Parksley

History

on Virginia's Eastern Shore in the mid-1880s. When the rail line connecting the lower Delmarva Peninsula to the markets of the northeast was built in 1884, several new towns were created along its route which bypassed many of the shore's older established communities. Parksley was the second such planned town on the Virginia shore (after Cape Charles at the railroad's southern terminus in Northampton County) and was laid out in 1885 under the management of the Parksley Land Improvement Company. In 1898, town leaders made an unsuccessful attempt to relocate the county seat from Accomac to the Parksley. The town was incorporated in 1904. During the first half of the 20th century, Parksley became an important shipping point for seafood and agricultural products harvested from the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Accomack County. During World War II, Parksley was the site of the Shore National Guard Armory and its airfield was utilized by the Civil Air Patrol, part of military reconnaissance activities guarding the east coast of the United States against possible German invasion. Parksley was home to the Parksley Spuds, a team which played in the Eastern Shore Baseball League. As of 2021, Parksley has had most of its historic train tracks removed. The removal was approved by the company Canonie Atlantic Co., despite the protests of some locals and New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad. The removal was approved; the only remaining train tracks in Parksley are associated with the Eastern Shore Railway Museum.

Geography

Parksley is located at (37.785078, -75.654222). According to the United States Census Bureau the town has a total area of 0.6 square mile (1.6 km), all land. It lies at an elevation of 43 feet.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,604
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,952
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,901
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,661
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,609
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,310
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,299
• Laughing Gull

  Leucophaeus atricilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,291

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2023-02-09
  29 km E of Greenbackville, Virginia