Virginia. American Pilot Schooner model

The original schooner Virginia was commissioned by the Virginia Pilots Association and designed by naval engineers Cox and Stevens. Pilots Association president William Rowe Boutwell instructed the designers to model the vessel after the America's Cup competitors of the day. She was built by A.C. Brown & Son of Tottenville, Staten Island, New York, and was completed in 1916. Although steamboats were readily available at the time, Virginia was built with no engines so as to maintain the pilots' sailing skills and train new apprentices.

Virginia served actively as a pilot vessel during World War I. Following the war, she was fitted with two 75 hp diesel engines, which necessitated a shortening of her fore boom to accommodate a smokestack.

In 1939, Virginia was sold to Walter K. Queen of Boston. She was sold again in 1944, and in 1945 was sold to her final owner, William H. Hoeffer of New York. In 1947 she was reported "stranded."