Step into 1776: The Battle of Cricket Hill Diorama

As part of Mathews County’s VA250 commemoration, a remarkable 6-foot by 6-foot diorama brings the Battle of Cricket Hill to life at the Mathews Museum. Created by local model enthusiast, Museum volunteer, and Mathews resident Don Good, this detailed three-dimensional exhibit invites visitors to see one of the most dramatic Revolutionary War moments in local history from a new perspective.

In July 1776, just days after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Patriot forces confronted Lord Dunmore, Virginia’s last royal governor, at Gwynn’s Island. Dunmore’s forces had occupied the island, while Patriot forces positioned artillery on the mainland at Fort Cricket Hill and fired across the narrow channel. The engagement helped force Dunmore to abandon his Virginia base and marked a turning point in the Commonwealth’s Revolutionary War story.

The diorama re-creates this tense moment in miniature. Visitors can look across a carefully crafted landscape showing Gwynn’s Island, the mainland, Fort Hammond, and Lord Dunmore’s fleet gathered in Hills Bay. Miniature boats, troops, and terrain details help visitors visualize how geography, water, artillery, and strategy shaped the conflict.

The exhibit was created by Don Good, a Mathews resident, Museum volunteer, model enthusiast, and historic interpreter at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. His work transforms a complex Revolutionary War episode into something visitors of all ages can see, explore, and understand.

The exhibit also includes a video presentation filmed with Mathews resident, historian, and Museum supporter Bill Molyneaux. In the video, Good explains Lord Dunmore’s brief stay in what was then Gloucester County and how the battle unfolded over three days in July 1776. Together, the model and video connect Mathews County’s local landscape to the larger story of America’s fight for independence.