Smithfield is a river city. First colonized in 1630, Smithfield’s location on the Pagan River made it a safe harbor during times of war, a place to offload supplies and arms for soldiers fighting nearby. Smithfield’s main claim to fame is the Smithfield Ham, which has been produced in town for nearly a hundred years, making Smithfield the largest pork processor and hog producer in the world. Visitors often come for guided tours of St. Luke’s Church, which dates to 1632 and is the oldest church in Virginia. Its cemetery has gravestones that are four centuries old. The Old Courthouse of 1750 is a striking sight on the downtown streets. Two abandoned forts are close to town: Fort Huger, a Civil War-era fort that sits on a bluff overlooking the James River, and the archeological site of Fort Boykin, erected in 1623 to protect early settlers from Native Americans and Spanish marauders.

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