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2016 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 112
Commending the City of Hopewell.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, January 28, 2016
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 5, 2016
 

WHEREAS, the City of Hopewell, a dynamic waterfront community that has served as one of the Commonwealth’s industrial centers throughout its long and storied history, celebrates the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as a city in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Hopewell traces its deepest roots to the formation of an English settlement in the region and is one of the oldest permanently settled areas in the Commonwealth; the oldest remaining area of Hopewell, City Point, was established in 1613 and was incorporated as a town in 1826; and

WHEREAS, City Point served as a port of entry to the United States and operated one of the nation’s earliest railroad lines, the line between City Point and Petersburg, in the mid-1800s; it temporarily became one of the busiest ports in the world when it served as headquarters of the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg in the American Civil War; and

WHEREAS, at the turn of the century, City Point had a population of 300, but after E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. purchased 2400 acres to build a dynamite plant and the largest guncotton plant in the world at the time, more than 40,000 people found employment in the area by 1915; and

WHEREAS, the City of Hopewell was officially incorporated in 1916, and many other national corporations, such as Honeywell, Evonik Industries, Tubize Artificial Silk, Allied Chemical, Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation, and Hercules, Inc., brought their business to the new city; and

WHEREAS, home to many giants of industry and innovation over the years, Hopewell earned the nickname Wonder City and witnessed the development of the first automatic dishwasher and the first Kraft paper and cardboard boxes; and

WHEREAS, named for an English passenger ship, Hopewell strives to maintain its historic, rural charm; it has earned the Governor’s Clean City Award and other accolades for its landscaping and beautification efforts; and

WHEREAS, the residents of Hopewell will commemorate the city’s 100th anniversary with festivals, concerts, a lecture series, and other events throughout the year, as well as a special celebration on July 2, 2016; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the City of Hopewell on the occasion of its 100th anniversary as a city; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mark A. Haley, city manager of the City of Hopewell, as an expression of the General Assembly’s congratulations and admiration for the city’s unique place in Virginia history.