Cape Charles Joins Civil War Trails, Honoring a Forgotten Hero of Emancipation

A stretch of Cape Charles’ Bay Avenue now marks a turning point in the town’s historical identity. With the installation of its first Civil War Trails sign—also the first on Virginia’s Eastern Shore—Cape Charles has joined a sprawling six-state program that commemorates the stories of the American Civil War.

Peter Jacob Carter, born into the devastation of the postbellum South, rose to serve in the Union military, then went on to become a Federally appointed lighthouse keeper on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The new Civil War Trails marker, located at 21 Bay Avenue and facing the very stretch of coastline where Carter kept watch, offers visitors a rare glimpse into a life forged in courage, perseverance, and public service.

Peter Jacob Carter, a member of the House of Delegates (1871–1878), was the Eastern Shore’s predominant African American politician in the decades following the American Civil War. Born in Northampton County, Carter escaped from slavery and then served for more than two years with the U.S. Colored Infantry. In 1871, he served as Second Assistant at Assateague Lighthouse, VA. His annual salary was $440/year. That same year, he won election as a Republican to the House of Delegates representing Northampton County. He was reelected three more times, and his eight-year tenure was one of the longest among nineteenth-century African American members of the General Assembly. Carter was a Funder Republican—that is, he supported the aggressive repayment of Virginia’s antebellum debt—a rare position for an African American politician.

Carter lost his bid for a seat in the Senate of Virginia 1879 elections, but retained much of his political power, chairing the state’s delegation to the Republican National Convention in 1880. He left the party to join William Mahone‘s Readjusters, a Republican-allied coalition that sought to readjust Virginia’s payment of its antebellum debt. Carter was rewarded for his support by being elected doorkeeper of the Senate of Virginia in 1881 and appointed rector of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (later Virginia State University) in 1883. He died in 1886, probably of appendicitis.

The effort to bring Carter’s story to light was the result of years of collaboration between the Town of Cape Charles, the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission, Civil War Trails, Inc., the Virginia Tourism Corporation, and more than a dozen historians and community stakeholders. This work gave voice to Dr. Arthur Carter, Peter’s direct descendant and a lifelong advocate for preserving his ancestor’s legacy. Dr. Carter passed away in 2023, but not before laying the foundation for what would become a landmark educational and commemorative effort.

Funding for the site came from across the Atlantic, thanks to an unexpected benefactor: the American Civil War Round Table of the United Kingdom. The London-based organization, moved by Carter’s story and the absence of Civil War Trail sites on the Eastern Shore, stepped in to provide the financial support needed to bring the marker to life.

The Civil War Trails program features over 1,500 interpretive signs across six states, from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, but until now, none had existed in this corner of the Delmarva Peninsula.

That will change formally on Thursday, April 10, when local officials, historians, and members of the Carter family will gather for a public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 Bay Avenue. The event, scheduled for noon, is open to all.

In the weeks leading up to the unveiling, the Virginia Tourism Corporation will promote the new site through its popular Civil War Trails map-guides, now updated to include Cape Charles. The spotlight, organizers hope, will inspire a broader audience to rediscover an often-overlooked chapter in the story of emancipation and resilience.

For more information about the ceremony, contact the Eastern Shore of Virginia Tourism Commission at (757) 787-8268 or email Robert Sabbatini at executivedirector@esvatourism.org. Details about Civil War Trails and Peter Jacob Carter can be found at www.civilwartrails.org or by calling (757) 378-5462.

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