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Suffolk Virginia River Heritage is Preserved Here. Oystermen and Skilled Craftsmen of Crittenden and Eclipse honored with Historic Marker The villages of Crittenden and Eclipse emerged here just as Virginias commercial oyster industry was expanding in the latter part of the 19th century. Early residents included watermen and boatbuilders from the North who were attracted by the rich oyster beds of the lower James River. In the 1890s Lepron Johnson established Johnson Marine Railway one of many boatbuilding yards employing local skilled craftsmen.