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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Modest Town, Virginia

human settlement in Accomack County, Virginia, United States

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 13, 2026
Entity authorityQ2843035 ↗
Source-derived summary

Modest Town (sometimes spelled Modestown) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 120.

History

The origin of the name "Modest Town" is obscure. In the mid-19th century, it was a point along the stagecoach route between Wilmington, Delaware and Eastville, Virginia.

Geography

The CDP lies at an elevation of 36 feet.

Demographics

Modest Town was first listed as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Modest Town, Virginia” as human settlement in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Modest, Town and Virginia.

Editorial reviewMost useful as a place-based finding aid connecting the present description to earlier jurisdictions, maps and built evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2020, 2010—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Modest, Town and Virginia providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Modest Town, Virginia”, the useful work is to connect “human settlement in Accomack County, Virginia, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2843035. Authority coordinates are 37.813, -75.565. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 2010.

Critical limits

A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Modest Town, Virginia”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Modest Town, Virginia primary sources, Modest Town, Virginia archive and Modest research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Modest Town, Virginia”?
  2. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
  3. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Modest Town, Virginia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.