Serio Boat Yard
Vincent Joseph Serio, Sr.
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Vincent Joseph Serio, Sr. was born October 7, 1896, the thirteenth and youngest child of Filippo, a merchant seaman, and Bartola Serio. The family emigrated from Cefalu, Sicily, through Ellis Island to the United States in 1901, settling in Newport News. Vincent Serio's first boat-building workshop was a modest land-locked lean-to at his home in Newport News. By 1929, he had moved his business to the Small Boat Harbor in Newport News. He remained at this location, Hampton Roads Boat Works, until after World War II.
Serio purchased an existing marine railway at 16 House Street on Pee Dee Point, about 700 feet northeast of here, from Edward Haldeman in 1949. That same year, his new business, Serio Boat Yard, began operations there. Serio built, repaired, and maintained countless boats, among them approximately 500 Hampton One-Design sailboats.
Demand for the Hampton One-Design boats climbed during the era of post-war prosperity. As many as seventy Hampton One-Design boats competed in the National Championship Regatta while hundreds more populated fleets along the Chesapeake Bay. Early in the 1960s, fiberglass boats were approved for racing. Being cheaper and more easily maintained, they began to overtake the elegant, finely crafted wooden boats in popularity. Vincent Joseph Serio, Sr., retired and closed the yard in 1969, and died in 1971.
A condominium complex stands on the site of Serio Boat Yard today, a simple stone marker remembering the man and his works of art that once were made here.
Erected 2010
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is October 7, 1896.
Location. 37° 1.584′ N, 76° 20.494′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Downtown. It is on Eaton Street just north of East Queen Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Miles Cary Mews, Hampton VA 23669, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Virginias Peninsula and in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Syms-Eaton Academy
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 564 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
