Front Street.
West View, a house on Front Street.
The Seymour House, on Front Street. The oldest portion of the house dates to 1791.
An ice house at the Seymour House on Front Street.
A house on Front Street.
St. James Episcopal Church, on Drummondtown Road. The church was built in 1838.
The St. James Rectory, on Back Street. The house was built in 1811.
The office of St. James Episcopal Church, on Back Street. The office was originally a doctor's office, and was also used as a telegraph office by Union forces during the town's occupation during the Civil War.
Bloodworth Cottage, on Back Street. The house was built in the late 1700s.
A house on Back Street.
Makemie Presbyterian Church, on Back Street. The church was built in 1837 and was named for Francis Makemie, the first Presbyterian minister in America. Mackamie preached on the Delmarva Peninsula, and from New York to the Carolinas.
Seven Gables, a house on Back Street. The oldest part of the house was built in the late 1700s.
A statue of Francis Makemie, on Cross Street. The statue was dedicated in 1908, and was moved from a nearby community to this site in 1984. Makemie was the first Presbyterian minister in America, and lived from 1658 to 1708. Makemie resided in Accomac when he was not traveling the East Coast.
A former doctor's office, on Cross Street.
A house on Back Street.
The Fletcher House, on Back Street. The house was built in 1817.
The Haven, a house on Back Street. The oldest portion of the house dates to 1794.
Drummondtown Baptist Church, on Front Street. The church was built in 1871.
An old school on School Street.
A house on Lilliston Avenue.
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