According to the 1976 book, A Portrait of Deltaville, the little village’s identity started with a simple post office, but it’s survival should be credited to the steamboats that were the only means of transportation around the area before cars and roads were available. Before Deltaville was give its current name, it was unofficially called Delta. But with Virginia already having one town named Delta, the ‘ville’ was added. Before town members even started calling the small area Delta, it was often referred to as Unionville because of an old church that existed in town. By the time the post office came along, and the town needed a name, the Union Church was gone, so the people of the village decided to name the town after the land that had formed along the Chesapeake Bay.
It didn’t take long before the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters created not only a lifestyle, but also a living for the folks in town. My own great grandfather owned a lot of land in town. But to him, a farmer, all the land along the water was useless. A farmer couldn’t use to to grow crops. A fisherman, or waterman as they are known locally, could use that land to store boats, but a farmer found the land pointless. Today’s residents relish living along the waterside, having beach access, and water views.
In my book, 34 Seconds, Will and Nikki fall in love on those beaches and in those waters. Their young love is born in Deltaville, and it’s tested again years later when he needs her most.
**A Portrait of Deltaville, copyright 1976, Compile by Zeta Epsilon Chapter Beta Sigma Phi Sorority