South Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Victory Avenue
An Enduring Reminder of the Great War
— World War I Centennial Commemoration —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021
1. Victory Avenue Marker
Inscription.
Victory Avenue. An Enduring Reminder of the Great War. , On September 28, 1919, two ceremonies were held by the Welcome Home Committee at the Victory Arch to honor local veterans. The first overflowed onto the adjacent Casino Park grounds as thousands packed every available foot of space around the monument. Several hundred former members of the armed forces were presented with commemorative bronze medals as a token of appreciation from the people of the city. Red Cross ladies pinned the decorations on the doughboys present, and the the American Legion delivered them to relatives of deceased servicemen. The black community conducted a separate exercise at the Red Circle Club on Marshall Avenue at 25th Street.
In the afternoon, there was a second solemn rite , the unveiling of an engraved bronze memorial tablet attached to the north pillar of the arch listing the names of the 32 Newport News servicemen who had died during the war. This plaque, created at the urging of Judge John B. Locke, was cast at the shipyard. First District Congressman Otis S. Bland recalled the deeds of the men who perished in the war and paid a glowing tribute to those who slept beneath the sod of foreign lands. While a squad of soldiers fired a salute and a bugler sounded Taps, the flag was lifted from the tablet recording the war dead. Veterans of the Civil War in their faded gray uniforms and ex-Spanish-American War soldiers dressed in blue and red regimentals sat with the dignitaries. Scattered about the crowd were numerous khaki-clad men. At the conclusion, they clasped hands with their comrades-in-arms pledging to "keep the country safe from all forces of evil for the sake of those who sleep in Flanders Field."
And so the Great War passed into history, and the town gradually returned to normalcy. However, in an ordinance of November 1920, the city council chose to commemorate these activities by moving that the section of street activities by moving that the section of street between the arch and River Road be renamed Victory Avenue. This legislation heralded the city's formal commitment to accept the monument , noting it "welcomes the privilege of maintaining it."
In 1962, the temporary arch was replaced with one made of stone as a permanent symbol of Newport News' military legacy. Beginning in 2003, the waterfront where the hectic World War I embarkation scenes had played out was transformed into Victory Landing Park.
[Captions:] , Newport News World War I Victory Medal, 1919. , The bronze medal bearing the relief of the arch was suspended by a red, white and blue ribbon. The servicemen's name was engraved on the reverse.
Eagle Scouts await signal to unveil the memorial tablet on the arch's base at the dedication ceremony.
The 1919 bronze tablet paid tribute to 32 world war one Peninsula servicemen. It was replaced in 1962 when the arch was rebuilt with ones recording war dead of later conflicts.
Victory Avenue as portrayed on a vintage postcard was once a driveable street.
On September 28, 1919, two ceremonies were held by the Welcome Home Committee at the Victory Arch to honor local veterans. The first overflowed onto the adjacent Casino Park grounds as thousands packed every available foot of space around the monument. Several hundred former members of the armed forces were presented with commemorative bronze medals as a token of appreciation from the people of the city. Red Cross ladies pinned the decorations on the doughboys present, and the the American Legion delivered them to relatives of deceased servicemen. The black community conducted a separate exercise at the Red Circle Club on Marshall Avenue at 25th Street.
In the afternoon, there was a second solemn rite — the unveiling of an engraved bronze memorial tablet attached to the north pillar of the arch listing the names of the 32 Newport News servicemen who had died during the war. This plaque, created at the urging of Judge John B. Locke, was cast at the shipyard. First District Congressman Otis S. Bland recalled the deeds of the men who perished in the war and paid a glowing tribute to those who slept beneath the sod of foreign lands. While a squad of soldiers fired a salute and a bugler sounded Taps, the flag was lifted from the tablet recording the war dead. Veterans of the Civil War in their faded gray uniforms and ex-Spanish-American
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War soldiers dressed in blue and red regimentals sat with the dignitaries. Scattered about the crowd were numerous khaki-clad men. At the conclusion, they clasped hands with their comrades-in-arms pledging to "keep the country safe from all forces of evil for the sake of those who sleep in Flanders Field."
And so the Great War passed into history, and the town gradually returned to normalcy. However, in an ordinance of November 1920, the city council chose to commemorate these activities by moving that the section of street activities by moving that the section of street between the arch and River Road be renamed Victory Avenue. This legislation heralded the city's formal commitment to accept the monument — noting it "welcomes the privilege of maintaining it."
In 1962, the temporary arch was replaced with one made of stone as a permanent symbol of Newport News' military legacy. Beginning in 2003, the waterfront where the hectic World War I embarkation scenes had played out was transformed into Victory Landing Park.
[Captions:] Newport News World War I Victory Medal, 1919.
The bronze medal bearing the relief of the arch was suspended by a red, white and blue ribbon. The servicemen's name was engraved on the reverse.
Eagle Scouts await signal to unveil the memorial tablet on the arch's base at the dedication ceremony.
The
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 6, 2021
2. Victory Avenue Marker
1919 bronze tablet paid tribute to 32 WW I Peninsula servicemen. It was replaced in 1962 when the arch was rebuilt with ones recording war dead of later conflicts.
Victory Avenue as portrayed on a vintage postcard was once a driveable street.
Location. 36° 58.616′ N, 76° 25.952′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in South Newport News. Marker can be reached from the intersection of West Avenue and 25th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2501 West Ave, Newport News VA 23607, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
