Even as the history of Hampton is inextricably aligned with major events in American history, so too is the city’s history intertwined with the story of African-Americans in this country. You are invited to trace the footsteps of those who through their vision and tenacity have set a path for others to follow.
ABERDEEN GARDENS HISTORIC MUSEUM
57 N. Mary Peake Boulevard, Hampton,
757/826-9174
Built for and by African-Americans in 1935 as part of Frankfin D. Roosevelt s New Deal Settlement. The museum celebrates the neighborhood’s heritage and future.
BAY SHORE BEACH AT BUCKROE
During segregation, Hampton’s Bay Shore Beach located on the Chesapeake Bay, was one of the most popular black resorts on the east coast What began in 1898 as a four-room cottage, grew to a three-story beachfront hotel with 70 rooms and long porches facing the water. The hotel and surrounding property were privately redeveloped in 1973.
CASEMATE MUSEUM AT FORT MONROE
Casemate 20, Bernard Road, Fort Monroe, VA 23651,
757/788-3391
It was at Point Comfort, the site of Fort Monroe, that the first twenty-and-odd Africans arrived to British North America in 1619. During the Civil War more than 6,000 slaves escaped to Union-held Fort Monroe, earning it the nickname ‘Freedom’s Fortress.”
HAMPTON HISTORY MUSEUM
120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton 23669,
757/727-1610
Galleries recount Hampton history from the city’s early inhabitance by the Kecoughtan Indians through the 20th century, including the contributions of African Americans.
HAMPTON UNIVERSITY CAMPUS AND MUSEUM
Begin at the Huntington Building.
757/727-5308
Established in 1868 as the Hampton Agricultural and Normal Institute to educate newly-freed African-Americans, Hampton University’s campus is home to ax national historic landmarks. Among them is Emancipation Oak, where Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was read to the citizens of Hampton. Pick up a walking tour at Hampton University Museum, the oldest African-American museum in the nation.
LITTLE ENGLAND CHAPEL
4100 Kecoughtan Road, Hampton VA
23669,757/728-1710
Built circa 1879, Little England Chapel is Virginia’s only known African American missionary chapel. The sanctuary holds a permanent exhibit that helps visitors understand the religious lives of post-Civil War African-Americans in Virginia. The chapel is both a state and national historic landmark.
THE NEWSOME HOUSE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER
2803 Oak Avenue, Newport
757/247-2360
This Queen Anne residence honors the legacy of Joseph Thomas Newsome (1859-1942), a respected attorney, churchman, and civic leader in Newport News. No admission fee.
PHOEBUS
Phoebus Improvement League,
757/727-0808
Much of Hampton’s African-American population settled near Camp Hamilton, adjacent to Fort Monroe in the Mill Creek area, following Union-General Benjamin Buder’s decree that slaves were “contraband of war.” A nearby community of shanties became known as Slabtown. Camp Hamilton disbanded in 1865 and the area later became known as Chesapeake City. The area was incorporated as the town of Phoebus in 1900 and became part of the City of Hampton in 1952.
RUPPERT L. SARGENT BUILDING
1 Franklin Street, Hampton
Hampton’s newest municipal building was named for First Lieutenant Ruppert Leon Sargent. Born in Hampton January 6, 1938, Sargent attended Hampton Institute prior to entering the Army in 1959. He was killed on March 15,1967 in Vietnam when he threw himself over two grenades tossed by Viet Cong soldiers, an effort that saved the lives of others in his unit A Medal of Honor recipient, and the only one to be born and raised in Hampton, Sargent is buried in the Hampton National Cemetery.