Newport News, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Reservation

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 2, 2023

1. The Reservation Marker

Inscription. Free African Americans settled in this area prior to the Civil War, forming a community later known as The Reservation. The population grew as emancipated people arrived during and after the war. Residents of the self-sustained community owned farms and businesses, cultivated oysters, and built a school, fraternal halls, and three churches. Among those buried at Cheesecake Cemetery, final resting place of many community founders, is Medal of Honor recipient Edward Ratcliff, who served in the 38th U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War. In 1918, the U.S. government used eminent domain to establish a Navy mine depot here during World War I, displacing hundreds of African American residents.

Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number NP-14.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Notable Places • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1918.

Location. 37° 12.759′ N, 76° 34.974′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue (Virginia Route 143) and Longfellow Road, on the right when traveling west on Jefferson Avenue. The marker is located in front of the

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Newport News VA 23603, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula,

in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

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: Aviation Field Yorktown (approx. 0.6 miles away); Lebanon Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Endview (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Endview (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Lebanon Church (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Dairy House (approx. 0.7 miles away); a different marker also named Endview (approx. ¾ mile away); Endview Plantation (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Dairy Building (was approx. 0.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Endview Landscape (was approx. ¾ mile away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Marker revealed for ‘The Reservation,’ a historic Black community in York County. (Submitted on July 14, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 2, 2023

2. The Reservation Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,354 times since then and 122 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 14, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.